Do you want to be more productive?

You’re busy and stressed. That’s probably the understatement of the year. The idea of taking time out to get more organized is laughable.

• But how much time are you losing to the chaos? How much stress are you creating for yourself?
• Learn how easy it can be to get and stay organized and productive, and be able to work with a calmer mindset.
• Do you spend more time looking for phone numbers than making the call?
• Are deadlines slipping by because you’re too busy putting out fires?

Use these templates below to start your journey.

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Project Management Steps

Thanks for your response to my email; I now a have team whom I shall start working with next week.

I’d like to leave you with a question?

Do you have a plan for your personal growth? If you have dreams, goals, or aspirations, you need to grow to achieve them.

If not then you may be holding yourself back from being as intentional as you need to be.

I recently read an article on the fears that keep people from being successful.

The following five factors came into play:

Fear of Failure
Fear of Trading Security for the Unknown
Fear of Being Overextended Financially
Fear of what others Will Say or Think
Fear of Success Will Alienate Peers

Let me ask you a question, which of those fears impacts you?

You need to recreate a plan to overcome it. Business and Personal Growth Doesn’t just Happen.

WATCH THIS VIDEO

REVIEW THE LIST OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT STEPS TEMPLATES

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A RAID Log, or register, is one of the essential documents in the project management steps lifecycle.

A RAID log is one of the easiest and most effective tools you can create for your project.

It is a good idea to create a RAID log at the start of each project so you can track anything impacting you now or in the future. Keep your log up-to-date through weekly reviews and team meetings. A formal review and sign-off of your RAID Log should occur at the end of each of your project management steps.

The acronym RAID stands for Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies.

Risks

Events that will have a negative impact on your project if they occur. Risk refers to the combined likelihood the event will occur and the impact on the project if it does occur. If the likelihood of the event happening and impact to the project are both high, you identify the event as a risk. The log includes a description of each risk, full analysis and a plan to manage it.

Assumptions

Any factors that you are assuming to be in place that will contribute to the successful result of your project. The log includes details of the assumption, the reason it is assumed and the action needed to confirm whether the assumption is valid.

Issues

Something that is going wrong on your project and needs to be managed. Failure to manage issues may result in a poor delivery or even failure. The log includes a description of each issue, the impact it is having, its seriousness and actions needed to contain and remove it.

Dependencies

Any event or work that are either dependent on the result of your project or your project will depend on. The log captures who you are dependent on, what they should deliver and when. It may also include who is dependent on you.
Act swiftly and decisively to deal with any risks or issues identified. Check your assumptions are valid and understand your dependencies.

You can create a simple RAID Log using a spreadsheet with one tab for each area. Use it as a primary source for your status reporting. We have a variety of project templates that you can use to monitor and manage your project.

USING A RAID LOG, WITHIN THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT STEPS FRAMEWORK, IS EASIER THAN TRYING TO KEEP ALL THIS INFORMATION IN YOUR HEAD.

The benefits of risk management in projects are huge. You can gain a lot of money if you deal with uncertain project events in a proactive manner.

Experience shows that 10 golden rules exist for implementing risk management successfully throughout the project management steps in your project.

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Consider the two project management steps scenarios below:

Deliverables

Status Reports
Issues & Risks
Changes

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Multi-million dollar projects have one thing in common, and that is they have to use project management templates in order to report properly. When a project is implemented, it takes more than implementation and results to make it a success; it takes consistent project reporting back to the investors, which is made easier by using project management steps templates.

Some projects can range from very broad sweeps of what a project is about, the process being done to implement it, and the current status in returns. Other templates are more detailed and need more specific information for the purpose of monitoring and evaluation.

Project management steps templates can help you to manage your work in a timely and efficient manner. Being able to deal with a few different projects at a time can be very demanding and hectic, and if you are not careful, you may end up with projects remaining uncompleted. Hence management templates relieve the project manager of the pressure and provide success in the project.

These templates can help give you clarity and project management structure. Management is completely based on these two aspects. Project management becomes a problem when there are too many things to handle. Some find it hard to complete the projects on time. Templates come to the rescue here. The project management steps templates are designed to be very easy to use and are kept simple. They will help make the job of a project manager easier.

