The Top 10 Keys to Making Projects Successful

Originally Submitted on 5/10/2001.

The typical project manager has lots of responsibility and very little authority. To make things even more challenging, the typical project plan bears little resemblance to reality. Achieving successful outcomes under these conditions is not easy. Remember and apply these key reminders and you'll significantly increase your odds for success.

1. Find the deal-breakers up front.

Constraints (the deal-breakers) are non-negotiable limits within which the project must be planned and implemented (e.g., no more than $300,000 total budget, Legal must approve all contract wording, etc.). Constraints won't necessarily hurt your project; but finding out about them half way through the project could be deadly.

2. Surface and test assumptions early and often.

"It ain't what we know that hurts us; it's what we know that just ain't so." Assumptions are a necessary part of any project. Untested assumptions can result in disaster (e.g., "I assumed the client was OK with late deliveries. It wasn't a problem last time."). Build actions into your plan to test all assumptions.

3. Find and feed the gorillas.

Strong influence players do no value-added work on a project, but through their influence in the organization, they can make or break your project. Sometimes, they can play a positive role (e.g., champions, sponsors and advocates). In other cases, your failure may be their success. In all cases, find out who they are and what it will take to make them strong supporters or, at least, to neutralize their negative impact. Whenever possible, get them involved, ask their advice and keep them informed.

4. Make the team own the plan.

The best plans are the ones that are developed by the whole team. Make it an event - use a special meeting to get the team together to develop a network diagram that shows dependencies between team members. Assign one person to keep it updated.

5. Get everyone on the team to think "sideways."

Make sure everyone manages their own hand-offs. Get them to communicate with internal/external suppliers to clarify their needs. And before that, have them communicate with internal/external customers to make sure they understand what is expected of them.

6. Build the right scoreboard.

What's measured is what gets managed. This is no less true for projects than it is for organizations in general. Make sure the project customer is involved in developing measures for quality, cost, schedule and customer satisfaction. If you can influence what goes up on the scoreboard, you have a measure of control over your success.

7. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Use formal communication to get information to everyone. Use informal communication to fill in the gaps. Use project review meetings like a huddle between plays in a football game. Set ground rules, document actions and measure results of different communication methods.

8. Manage project changes: Just say YES!

Don't tell the client why you can't do it. Tell them what it will take to make it happen. At best they'll decide on their own that it doesn't make sense. At worst, they'll appreciate all you had to do to satisfy their request.

9. Watch out for Murphy.

Look for the gremlins in the dark: the potential problems that could derail your project. Use preventive action to remove the causes of the big problems. When that's not feasible, identify contingent actions that can be used if the problem occurs.

10. Set people up for success.

Make sure everyone on the team:
1. Knows what is expected of them
2. Has the resources needed to get the job done
3. Knows how their work affects that of others
4. Knows how to do what is asked of them
5. Is rewarded for doing a great job.

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