Make a Plan and then follow through
A good project plan should be the starting point in any project.
Sometimes the simplest things are the ones we miss, and when we look at some of the problems that arise during a complex project, it is easy to waver from the initial plan and framework in place.
Why
The project management framework in this book is deliberately simple. So if you want to keep your project on track then simply refer to it. Whatever state or stage your project is in, there is no doubt it will be at one of these three steps. Others involved in your project will also not have ANY difficulty understanding where they fit into the picture.
Surefire practice
1. Build the plan and then follow it. Sounds obvious, but if you start with a plan then don’t follow it what was the point? Otherwise why did you go to all the trouble of estimating, gaining agreement, setting schedules, budget and approval only to deviate? Implement the plan as quickly as is possible after approval, unless of course the project owner or sponsor has gotten cold feet or wants to change the scope.
2. Once the plan is in place implement it around those rules. Implementing the plan should use all of the start up project skills and materials discussed in Chapter 4. The second step is often the hardest, particularly when it is your first time managing a big program.
3. Manage as if your career depended on it. Treating even the smaller projects energetically and with enthusiasm will get you noticed. Often doing those projects well leads to increases in responsibility and greater challenges in the future. Build on those steps.
