Project Management Fundamentals: What Should You Focus On?

"Focus on the basics, do them well, and do them relentlessly..."

All project managers are familiar with them, and those who are not project managers will recognize them too. Projects are made up of tasks, milestones, milestones, resources of various types, risks, problems, etc. Each task, deadline, or person is indivisible – the atoms of the project, if you will.

I'm sure you'll have your own list. And while I expect your list to overlap in many ways, it may well differ in detail. You can choose not to include one or two of my best concepts, but still add a few of your own. You'll likely have the same idea, but express it in your own way.

Project Management Fundamentals No 1: Control

Most of all, project managers crave control. We do our work in an unstable, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment. And our job is to create something new (often innovative) within a fixed budget and often on a tight deadline. In the face of this chaos and all these problems, the only way to succeed is to use methods and approaches that create control. Control makes it possible to achieve results and also builds trust in the teams that work with us and the stakeholders who trust us.

Project Management Fundamentals No 2: Onboarding

There are no magic solutions for our work, so our task is to:

• Learn as much as possible

• Collect as many tools, techniques, methods, processes, and frameworks as possible

• Understanding each problem for what it is, on its own

• Develop tailored solutions for each need, using the full range of our resources

Fundamentals of Project Management No 3. Honesty and trust

If your team or stakeholders don't trust you or lose trust... You are doomed! Building and maintaining trust is something to look out for in every decision and every interaction with another person. And the surest way to lose him is to forget that in every action you need to demonstrate true honesty.

There is nothing more fundamental than your principled attitude to professionalism in general and to your role in particular.

Project Management Fundamentals No 4: Stakeholders

If your stakeholders are going to determine the success (or not) of your project (and I believe they are), then how you handle them is fundamental to your success. Get to know and understand them. Your goal is to satisfy your customers, meet the basic needs of your users, and involve all stakeholders.

Project Management Fundamentals No 5: Planning and Onboarding

In the world of project management, the question often arises: which is more important, planning or adaptation? Some believe that these are competing approaches, but I disagree.

Planning and adaptation at both ends of the spectrum

Planning and adaptation can indeed be seen as two opposite ends of the spectrum of project management approaches. However, this does not mean that we should choose one of them and stick to it throughout the project. In contrast, successful project management requires a combination of both approaches.

Why do you need planning?

Even in the most agile approaches, such as Agile, some planning is necessary. Scheduling helps us:

• Set goals and objectives: Be clear about what we want to achieve.

• Develop an action plan: Determine what steps need to be taken to achieve the goals.

• Allocate resources: Make efficient use of available resources such as time, money, and people.

• Manage risk: Anticipate potential problems and develop strategies to address them.

Why do you need adaptation?

On the other hand, even in the most predictable projects, it is necessary to adapt to changing circumstances. Adaptation allows us to:

• Respond to change: Respond quickly and effectively to unforeseen changes and new challenges.

• Provide Flexibility: Maintain flexibility in approaches and methods to remain effective in different settings.

• Improve processes: Continuously improve processes and methods based on experience gained and new knowledge.

• Meet expectations: Take into account the changing requirements and expectations of stakeholders.

Combining planning and adaptation

The real mastery of project management lies in the ability to combine planning and adaptation. The initial plan gives us a framework to work with, but the ability to adapt to change allows us to remain effective and achieve goals despite unforeseen circumstances.

Planning and adaptation are not mutually exclusive approaches. On the contrary, their combination allows us to manage projects in the most efficient way. It's important to understand that planning gives us direction, and adaptation allows us to adjust course based on current conditions. Any other approach would be, frankly, absurd.

Project Management Fundamentals No 6: Determining Project Completion

As I started to delve into the topic of agile methodologies, I came across the term 'Definition of Done', and I really liked it! I use it as a basic idea for understanding the completion of the work. At the beginning of each project, we should take enough time to understand what exactly is our project and what is not.

Why is this important?

Every project is made up of many elements, and without a clear definition of them, we cannot proceed to planning with certainty. And even more so, we should not rush into execution without knowing all the details. Without a clear understanding of the project boundaries, we will not be able to determine when our work will be completed.

Within Agile, the term 'definition of completion' refers to a set of criteria that must be met in order for a task or project to be considered complete. This can include technical requirements, testing, documentation, and other important aspects.

