Developing a project the right way is the key to success.
Poor planning is the same as cooking with the wrong recipe.
Particularly when you want to achieve something that no one has done before, you must pay full attention to your project development, not just its management.
This article will explain exactly how to develop a project correctly.
CONTENT
What do we mean by project development?
Project development uses available resources, budget, expertise, and practices to execute a roadmap within a set time frame.
It is a layout of the processes required to achieve a specific goal. Simply put, the development phase transforms the project from an idea into a finished project plan. This is where the team defines the project’s scope, creates deadlines, and establishes a tentative budget.
The difference between project management and project development may not be so apparent at first glance. Yet project development is a much higher-order process than project management.
It involves ensuring a team has all the resources it needs to achieve project goals.
5 stages of project development
1. Initiation
This is the critical first step in managing or developing a project.
Project initiation is when an efficient development plan is outlined.
This helps the project manager keep track of project goals, deadlines, and budget.
Here are some key questions to ask at this stage:
- What change can this project bring?
- What is the need for the project?
- What are the chances for success?
- Who will benefit from this project?
Defining clear and measurable objectives is vital during the initiation phase. Project objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). This approach helps ensure that the project stays properly focused, and that progress can be effectively monitored and evaluated.
Once these questions have been answered satisfactorily and the objectives and scope have been clearly established, the project team can build a detailed plan outlining the activities, resources needed, timelines, and success criteria.
This plan provides the basis for subsequent phases of project development and guides all planning, execution, monitoring, and closure activities.
2. Planning
For some project managers, the planning phase is the most important.
This phase involves creating the necessary steps throughout the project life cycle.
Proper structure requires noting the different tasks, team members’ capabilities, and responsibilities and matching those responsibilities with the deadlines and costs of each activity.
It is key to create a plan, ensuring the project team has everything it needs to succeed.
3. Execution
When the project is ready to kick off, project management becomes paramount.
The project development plan should ensure that the project is provided with all the resources it needs throughout its life cycle, not just at the beginning.
Yet, it is not possible to foresee everything that could go wrong.
The sooner the team realizes that something is not progressing as planned, the sooner it can get it back on track or adapt to new circumstances.
a) Activity launch – Execution begins with the kick-off meeting involving all team members and key stakeholders. During this meeting, each team member’s project details, goals, deliverables, deadlines, and responsibilities are laid out. It is pivotal to align all stakeholders and ensure they understand their roles and expectations.
b) Activity coordination – Project managers must ensure that each team member works on assigned tasks according to the established plan. Good coordination involves:
- Regular monitoring: Tracking progress through project management tools and regular updates.
- Effective communication: Ensuring that all relevant information is shared among team members and stakeholders in a timely manner.
- Resource management: Ensuring that resources are used efficiently and that any deficits are addressed quickly
c) Change management – It is common for necessary changes or adjustments to emerge during implementation. It is important to have a well-defined process for change management, including:
- Impact evaluation: Analyzing how the suggested changes will affect the project’s time, cost, and quality.
- Formal approval: Getting the approval of changes from key stakeholders before implementing them.
- Project plan update: This involves amending the project plan to reflect the approved changes and ensuring that all parties involved are informed.
d) Performance monitoring and control – Constant performance monitoring is crucial to ensure the project stays on track. It includes:
- Progress monitoring: Verify that activities are completed according to schedule and deliverables are produced as planned.
- Deviation management: Quickly identify any deviations from the plan and take corrective action to keep the project on track.
- Regular updates: Provide status reports to team members and stakeholders to inform everyone of progress and issues.
e) Risk management – During execution, it is vital to keep monitoring the risks identified in the planning phase and address new risks that may emerge. This includes:
- Mitigation strategies implementation: Executing planned actions to reduce impacts of identified risks.
- Regular risk review: Regularly evaluating risks to identify any change in their probability or impact.
- Documentation and communication: Maintaining an up-to-date risk record and reporting any new risks or changes to team members and stakeholders.
f) Quality assurance – In this phase, it is critical to ensure that all deliverables meet established quality standards, including:
- Quality control: Verifying deliverables meet quality criteria through inspections, tests, and reviews.
- Problem correction: Identifying and fixing any quality issues as early as possible to avoid negative impacts on the final results.
g) Stakeholder relationship management – Keeping good relations with stakeholders is key to project success. This includes:
- Regular involvement: Ensuring that stakeholders are involved and informed throughout the project life cycle.
- Expectation management: Communicating clearly and openly to avoid misunderstandings and manage stakeholder expectations.
4. Monitoring and Control
The project development control stage is also called the QA step.
Monitoring can take place after the project is closed or at regular intervals during its life cycle.
It is an opportunity to look at and review what worked and what didn’t and learn for the future. Here are some questions that may be useful in this phase:
- Are there areas where resources have been wasted?
- What factors caused this to happen
- If the project was delivered late, what factors caused this to happen?
- If the project exceeded the budget, why were the initial projections inaccurate?
- How accurate was risk prediction?
- When risks came up, how were they addressed?
5. Closure
This last step involves producing a detailed project report on how activities were carried out and how the team adhered to its responsibilities.
Reports help uncover common trends and gaps in the project plan.
Twproject for efficient project development
Developing a project plan is not an easy feat.
An overlooked detail or an improperly communicated piece of information can kick the entire project off on the wrong foot.
With Twproject, one of the best project management software available, you can use multiple methods and strategies to create a plan that fits your specific needs.
All stakeholders and team members will have access to real-time information wherever they are. They will also be able to visualize the project timeline, comment on activities, and always collaborate more efficiently.
Twproject also comes with many other advanced features that allow the project manager to maintain overall control of your project. As a result, managers can assign tasks to team members and set due dates and budgets.
Moreover, this software features advanced monitoring and reporting capabilities.
The real-time dashboard automatically updates critical project metrics so that you always have an up-to-date overview.
With Twproject, project managers can manage their projects more confidently, reducing the risk of errors and increasing the chances of success.
