Many people are given the title “project manager” regardless of their interest in the role. There is an entire industry dedicated to project management, with hundreds of thousands certified project management professionals. Yet, projects are delivered every day with or without certified project managers.
Don’t get me wrong. I am Project Management Professional (PMP), and enjoy having a healthy discussion about proper project management processes. Project management does not have to be complicated or intimidating, as described in project management textbooks. It can be as simple and straightforward as the guide The Six Step Guide to Practical project Management.
The right tools and processes are essential.
One of the most successful executives I have ever met was proud to not have PMP certification but he was responsible for managing his organization’s enterprise programs, projects, and programs. He acknowledged the importance of project management tools and techniques, but also that communication and common sense are equally important.
He trusted his team with the task of selecting the right tool for the job, and adapting the processes to suit the project’s needs. People don’t have the time to read through reams and pages of paperwork. They want to deliver projects, not paperwork.
As work increases, simplicity becomes more important.
Project managers must also manage multiple projects simultaneously. Project management becomes more complicated as more projects are added onto a person’s work load.
Organisations that manage project portfolios try to improve project delivery through the use of a common tool for managing them all. These tools can provide project managers with top-down visibility into the performance of a project, but they can also increase their administrative burden. The project manager may spend more time managing a complex tool than actually managing the project when it is introduced.
This was something I experienced firsthand when managing a project that involved more than 100 resources drawn from different resource pools. I spent more time ensuring that resource needs were forecasted, and conflicts were resolved, than helping to resolve project problems.
A flexible tool is essential
If your project management tool is not flexible enough with scheduling, project managers can spend hours or even days trying to adjust the schedule to meet the constraints of the tool.
One project required me to spend more time allocating resources to high-level tasks than I did preparing a schedule. This was so everyone could keep track of time. I created a separate schedule for the actual project tasks. However, I needed to perform duplicate administration in a separate system.
It doesn’t have be so difficult to manage a project. It’s really easy. Project managers must choose the right tool and process for their job.
Simple steps for most projects
Complex projects will require more tools and processes. Many projects can be completed in a few steps.
Each project must answer key questions, including:
Why are we doing this?
What is the ultimate goal?
Who should be involved?
What is required to reach the goal?
When and how will it happen?
Depending on how complex the project is, the answers could be a simple presentation or an entire 50-page project charter that very few people will ever read. I recall working on a project where the joke was that the project had been launched, but the project charter was “almost ready for signing”.
It was a Word document of 45 pages that no one would ever be able to read or sign off on. The project was still completed on time and was successful. This case begs the question: Was Ai really all that was needed for this process?
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How to make project management easier for many projects
