The Art of Project Management

How can effective project management impact your business?

First of all… Do you truly understand what it is that a Project Manager does and the value they can add to a business?

To put it simply, a project manager increases productivity and effectiveness and reduces risk of bad things happening to your business. “The art of project management” is really understanding in its most basic form that you are assisting an organisation to produce something, change a business process or introduce something new that they don’t already have today.

Project management is all about steering people though a clear process towards the desired end goal while keeping a focus on a multitude of factors including limited resources or looming deadlines. Engaging an experienced project manager to ensure all those involved in the venture are engaged and using resources to their optimum can be the difference between an unmistakable success and an irretrievable mess.

The downsides of not working are substantial. From painful lack of communication between stakeholders, which I believe is key, to an unclear understanding of delivery costs and timelines.

Project managers deliver. It’s an essential part of their role. It’s all about making sure that the person who pays money gets his/her problem solved, and obviously, within timelines and cost budgets. A project manger’s credibility depends on delivering the results they promised, so the stakeholders can rest assured that they will reach the desired outcome in a timely and effective manner.

A successful project manger will excel under pressure to deliver change and add structure wherever required using the tools and experience they have developed. They can focus on the bigger picture whilst also taking the time to concentrate on the small stuff.

It’s really about understanding what an organisation wants to achieve, why they want to achieve it and ensure there is a process to achieve it. The most effective project managers will add value, not just in the short term, but also in the long term. To deliver a project on time, on budget and to the desired high standard is great, but it needs to be sustainable.

So, before you start your next project, take a deep breath, roll back your chair and take in the broad view of what is ahead of you. Do you have the resources to run your project to a successful outcome? It’s a lot easier to start the project right than to try and fix it up later after a bad start.