Calendars
In much the same way you use an agenda to keep track of your day-to-day appointments, a project manager uses a calendar to ensure that a project is progressing according to plan.
Project managers use calendars to identify project workdays. Calendars can be altered so weekends and holidays are not included. The arrangement of normal working days, together with non-working days, such as holidays and vacations, and any overtime periods, are used to determine the project completion dates.
To create and use a project calendar, you need to know the range, units and start date.
- The calendar range is the calendar's span from the start date, up to and including the last date work is performed.
- Calendar units can be in hours, days, weeks, shifts, and minutes. They are the smallest unit of time used for scheduling the project.
- The calendar start date is the first calendar unit of the working calendar.
Project calendars define global project working and non-working periods and affect all project resources. For example, work will only take place on weekdays.
Resource calendars affect specific resources or categories, like people, material or equipment. For example, scheduling around a team member's vacation.
Leads and lags
What would you do if your project was delayed by three weeks, while you were waiting for a necessary piece of equipment to arrive?
Dependencies within a project may require detailed specifications to accurately define the relationships. These specifications are in the form of leads and lags, which are important aspects of the schedule development process.
- A lead is a modification of a logical relationship allowing for the acceleration of the successor task. For example, in a finish-to-start dependency with a five-day lead, the successor activity can start five days before the predecessor has finished.
- A lag is a modification of a logical relationship which directs a delay in the successor task. For example, in a finish-to-start dependency with a five-day lag, the successor activity cannot start until five days after the predecessor has finished.
Remember, if your project needs to reflect an assumed delay you may need to implement a lag at the anticipated interval in the schedule. On the other hand, if your project has imposed constraints such as time or future restriction on resources, your schedule may need to include a lead.
Understanding why you must include these components in your resource and project calendars will increase the odds of keeping your project on track, ensuring a successful completion.
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Tag: PM206A54. Let me share all of you about #5 Tips for Project Management Success,, I hope you enjoy it
1. Plan your day using time management techniques
As a project manager, time management skills are essential because you are dealing with a wide range of tasks that demand a quick turnaround time. Planning your day will go a long way in keeping you organized and increasing your productivity. Assist your task planning by using project management software which helps you track the work of you and your team.
If you are not very tech savvy, a simple to-do list can also be a great organizational tool. Prioritize your most important tasks by putting them at the top of the list and less important ones at the bottom. Having a visual plan of your daily tasks helps to keep you on track and aware of time.
Related post: Free ebook 104 secrets to become a great project manager
2. Include stakeholders in important project conversations
While you will have plenty of responsibilities regarding the project, don’t neglect your clients.
Good communication is essential is keeping both parties informed of project progression, curtailing scope creep, and apprised of changing requirements. Some clients may have different expectations when it comes to communication, so make sure to establish the frequency and type of communication (like emails, phone calls, and face-to-face conversations) at the beginning of your project.
Establishing communication expectations early helps alleviate stakeholder uncertainty about communication frequency and delivery.
3. Regularly communicate with your team
Daily team communication helps keep misunderstandings and unclear requirements under control. Keeping your team informed in every step of the project is essential to project management success.
For example, a study published by Procedia Technology found that good communication skills were the cornerstone of project management. The study examined over 300 “construction project managers, architects, construction managers, engineers and quantity surveyors” and their successes and failures on various construction projects.
4. Anticipate project setbacks
Even the best-laid plans often go awry.
Remember that even with a high amount of planning and attention to detail, your project may still encounter some challenges. Pay attention to complaints from stakeholders or colleagues, and other warning signs, like a missed deadline or cost overrun, that there may be a problem.
Preventing a crisis will keep your project running smoothly, save you a lot of time, and keep you, your team, and your stakeholders confident in progressing with the project.
Unfortunately not every complication can be avoided. Crisis management skills are essential for dealing with the unexpected. Project managers need to be flexible and pragmatic. Improvise and make sharp decisions when needed.
Related post: 92 free project management templates
5. Stay focused on the details
A common problem project managers encounter is having the project aims not aligned with the organization’s objectives. A great project manager will strategize a plan for the project to lead back to the overall success of the business.
Know your project’s scope by heart and avoid wandering outside of the project’s requirements. It’s too easy to get lost in minor details and forget what your focus is, so a well-planned project scope is essential for success.
And final, you should use KPI to measure effectiveness of the project, here are full list: 76 project management KPIs
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