So often, we hear of projects failing and in retrospect (and with an outsider’s view), and the reasons are very easy to identify. What can future project managers do to avoid this, and if they find themselves getting off track, how can they get back on track?
First, track the critical path (the activities most vital to the project’s success). The more time you spend on identifying what these activities are, the more likely you are to stay on track. A second way to help the project stay on track is to set milestone metrics when tracking objectives. In order to define proper metrics, discussing with those who are involved in the day to day tactics will help identify what those are. A third way to ensure the project is on the critical path, is to continually ask questions to the subject matter experts. Their opinion is a good indicator of the progression of the project.
Now the question is what to do when a project is off track? There are a few different methods to deal with projects that are falling behind schedule:
Re-allocate or swap resources: Generally if a project is off track, it is deviating from the critical path. Therefore, pull resources from other activities to get these vital issues back on track. There also may be an issue with the wrong resources being used for an activity. If a person is not a right fit for an activity, you can find a more appropriate role for them or release them from the team.
Check time-constrained activities: These activities are those that do not change length of time regardless of the number of resources you appoint to it. Identifying these helps to validate your time-frame.
Double-Check Dependencies: This means to examine whether a particular activity is dependent on another one being completed prior. You may discover that there may be invalid dependencies that are unnecessarily lengthening the process.
Prevent Scope Change: Since most projects tend to fall behind schedule or go over budget due to the team working on more than was initially planned for, it is possible that the team is doing things that were not agreed upon. As a project manager, ensure that your team is only working on tasks that were initially part of the project. No energy should be devoted to non agreed-upon tasks.
Improve Processes: Seek feedback from your team to determine where they think the internal work processes can be improved. They are the ones doing the day to day activities and will know best if they actually get a use out of a particular step.
Work Overtime: You may just have to play catch-up if you are behind. This is more useful if you are near the end of the project and just need a final push. If you are at the beginning, then one of the above strategies may work better.
In addition to these suggestions, you may also increase the budget, decrease the scope, or push the deadline further out. However, if you consistently check to see if things are on track, you should be able to complete a successful project.
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-ways-to-get-a-slipping-project-back-on-track/436
http://www.projecttimes.com/lisa-anderson/how-do-you-know-if-your-project-is-on-track.html
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