At the beginning of the project, we need to:

• Understand the essence of the project: Determine the goals, objectives, what is included in the project and what is not.

• Define Completion Criteria: Set which specific criteria will mean the completion of a task or the entire project.

• Document these criteria: Write them down and agree on them with all project participants.

Examples of Finality Criteria

• Technical criteria: All functional requirements are met, the code is tested and integrated.

• Quality: All bugs have been fixed, testing has been completed, and the quality of the product meets the standards.

• Documentation: All necessary documents have been created and approved.

• Approval: All stakeholders have confirmed that the task or project has been completed.

The definition of completeness allows:

• Avoid misunderstandings: Everyone involved in the project knows exactly what is needed to complete the work.

• Improve quality: Clear criteria help ensure high quality work.

• Manage time effectively: We know when work is done and can move on to the next task.

• Customer satisfaction: Customers get exactly what they expect within the stipulated time frame.

Defining completeness is a key element of successful project management. It allows us to clearly understand what our project includes and move confidently towards its completion. Using this approach, we are able to plan, execute and complete projects efficiently, ensuring high quality and satisfaction of all stakeholders.

Project Management Fundamentals No 7: Quality

The issue of quality is always in the first place in any project. No matter what quality standards my client wants to set, my job is as follows:

1. Make sure that the standards are set and the project team understands them. The first step in quality management is to establish clear quality standards.

It's the customer's responsibility to determine exactly what standards they want to see in the final product.

However, my job is to make sure that these standards are not only established, but fully understood by the entire project team. This is the only way we can ensure that all project participants work in the same direction and adhere to the same criteria.

2. Reflect quality standards in the development of products, processes or services (Quality Engineering) Quality must be at the heart of everything we create. During the design phase, it is important to take into account all established standards and integrate them into the products, processes or services we develop. Quality engineering means that we should think about quality from the beginning, rather than trying to add it later. This includes all aspects of development – from design to the choice of materials and technologies.

3. Establish Quality Assurance procedures. Quality assurance is the next key step. We must establish procedures and processes that ensure that everything we create meets the quality standards set. This includes regular inspections, testing, and revisions at every stage of development. Quality assurance procedures help us identify and fix problems before they become major defects and maintain a high level of quality throughout the project.

4. Quality Control Before a product, service or process is put into operation, a thorough assessment must be carried out for compliance with quality standards. Quality control is the last frontier that allows us to make sure that everything created meets the established requirements. This can include final testing, inspections, and certification. Only after successfully passing all stages of quality control can the product be released for use.

Quality assurance is an integral part of the work in project management. My job is to make sure that every stage of the project, from setting standards to final quality control, is carried out at the highest level. This not only satisfies the client's requirements, but also builds trust in the project team and its results. After all, isn't that what we're paid for?

Project Management Fundamentals No 8: Risks

Projects rarely go according to plan without any hiccups. This is especially true for projects that take place in an environment that is subject to frequent change and uncertainty. As the saying goes, "Change is inevitable!" Let's take a look at what this means for project risk management.

Characteristics of the project environment.

• Volatility: The project environment is often subject to sudden and unpredictable changes. These can be changes in requirements, external factors, or internal circumstances that can dramatically affect the progress of the project.

• Uncertainty: Projects often involve taking on new tasks or using new techniques, resulting in a high degree of uncertainty. We may face situations that we have not encountered before, and we must find new ways to solve them.

• Complexity: Projects can be made up of many interrelated components that are extremely difficult to predict. The slightest change in one part can cause a chain reaction of changes in other parts of the project.

• Ambiguity: In projects, there are often situations that can be interpreted in different ways. The same event or information can have multiple meanings, and it is important to interpret them correctly to make the right decisions.

Unforeseen problems and changes inevitably arise in project management. It is important to be prepared for these challenges and be able to effectively manage risks. This requires a mature and responsible approach that allows projects to be successfully completed despite all the difficulties and uncertainties.

Risk management is the basis of professional project management.

Project Management Fundamentals No 9: Benefits

When we take on a project, we always expect to get some benefit from our investment of time, effort and money. If you can't think of any good reasons to go ahead with a project, you might want to rethink your approach and put benefits management at the center of project management.

Why is benefit management important? Project management should be aimed at obtaining specific benefits. The benefits can be different: financial, operational, strategic, or even social. Regardless of the type, they are the ultimate goal of any project. It is important to understand what benefits we are trying to achieve, and how they relate to the costs of the project.

