Stage 3: Execution - starting and delivering the project
This is the stage where deliverables are developed and completed. It often feels like the “meat” of the project since a lot is happening during this time.
The Launch
Before you launch your project, you want to make sure that the necessary controls and processes are in place. Otherwise, you may find that things affecting your project are out of your hands. In most projects there will be three key areas where you need to implement controls and processes:
- Communications
- Risks and issues
- Change control
How you launch your project will depend on the size of the project, how formal it is and the nature of your organisation.
Sometimes, a project presentation may be required, for example. Whatever size your project, it is a good idea to have a kick-off meeting .
Time management
Faced with multiple and competing priorities, how should a project manager organise themselves? The first step is to recognise that at any given time your tasks will vary in their importance and in their urgency.
Urgency and importance are often confused - but they are different and understanding that is crucial. Urgency is a measure of how quickly a task must be carried out, whereas importance is a measure of the value of a task, and therefore how much time it is worth spending on it.
In order to manage a project, a successful project manager should be monitoring and planning, but they are also leading the project team to ensure there is clarity and focus.
Change management
Changes occur during the life of every project and when multiple parties have an interest in the project, this is likely to happen more often. You can't just accept every suggestion as you will quickly find that whilst a change might suit one stakeholder it will cause problems for another, and suddenly your project is drifting off course. That is why we need change control.
The changes you have to worry about most are those which directly affect the different aspects of the project definition - scope, budget, time, quality etc. It doesn't matter how big or small your project is; when you are dealing with these types of change, you should follow a change control process.