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No Creation of Best Practices - Project Management Mistake # 15
October 10, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Project Management Best Practices
No Creation of Best Practices - Project Management Mistake # 15 (#15 in the series 15 Deadly Project Management Mistakes Government Agencies Make Which Cost Them Revenue, Time & Efficiency)
By Keith Mathis - PM Expert Live
Many project sponsors have told us that they have never considered the creation of best practices for their organization. This means that they are forcing each project team to recreate processes and procedures for running the project on their own. This level of activity takes a great deal of time. It does not mean that the way the project team is conducting business is the most effective based on the culture and past performance of the organization.
Best Practices Defined
Best practices can be defined as a series of standardized processes and procedures for the department or agency. These processes have been deemed necessary to get the desired results in completing the project. Best practices are not something that has been thrown together with little or no effort. They have been thought through and adjusted.
How They Benefit Projects
Best practices help projects by minimizing the time a project team needs to put together processes and procedures for running the project in an effective manner. They can also assist those overwhelmed areas in the projects and amended team members. Let me suggest you track some projects unofficially for the next several weeks or months. One of the things you can examine is how those projects are running based on the processes and practices of experienced team members. As you examined these projects more deeply, you will determine the difference between a well run project based on proactive practices which have already been tested compared to those used by trial and error.
In addition, these practices allow project teams to get up and running in the fastest way possible; while minimizing down time, discussion time, and foolish trial and error. With all of these reasons, one wonders why our project sponsors and project managers are so resistant to creating best practices for their agency. We tend to think that this is done because they do not see the advantage of taking the time and effort to create best practices, nor do they trust the project will be run the same way after it has been developed.
What Does Best Practices Look Like
We all love to accomplish a great deal of progress in a short period of time. This is the main reason why best practices are so beneficial to a project team. Many people still struggle with what best practices look like once they are developed. Best practices can be a series of checklists, tasks, processes, and problem solving activities used for the purpose of driving a project faster and more effectively only in a shorter period time. Many of our past clients have created best practice manuals for the purpose of passing along this knowledge base to team members and employees. By doing this, they are successfully reproducing their techniques. However, in order for this to take place someone must take control and force the issue of creating best practices for that agency in the first place.
Dr. Keith Mathis, founder and CEO of The Mathis Group, specializes in Project Management, Management Leadership, and Marketing training for private businesses and government agencies of all kinds. He offers 33 Project Management courses, is a Project Management Professional, is certified by the Project Management Institute and will customize every training session to your individual company’s needs. The Mathis Group also sponsors www.pmexpertlive.com, which is a powerful project management resource with free reports, podcasts, videos, and a monthly newsletter. He also offers customized management training and coaching on any subject with prolific communication and professionalism.
Related Articles
- Work Breakdown Structure Was Shallow - Project Management Mistake # 7
- Planning Before A Customer Interview Is Completed - Project Management Mistake #1
- No Project Communication Plan - Project Management Mistake # 10
- Risk Analysis Was Limited In Depth - Project Management Mistake # 8
- Little Accountability When Productivity Is Low - Project Management Mistake # 5
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