When people make investments in specific businesses and projects, they want to be informed of how exactly their money is invested. Project management steps templates are a perfect method of keeping tabs on project development and its impact.

One way of ensuring that best practices are embedded in project documentation is to base these documents on effective project management templates. Good templates should offer guidelines and training that ensures a logical flow of information and at the same time makes sure that the critical data is captured.

To ensure a better decision making, it is imperative to have completed project management templates. These completed templates give a clear picture of the work done and thereby help in decision-making process.

The templates can help speed up your work and hence bring about a sense of balance and calmness to the project manager and his team. This will result in better focus and hence better work.

The templates give you the liberty of stopping wherever you want and then restart the work from where you stopped, thus keeping you on track. They can help in better project management by saving you time and unnecessary effort.

Templates are a boon to project managers and project management consultants as they help save time, energy and money. They also ease the burden on the project manager when he has to make reports to higher officials and investors. They help the project managers in approaching the project management lifecycle in a far more effective manner.

The templates can also structure your communication and engagements ensuring that the final product is of high quality. Also it allows for continuity in the case when several people are assigned the same project. Hence templates are very important project tools in project management

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More and more SME’s are realizing the benefits of project management steps.

As a company grows so do their projects. At some stage, most small or medium sized business will review their internal systems to plan project phases for the future.

In implementing new project tools or software systems it is particularly important to keep overheads to a minimum. This reduces exposure and ensures a rapid implementation plan.

IMPLEMENTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT STEPS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE LARGE AND UNWIELDY TO PUT INTO PRACTICE.

BREAKING DOWN THE PROCESS TO A KEY SET OF FUNDAMENTALS WILL HELP ENSURE LESS OBSTACLES AND A SMOOTHER TRANSITION.

This is easier if someone in the team has previous experience in implementing a project management framework or processes, the projects undertaken by the SME tend to be similar in type and activity or a short learning curve exists for products or services produced by the organization.

If it doesn’t fear not. It is easy to research and here are Project Management Steps top tips for SME’s when implementing project management processes.

As a way to fast-track the process, it is a good idea to find or recruit a project manager with experience in deploying the correct project management techniques and implementing project management processes.
The Project Manager should be able to get up to speed on the products and services over a few months while researching the processes already in place to identify the gaps.

Advocating the initiative and gaining the support of senior management in order to secure time for the resources needed, will help to avoid roadblocks and will promote adoption from the top down.

The Project Manager will involve individuals in meetings and begin the work of implementing necessary processes so you need support and approval from senior management.

Any project, including implementing new processes should begin with a work breakdown structure (WBS). The Project Manager will work out the activities required and include them in the work breakdown structure.
This will be the basis for moving forward with project planning and management: scheduling activities, resources, and relationships between various required tasks.

With the help of other employees, the Project Manager will document the requirements for each activity and the skill set of people required for the tasks.

Other details will be captured as well such as key drivers and risks which may occur.

Using the work breakdown structure and documentation, the Project Manager will now be able to create the project plan and Gantt charts to communicate the overall plan of action and timeline.

After identifying the required templates for the processes being put in place for such things as reporting, requests, presentations, statements of work, project handover, etc, a project should be selected to test the new processes.

Continuous improvement is key; once the test drive has been completed the project should be reviewed for any lessons that can be applied to future projects. This will help to stabilize processes and improve their overall success.

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Effective project management is fundamental to the success of all businesses, large and small. The process and results have an impact on many key areas – business growth and development, staff motivation and staff development.

The projects management steps do not have to be capital intensive or complex but have a number of key characteristics:

1. response to a business need – obviously, but it is important to be clear about the business need. What are you trying to achieve?

2. a temporary activity – it has a clear start and end point. At some stage (and that needs clarity) the resulting process/product becomes part of the work activities.

3. a unique activity – there may have been something similar in the past but this is not part of the regular work activities.

4. there is uncertainty – risk – which needs to be managed.

5. normally involves other people – internal or external, requiring team and communication skills, and a defined project manager.

