Introduction: Planning and executing a project can be a very difficult tasks if not done properly. That is where the effective project management comes is very important if the project is to complete on schedule and within budget while meeting the expectation of the stake holders (customers, business sponsor etc.) Whether one is doing a project for external customer or internal customer (managing customer’s internal projects) the following best practices should be adhered to as much as possible.

The best practices that follow are mainly focused on the IT project management but in theory can be applied to any type of project. Many of the best practices (tips) may be a common knowledge and will be carried out by default or may seem very silly to document, but this is an attempt to consolidate my experiences in one single place as a reference. I don’t claim that this is an all inclusive document and will guarantee success, but these are some things I have learnt from my own experience and also through extensive research and reading and discussing with other project managers.
 
Objective: There are so many books and articles available on the subject of project management and I am not adding to the burgeoning literature. The sole objective of this document is to act as a short ready reference for existing and aspiring project managers.

 
Audience: This article is intended for technical leads and managers in charge of a project. This document can also be referred to by any person interested in project management as a discipline and wants to get an introduction to project management.
 
Best Practices: It is very easy to lose focus and / or get carried away while planning an upcoming project. There are so many things to remember and plan for that it is likely that the manager will miss out on some very basic but important stuff.

1. Get a business sponsor commitment: This is a no-brainer. But so many projects don’t have business case and a sponsor that they are killed mid-way through completion. Having a business case and a sponsor is not sufficient. It is important that you as a project manager get a commitment from the sponsor on the resources (human, hardware, software, financial) required for completing the project. For any project that is driven by business, it is advisable to get a sponsor from the business side and not IT. Of course an IT sponsor should be there, but the main sponsor should be from the business side.
2. Identify and sign off requirements and deliverables: Identifying requirements and getting a sign off on the requirements and deliverables are both necessary conditions for a project to be successful. But they are not sufficient nor are they mutually exclusive. This is very basic and everybody knows that this should be done. But most of the time either the requirements are not signed off or the deliverables are not clear and agreed upon. A sure sign and case for project failure and customer dissatisfaction! Good project management techniques dictate that requirements should be gathered, documented and signed off. Once the requirements are clear it is very easy to document the deliverables. Simply documenting the deliverables is not sufficient. It is important to share the deliverables with the customer, business sponsor and your team so that everybody is aware of the deliverables and know of the expectation from them.
3. Institute the processes for the project before the start of the project: It might be a given that everybody knows what the processes are those have to be followed while carrying out the different tasks and assignments of the project. But it is always a good idea to document the processes and make sure that every team member is aware of the process. This becomes even more important when there are staffing changes in the project team. Instituted processes accelerate the learning curve of the new people and eliminate or reduce the chances of errors. It is important to make sure that these processes are defined, reviewed and tested before the actual start of the project. It is better to delay the start of the project by some time rather than re-engineering the processes after the project has started. Re-engineering processes after start of project is very expensive both in terms of time and money. Additional it is a very strong de-motivator and can result in lower commitment from the team.
4. Involve the customer and keep them updated: This is the very basic rule of any activity and it is also the most ignored rule of project management. So many kick-off meetings happen without customer being present and there are no updates flowing to the customer of the progress. It is important for a project manager to take and demonstrate ownership and show positive progress time to time to the customers. The frequency, mode and sender of the updates can be mutually agreed between the team and the customer. Again this is not a fixed parameter and depends on the customer preference. Some may require a daily update but some may require weekly reports. Some require face to face meeting but some may be OK with email reports. Some may want written reports while some may request charts and graphs depicting progress.
5. Highlight issues as early as possible: Project managers may reject the idea of highlighting issues experienced during the project for the fear of appearing unsuccessful to the customer. But it is the best way to gain customer confidence and get an extension if required. Bringing issues experienced to the table is not in any way being incompetent or unsuccessful as long as you are aware of what the issue is and what the possible solutions are. It may happen that for some of the issues, there may not be a solution and the business may decide to scrap the entire project. So it becomes even more important for you as the project manager to highlight those as early as you can to limit the damage and losses.
6. Celebrate Small Wins: In an attempt to meet the deadlines and project pressures, project teams often forget the small wins that the team achieves. A timely congratulatory message can do wonders to the team morale and motivation than additional resources. It is not required to have a formal ceremony or event to celebrate, but an email from the project manager or business sponsor to the entire team congratulating them on the success could be sufficient.
7. Identify non-performers and take appropriate actions: In an ideal world, all the people you get would work to the best of their ability and would interact with other team members effectively. Unfortunately we don’t live in an ideal world and there are bound to be issues with people. They are non-performers (for whatever reasons), they don’t work well with the team or they are simply incompetent. It is best to identify these as early as you can and have a one on one discussion to understand the reasons. The solution might be as simple as re-aligning the goals and expectation or as hard as releasing the person from the team. But the best way is to address this as early as you can before it can do lasting damage.
8. Define post project processes and get them reviewed by all: In case, as a result of the project you anticipate some new processes being instituted or some changed processed in daily operations, these processes should be identified, defined, reviewed and signed off before the end of the project or if not possible as soon as after the project ends. This ensures that when the operations hit post project production, the transition is smooth and the stake-holders know what processes to follow and there is consistency in operations.
9. Do a “so-what” analysis: No matter how many cutting edge technologies were used in the project it amounts to nothing if there is no return on investment (ROI) in a reasonable period of time or you are not able to demonstrate clear business benefits. The business sponsor is definitely going to ask, “You completed this project on time. Great! So what do I gain from this?” Instead of groping for answers at the last meeting and asking for more time to get those answers. Your answers need not be accurate, but as educated estimate would be a good place to start and if the sponsor requires more detailed information, you can always build on the starting numbers later on.

 
Conclusion: It is no way guaranteed that following the best practices above will ensure project success. Project management is much more complex than can be described or summarized in 9 best practices. However following these practices will definitely help to increase the chances of success manifold and improve your project management experience.