Noor Carton 02EPM05
Samenvatting Project management
1. Project Management Best Practices
What are best practices?
From “best practice” to “proven practice”
- Best practices are there to help you guide your business
- They begin with techniques, methods that work well
- People adopt these best practices and integrate them into the processes no longer best
practice, but proven practice
- “Best practices” also includes something like “we are currently working in the wrong way”
Typical definitions of best practice:
- Something that works
- Something that works well
- Something that works well on a repetitive basis
- Something that leads to a competitive advantage
- Something that can be identified in a proposal to generate business
- Something that keeps the company out of trouble and, if trouble occurs, the best practice
will assist in getting the company out of trouble
1
,Noor Carton 02EPM05
Why go for “best practices”?
- Enhance project efficiency
- Minimize risks
- Ensure stakeholder satisfaction
- Stay within budget and timelines
- Foster team collaboration
- Drive continuous improvement
10 Best Practices for Successful Project Management
1. Clear Objectives and Scope
- What: Define clear goals and boundaries for the project
- Why: Prevents confusion and keeps the team focused
- Impact: Everyone knows what’s in and out of scope = better alignment, reduces the chances
of confusion
2. Thorough Project Planning
- What: Create a detailed plan with objectives, timelines, resources, and strategies
- Why: Guides every step of the project and helps manage risks
- Impact: Well-prepared teams perform better and handle issues more easily
3. Effective Communication
- What: Set up clear communication channels (email, meetings, tools, etc.)
2
,Noor Carton 02EPM05
- Why: Avoids miscommunication and encourages teamwork
- Impact: Smooth collaboration and quicker decision-making
4. Time Management & Deadlines
- What: Monitor progress and set realistic timelines
- Why: Keeps the project on track and avoids delays
- Impact: On-time delivery and fewer last-minute problems
5. Team Empowerment & Motivation
- What: Let team members take ownership and contribute ideas
- Why: Increases commitment, creativity, and responsibility
- Impact: A motivated team is a productive team
6. Budget Management
- What: Create and track a realistic project budget
- Why: Prevents overspending and keeps finances transparent
- Impact: Better financial control = smoother execution
7. Document Lessons Learned
- What: Record what worked and what didn’t after the project
- Why: Helps improve future projects
- Impact: Continuous learning and better outcomes next time
8. Conflict Resolution
- What: Address team conflicts quickly and constructively
- Why: Prevents tension and maintains team harmony
- Impact: Healthier team dynamics and better collaboration
9. Post-Project Evaluation
- What: Review project results vs. original goals
- Why: Identifies successes and areas to improve
- Impact: Helps refine strategies for future projects
3
, Noor Carton 02EPM05
10. Quality Assurance & Control
- What: Ensure deliverables meet or exceed standards
- Why: Guarantees client satisfaction and project credibility
- Impact: High-quality results build trust and reputation
Why use Project Management methodology?
= PMM
It increases the chances of project success
- It provides a structured, proven approach to completing projects. It ensures all necessary
steps are followed, no shortcuts are taken, and high-quality standards are maintained.
- Methodologies are “proven practice”; it’s a tested roadmap that guides teams toward
successful outcomes.
It increases the amount of time available to spend on work
- Condition: only one methodology for whole company
- When a company uses one consistent PMM across all departments, it reduces the need for
extra training and confusion when people switch between teams. This saves time and allows
employees to focus more on real project work instead of constantly adapting to different
approaches.
It eliminates choices where none are required
- The smaller the decision, the larger the discussion
- Project teams often spend too much time debating small, routine decisions—more so than
on complex ones. A good PPM avoids this by making those smaller decisions in advance. This
reduces unnecessary discussions and allows the team to focus on the important, strategic
choices that truly impact the project.
It allows for consistent reporting and analysis
- Terminology is clear and unambiguous to avoid confusion
- For example, the term "done" can have different meanings depending on who you ask: a
developer might consider a task "done" when the coding is finished, while a client may
4
Samenvatting Project management
1. Project Management Best Practices
What are best practices?
