Does your organisation use a project lifecycle?
A project lifecycle tells us ‘What we should be doing at any one time’. Each and every organisation tends to have its own lifecycle model.
One of the most important aspects of the lifecycle that is used covers an effective set-up phase of the project, including an evaluation of the key project. This forms the foundation on which the project is build. A project with weak foundations can easily collapse.
Learn more about lifecycles:
Why is an effective Project Management System so vital?
A Project Management System (PMS) is a process governing the execution of individual projects. This is normally part of the Quality Management System (QMS), which more broadly covers all critical operational activity. The general requirement of a QMS is that you “describe what you do and prove that you do it consistently”. Although there may be a strong intent to embrace and include best practice such an opportunity is often missed. More often than not the Project Lifecycle has significant room for improvement.
“Ideal” of course is subject to opinion. However, organisations are open to a large degree, to describe what they want in a quality system. This presents you with an opportunity since you can build into a QMS some processes which enhance your competitiveness and help you to achieve numerous aims, including some high-level business aims. Secondly, if you know the principles of project management success – how projects succeed and fail, you can integrate such principles into the formation of a better process
Managing a less than ideal PMS
Quite often project managers can find themselves in an environment which has an under-developed or weak PMS. The question is how do you operate effectively as project managers given this scenario? Part of the answer is for the project manager to understand what an idealised PMS should look like and to behave in such a way as if such a PMS existed.
Get started with your next step at understanding effective Project Lifecycles by downloading the Special Report on the properties of an idealised PMS.