By the end of this blog post, participants will:
- Experience firsthand the skills required to manage projects effectively
- Understand the various challenges of project management
Imagine you are watching a small child with a new toy. Parents know that children are most likely NOT to play with a new toy the way the box says it should. Not only does each child make up his or her new ways to play, the other children around them look to see how they can use the other’s technique to again build something new and unique.
If all of us did this every day we came into work, we’d have a lot of fun for a bit, but all our businesses would go under. One or two children playing with a new toy is not unique. One or two companies constantly changing their perspective creates chaos. There’s a time for creativity, and a time for stability.
>> Learn more at the webinar: Project Management 101: Develop a More Successful Team With ROCKET
Project Management’s goal is to create something that will be repeatable, consistent and useful for many people. If everyone builds projects a different way, teams would have a very hard time working with each other. This is how the discipline of Project Management is still critical to get work done correctly.
Back in the 1950, organizations started to standardize project management tools and techniques to building complete projects, like buildings, roads, defense work, and manufacturing.
Years ago, there was a lot of confusion about Project Management that needed you to build and complete your work in an effective and timely way. As work became more complex, the Critical Path Method (CPM) and Project Management Body of Knowledge became the standard in 1996, and still is used with management practices.
In 2017, a study suggested that the success of any project depends on how well four key aspects are aligned:
- DEFINE: What are the aims and expectations of the project? (Why are we doing this?)
- PLAN: Forecasting into the future for effective ways of building.
- MANAGE: Organizing people, materials, and activities, including collaboration and communication with lines of authority.
- REVIEW: How did the project make out, and what did you learn to improve the next one?
A project has a beginning and end. Children play with a beginning and end. A project needs to drive communication and collaboration if the project is to scale. Children like to work together and invent new and exciting ways to build stuff.
In today’s streamlined business world, project management is no longer strictly a specialty. Now almost everyone is required to play the role of project manager despite lacking the necessary certifications, Gantt charts, or the Critical Path Method. Your employees need a solid skill-set they can apply every day to meet this growing demand.
Written by: Lou Russell
