Managing Small Projects - What it takes to Succeed 

eople have managed projects, small and large, for centuries -- without the aid of complicated software packages, computers, and standard methodologies. They used the same techniques in ancient times that you can use today -- a well-defined goal, a good set of plans, competent people, an efficient feedback and controls system, and procedures for taking corrective action.

Today, we have electronic computers, software, standard methodologies and other tools that can be applied to eliminate or streamline many of the labor intensive practices of the ancients. But the techniques haven't changed that much. We have different names for our plans -- like scope, objectives, requirements, deliverables, work breakdown structures, task and resource schedules. We have improved software and tools for planning -- like spreadsheets, pert networks, Gantt charts, and various types of diagrams.

But projects succeed or fail, not because of the tools we have for planning nor the methods we use for scheduling or resource allocation, not because of our issue tracking system, or our risk mitigation method, or our critical path methodology.

No, project success or failure hinges on two separate questions:

1. Do the people performing the work know what to do?
2. And, do they know how to do it?

The trick, then, is getting to the point where you can answer Yes to both of these questions.

That is where project management comes into play. It is the project manager's role to make sure that the planning is done -- that the goal and other objectives are known, that the requirements have been enumerated, that the workload is known, that all tasks have been scheduled and assigned, and a contingency plan is in place. It is a project manager responsibility to insure that the project is adequately staffed with team members who have the right experience, training, and resources to get the job done.

Moreover, it is the project manager's obligation to communicate required information to everyone that needs it, to monitor and track progress, report on status, and act on variances to correct them.

As more and more organizations turn to project management as a way to get more done with fewer people, the role of project manager becomes vital to an organization's success. As more and more people get pressed into the role of project manager, they need a way to become effective quickly, without expensive and time consuming training, and without having to acquire formal credentials.

It is my hope that this site will provide information and links to resources that will help satisfy that need.

- Jake Alexander