• The Stages of a Project
• 1. Sponsorship and Leadership
• 2. Defining the Business Objectives and Benefits
• 3. Planning the Project
• 4. Ensuring the Project is a Manageable Size
• 5. Defining the Budget
• 6. Managing the Risk
• 7. Getting the Right Project Manager
• 8. Getting Customer Representation
• 9. Defining Roles and Responsibilities
• 10. Getting the Right Resources
• 11. Monitoring and Reporting Progress
• 12. Communicating Progress
• 13. Consultation and Leadership
• 14. Getting Realistic User Requirements
• 15. Defining Your Approach
• 16. Conducting a Structured Test Plan
• 17. Creating an Implementation Plan
• 18. Conducting a Post Implementation Review
• 19. Realising the Benefits
• 20. Learning the Lessons
• 21. Celebrating Success
• Checklist

What's next?

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Checklist

1. Do you have sufficient business sponsorship & leadership?
2. Have you defined and understood the business objectives & benefits?
3. Have you developed a detailed project plan?
4. Is your project a manageable size?
5. Have you defined a detailed project budget?
6. Are you managing the project risks?
7. Have you appointed an experienced Project Manager?
8. Do you have experienced & effective user representation?
9. Have you clearly defined the project roles & responsibilities?
10. Do you have enough experienced resources?
11. Are you monitoring progress on a regular basis?
12. Are you distributing regular progress reports?
13. Are you achieving the right balance of consultation & leadership?
14. Are the user requirements realistic?
15. Have you based your development on a prototyping iterative approach?
16. Have you conducted a structured test plan?
17. Do you have a comprehensive implementation plan?
18. Have you conducted a post implementation review?
19. Will the deliverables and benefits of your project survive?
20. Have you looked at the lessons learned from your project?
21. Have you celebrated the success of your project?

Every project is different and therefore presents a new set of challenges. The skills needed to manage projects are becoming a common part of life in most organisations today. By following these twenty-one steps and continuing to develop and refine your skills, you will be well equipped to excel in a modern business environment.