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There are myriad development philosophies, tools and media in the tech industry market dedicated to “proper” project management. The sheer volume can be overwhelming, and startup technology companies or a tech leader new to their role may struggle to pin down best practices for their unique team and situation.
While each company and tech team must ultimately settle on the methods and tools that work best for them, longtime tech industry leaders have learned through experience that there are certain practices that nearly always lead to smoother projects and better final results. Below, 16 members of Forbes Technology Council discuss the keys to successful IT project management they would recommend and why they’re effective.
1. Limit Work In Progress
Limiting work in progress, a core Kanban principle, is an essential practice for any Agile software development project. Finishing what’s in progress first before starting new tasks allows teams to deliver value faster without exceeding capacity. Setting WIP limits helps reveal bottlenecks in the process, prevents context switching and improves focus. - Sue Li, SwipeGuide
2. Set Up Structured Project Communication
Communication (or the lack thereof) can make or break the success of a project. There needs to be a defined governance structure around project communication that dictates project kickoff, status updates, financial impacts, schedule changes, change orders, stakeholder checkpoints, and proper signoffs along the way. The project teams should also use a single source of truth of a project’s status. - Neil Parekh, Netrix, LLC
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3. Ensure Incremental Implementation
Make sure that new technologies you’re bringing in can be implemented in an incremental way that will not be disruptive to the business. This is often underestimated—I’ve seen too many projects end up as “shelfware.” - Ben Herzberg, Satori
4. Follow The PDCA Cycle And Establish A RACI Matrix
The “plan-do-check-act” principle works well for all sorts of companies, both newer and older and IT and non-IT. Hiring the right set of people, putting the right processes in place and selecting the right set of tools is what you need to accomplish the PDCA cycle. Additionally, new companies often struggle with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, so putting together a RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted and informed) matrix can help tremendously. - Jyoti Prasad Bhatt, ImpactQA
5. Have Secondary Objectives And Feedback Loops
For newer companies and even larger ones that are more intrapreneurial, goal-setting and business alignment are key. However, just as important is anticipation of setbacks and having secondary objectives when things don’t go to plan. IT project management must be agile, with enough feedback loops to be able to close out an IT project gracefully and change directions—even abruptly, if need be. - John Cho, Robotic Research
6. Create And Follow A Well-Defined Project Plan
One key to successful IT project management is creating and following a well-defined project plan. This includes setting clear goals and objectives, outlining the steps needed to achieve those objectives and establishing a timeline for completion. Having a detailed plan helps to ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page and that tasks are completed in a timely manner. - Ben Allen, Allen Forensics, Inc.
7. Bring On A Project Manager
They say that IT has lots of rules and no mercy. The devil is in the details, and that is precisely where an IT project manager can add the most value. Engaging with both business and IT stakeholders to facilitate deep dives into the use cases, process flows, supporting data and desired outcomes ensures the solution is both correct and aligned with business priorities. - Hanno Ekdahl, Idenhaus Consulting, LLC
8. Cut Over Or Deploy Quickly
Quick cutover is paramount. Loose ends and resistance to change foster festering issues and a lack of completion. When a cutover or deployment is quick and swift, users are forced to make changes, and it allows tracking to a “done” state, which then allows for day-2 support. IT projects are too often treated as “special.” The reality is that they should be treated like any other project with a deadline. - Tom Roberto, Core Technology Solutions
9. Establish ITIL And Agile Processes Across The Company
Successful IT project management requires processes and technical skills. ITIL and Agile processes for project management should be introduced to everyone. Companies should take a stand and say, “Agile is the way to work,” whether it is in terms of IT or the overall business. Additionally, IT project managers must have technical skills or familiarity with the tools, software and hardware they are deploying. - Bhushan Parikh, Get Digital Velocity, LLC
10. Define (And Stick To) A Project Scope
It’s essential to identify what is and is not within the scope of a project and stick to it. What is within scope is easy to define, but what is not can be hard to define and manage. During project kickoff, think in terms of the project being operational, and work backward to define stages, stakeholders, actors, methodologies and so on. Projects fail for two reasons: scope creep and poor operational readiness. - Kiran Palla, Kiran Palla
11. Build In Change-Management Deliverables
Change management is an often-overlooked and underappreciated component of technology implementation, but it arguably has the greatest impact on user adoption. Proper change-management deliverables—such as training guides, reference sheets and strategic communications to end users—should be built into every project plan to increase the probability of successful adoption. - Husein Sharaf, Cloudforce
12. Have A Single Point Of Contact For Queries
Project management is one of those key factors that can make or break an offshore project. Most IT firms dread working with offshore teams because of faulty project management. I think the key to acing this is to have a single point of contact who is responsible for answering queries. Also, periodic reporting of project updates through scrum meetings and video calls is essential to keep everyone on the same page. - Dharmesh Acharya, Radixweb
13. Hire Truly Interested Professionals
Successful IT project management lies in motivated team members. When they are driven by passion for the job, people deliver higher performance. So when forming a team, hire professionals who are truly interested in the things they’re going to do on the project. Once that’s settled, provide the team with well-defined goals and expected results. That will give them an understanding of where they’re moving to and encourage them. - Slava Podmurnyi, Visartech Inc.
14. Set Milestones For Checking Progress
Specify a major turning point. One way to achieve this is to describe the various stages in terms of milestones that make up a project’s life cycle, such as the planning, execution and finalization phases. After each stage, you can examine things to see how they are doing—everything from product components to technical documents. This could also be a good tracking mechanism for managers. - Chintan Shah, Brainvire InfoTech Inc.
15. Visualize Everything
It seems simple, but putting a project up on a Gantt chart that everyone can see is critical to success. It ensures your project management team has taken the time to consider how long everything will take, and it provides insight for everyone else into how the project will unfold. Visualizing the work is the best way to ensure accountability and on-time delivery. - Lewis Wynne-Jones, ThinkData Works
16. Invest Early In The Proper Tools
Starting out, you might lean toward setting up your own project management system in a free tool such as Google Sheets. But that is a mistake. Right away, you need to implement true project management software, such as Jira or Asana. Building the foundation of your operations on a structured project management system will enable you to evolve quickly and scale when the opportunity arises. - Nicholas Domnisch, EES Health
