Understanding the basics of Project Management Success!

Can you truly say your project is successful if you don't know what your project success criteria are? Everyone wants their project to succeed, but few people take the time to define what success entails.

Is it considered a success if you deliver a product or service on time and on a budget? It could be, but not if stakeholder expectations aren't met. Project success criteria are essential for determining whether or not the project met its objectives.



How To Evaluate Project Management Success?

The success of a project is solely determined by how well it is managed while meeting its goals and objectives. With that in mind, there are six metrics that can be used to assess a project's success:

·         Scope: Achieving the intended results of the project.

·         Schedule: Meeting the deadline, including all milestones.

·         Budget: Delivering the project for the amount agreed upon.

·         Team Satisfaction: Making sure the team feels satisfied with the project.

·         Customer Satisfaction: Get positive feedback from clients, sponsors, stakeholders, et al.

·         Quality: Achieve expectations of stakeholders.

Determining project success criteria is advantageous because it not only leads to a successful project but also aids future projects. Using success criteria can also be viewed as a means of practicing continuous improvement by learning from past mistakes.

3 Things to Keep in Mind When Tracking Project Success

We've been talking about project management success in general. While defining project success criteria is important, it does not address what needs to be done to aid in that success. Let's go over some of the ground rules for keeping the project on track for success:

1.      Milestones

A project can be made more manageable by defining milestones, which are any important dates in the project. Marking the end of one phase and the beginning of the next is the most obvious way to set milestones. You can see if you're making progress or not by conducting an evaluation test after each phase. Not only does this aid tracking, but it also boosts team morale when a major phase of the project is completed. A productive team is a key indicator of project management success, and a happy team is a key indicator of project management success.

2.      Communication

In every aspect of project management, communication greases the wheels. It is critical to have a communication plan in place at the start of the project. The better the communication between project members and stakeholders, the fewer issues and delays are likely to occur. It's important to keep lines of communication open, but it's also important to use reports to communicate important project data. Check-in on the triple constraint in real-time with status reports, and compare actual progress to planned progress.

3.      Use a Project Management Tool

Dynamic project management software includes tools for setting up milestones and fostering collaboration among team members. The use of reliable project management software increases project efficiencies, which is the very definition of project management success.

Need more insights on the same? Enroll in PMP Certification classes today!

 

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