"The five basic steps you must do on a project" - Part 1

Most of our work is in the IT project space. But we all know that projects are performed in almost every business, even small businesses. Take for example a retail store that is relocating to a new space. That move fits the classical definition of a project. In smaller companies, these projects are done by the business owner or whoever might be available. So starting this week, I am going to introduce the five basic things you can do to ensure your project gets done the way you need it to. These tips apply to practically all projects. They are geared to the very basics that ensure success.

Step 1. - Carefully define the outcome from the project. Saying that we need to move to the new building is not enough. You need to determine exactly what the final output or result is. This will form a target that you can continually judge progress against to make sure you are on track. The outcome is your final result and should not be confused with requirements. I'll discuss those next week. An example of an outcome statement could be, " We need to move the entire store to the new Pottsylvania building by May 20th to be ready for the start of tourist season and because our current lease expires on May 31st." This statement establishes the what must happen, the why, and the bad thing that occurs if you miss the date. This helps focus the project on accomplishing those tasks that contribute to the goal and help avoids doing tasks that don't. This may seem too basic but it is a step I have seen skipped on both small and large projects with very disastrous results.

When you do create the outcome statement, I suggest that you write it down and give it to all of the people involved in your project, even vendors. If appropriate, a large poster with the outcome printed on it makes a good visual reminder to everybody involved.