In a perfect
So, you’re a project manager and you are diligently managing your project or projects and you’ve got the usual full plate and you’re working hard to keep everything on track and all projects on the right path to success. You’ve got a full plate of work in front of you and you realize that you can put ‘proper’ detail into each project, but not extreme detail…you may not be able to be as professional and detailed as you would like to be or ‘best practices’ would dictate you manage projects. But you will still be professional and you still want to achieve success.
So, what do you focus most of your attention on? What key areas of the project
Here’s why…
At the very core of the project manager’s responsibilities is oversight of the project schedule. Management of this schedule is usually solely the responsibility of the project manager and it is this schedule that should be reviewed and revised weekly and used to drive the weekly project team meetings and more formal weekly project status meetings with the project sponsor or customer. Maintaining continual oversight is the only way the project manager can keep the project on schedule and to know when tasks may be in danger of falling behind. A schedule left unchecked for more than a week is a very dangerous thing that can lead to problems that will be difficult and costly to fix.
Finally, the project resources – usually mostly comprised of the project team members – are a vital part of the project. They are, however, professionals. They should not need to be
What’s your take on this question when you find yourself overloaded on the projects you are managing? Corners often have to be cut and focus may need to shift to the absolute most important areas of responsibility for the PM. What have you found those areas to be? Do you agree with this assessment?
A Business Solution Designer and IT/PM consultant and author with over 25 years of software development, management, and project management experience leading initiatives in Manufacturing, Government Contracting, Gaming and Hospitality, Retail Operations, Aviation and Airline, Pharmaceutical, Start-ups, Healthcare, Higher Education, Non-profit, High-Tech, Engineering and general IT. Brad is married, a father of 9, and living in sunny Las Vegas, NV.