The Five Crucial Elements of a Project Management Process
In this post, I’ll share the five crucial elements of a solid project management process. The focus should always be on the process when deadlines seem to be the only important battle cry! In other words, if you are living through a get it done at all costs, then consider this quick read a sort of salve to heal your frustrations.
Have you ever lived through numerous projects where the drive to the deadline was relentless? It started with a project timeline. You felt good about it! The review cycles were tight, 1 to 3 days. Even with the quick deadlines, things seemed manageable. Then you realized your peers were having issues with hand-offs, responsibility, and task management. The project started to fall apart when management called a meeting to try to determine the problem.
Or, maybe you were a manager. Let’s just say you are a manager for the purposes of this story. Maybe this sounds familiar: “Why are Jane and Brian failing to meet the deadlines?” In meetings, everyone looks at their hands and then at the walls. Maybe you suggested to the higher-ups that perhaps the team needed to tweak the process to improve the performance issues.
Big mistake! You should not have said that out loud!
“There isn’t time to deal with that now! Jane and Brian need coaching to our existing process,” the higher-up said.
Hypothetical story aside, Jane and Brian were doomed in a process that cared more about deadlines than it did about efficiency and productivity. How do you get efficiency and productivity?
A clear process.
Solid project management processes include the following elements:
- A lead project manager
- Established communication method
- Project management software
- Project goals and milestones
- Review process
The Lead
The lead project manager is in charge. They are responsible for establishing communication protocols and methods, setting the goals and milestones, managing the review process, and keeping the project on track. This dynamic, detail-oriented wizard knows social alchemy. They are part task manager and part social worker. And, without question, the lead project manager is in charge of all the project things all the time!
Communication Method
A solid communication plan begins by setting the tone with proactive and frequent communication. The best way to make this happen starts even before the project begins. Once the ink is dry on the statement of work, the lead should hold a kickoff meeting. A key part of the kickoff meeting is establishing how and when communication will take place. Of course, the kickoff meeting is typically thought of as a client interaction device, but you as the project manager should prep your team ahead of time. Make sure everyone knows the method and frequency of communication. For example, email is one form of communication but often not the best for internal teams. Using a tool like Teams or Slack to communicate in threads allows everyone to see how things are going and benefit from other team members. Timely communication is important in internal teams, too. If the process establishes regular communication that is both frequent and methodical then communication will be a strength of the project management process.
Project management software
There are scores of cloud-based tools to help you manage your projects. This post will not take a stance on which one is good, better, or best. Instead, I suggest you think about PM software as a means to an end. If you find the use of a tool to organize, assign, and manage tasks is helpful, then you should use one. The key is that software should make your job easier. If you find yourself spending too much time trying to make things work in the PM software, then stop using it.
Project goals and milestones
Setting goals and milestones are certainly an essential part of any project management process. Deliverables are produced when milestones are met along the path of the process. The lead should lay out or maintain the project goals that focus on delivering for the business purpose. The milestones help everyone know when and where they should be on the project timeline. If a milestone is unattainable, then the established communication method should kick into action to make sure that everyone knows what needs to be done in order to keep the project on track. Goals are needed to focus the team, milestones exist as measurements toward the goal. The project lead should own the goals and help everyone to reach the milestones, or adjust the process if there are bumps in the road.
Review process
Successful project management must include a reliable review process. The components of a review process are a method for sharing drafts of deliverables, expectations on how to deliver actionable and consolidated feedback, and a time period for internal and external reviews. To gain some insight into how a successful review process can work within the training world, take a look at some of the links below. Ideally, allow for an internal review and two client reviews, with enough time for calibration.
Helpful Links
How to Improve Your ELearning With a Free Project Timeline Template
How to Ask for Feedback in Five Easy Steps
The Consolidator
Summary
When it comes to efficient and productive project management, the process should dictate the deadlines – not the other way around. The first element of a sound project management process is having someone serve as the lead. When working with clients, having that main point of contact to funnel all communication through is extremely helpful in terms of staying organized and on track. That lead should be establishing the second component of a good process: a clear communication method. Will the internal team use Slack, and will the lead use email to communicate regular project updates to the client? All of this should be decided upfront and consistency should be maintained throughout the project. Next, if project management software is going to be used, it should be used from the beginning of the project. However, if you find yourself configuring (maybe even fighting) with the PM software more than it’s actually helping you, ditch it and keep it simple with a spreadsheet or some other tracking method. Finally, establishing goals and milestones including a healthy review cycle is key to having an effective project management process. Yes, deadlines are important but if you get your process right, you won’t have to worry about missing them.
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