Are you always fire-fighting?

Effective project management is an essential business skill - one that will ensure the successful delivery of the project's benefits, and avoid rushing from crisis to crisis. The tools and discipline provided by best-practice project management principles, together with a practical understanding of their effective application, are crucial.

Applying these techniques can help you to deliver successful projects for your organisation – to scope, on time and within budget. Management of a project affects all stages of the project, and impacts on the role of all involved:

Project Sponsor

Ensuring the organisation’s culture aids project management

Approving the balance between scope, timeliness and cost

Confirming technical, financial and strategic goals remain viable

Understanding your role and responsibilities, so you maintain an appropriate level of involvement

Project Manager

Managing the project effectively, proactively, and pragmatically i.e. controlling your project, instead of “fire-fighting”

Establishing clear, agreed objectives and deliverables

Employing appropriate, effective project management practices; not just following a methodology

Delivering clear, concise, “honest” progress information

Motivating (and integrating) project team, sponsor and other stakeholders

Project Team Member

Clarifying your responsibilities and agreeing effort involved, balanced with a practical timetable

Providing clear “honest” communication of progress

Delivering to agreed scope (quality), timeliness and cost

Encouraging other team members

Project Office

Understanding the role of the project office

Providing value-added information and analysis

Making a contribution to every project

Project Management Workshop

XO Consultants’ Project Management Workshop and related services can help you to learn these techniques, and more importantly provide the insights and practical advice that comes from experience.