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A lot is written about Project Management. If you search any good library or internet you can find articles describing project management and all the best practices. However on the ground I doubt if majority of the principles are put to practice. If they are, I doubt the consistency for the same.

Project Management to me is effectively managing Quality, Cost and Timelines of the project with confidence in your resources.

Some of the key aspects to Project Management are:

·         Communication

·         Nothing is as important as effective communication in Project Management. Effective communication involves expressing exactly what is required, nothing less nothing more. It also involves listening abilities and non-verbal communication.

·         Anyone who can master the art of effective communication already won half the battle in being a successful project manager.

·         Communication involves communicating with the Client, team members, peers and associates and all the other related parties.

·         Process Simplification

·         Processes are a key ingredient of a successful project. However over-do of processes are the key to many project failures. There is therefore a need to identify processes which works best for the given project and more importantly making sure that consistency is then maintained in adhering to the tailor made process.

·         Traceability

·         Tracking the progress of the project as frequently as possible helps avoiding any surprises. One simple yet effective technique that works is to have weekly status meeting with focused agenda. The meeting should just concentrate on the action items, pending items, risks and issues. Once identified the risks and issues should be communicated to the stake holders. This helps all the stake holders up-to date with the current situation and avoids any surprises at the later stages.

·         Incubating Innovation

·         One of the important function of a project manager is to promote innovation. This is not directly related to the delivery of the project. However there are lot of innovative minds at work during the project. And many a times some of these innovations change the entire way of project execution.

·         Team Identity

Project Management is lot about collaboration. If every team member realizes the objectives and responsibilities within the project, project execution becomes a lot easier.  Every individual should be made aware of his/her objectives and responsibilities within the project. No part of project is less important. Whether it is code development or configuration management or quality assurance. If the entire team understands the importance for the same, a lot of usual project management issues get resolved