Holistic Project Management
Achieving project success requires a holistic approach to project management. It's not enough to simply focus on one aspect of the project, such as cost or time management. Instead, project managers must consider all aspects of the project and how they work together to achieve success.
Holistic project management involves integrating all aspects of the project, including scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communication, and risk management. By taking a holistic approach, project managers can ensure that all components of the project are working together seamlessly, minimizing the risk of delays, cost overruns, or quality issues.
Effective holistic project management requires strong leadership skills and the ability to collaborate with team members, stakeholders, and other project participants. It also involves the use of effective project management tools and techniques, such as project planning, risk analysis, and performance monitoring.
Things to consider when working with holistic project management
Scope management: This involves defining the scope of the project, determining the project goals and objectives, and developing a plan to achieve them. It's important to define the project scope early on in the project, as it sets the boundaries for the project and ensures that all team members and stakeholders are aligned on what the project is and isn't meant to accomplish.
Time management: This involves developing a project schedule that outlines the timeline for the project and identifies critical milestones and deadlines. Effective time management requires careful planning, realistic time estimates, and proactive monitoring to ensure that the project stays on track.
Cost management: This involves developing a project budget, identifying the costs associated with the project, and monitoring expenses to ensure that the project stays within budget. Effective cost management requires careful planning, cost estimation, and proactive monitoring to identify and address cost overruns as soon as possible.
Quality management: This involves developing a plan to ensure that the project meets the quality standards required. This can involve developing quality metrics, identifying key quality checkpoints throughout the project, and actively monitoring and managing the quality of the project deliverables.
Human resource management: This involves developing a project team and managing team performance to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget. Effective human resource management requires strong leadership skills, the ability to manage conflict and build a cohesive team, and the ability to provide ongoing support and motivation to team members.
Communication management: This involves developing a project communication plan and identifying the key stakeholders who need to be kept informed about the project. Effective communication management requires regular status updates, clear and concise communication, and the ability to adapt to changing communication needs as the project progresses.
Risk management: This involves identifying potential risks to the project and developing a plan to address them. Effective risk management requires proactive monitoring and identification of potential risks, as well as the ability to respond quickly and effectively to mitigate any risks that do arise.
By taking a holistic approach to project management, project managers can ensure that all aspects of the project are working together seamlessly to achieve project success. This involves careful planning, proactive monitoring, and effective communication and leadership skills to ensure that all team members and stakeholders are aligned and working towards a common goal.
Asking team members what they want to be working with, instead of just telling them
In my experience, it is important to ask team members what they really want to work with, instead of taking the we all have to work on it, because we need to get it done approach. The latter approach, often means team members are working on tasks that are not part of their strengths, or if they are, it might be that they don’t actually enjoy working on the given tasks.
When I manage projects, one of the first things I like to do, is ask Tema members what it is they actually want to do and create a plan around that. If you have happy teams, you generally have a good and well communicated product.
Ultimately, taking a holistic approach to project management can lead to greater project success, as all components of the project are aligned towards a common goal. Whether you're a seasoned project manager or just starting out, it's important to consider the big picture and take a holistic approach to your projects.
