‘We always wanted to build one of these but weren’t sure where all of the bits went.’
A good analogy of Project Management is to think of your project like a jigsaw you want to complete. You’ve seen the picture on the outside of the box so you know what you want the finished article to look like.
However, when you open the box you are faced with hundreds of different shaped pieces of varying colours.
You know that when they are correctly assembled these pieces will give you the picture you want. You just don’t really know the best way to go about achieving it.
The truth is that we are all not very good at doing jigsaws. At The Right Impression, one of the UK’s leading management consultancy firms, we love them.
The key to successful Project Management is good planning.
It is essential at the outset that you have a clear vision of exactly what it is you wish to achieve. You need to ensure that everyone in your team has the exactly same vision. Synchronise your watches.
Set up good lines of communication so that all team members are aware developments, setbacks, problems and successes. ‘Need to know’ is all right for Alec Smiley, but it doesn’t help the team member who is working merrily away on an aspect of the project that has been altered without his knowledge.
Who was it said that the King had no clothes? Ah, yes, Danny Kaye.
Set up maintenance and progress milestones.
Time flag the various stage of project development to make sure that you remain on schedule.
Make sure your costs are properly calculated and allocated, and then monitor their stage progress so you do not have a hidden financial overrun.
It is always wise to ensure you have a strong quality aspect running through every stage and sector of the project. If Quality Assurance is present from the outset then the finished product will be that which you desire.
Alternatively, give your jigsaw to The Right Impression, and we will return it to you complete, with all the right pieces in the correct place, on time and on budget.
