As we begin the new year, progressive organizations are setting goals and
developing plans to improve their performance over the past year. Organizations
are faced with tighter budgets, less time, and fewer resources. To effectively
compete, organizations will need to do more with less. Businesses will have to
build products and provide services faster, cheaper, and better. In the process,
they will have to get things done right the first time. Increasingly, successful
organizations are using project management techniques to enhance their chances
of being winners in the very competitive marketplace.
In today’s changing marketplace, organizations that use effective project
management techniques find that they have the competitive advantage. According
to James P. Lewis, author of several books on project management, these
companies “have the competitive advantage over those who fly by the seat of the
pants.” The competition is becoming both time-based and cost-based. Lewis says
time-based organizations “can get a product or service to market faster than
anyone else.” These companies have the competitive edge. In addition, cost-based
companies that control their costs using project management techniques can sell
their products and services at a lower margin, again giving them the competitive
edge.
The goal of effective project management is to deliver a project on time and
within budget. The project manager’s toolkit includes a number of tools to
manage a project efficiently. A key factor in successful project management is
to invest sufficient time in defining and planning the project. The statement
“plan your work and work your plan” fits project management very well. Once you
have developed a good project plan, you reduce the likelihood of problems later
in the project, thus saving both time and money.
Seminar participants realize the importance
of planning the project when they attend the “Project Management: From Concept
to Completion” seminar. This basic seminar helps participants organize their
work into projects and helps them build their project management skills. The
seminar involves a number of “hands-on” activities where seminar participants
work in project teams.
Seminar participants gain an understanding of the phases of a project or the
project “life cycle.” They begin by having their project team break down the
work and organize the tasks into logical groupings using a Work Breakdown
Structure. This is a key part of the seminar since the project teams work on
this project for several additional activities in the seminar.
The project team further organizes the project in order to complete it on time
and within budget. The project team estimates the amount of time it will take to
complete the project tasks. Then the project teams use project-scheduling
techniques such as Gantt charts and PERT diagrams. These scheduling techniques
help project teams to see how the project is progressing and to see if the
various steps are being completed on time.
Project teams learn to recognize the causes of project success and failure. By
planning ahead and being proactive, project teams can anticipate possible
problems and plan alternative ways of dealing with these problems. Project
managers can help their project teams develop by guiding them to learn
successful methods in writing project specifications, estimating time,
developing the budget, and planning project procedures. The more effective the
project team is in planning the project, the easier the implementation of the
project becomes. Effective planning and teamwork help ensure a successful
project. Thus, developing effective teamwork and team pride in the project is
also a necessary function of the project manager and the project team. Seminar
participants also discuss strategies to handle multiple projects. When the
seminar is completed, participants leave with a project management toolkit to
use back in the workplace.
Many
organizations have taken advantage of this custom-designed seminar to develop
both project managers and project teams. The project teams have been able to
work on current and planned projects as a part of their seminar experience. The
project managers and project teams learn to enhance their project management
skills. In addition, the project teams make progress in completing their
scheduled and planned projects as a part of this basic seminar.
As competition increases, progressive businesses are realizing the value of
providing their project managers and project teams with this type of training so
that they can bring in projects on time and within budget. These organizations
can see that project management is a winning strategy in a changing marketplace.
Jeffrey W. Drake, Ph.D., is a professional speaker
and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a firm
specializing in custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting
services. Jeff has made presentations ranging from leadership to empowered
teams and project management to communication styles for a number of industries,
including education, financial, government, healthcare, and manufacturing. He
can be reached at 800-886-2MAX or by visiting http://www.AchieveMax.com.
Publication Date: Winter 2003
