MANAGING A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT
The key to a successful project is to provide good management throughout the project. The principle to a successful project is well established and can be portrayed by the diagram below.
SUCCESSFUL PROJECT
PROCESS REALISATION
- PLAN
- ACT
- MONITOR
- IMPROVE
- MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY
- RESOURCE ALLOCATION
This entails Management providing the responsibility and resources to plan the project then act in accordance with the plan. This is monitored to firstly ensure compliance but also to detect problems and/or improve the plan.
The dilemma is to determine the extent of planning and monitoring required, as these are functions that cost money without generating income. However deficiencies in planning and monitoring can be manifested in poor quality work which can drastically affect the profitability of the project.
It is Management’s responsibility to determine the extent of resources spent on planning and monitoring, with the aim of maximizing the profitability of the works. This, of course, will depend on many factors. The most obvious are the degree of difficulty of the project and the ability and experience of the persons performing the works. Other influences will include what is expected from the Customer and also what will be the effect if something does go wrong.
The key to good management is to successful tread the correct path between ensuring that a project is completed successfully and at the same time minimizing the costs incurred through planning and monitoring. However it is just as important to recognize that there has been a problem in under planning or monitoring and to make immediate improvements.