According to PMI, project management aims at developing a unique service, result or product. To undertake project management, you must understand some fundamental aspects. You also have to know your goals and objectives. When you determine the actual objective, you’ll be able to plan and manage your project properly. A good project manager should define a project’s scope. He/she must also determine which activities relate to the scope. This decision has a great impact on the type of work required.

Define the project’s scope and objectives

When defining objectives and scope, you need to know the people involved in the project. Understand the expectations of each stakeholder. It is advisable to give the stakeholders a report containing the scope and objectives of the project. This way, they can review the report and agree on it. They may also use the report to decide on the parties that should be involved in the project.

What are the deliverables?

As a project manager, it’s your responsibility to help every stakeholder understand the project’s desired outcome. Therefore, you need to figure out what should be delivered and give details on it. The details must be unambiguous and clear to ensure everyone delivers on what they’re expected to do.

Project Planning

At this point, define how you intend to achieve the desired results. Consider the deliverables as well as the project’s scope and objectives. To plan a project, the project manager picks the right budget, resources and people for the project. Many project managers opt to divide projects into manageable phases. This is an excellent way to carry out a project as it allows managers to decide what will be done in each phase.

You can use several techniques to achieve great project planning. The most important things to take into account are effort and time. You’ll have to estimate the effort and time needed to complete a task. Involve the project team to help you estimate the time it will take to complete various activities. This will enable you to create a realistic schedule that meets the expectations of the stakeholders.

Communication

To run a project successfully, there has to be a flawless flow of information. Everyone on the project team should be aware of his or her responsibilities and what is expected of them. Project managers should share their plans with their team to make sure that every team member delivers desirable results.

Monitoring the project’s progress

It’s always important to constantly track and report progress. Project team members can provide you with relevant progress reports. Be sure to record the variations in scope, schedule, and costs. Use the report to take corrective actions.

Risk Management

All projects come with risks. Project management aims at identifying and avoiding risks. Since some risks are unavoidable, you can take the necessary measures to mitigate them.

Professional project managers such as Brian Speier can help you understand more about the best practices of project management.