From “best practice” to “proven practice”
- Best practices are there to help you guide your business
- They begin with techniques, methods that work well
- People adopt these best practices and integrate them into the processes no longer best
practice, but proven practice
- “Best practices” also includes something like “we are currently working in the wrong way”
Typical definitions of best practice:
- Something that works
- Something that works well
- Something that works well on a repetitive basis
- Something that leads to a competitive advantage
- Something that can be identified in a proposal to generate business
- Something that keeps the company out of trouble and, if trouble occurs, the best practice
will assist in getting the company out of trouble
1
,Noor Carton 02EPM05
Why go for “best practices”?
- Enhance project efficiency
- Minimize risks
- Ensure stakeholder satisfaction
- Stay within budget and timelines
- Foster team collaboration
- Drive continuous improvement
10 Best Practices for Successful Project Management
1. Clear Objectives and Scope
- What: Define clear goals and boundaries for the project
- Why: Prevents confusion and keeps the team focused
- Impact: Everyone knows what’s in and out of scope = better alignment, reduces the chances
of confusion
2. Thorough Project Planning
- What: Create a detailed plan with objectives, timelines, resources, and strategies
- Why: Guides every step of the project and helps manage risks
- Impact: Well-prepared teams perform better and handle issues more easily
3. Effective Communication
- What: Set up clear communication channels (email, meetings, tools, etc.)
2
,Noor Carton 02EPM05
- Why: Avoids miscommunication and encourages teamwork
- Impact: Smooth collaboration and quicker decision-making
4. Time Management & Deadlines
- What: Monitor progress and set realistic timelines
- Why: Keeps the project on track and avoids delays
- Impact: On-time delivery and fewer last-minute problems
5. Team Empowerment & Motivation
- What: Let team members take ownership and contribute ideas
- Why: Increases commitment, creativity, and responsibility
- Impact: A motivated team is a productive team
6. Budget Management
- What: Create and track a realistic project budget
- Why: Prevents overspending and keeps finances transparent
- Impact: Better financial control = smoother execution
7. Document Lessons Learned
- What: Record what worked and what didn’t after the project
- Why: Helps improve future projects
- Impact: Continuous learning and better outcomes next time
8. Conflict Resolution
- What: Address team conflicts quickly and constructively
- Why: Prevents tension and maintains team harmony
- Impact: Healthier team dynamics and better collaboration
9. Post-Project Evaluation
- What: Review project results vs. original goals
- Why: Identifies successes and areas to improve
- Impact: Helps refine strategies for future projects
3
, Noor Carton 02EPM05
10. Quality Assurance & Control
- What: Ensure deliverables meet or exceed standards
- Why: Guarantees client satisfaction and project credibility
- Impact: High-quality results build trust and reputation
Why use Project Management methodology?
= PMM
It increases the chances of project success
- It provides a structured, proven approach to completing projects. It ensures all necessary
steps are followed, no shortcuts are taken, and high-quality standards are maintained.
- Methodologies are “proven practice”; it’s a tested roadmap that guides teams toward
successful outcomes.
It increases the amount of time available to spend on work
- Condition: only one methodology for whole company
- When a company uses one consistent PMM across all departments, it reduces the need for
extra training and confusion when people switch between teams. This saves time and allows
employees to focus more on real project work instead of constantly adapting to different
approaches.
It eliminates choices where none are required
- The smaller the decision, the larger the discussion
- Project teams often spend too much time debating small, routine decisions—more so than
on complex ones. A good PPM avoids this by making those smaller decisions in advance. This
reduces unnecessary discussions and allows the team to focus on the important, strategic
choices that truly impact the project.
It allows for consistent reporting and analysis
- Terminology is clear and unambiguous to avoid confusion
- For example, the term "done" can have different meanings depending on who you ask: a
developer might consider a task "done" when the coding is finished, while a client may
4
