Effective and efficient project management requires a disciplined methodology to monitor, sale manage, levitra and drive to completion all tasks and activities by responsible parties to achieve reduced costs, greater on-time delivery, and increased efficiency. Following are five steps recommended to ensure consistent delivery of these benefits:
- Beliefs: A major obstacle to achievement is uncertainty. What are we doing? Why are we doing it? Who is involved? Regardless of the goal, all achievement first begins as an idea, a thought. Not to say the end result is always the same as the initial vision. Project management plans evolve and change over time as more information becomes available. But significant time can be cut from project management by answering upfront what, why, who, when, and how. The more people involved, the more critical to establish shared beliefs. It mitigates the risk of the vision mutating from person to person like a game of telephone and takes the process from an abstract idea to an achievable outcome.
- Commitment: Once a clear picture of the brave new world has been painted, one must forge the commitment to create it. Some inherent ownership will flow naturally from establishing Beliefs. But reaching agreement on the destination is not enough. Total enlistment is required. Similar to when we plan a significant financial purchase, we can understand the desired transaction inside and out, but until the investment is made, it’s nothing more than a good idea. The act of committing must be more than simply saying “I believe.” That has already been said in the Beliefs phase. Whether through private ritual or public pledge, some conscious act must be performed to move one from the sidelines to the starting blocks.
- Action: Once we have established beliefs and have forged commitment to the project, the next step is to execute. Nothing will ever happen if we never act on our project management plans. Want to walk? Got to step. Want to fly? Got to leap. Everything becomes real once we act. We can no longer hide in the fluffy dream world of visions and missions. Outcomes flow from our efforts and put us out there to be judged and criticized. Despite the vulnerability and fear resulting from action, this is probably the phase where we are most comfortable. In Western society doing is being. Working hard is something always under our control. Regardless of what is happening we can always put forth more effort. This comfort with action, however, is also a significant contributor to inefficiency. Too often we skip the Beliefs and Commitment phases and go right to Action: Do something – even if it’s wrong. Just make sure to have the correct map and agree on the destination before embarking.
- Perseverance: The journey of achieving can be quite long and filled with many setbacks. The more time that passes and the more failures encountered, the more Beliefs will be shaken and Commitment questioned. As our battle cry weakens, our actions become more reactive and desperate, potentially taking us further off course. To safeguard against this looming downward spiral of despair and disbelief, emphasize perseverance. Revisit the Beliefs and Commitment; remember successful Action; build on what has been accomplished in the project management plan — find a reason to celebrate and rally around it. Regardless of the goal, we are probably not the first ones to have it. The only failed objective is the one given up on. No matter what happens, if we keep believing in, committing to, and acting on our vision, it remains alive. When things seem most hopeless, Perseverance is most needed.
- Reflection: Just following the first four steps will certainly lead to achieving the project management plan. But at some point in the journey or afterward, the question “Could’ve I done something better?” will emerge. Contrary to other voices of uncertainty heard along the way, Reflection is healthy doubt. It is a moment of sanity when we say, We want this; We’re doing this; and This happened — How can we work smarter? It’s about how we respond to that flash of uncertainty, that feeling of being lost. Do we keep driving and telling ourselves we will find our destination eventually, or do we stop, check our directions, and maybe even ask someone for help? The better we are at Reflection and can differentiate between the healthy and unhealthy doubt, the more efficient we become in achieving what we set out to do.
For more info on effective business development, project management, and creative management or how Trubelo can guide you through creation of the vision, the mapping of the plan, and the execution of the steps, contact us via our website .