Learn How to Manage Projects Before Projects Manage You

Anupam Diwan continues her monthly column with a focus on Project Management. To read her popular "HR Analytics" series, please see here. Many, if not most of us are "Pros" at managing various projects around the house or at work. Whether it’s your 3rd grader tugging on your sleeves for help with his or her classroom work, or installing racks in the garage to create more space, every activity with a clear objective and a defined time line can be termed a "project". And, we can usually accomplish it in style. So, why do we need Project Management? The answer is simple – to help us complete these tasks efficiently with judicious allocation of resources. Having a disciplined plan and leader in place is the difference between a project being managed and the project managing you. We all know how easy it is to get lost in the "swim lanes", RACI charts, and spreadsheets that are created with the idea of making a process easier to follow. (The next time someone suggests you put together a work plan, you might want to add a few lines entitled, "Day Before Event Freakout" and "Let’s Move That Deadline.") There is no "single best" or "right" way to manage projects, but there are some key elements that will help you be more successful. In an ideal world, we’d like a set of time-tested strategies and easy-to-use tools to employ as a "best-fit" for completing a given project. Well, excitingly, the reality is not far behind this ideal! In this series, I will not only focus on some of the tools that are quintessential to managing projects, but also on some of the do’s and don’ts that will ensure success. Every task we perform as HR professionals is a "project" if it is a novel endeavor with an objective moving along a defined timeline. These characteristics differentiate a project from the routine day-to-day goings-on. The dilemma is that these jobs may or may not be considered a project by the organization. So it becomes even more important to understand the raison d’etre of Project Management for an HR professional. Another factor to consider is that you don’t need to be designated a Project Manager to run a project, but anyone – from HR Operations to Organizational Development – can be a Project Management wannabe. A typical day in the life of a Project Manager spans the gamut from initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controling and finally closing the project at hand. In this series of articles, we will take a deep dive to understand how a broad range of activities in HR actually fall under "Project Management" although they are not formally practiced or designated as such. Projects are opportunities to demonstrate your professional value in a broader sense than your day-to-day work allows. As a Project Manager, you will likely work beyond your own group and start to expand your network of advocates outside your day-to-day role. When you see projects as more of an opportunity than a challenge, you’ll become a more effective Project Manager. Editor’s note: This series of articles by Anupam Diwan will focus on Project Management and will cover: Project Management in HR Watermelons in HR Projects Significance of Business Requirements Stakeholder Engagement How to Control Your Careened Projects Case Study [inlinead]

Learn How to Manage Projects Before Projects Manage You

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