Intro
In any project of different professional fields, there is a need for transparency so that various departments involved in that project can know their roles, budget, the deadline for their tasks, and the objectives of what they are currently doing.
Therefore, the project management process has been applied to make the whole procedure look nice and neat and boost the team collaboration. With the help from this process, the project can achieve better results with less time and budget.
Overview Project Management Process
What Is the Project Management Process?
The project management processes are known as administrative procedures for controlling and planning the project execution or the service delivery.
When the customers agree with all the terms and regulations in the contract, the process begins to achieve the initial parameters and manage the whole project.
There are many components required to create a thorough process: project management methodology, plans, and documentation. Furthermore, project planning and implementation resources and information exchange (project meetings, individual interviews, workshops, etc.) are also required.
There are 5 phases in the project management process: initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. Each phase must be completed one by one before moving on to the next one.
Why Is Project Management Process Important?
- This process allows everyone to assess and examine the project realistically as they can see all the time, effort, and budget must be put in to reach the goal.
- People involved in this project are aware of what they must do, where and who they can reach out to for help to finish their tasks. Moreover, they can set the priorities for each task to reach the goal.
- With the help from the project management process flowchart, the whole team can evaluate whether they are on the right track and keep up with the deadline. It also helps them envision the obstacles they will encounter while complementing the project.
- The final reason why this process matters is that it saves a lot of money by increasing productivity, taking advantage of resources, and reducing risks.
The Usages of Project Management Process
Project managers, with the assistance of flow charts, employ project management processes in different fields to ensure that every member is on the same page. Furthermore, it is a great tool to predict the problems and issues one might encounter while executing.
The transparency and solidarity in the team also enters a new level, as all members are clear about the roles and tasks of others, thereby boosting collaboration and mutual communication. When a team works in harmony, the exchange of thoughts and ideas among members goes smoother, improving productivity.
How To Draw A Project Management Process
5 Phases of Project Management Process
In order to smoothen the project workflows, These 5 project stages must be fulfilled.
Initiation
This stay is also known as project creation, as all the ideas, even the wildest ones, will accumulate during the brainstorming activity. After that, the most suitable ideas will be singled out and turned into an achievable goal.
When all parties involved have agreed about the project, it is time to write a project charter. Project charter or project definition document includes all the important information such as the project scope, objectives, project manager's meetings, estimated time frame, and budget.
It is important to define who will be engaged in a project after the project objectives and scope has been announced widely. Make a list of all the people interested in the project, including their titles, contact information, and other identifying characteristics.
In this project creation phase, the manager is the one who creates the project charter and keeps it.
Planning
Because of coming with many planning stages, the planning process might be the most time-consuming. Every member must do their best to determine the project's technical specifications, prepare a thorough time frame, formulate a communication strategy, and establish deliverables or outcomes.
Among the pool of project management tools used to set up the goal for the project, C.L.E.A.R and S.M.A.R.T are the most well-known. C.L.E.A.R stands for series of steps which are Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, and Refinable, while S.M.A.R.T is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
C.L.E.A.R will work well if users need less constraint, more free space to modify the plan. In contrast, S.M.A.R.T allows them to analyze the goal thoroughly to reduce risk and make it clear and achievable.
When the goal has been set, it is time to create the timeline to reach that goal, predict the obstacles the team might encounter, mitigate the risk, estimate the budget, and make room for any emergency modification.
Executing
When all the materials and resources have been prepared and available, it is time to work full steam ahead. The manager of this project must establish effective procedures and closely monitor the project status to make sure that there is no sign of derailing happening.
You can seek help from the collaboration tools for the project or project management software if necessary to boost the productivity and efficiency of the team.
Monitoring & Controlling
This phase's job is to ensure the deliverables and goals are accomplished. Thanks to the CSFs (Establishing Critical Success Factors) or KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), all stakeholders can know about the contribution of others.
During this phase, the responsibility of the manager is at its peak. A project manager has to measure effort and expenditure to keep the project on budget.
Closing
The last phase, closing, only occurs when the final product has been delivered, and the project concludes. The team might need help from a freelancer or outsource talent to help them complete the product.
Reflection meetings are common when a project is completed to discuss the accomplishments and shortcomings of the team as a whole. This is a great way to guarantee that everyone is always improving and the productivity will remain at a high level.
The last step is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the whole project plans and write a comprehensive report on the findings.
Create A Project Management Process
Example Of Project Management: Planning A Meeting
A meeting is not a stranger towards people from various occupations to solve current issues and problems or report about the progress of their work.
Regardless of the intentions, a well-thought-out plan and a clear sequence of steps are a must to reach the final goal set before.
How To Create A Project Management Process In This Example?
Identify The Project
First, the meeting planner must speak with the attendees to learn more about their expectations for the meeting. Then he should know about the expectation of his boss about this meeting.
Regarding your budget, the planner must find a location for the meeting, calculate the time and the number of participants.
Determine The Outcome
A meeting is considered a success when stakeholders' goals are met with the given budget and timing restrictions.
Delineate The Tasks
The tasks might fluctuate from one meeting to another depending on the requirements of the key stakeholders, from the number of attendees, chairs, materials, a bottle of water to location, budget, the date for the event, etc.
As the number of tasks in a meeting would be overwhelming if handled by one person, the planner must know how to delegate the tasks, ask for help from others, and let them be in charge of that section to make the meeting run smoothly.
Identify The Players
To have a successful project, help from other departments or other people plays an important role.
Timeline
Organize the meeting's flow and ensure all necessary setups have been completed before the meeting.
Review
Analyze the work done and look for ways to improve it in the future meetings. For example, the breaks were insufficient and did not provide enough time for personnel to form connections among themselves, or the presenters would have given a better presentation if they had enough time.