There are many training courses and qualifications available to develop skills for the correct execution of project management steps, for example, PRINCE 2 is a well-recognised project management qualification (PRojects IN a Controlled Environment – www.prince2.com). However, for small businesses, the cost of these opportunities is often prohibitive. They also require a level of time commitment which is often impractical for the smaller business. By applying a logical and structured approach to their projects all businesses can achieve the results they require.

The first point to recognize is that project management is both an art and a science:

• Art – the project manager role of leading people
• Science – applying the process with appropriate tools and techniques

Which is the most complicated? Often the ‘art’ because leading people usually poses the most challenges.

But let’s start with the ‘science’ – the process. In my experience of working with large corporate organizations and small local businesses, applying a logical 5 step process will help achieve a successful outcome:

1. Define your project phases – we have mentioned the need to be clear about what you are trying to achieve and that requires identifying the project goals or objectives. SMART is a well known acronym to help you structure your goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timing).

A key problem with projects is managing expectations and the ‘Realistic’ element of your goal setting will be identifying what the project will and will not do. It cannot be ‘all things to all men’ or will lose focus and therefore effectiveness. This is the ‘scope’ element of your project and, in my experience, is the biggest cause of project failure.

Writing down, and getting agreement to, what the project will and will not cover is critical before moving forward. This forms part of project governance

Other aspects of the project management lifecycle to consider at this stage are:

Alternatives – what are the options?

Costs and benefits – depending on the most effective option

Timescales

Responsibilities – who is the project manager and what other resources will be required

Risks – to the project success – identifying mitigating and contingency actions

When the ‘definition’ has been agreed by key stakeholders then you can move onto stage 2:

2. Project Planning and Management – this requires scheduling of activities and resources to meet the agreed timescales. There are a number of tools you can use – Gantt charts and Critical Path Analysis are well known tools – but an Excel spreadsheet is often sufficient. It is important to share and get agreement to your schedule to ensure other people involved know what is expected of them and by when. The Planning stage will also identify ongoing support required after project closure.

3. Implementation – you’ve planned the work, now it is time to work the plan! Regular project reporting updates of progress are a key part of the project manager role. Depending on the project, this is likely to be the most time-consuming stage and will require close attention to the people and process side of project management.

Full implementation may have been preceded by testing and/or piloting to ensure the final product will meet the business needs.

4. Closure – bring the project to a close by handing over to the business ‘owner’. The result becomes part of the regular business process or offering. Part of the project manager role will have been to plan for any training etc.

5. Evaluation – often not done by any business, large or small! Have we achieved what we set out to achieve? What went well? What could we do differently next time? Celebrating success and sharing in the learning so that the business and its people can continue to develop project management skills.

The ‘art’ side of project management is the project manager role of leading people and, as we have seen from the process described above, requires many organizational and interpersonal skills and characteristics:

Effective communication
Delegation
Integrity
Enthusiasm
Team building skills
Problem solving skills
Influencing and persuading
Organising and planning

Project management can be a great opportunity to develop staff and give them additional responsibilities. It can also be an important tool to help identify future managers and key staff to develop the business.

In my experience, leading and managing the project management steps for a successful project is one of the most rewarding activities in the workplace.

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT STEPS

I have received a number of inquiries from members about the role of project management steps in a business environment. This short article reflects my contribution to the debate.

A project manager (PM) plays a key role in helping businesses introduce change through the development of a new product, process or service.

In order to succeed, Project Managers must be highly adaptable and able to work in areas as diverse as IT, health services and education, local and national government, media and sport and leisure.

Project Managers will also need the ability to manage all kinds of different projects – conferences, promotional events, software applications and organizational restructures are just some of the challenges that they are likely to find themselves tackling as their career develops.

Ultimately, the Project Manager is responsible to the Project Sponsor for managing projects and delivering them to the agreed requirements, plan and budget.

If I had a dollar $ for every definition of a PMs roles and responsibilities then I would be a rich man; however, here is my list for discussion.

