ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR DELIVERING SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS!

HOWcan project managers help prevent failed, challenged or orphaned projects? Project success may be viewed in twofold, the success of the project methodology used to deliver the project and also the success of the project deliverables or products produced and accepted by relevant beneficiaries.

Here we see the need to recognise the difference between: A Successful result (product) and a Project Management methodology Success. It is therefore important to consider some factors contributing to project success and failure in project delivery?

The Standish Group Chaos study defines project success by categorizing projects into Successful projects, Challenged projects and Failed projects as being: Successful projects = Those projects which are delivered: On Time & On Budget, & with satisfactory result; Challenged projects = Those projects delivered late, over-budget or did not meet target; Failed projects = Those projects which are cancelled or results not adopted by users. We may also add Orphaned projects as those projects which lose project team members and end up with no project direction and management. The list continues as some projects, people just stop talking about them and they die a natural death. Maybe that’s too harsh but that is what reality is.

Recently one of my acquaintances requested me to explain how to measure and categorise a project which has been put on hold by senior management because of an emergent high priority project which needs more priority resources. This was a very interesting question, in my opinion because yes it is right to allocate more resources to an emergent high priority project. But the real question here is can you put a project on-hold? Most people would say yes, why not? I don’t’ think so, the best that can be done is to trigger a premature project closure and perform normal project closure activities. The consequences which may arise if you don’t perform a premature project closure and put a project on hold is that whilst the project is on hold, requirements, regulations, technology, stakeholders and environment may change and if this happens then it will mean that you will have to re-plan your project from scratch.

The 7-PM tips to prevent project failure should actually come from the 7 project success criteria as follows:

1. Deliver project on planned and approved budget: Manage the project budget by monitoring and controlling the project costs, use available tools and techniques to accomplish this. For example you may use variance analysis and earned value management (EVM)

2. Deliver project on approved scheduled time Manage the project schedule by monitoring and controlling the project schedule, use available tools and techniques to accomplish this. Some schedule compression techniques include fast-tracking and crashing depending n circumstances. Some consideration should be made to use Project Evaluation and Reporting Techniques (PERT). I find this technique very useful.

3. Deliver project on agreed and fit for purpose quality standards: Manage the project quality assurance by monitoring and controlling the set project quality standards, use available tools and techniques to accomplish this. Plan for quality management. Remember you cannot mark your own homework, so make sure that there is no conflict of interest between those making the project products and those checking the quality of the products. The key here is to keep defects reaching the customer or end user.

4. Deliver project planned benefits: Manage the project benefits by monitoring and managing the project benefits realization plan, use available tools and techniques to accomplish this. Make sure benefit realization plan is in place and that there is someone to take care and account for post project benefits realization.

5. Deliver the scope according to the objectives: Manage the project scope by monitoring and controlling the project scope, use available tools and techniques to accomplish this. Prevent scope creep. A project is deemed a living thing, so expect changes from stakeholders but be prepared to manage the change requests in an agreed formal way. Remember properly managed changes may bring additional income.

6. Deliver the project with managed risks to optimize project benefits: Manage the project risks by monitoring and managing the project risks, use available tools and techniques to accomplish this. Risk management is important in order to maximise project benefits we need to proactively manage risks. 7. Deliver project deliverables to the satisfaction of beneficiaries and stakeholders: Manage the project stakeholder’s expectations by monitoring and engaging project key stakeholders use available tools and techniques to accomplish this. Remember if stakeholder are happy it means your project has been successful.

Final thoughts: To ensure that project manager achieves project success factors there is need for project managers to proactively manage project risks and also use lessons to avoid repeated mistakes in project execution. This will also avoid a popular anonymous quote “We are great at doing profitable projects but really bad at keeping our customers”, evidently in customer – supplier project environments, it is very key that customer satisfaction is met and this can be ascertained and measured.

This article was written by Dr Laban Mwansa, MSP®, PMP®, PRINCE2® Practitioner, Agile®, Laban is a consultant and trainer in project management and specifically trainer/coach in PMP®, PRINCE2® Practitioner, and PRINCE2 Agile® in Zambia, South Africa and Europe for many years. He was in the executive committee of ICTAZ as technical chair. He is also the managing partner of Betaways Innovation Systems and can be reached at: Laban.Mwansa@ betaways-innovations.com, +260975280392 or WhatsApp +27817029669. He is also a professional project management member of PMSA and PMI-USA.