Project Management Basics

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Project Management Basics

While I agree with most comments in this excellent forum on project management - I do feel that sometimes we tend to overstate the complexities in PM. Don't ignore the basics of project management!
I have seen project managers become very successful with nothing more than diligence in the basics - like collecting status, providing updates, periodic communication, appropriate escalation, reviewing progress, when appropriate asking for several opinions, treating your customers and team members with courtesy, etc.
In most projects 70-80% of your challenges can be overcome through a steady focus on the basics - typically everybody else pretty much falls in line.
Tasks perceived to be more complex - such as customer management, team management, vendor management, motivating team members, etc will all become much easier if you can simply focus on the basics.

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		1 Danny Manager, United Arab Emirates
	Focus on the Critical 20 Percent in your Project Totally agree Mads. Never forget the Pareto principle as well, work out early what the important 20 percent is and manage that 20% with great diligence to reduce the projects overall complexity. This is what you should report on, the rest will take care of itself.

		5 David Dicanot Analyst, France
	Basics of Project Management are not Enough Hello, although I totally agree with this principle to always come back to the basics in project management, I would just add the comment that project manager responsibility is more and more diluted in complicated matrix organizations. The consequence is that her/his management capabilities, soft skills, influencing people capabilities and network corresponds to the higher part of his activity than in a basic application of project management. What I mean is that people in project teams are less and less dedicated to these projects. The project manager doesn't manage resources dedicated to the project, but managers whose resources are involved in the project. As a consequence, different objectives in term of time, costs, availability and final target can occur within projects.

		2 Paul D Giammalvo Professor and Consultant, Indonesia
	Project Management - Big Picture versus Detail Oriented Leave the big picture thinking to the MBA's. For a project manager, I want someone who sweats the details. Somehow who pays attention to each and every activity, understanding that all it takes is one or two activities to get off track and it impacts the entire project. To put this in perspective, we are a "hard money" (firm fixed price) general contractor and from that perspective I hate to tell you how many projects I have seen "fail" because someone "forgot" a piece of equipment or to finish the design or to get the materials ordered. To close, I leave you with this rhyme from Ben Franklin- "For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, For the want of a horse the rider was lost, For the want of a rider the battle was lost, For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost, And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail."

		1 Tarja Laila Marita Raman Partner, Finland
	Franklin's Rhyme on the Importance of Details @Paul D Giammalvo: I really like this Franklin's rhyme, it is very true, but I think it is necessary to have a big picture at first and during the project it is necessary to be exact and then by checking the project, you must keep attention to all and also the smallest details. A project is a picture, which is formed by many many different pieces. And remember, there are pieces of different sizes and forms. In fact you must be able to build the whole picture based by one piece and vice versa, you must understand how the "BIG PICTURE" is formed, how it is structured. For understanding a small piece one needs imagination, to understand a big piece one needs holistic ability and a realistic view as well.

		1 Emmanuel Daniel. Student (University), Tanzania
	Big Picture and Details: A project have goals and objectives to be achieved, The Big Picture! But cutting this picture into pieces give us the details. The important thing is to ensure that the pieces you are producing are the right one. I do agree with the one who sweats the details because it is only from them that a big picture can be made.