Essential Project Management Practices Every Manager Should Master

Preface

Many people are unfamiliar with the role of a project manager, so I have compiled personal experiences and classic cases to help those transitioning into or considering this position.

A successful project manager must embody both technical and managerial skills, possess a good image, excellent communication, charisma, design sense, and aesthetic judgment.

Real‑world projects often lack clear division of labor, making textbook advice less reliable; therefore, managers need to shed old mindsets and adapt from within.

Communication is the bridge to success.

Project managers should avoid perfectionism and the trap of seeking a single “right” answer, which can delay progress.

Software engineering differs from civil engineering because uncertainty is inherent, yet the goal is to manage it effectively.

Below are personal project management insights.

Understanding the Project

1. Identify the project's nature, purpose, and sponsor. Do not assume goals from the project name alone; for example, an "Office Automation" project may actually require a production‑management information system.

2. Recognize all stakeholders (investors, business owners, operators, technical supervisors, monitoring agencies, etc.) and understand their expectations to anticipate support or opposition.

3. Assess your own organization’s stance: senior leadership’s commitment, strategic intent (scale, profit, showcase), and resource expectations.

4. Estimate available resources: timeline constraints, personnel availability, and equipment procurement.

5. Draft a clear project specification that describes what will be delivered and how results will be verified.

6. Before detailed planning, discuss resource constraints and risk analysis with both your manager and the client.

7. Form a project team, seeking members with deep client‑business knowledge and, for larger projects, industry experts.

8. Establish a single point of contact on the client side to avoid conflicting directions.

9. Require all requirement changes to be documented in writing to provide evidence and facilitate change‑management.

Communication Principles

10. Define information flow: push (manager proactively disseminates) versus pull (team requests information). Use public channels (whiteboards, shared spaces) for routine updates.

11. Keep thorough documentation (project logs, meeting minutes, signed agreements) to ensure accountability.

12. Clarify approval levels for different issues (log entries, memoranda, contracts) to streamline decision‑making.

Planning and Execution

13. Identify key team members (business experts, analysts) and break the project into modules, defining deliverables and interfaces.

14. Choose an implementation approach you are comfortable with rather than the theoretically perfect one.

15. Use tools such as Microsoft Project to create a Gantt chart, showing tasks, dependencies, resources, and timelines.

16. Accept that the planned finish date will often be earlier than the realistic one; adjust expectations accordingly.

17. Prioritize tasks based on the project’s strategic goals, focusing resources on high‑impact items.

18. During execution, maintain communication with the client’s leadership, your own leadership, and the team, tailoring detail level to the audience.

19. In meetings, facilitate discussion, record viewpoints, and avoid becoming the judge; synthesize opinions to determine priorities.

20. Ensure deliverables are verifiable; define acceptance criteria and testing procedures early.

21. Prefer having implementation staff work from the office rather than on‑site to reduce friction.

Managing Change

22. Distinguish between requirement changes (altering goals) and implementation changes (different solutions). Document all changes, obtain client signatures, and assess impact on cost and schedule.

23. Conduct a formal change‑control process: client signs a change request, you evaluate consequences, leadership approves, then the client signs the final decision.

Training and Acceptance

24. Prepare both a user manual (technical perspective) and a training manual (business perspective) before client training.

25. Focus on interface clarity, terminology, and navigation to ensure the client can use the system effectively.

26. Define clear acceptance criteria and test plans; the client must provide evidence when rejecting the system.

27. Include post‑acceptance maintenance terms in the contract.

Evaluating Project Manager Performance

Poor: frequent crises, unable to resolve, becomes a “martyr”.

Average: encounters problems but pushes through, receives modest praise.

Excellent: rarely does hands‑on work, focuses on reporting and planning, delivers smoothly.

Project Management Training

Project management blends science (repeatable processes) and art (personal charisma, inspiration). Understanding PMBOK provides the scientific foundation, while the remaining 80% relies on individual skill and judgment.

Source: http://blog.csdn.net/shimiso