Balancing the Fundamentals of Project Management

Ever wonder what core components are critical to managing and executing a project through closure? After decades of managing big and small projects in private and public sectors, here are my thoughts on the fundamentals of project management that are critical to successfully managing and executing a project from the start through closure.

First, we will start with the definition of a project: a project is defined as a temporary endeavor consisting of structured tasks, activities, and deliverables to create a unique product or a service and is bound by cost and time. The project manager is responsible for planning, managing, and executing the tasks; managing the resources that are working on the tasks; the quality of the goods and services the project delivers; and finally, the cost and schedule of the project. A project manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the project during the life of the project and is accountable for the success of the project.  However, that does not mean that the project manager is solely responsible for the success of the project.

Understanding the fundamentals of project management will help any project manager navigate the road to a successful project delivery by clearly identifying the core components required to reach that final destination.

What are the fundamentals of project management? People, Process, Tools, and Leadership. Focus on these components prior to the project kickoff and maintaining that focus through the life of the project will guarantee the success of the project. Project management is a constant balancing act. Too much attention on any component or too little can also result in a negative impact on the project. For instance, an overwhelming level of leadership oversight will be perceived as micromanagement and may hinder independent and creative thinking and have a negative impact on the morale of the team.

People get the tasks done; they are the engines that move the project forward. Lets face it, without people, projects cannot succeed. However, characteristics such as behavior, personalities and attitude toward change, capacity, availability, and outlook can attribute to the team dynamic and can impact the project outcome. It is critical that the project manager understands the team dynamic and works on building teams that foster collaboration, productivity, and mission success. The project manager is responsible for cultivating an environment that inspires collaboration and trust. However, having a high performing team is not enough. The project manager needs to connect with the team members to enforce trust and commitment through exemplary use of effective communication, demonstrate availability and reliability, and share positive and constructive feedback on performance. It is imperative that the project manager define the roles and responsibilities of every team member. It is prudent to define the roles and responsibilities of extended team members that contribute to the project including customers, partners, and stakeholders. Knowing and documenting what each person is responsible for and accountable to deliver puts the team at ease and nurtures team morale. There are tools online to help guide striving project managers with building teams to efficiently and effectively reach the performing mode of forming/storming/norming/performing model. The project manager is responsible for making all attempts to spend the shortest time in forming/storming/norming phases and strive to achieve the performing phase expeditiously.

Processes guide the team to deliver high quality goods and services; they are the navigation systems that pave the way for success of the project. For project management, emerging project managers can closely follow the PMBOK guide that organizes the project management processes into five groups: Initiate, Plan, Execute, Monitor and Control, and Close. Keep in mind, these are not sequential, rather they are overlapping and iterative phases that require continuous review and update as the project matures. For all project types including goods and services projects, project managers can also apply Agile and Scrum methodologies to manage deliverables in a cyclical repetitive format. Project managers can use the PEMBOK guide for identifying processes that are critical to each of the five phases such as Risk Management process, Requirements Gathering and Validation process, Progress Review and Corrective Action process, etc. Each process consists of three core components: Input – defines the “what and when” for the deliverable; Throughput defines the “how, where, when, and who” is delivering; and finally, Output defines “what” is delivered. Processes are normally documented in Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Take great caution not to be too prescriptive or have too many processes and documents, they can be a recipe for appearing to be micromanaging and can demoralize the project team as well as exhausting essential project resources in wasteful tasks.

Tools provide structure for the team and standardization for the processes; they are the steering wheel, the gear, and the dashboard that provides the means to stay on course and help monitor and control boundaries. When managing a project team with established processes, usage of tools ensures consistent repeatable and reliable outcomes. Tools can come in many forms consisting of checklists, forms, systems and applications, registers, and scans. For projects with small teams and low budget margins, there is no need to rely on cost prohibitive tools, simple checklists and forms that are created using Microsoft Word or Excel should suffice.  Other middle of the road solutions can be quickly formed using Microsoft SharePoint Lists or Atlassian Confluence sites. The output from most tool sets function as input to the next step in the workflow or process. In support, tools help measure and correct quality issues effectively and efficiently and often proactively before transitioning to the next step. When used effectively, tools can provide metrics that help measure the health of the project against key performance indicators (KPIs), help discover patterns and trends and help proactively course correct or make improvements to the project. Keep in mind, excessive loads of tools may cause frustration and lack of trust and result in wasteful exercises that impact cost, schedule, and more importantly team morale and productivity.

"Ask not what your project team can do for you, but what you can do for your project team". Finally, even with a high performing productive team coupled with effective and efficient processes and tools, a project cannot succeed without a leadership team that fully supports the project mission.  The organization leadership team must be innovative thought leaders that promote creative and innovative ideas. They must paint the strategic vision for the project, but more importantly, share that vision with the project team and remain committed to providing adequate resources and see it through closure. They must demand continuous progress, identification and resolution of potential risks, and quality of good services that meet or exceed expectations and take prompt and robust measures when projects fall below the threshold. Take caution and ensure the measures are limited to oversight and do not transform to micromanagement, which can result in frustration and lack of trust that can impact team morale and productivity.

In conclusion, to effectively and successfully manage a project, a project manager must form a high performing team, establish standardized processes and corresponding set of tools, and have the support and commitment from the leadership.  These are the necessary critical fundamentals of project management that all project managers must possess to bring a project to closure successfully within cost, schedule, and scope boundaries all while delivering high quality goods and services. However, the project manager is accountable for carefully balancing these four elements to foster and cultivate a high performing team without overwhelming and overburdening the team to a point where the project is negatively impacted causing suboptimal results in cost, schedule, quality.