In November 2006, I changed the course of my career. Curious to learn the inner-workings of the company, I took on a project management (PM) role in operations. Today, I’m still flexing my PM muscle but in a different industry.
One thing that has remained constant are 4 key ingredients that keep most of my projects organized. I have found success with these items in both a healthcare and media/news setting.
- Project Schedule – All projects should have a start and an end date. It’s the job of the project manager to make sure the project gets from point A to point B. A detailed schedule outlining tasks and milestones is crucial to overall project success.
- Decision Log – As the project progresses through the schedule, decisions, large and small, will be made. I have found recording decisions to be very helpful, noting what decision was made, who made it and when it was implemented. Project changes are inevitable but knowing why the project went down a certain path can be very helpful as the sails change direction.
- Issues Log – We all know that things don’t work as they should so we keep a Rolodex full of smart people to call for help. Projects can be loaded with unforeseen issues. Tracking these hurdles will keep a finger on the pulse of the project.
- Project Team Roles – As a project manager you can’t do it all. That’s why you have a team of individuals who specialize in focused areas. Team member roles broken down into a matrix can help shed light on which seat your people should be sitting in.
Talking is one thing but doing is another. Have a look at this sample Excel file which contains all 4 elements as listed above.