Every project has an opportunity to be a huge success or a huge failure. Our Project Management professionals can help take the risk out of any initiative that is undertaken. Success is mutually beneficial and the process of Project Management is rarely unique – it is the execution of these tried and true processes that guarantee success!
Great Northern Consulting realizes that costs are also a huge factor in many IT projects. Some projects are very straight forward with a heavy emphasis on tactical skills on scheduling. Other projects require many more inputs and contingencies and critical path considerations. We can fit the right process and people to fit each type of project allowing you to save the highly experienced, highly certified Project Managers for the most sensitive of projects. Project Coordinators play an important role in the majority of projects and can always be backed up by a Senior level resource. Matching the economics with the risk profile for any project will promote success and save the budget!
Project Management High-Level Process
Define the project. Many projects seem very straightforward when originally presented. Once the major pieces of the project are broken down, it quickly becomes clear that many more components involved and many of them need very tight management.
Determine the desired outcome. What will define success? At times different departments view the project as a success with different outcomes. Defining what success means and to whom is critical.
Identify the project’s component tasks. This is where the “devil is in the details”. No other phase has more of an impact on the project than this phase so it must be vetted by all parties that have a stake in the project or areas that support the departments involved.
Identify the responsible parties. This phase simply identifies who has responsibility for each component task.
Determine a time line for each project component. Some tasks can be done simultaneously and other need to be sequentially. Time lines are the life blood of project management and identifying the critical path is paramount to success. Gantt charts are a useful tool for keeping track of these time frames.
Review, revise and reallocate. Every project plan can run into issues. Making a habit of reviewing progress and revising the plan to accommodate those unforeseen circumstances are what Project Management is all about.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. It is critical to have the tools in place to communicate to all interested parties on a regularly scheduled as well as Ad Hoc basis. Various collaboration tools can be deployed to guarantee everyone is seeing the most up to date information at all times.