Benefit management is the foundation of successful project management. We must always remember that projects are not implemented for the sake of the process, but for the sake of specific results and benefits. By centralizing benefits management to your project management approach, you'll be able to use resources more efficiently and achieve your goals. After all, it is for the sake of benefits that we carry out projects.

Project Management Fundamentals No 10: Social Value

In today's world, project management must consider not only the benefits to individual stakeholders, but also the impact on society as a whole. This is my last conclusion, which made me reconsider my priorities and add an important element – social value.

Why do we need social value?

Every project should benefit society. If a project does not create a positive impact on society, it benefits only its sponsor. This state of affairs can be considered selfish and perhaps even an abusive use of resources.

Limited resources

Projects use resources, and the Earth has a limited supply of these resources. If a project does not benefit society, it actually takes away resources from society for the benefit of a limited number of people. This is an unsustainable and unfair approach that needs to change.

Social value should become an integral part of project management. Each project should benefit not only the sponsor, but also society as a whole. This will help create more sustainable and equitable projects that will contribute to the overall well-being and wise use of our planet's limited resources. Incorporating social value into project management is a step towards a more responsible and ethical approach to the use of resources and the implementation of projects.

Project Management Fundamentals No 11: Team Collaboration

The success of any project largely depends on how efficiently your team works. This means creating the conditions for productive collaboration and minimizing any obstacles that could hinder work. The concept I'm talking about is called service leadership.

Service Leadership

Service leadership is an approach to management in which a leader puts the interests of his team first. This means:

Support and assistance: The manager creates conditions under which team members can perform their tasks effectively. This includes providing the necessary resources, training and support.

Minimal Intervention: The Leader ensures that the team can work independently without having to deal with unnecessary interference and bureaucracy.

Creating a Trusting Environment: A leader builds relationships based on trust and respect, which fosters an open exchange of ideas and effective collaboration.

Team as a resource

Your team is one of the most important resources of the project, along with materials, equipment and other assets. Effective project management requires the maximum use of all resources, including human resources. It is important to keep in mind that your employees are not just task performers, but important partners who must be involved and motivated to achieve a successful result.

Relationship to Cost Management

Resources, including the team, cost money. Therefore, resource management is inextricably linked to cost management. Project management includes:

Optimize resource utilization: Ensure that resources are allocated efficiently to achieve the best results.

Cost Control: Monitor and manage resource costs so that you don't exceed your project budget.

Balancing resources and costs: The ability to find a balance between costs and benefits that each resource brings.

Effective team collaboration and good resource management are key components of successful project management. Leadership helps create a supportive and productive work environment, while effective resource and cost management ensures that all available tools are used optimally. Thus, successful project management requires not only strategic planning, but also the ability to work with people and resources to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

Project Management Fundamentals No 12: Training

The project management process involves many aspects, but one of the key elements is training. We need to regularly evaluate our processes, successes, failures and decisions. This is how we learn from experience and become better.

The importance of reflection

Reflection is the process of thinking about what went well and what could be improved. This is an important element of learning and development, both for individual team members and for the project team as a whole. Regular reflection helps us:

• Identify successful practices: Understand what worked well and use these methods in the future.

• Learn from mistakes: Analyze failures and look for ways to prevent them in the future.

• Make informed decisions: Evaluate past decisions and their consequences to improve the decision-making process.

• Develop the team: Improve the professional level of the team, contributing to its growth and development.

Formats of reflection

There are several ways to organize the process of reflection in a team:

• Lessons-learned meetings: Formal meetings where the team discusses what lessons can be learned from the past phase of the project.

• Retrospectives: More informal and regular meetings where the team discusses their successes and failures and looks for ways to improve. I like this format more and more, as it promotes an open exchange of views and continuous improvement.

Regularity and frequency

It is important to hold such meetings regularly and often. This allows the team not only to respond quickly to problems, but also to constantly improve their skills and processes. Continuous learning and development is the key to success in any project.

Training is an integral part of project management. Regular reflection helps us learn from experience, improve processes and develop team professionalism. Whether you call them lesson gatherings or retrospectives, it's important to do it regularly and often. This way, you will ensure the continuous development and successful completion of projects, making your team stronger and more efficient at every stage.