The Keys to Successful Project Management

Reaching goals and achieving success in project management requires thorough planning, organization, and accountability. To carry out these processes, teams need a leader that is capable of establishing priorities and driving productivity. That's where the project manager comes in. 

A top project manager needs to have a series of skills and experience in communication, motivation, and documentation. But that alone doesn't necessarily lead to success, successful project managers need to select the right approach and style and be able to execute it. 

 

What are some key aspects of successful project management?

 

Embracing unexpected change and different environments

There's not a one-size-fits-all response to this question, in fact, an exercise of understanding the organization needs to be conducted before choosing the right style and approach for delivering projects.

Besides, project managers are required to take ownership of projects and expect situations to shift and move. That is why "The Project Management Institute" calls them "change agents", adding that: "[Project Managers] have a broad and flexible toolkit of techniques, resolving complex, interdependent activities into tasks and sub-tasks that are documented, monitored and controlled. They adapt their approach to the context and constraints of each project, knowing that no "one size" can fit all the variety of projects. And they are always improving their own and their teams' skills through lessons-learned reviews at project completion".

 

Choosing the right methodology for the culture of the organization

There are several approaches and methodologies that project managers can choose from to lead their teams. From traditional to more flexible styles such as Agile and Scrum. 

Here's an infographic from Wrike that lists different approaches: 

 

Having the capacity to choose and implement the correct approach that will fit the needs of goal delivery and the culture of your team is indispensable.

 

Ability to predict and overcome obstacles 

It's super important to hire a qualified project manager that is able to foresee any issues, learn about the ins and outs of the project and overcome any roadblock along the way. 

Successful project management should start at the core of the organization, knowing the expectations of stakeholders and setting processes to estimate and work with the right resources. Project managers that lead their teams towards a path of organization and success, need to know their team's strengths and weaknesses and be prepared to manage them.

 

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