10 Project Management Axioms

Top 10 lists are everywhere this time of year, so why not one more? Here are 10 time-tested, widely
recognized truths for project management success. ometimes, it!s "est to simplify.
Many projects fail because of the simplest of causes. You dont have to be a genius to deliver a
project on time, nor do you have to be steeped in a mystical project management methodology to
be a project manager. To help you get started here are 10 self-evident truths.

I. Know Your Goal
t sounds obvious but if you dont have an end-point in mind, youll never get there. You must be
able to clearly state the goal of your project so that anyone can understand it. f you cant
ade!uately describe your goal in a single sentence then your chances of achieving it are pretty slim.

II. Know Your Team
Your team is the most important resource you have available and their enthusiastic contribution "ill
ma#e or brea# your project. $oo# after them and ma#e sure the team operates as a unit and not as
a collection of individuals. %ommunications are vital. nvest time in promoting trust and ensuring
that everyone #no"s "hat they have to contribute to the bigger picture. &ish out re"ard as "ell as
criticism, provide superior "or#ing conditions and lead by e'ample.

III. Know Your Stakeholers
(pend time "ith your sta#eholders. (ta#eholders "ill either contribute e'pert #no"ledge to the
project or "ill offer their political or commercial endorsement, "hich "ill be essential to success.
(ha#e hands and #iss babies as necessary and grease the "heels of the bureaucratic machine so
that your project has the smoothest ride possible.

I!. S"en Time on Planning#$esign
) big mista#e traditionally committed on projects is to leap before youre ready. *hen youre under
pressure to deliver, the temptation is to +get the ball rolling., The ball, ho"ever, is big and heavy
and its very, very difficult to change its direction once it gets moving. You need to spend time
deciding e'actly ho" youre going to solve your problem in the most efficient and elegant "ay.

!. Promise %ow& $eli'er (igh
Try and deliver happy surprises and not unpleasant ones. -y promising lo" .understating your
goals/ and delivering high .delivering more than your promised/ you0
-uild confidence in yourself, the project and the team
-uy yourself contingency in the event that things go "rong
1enerate a positive and receptive atmosphere

%onsider this0 if you finish early everyone "ill be happy2 if something goes "rong you might still
finish on time and everyone "ill still be happy2 if things goes really badly you might still not deliver
"hat you anticipated but it "ill still be better than if you over-promised.

!I. Iterate& Increment& )'ol'e
Most problems "orth solving are too big to s"allo" in one lump. )ny serious project "ill re!uire
some #ind of decomposition of the problem in order to solve it. This "or#s but only "ith close
attention to ho" each piece is analy3ed and resolved and ho" the "hole fits together. *ithout a
systematic approach you end up "ith a hundred different solutions instead of one big one.

!II. Sta* on Track
4resumably you have an end goal in mind. Maybe its your job, maybe your business depends upon
it, or maybe youre going to revolutioni3e the "orld "ith the ne't 1oogle. f this is the case you
need to "or# methodically to"ards a goal and provide leadership .ma#e decisions/. This applies
"hether youre a senior project manager running a team of 50 or youre a lone "eb developer. You
need to learn to use tools li#e schedules and budgets to #eep on trac#.

!III. Manage +hange
*e live in a changing "orld. )s your project progresses, the temptation to deviate from the plan "ill
become irresistible. (ta#eholders "ill come up "ith ne" and +interesting, ideas, your team "ill bolt
do"n all #inds of rat holes and your original goal "ill have all the permanence of a sno"fla#e in
!uic#sand. (cope creep or drift is a major source of project failure and you need to manage or
control changes if you "ant to succeed.

This doesnt imply that there should be single, immutable plan, and all other ideas must be stifled.
You need to build a fle'ible approach that allo"s you to accommodate changes as they arise. ts a
happy medium youre striving for 6 if you are too fle'ible your project "ill meander li#e a horse
"ithout a rider and if you are too rigid your project "ill shatter li#e a pane of glass the first time a
sta#eholder tosses you a ne" re!uirement.

The best "ay to handle this is to have a plan, to update it regularly and ma#e sure everyone is
follo"ing it and pointing in the same direction.

I,. Test )arl*& Test -.ten
4rojects usually involve creative disciplines loaded "ith assumptions and mista#es. The only "ay to
eliminate errors is through testing. (ure you can do a lot of valuable "or# to prevent these mista#es
being introduced, but to err is human and some of those errors "ill ma#e it into your finished
product code. Testing is the only "ay to find and eliminate errors.

,. Kee" an -"en Min
-e fle'ible. The essential outcome is delivery of the finished project to a customer "ho is satisfied
"ith the result. )ny means necessary can be used to achieve this and every rule listed above can be
bro#en in the right circumstances, for the right reasons. &ont get loc#ed into an ideology if the
circumstances dictate other"ise. &ont get blinded by methodology. 7ocus on delivering the project
and use all the tools and people available to you. 8eep an eye on the schedule and adjust your
e'pectations and your plan to suit the conditions. &eliver the finished product, promote its use,
celebrate your success, and then move on to the ne't project.