7 steps to successful project management
Precise project management is essential to monitor progress and guarantee success.
You have already defined the scope of your project, chosen the project management method that suits you best and drawn up a set of specifications. What are the steps you need to follow to ensure that your project is properly monitored? What tools are available to project managers?
This article will guide you through a smooth-running project. Ready to get started? All aboard!
What is project management?
Understanding project management
What does project management involve? Put simply :
- knowing the scope of the project inside out
- monitoring it using pre-defined indicators or KPIs,
- guaranteeing that the project is progressing by completing tasks and milestones, and delivering deliverables on time,
- adapt the project schedule and monitor the difference between the forecast schedule and the actual schedule,
- control the budget by adjusting it according to project contingencies,
- managing a project team and ensuring that resources are optimally managed,
- coping, adapting and taking appropriate decisions if risks materialise.
When does project management come into play in the 4 main stages of a project?
Project management takes place at the start of the project, when the project has already been planned and budgeted for and the specifications have been defined. It differs from the other key stages of project management, namely :
- Pre-project,
- project planning
- project scoping
- project review.
What is the role of the project manager in managing a project?
The project manager's role is mainly one of coordination and organisation, but he or she has several strings to his or her bow:
- a clear, global vision of the project, so that they can monitor progress by taking a step back and always comparing the forecast with the actual,
- the ability to anticipate and adapt, so that unforeseen events do not threaten the completion of the project,
- responsiveness and decision-making skills to ensure that the project roadmap is respected,
- mastery of project management methods and tools for precise, measured management,
- the ability to manage the project's human resources and encourage collaborative working.
For large-scale projects, steering and even project governance may be provided by a steering committee (COPIL) made up of operational departments, business departments and sometimes the project owner.
💡 If you're more receptive to visual and audio explanations, this video will give you all the keys. 🎬
How do you successfully manage a project? 7 key steps
In short, this involves monitoring all the components of the project as defined during the project planning phase.
ℹ️ Note that depending on your own context, these steps may be carried out in a different order.
1. Define the indicators to be monitored for decision-making purposes
This stage is essential for prioritising your criteria: is the quality of your deliverables a priority? Or do you want to exceed your budget to avoid delivery delays?
Every project has its own context: priorities change from one project to the next, and with them the indicators for managing your project. So how exactly do you monitor these indicators? We answer that question below.
2. Monitor the project schedule and task management
Is the project progressing as planned when the tasks are scheduled? When defining the scope of a project, tasks may have been forgotten: identify them during the execution phase so that you can plan them and adapt your schedule.
💡 More often than not, this involves re-prioritising tasks: it's up to you to decide which tasks can be postponed, put on hold or deleted, depending on your requirements and those of your customers.
3. Adapt the allocation of human resources
Do you need to review the allocation of human resources to each task or sub-task? Had you planned too many resources for a task, or not enough? Do you need to recruit more resources?
💡 Project management involves being responsive and able, for example, to replace resources that are no longer available, so that their unavailability does not have too much impact on the progress of the project.
4. Monitor the project's budget and profitability
As with human resources, the budget forecast drawn up before the project is launched may miss some costs. In reality, you will certainly have to deal with them: despite your risk analysis, some unforeseen events will cause the budget to be exceeded.
But don't panic! Set up thresholds and alerts: you'll be warned immediately if you fall short of your forecast budget and can react accordingly.
💡 In addition, defining and tracking financial indicators helps to monitor the profitability of the project. An unexpected expense can add value to your project, which won't necessarily have a negative impact on your margin. However, too many budget overruns, and the project's profitability is in jeopardy.
5. Take regular stock
Regularly monitor the data available. Without this, your project management will not be effective, as you will no longer have control over it.
💡 Be realistic about the data you use: over-optimistic (not to say distorted) figures do not reflect the reality of the project and complicate accurate monitoring.
6. Take decisions to (re)orientate project management
Are your indicators showing a discrepancy between forecast and actual? It's up to you to act! Corrective action or preventive measures, your role as project manager is to take the right decisions to steer the team in the right direction.
💡 An error, a late delivery from a subcontractor, a technical problem or simply tasks that are taking longer than expected... Don't wait and react: once again, the project manager's ability to adapt to an unforeseen situation and make the most appropriate decision is the key to successful project management.
7. Centralise and update steering documents
Avoid any confusion and keep an eye on your project at all times, thanks to up-to-date documentation:
- project schedule or timetable
- project roadmap
- Gantt chart
- resource organisation chart,
- resource planning
- budget,
- validation procedures and workflows, etc.
The project manager steers the project with a multitude of useful documents to set the course. That said, the other stakeholders also need access to certain information to facilitate communication. Good organisation is therefore essential.
Bonus: adapt management to the project management method
Agile, Scrum, Kanban, PMBOK... Depending on the project management method you use, the management and prioritisation of indicators will differ.
For example, the agile method is based on iterations (sprints) with short deadlines. In this case, the methodology requires very rigorous management and frequent analysis of the indicators to anticipate any deviations and correct any delays in the project schedule.
What are the best project management tools?
Action plan: implementing solutions
In project management, the action plan sets out and implements the actions to be carried out for the project.