Help to shape new ideas and raises these with the potential sponsor
Liaise with all stakeholders and enabling functions required to successfully deliver the project, within a project management framework
Project Plans the implementation of deliverables to BAU
Identify the risks and issues that are preventing the project from proceeding and resolves these or escalates them for resolution
Selecting and using the appropriate monitoring and evaluating the tool, which is mapped to the project’s “profile”
Report progress and escalates risks or issues to the sponsor and steering group
Seek guidance and offers support to others
Follow an appropriate Project management Lifecycle framework and complete the required documentation
Review formal Gateway Reviews and demonstrate the project is able to proceed before moving on to the next stage or phase.

SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS NEED GOOD PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEMPLATES AND METHODOLOGY. GET YOURS WITH THE SKM PROJECT MANAGEMENT STEPS.

Click here to download the 2 FREE eBooks about project management steps, techniques and Time Management

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This post presents an overview of project management steps in those projects dealing with the Acquisition and Development of real estate.

Challenges, issues and constraints that may arise for project managers or project management consultants working on these types of projects will be briefly discussed.

Project Management Status in the Acquisition and Development of Real Estate Assets

Outside of construction work, real estate as an industry has generally been slow to adopt formal project management techniques or a project management framework.

Although inroads in this regard are being made in real estate development projects, the acquisition of real estate assets of any nature is almost never perceived as a “project” in the technical sense of the word. Instead, real estate acquisition is treated as a transaction best handled exclusively by lawyers and other legal personnel, and for which no project management skills or knowledge are required.

Project Management Challenges in Real Estate Acquisition Projects

Download these new PDF. DOC and JPEG files – 10 Project management steps in the real estate industry.

Obviously and in light of the foregoing discussion, the greatest challenge presented to a project manager on an acquisition project may very well be how to avoid being ignored. Since success is the best guarantor of being taken seriously, the project manager needs to deliver measurable project value.

Baselines should be created and actuals frequently monitored against them. Schedules should not simply be adhered to, but efforts also made to optimize those schedules. Budgets must be scrutinized not only for the purpose of saving costs, but also with an eye to recognizing those instances in which application of additional resources (financial or other) will produce exponentially greater value.

Furthermore, the project manager should insure that project progress on these and other subjects are regularly and appropriately communicated to management, the client, the project sponsor and other stakeholders.

A good communication management plan is an essential tool.

A substantial portion of the work to be done on an acquisition project revolves around performance of Due Diligence activities. Fundamentally, these activities are no more and no less than what project managers know as the risk identification and risk analysis processes. A sufficiently detailed and comprehensive risk management plan is a bottom-line requirement for these types of projects.

The complicating factor in the management of acquisition projects is that of organizational interfaces. These can include both formal and informal project reporting relationships, as well as funding-related constraints and dependencies.

A formal communication plan is the project manager’ best hope of dealing successfully with the challenges posed by organizational interfaces.

In addition, the soft skills of negotiation, conflict resolution, team leadership and interpersonal communication are absolutely crucial to the process of “making the deal happen”, which is essentially what the project manager would call the Closing Process of the project (part of the project management lifecycle).

Frequently, a property acquisition project is but a component of a formal real estate acquisition program. In that instance, the project scope and the project management plan in general must be monitored for continued alignment with the broader goals, objectives and benefits of the program.

Project Management Challenges in Real Estate Development Projects

Non-construction real estate development projects most often will take the form of implementing property use changes; for example, an apartment complex is converted to residential condominium properties, or a former elementary school building is transferred to the private sector and transformed into commercial office space.

The fact that these projects may be schedule or budget sensitive (in the sense that most projects are routinely so) becomes particularly challenging for the project manager due to their heavily regulated nature.

Building or property use changes in the U.S. are uniformly subject to local zoning ordinances, at the very minimum. It is not at all unusual for application to proceed pursuant to such ordinance to then trigger additional state, regional, or even federal review of the project.

Even a relatively uncomplicated use change project routinely requires a variety of permits and licenses, from different regulatory agencies, and at multiple milestones…thus creating a perfect storm of opportunities for schedule, budget and resource-availability disasters.

Furthermore, the highly-regulated nature of these projects gives rise to a multiplicity of stakeholders.

Early and comprehensive stakeholder identification and analysis, together with project governance and regular monitoring and updating, is necessary in order to deal successfully with all stakeholders and defuse many possible project obstacles.

Once again, a formal communication plan is imperative.

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Template Title and Description

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