The action plan lies at the crossroads between the preliminary phases of reflection and analysis, and the transition to action. A genuine management tool, it sets out all the conditions to be met in order to achieve the objectives, by defining :
- the tasks to be carried out
- deadlines and implementation periods,
- human and financial resources, etc.
Rigorous monitoring enables solutions to be found in the event of any deviation, by analysing the repercussions on each action.
Planning: monitoring project progress
The schedule naturally accompanies the action plan, providing a visual representation of the various tasks and activities.
For example, using a planning tool such as a Gantt chart or a Pert chart will enable you to :
- monitor the progress of the project
- optimise the distribution of tasks
- adjusting the actions to be taken in the event of unplanned changes,
- proper coordination of interdependent tasks, etc.
Key performance indicators (KPIs): monitoring objectives
Indicators must be chosen according to the nature of the project and the objectives to be achieved. They also lead to an assessment of the project's performance and progress in the direction set at the start of the project.
They can be quantified in terms of :
- number of hours spent on the project vs. number of hours planned,
- percentage of project completed,
- percentage of budget consumed, etc.
Dashboard: project management made easy
By now you've got the hang of it: you can't manage a project without tracking indicators. And how do you do that? By using a dashboard, a project management tool that centralises these indicators and helps project managers to visualise and analyse the progress of a project.
A real decision-making tool, the dashboard is essential for anticipating possible delays, and for visualising overloaded resources or missed deadlines. It is also a tool for governance and communication between the project team, project managers, management, the project owner and the customer.
Project review: stage-by-stage fine-tuning
Project progress is based on key stages called "milestones". Their validation marks the successful completion of each of these milestones and initiates the transition to the next phase.
Project reviews are regular meetings that take place at each completed stage, to validate or not the milestone. They provide a frame of reference for the rest of the process.
Software dedicated to project management
The project manager's toolbox is overflowing with tools: Excel spreadsheets of all kinds to monitor the budget or schedule, Gantt charts, PERTs, specifications, not forgetting the dashboard...
❗ But how can you find your way around when there are so many tools, when not all the stakeholders have access to the same information, when project documentation is scattered and not everyone has the latest version of the deliverables available?
✅ Project management software is there to take care of this for you, thanks in particular to better monitoring of indicators, greater visibility and the centralisation of information and deliverables.
🛠️ Examples of simple project management tools:
Abraxio: the software for managing IT projects
Abraxio has been specifically developed for IT department management, and takes care of project management from A to Z: requirements, budget, workload, Gantt planning, flash reports, etc. And for finer control, you can easily access the level of detail you want, from a macro view of the portfolio to micro data on each project.
Beesbusy: organise your project schedules efficiently
Who", "What" and "When" views to track resource, task and schedule indicators precisely, plus a customisable dashboard for prioritising tasks.
Bitrix24: the all-in-one project management platform
An essential part of any project management system, this tool (free for up to 12 users) takes human resources management to a new level, with its functionality for measuring employee stress.
Clarizen: the PMO's favourite tool for managing projects
One of the pioneers of multi-project management, Clarizen offers detailed data analysis, comprehensive reports, KPI tracking, predictions and collaborative tools tailored to large groups and multinationals.
monday.com: the benchmark for project management tools
Various collaborative dashboards are available. They give you an overview of the project and quick access to information, as well as makingit easier to monitor progress thanks to different views, such as the Gantt chart.
Project Monitor: for masterful project portfolio management
As a PPM (Project Portfolio Management) tool, Project Monitor manages all the projects of large companies. In particular, the software provides large-scale control over resource allocation, budget management and schedule monitoring, with dedicated functions. Dashboards facilitate overall project management and help with decision-making.
Sciforma: the simple project management and PPM tool with workflow management
The tool not only helps with project planning, notably with the Gantt chart, but also provides an overview for strategic decisions, thanks to its project portfolio section.
Stafiz: the solution for experts in staffing and internal activity management
More than just project management software, Stafiz is a modular ERP system that enables end-to-end management of service activities (consulting firms, ESNs, agencies, etc.). In particular, it provides highly detailed management of staffing: finding the right profiles (candidates, in-house, external) for projects, progress reports and time tracking, gap analysis and financial KPIs, etc.
Triskell: the PPM tool with an integrated no-code platform connected to information systems
Triskell is also PPM software, designed for SMEs and large groups, and goes one step further by managing the company's strategy as well as its operational execution. The tool guarantees the proper management of all the organisation's projects, with a high level of control over priorities and planning, budgets and resource allocation.
Wrike: project management and collaboration made easy
Wrike is a project management solution combining collaboration and communication tools. Extremely easy to use, it provides the key functionalities and visibility needed to enable teams to manage their projects effectively:
- Gantt,
- Kanban
- workload planning
- dashboards, etc.
What's more? More than 400 integrations with other software packages, so you can keep your data flowing!
Project management holds no secrets for you
Project management can be daunting for beginner project managers, but in reality, if you follow the steps described above, you need have no fear of accidents!
Method and rigour will be your best allies: keep an up-to-date dashboard with indicators that are relevant to you, and your project is bound to be a success.
Why not opt for an online project management tool? You can automate certain tasks, simplify your project management and save a considerable amount of time. Now all you have to do is choose the best project management tool for you!
Article translated from French