While conducting business activities in the form of a project it is essential to create plans which are as realistic as possible. Such plans are a kind of tool that helps to achieve the previously established goals of the whole organization. In an enterpr
While conducting business activities in the form of a project it is essential to create plans which are as realistic as possible. Such plans are a kind of tool that helps to achieve the previously established goals of the whole organization. In an enterprise, plans should serve as a motor for activity. Thanks to them, every person within a company knows exactly what to do and what are the aims of the work. Plans provide the energy which triggers the whole organization process. Lack of project planning usually leads to problems with meeting the deadline, clients’ dissatisfaction, or serious negligence that influences how those who assign the task perceive the whole undertaking.
Omnipresent projects
Regardless of the kind of business activity we are currently dealing with, workers have to take care of projects every time, though sometimes they give them different names. Projects are nothing more than work which is grouped into some specific categories. Large tasks, or undertakings, are divided into smaller activities which are implemented into project plans with references to people who are responsible for them. Thanks to such an approach, every employee is given specific competences which he or she uses to complete his or her part of a large project, and at the same time, he or she knows what the whole undertaking is about.
Generally speaking, project is defined as any kind of work in which employees of a given company or a branch of a company are engaged – to a bigger or lesser extent. Projects aim at achieving some specific goal in a limited period of time and with limited funds. By changing the way in which employees work, managers or company owners also change project plans, i.e., they manage a given project. Projects can relate to assignments given by clients, the introduction of a new product or service, some events, processes, and other actions which are important from the point of view of the whole company. Basically, everything that leads to the development of a company or to the fulfillment of its basic market needs can be called a project. Even the company’s inner activities can be conducted on a project basis. Working on annual budget is a good example of such a case.
The importance of project planning in practical use
Project management is an essential ability of managers and whole enterprises that makes it possible to fulfill the expectations of clients and contractors. Skillful managing of project plans helps us achieve satisfying results on time, and, additionally, we do not use up more funds than we were given. A well constructed plan of a project is the most important step on the way to a company’s success. Without a plan, it is almost impossible to make a good project. Lack of project planning requires more energy and commitment not only from those who manage a given project, but also from every employee who is engaged in the whole process. Better project managing is only possible to achieve when we plan our projects realistically. Such approach allows for the fulfillment of a variety of clients’ or company owners’ needs.
In order for the undertaking to be successful, it is not enough to possess technical knowledge, be competent and hard working. Even if we are very committed, it is not guaranteed that the project will fulfill the expectations of the people who are interested in it. Unfortunately, such cases have always been leading to stressful situations. Under such circumstances, corrections and changes have to be implemented into projects, and this, in consequence, leads to tensions and conflicts within the ranks of people who are responsible for a given undertaking. Planning in advance eliminates this kind of situations and can truly cause work to evoke the feeling of pleasure.
Realistic planning makes it possible to achieve comfort during work. Every action is conducted according to schedule, however, such timetables should have room for unexpected events. Something can always go wrong, and a manager should note such potential problems in a timetable as well.
Managing projects by means of intuition is hardly ever effective in practice. It is like a Russian roulette – there will be times when everything will run smoothly, but there will also be many cases in which a project will crumble, and a lot of work in overtime will be needed to finish it. It is better to plan everything in a realistic way, i.e., taking into consideration the circumstances we work in, than to worry in the end how to complete our project, so that it fulfills the company’s aims, at least to some extent.
Many projects simply cannot be completed in haste, without analyzing the whole problem, assigning tasks to the project staff, etc. Structured and carefully thought out methods of project managing, which include realistic planning, allow for the achievement of the best possible results of project staff’s work.
Improper planning
During the planning of project managing one should consider any factors that can influence the project, both positively and negatively. It is very important because the more things we are able to predict and include in our project plan, the better. We cannot organize our plans in a thoroughly optimistic way as there is always the possibility that something might not turn out the way we expected. We always have to have a plan B which will make it possible for us to complete our project even under the most unfavorable conditions.
If we do not plan realistically, we might be forced to make some alterations to our project. Such amendments lead to totally unnecessary and unpredictable costs. The delays that appear in consequence of those amendments make our clients unhappy and lead to tensions between the enterprise and its customer.
Delays in project completion are usually a result of improper planning which assumed that the results of every stage of project work would be more optimistic. Delays lead to misunderstandings and chaos among the project staff which can eventually become the cause of the project’s failure. In consequence, our company might seriously suffer, especially, when it comes to finances. Effective planning makes it possible to avoid such situations, and it eliminates the need to make amendments in the project. Realistic planning should go in tandem with strict project supervision.
Proper planning and managing of projects
A good plan of a company’s project should include the time, the effort, and the costs that are involved in order to complete it. Projects and client relations have to be managed in such a way as to optimally complete an undertaking that was assigned to our company.
Proper project planning and managing increases the chances that we will complete it with great success. If we realistically approach the planning of the stages of our project, our achievement may in the end turn out to be far greater than we anticipated. We should follow the idea that it is better to get positively surprised than disappointed, therefore, we should anticipate the conditions surrounding our project to be a bit less favorable than we would like them to be. Something can always go wrong, and the conditions that influence our actions may change. We cannot allow the external and internal environment of our company to have a decisive influence on our project. It should be completed regardless of the situation.
Thanks to realistic project planning we achieve better results; we reduce costs, and use up much less energy and time. The more time we spend on developing project planning skills in our company, the more efficient we are as years pass by, and the more effective we are in relation to projects. In project managing and planning, one has to remember to keep the balance between the discipline and the flexibility of a given project’s staff.
Projects should be lead by people who are competent in the field. A project manager has to possess certain skills if the project is to achieve success and if the client is to be satisfied. Project managing and planning cannot be assigned to people who do not have the necessary competences, skills, and experience in the field that the project is related to.
Realism above all
People who manage projects and are responsible for the preparation of plans for those projects should follow one very simple rule. One cannot complete actions which are simply impossible to complete. Realism is the most important thing in the approach towards planning a project. It makes possible to successfully finish a project and fulfill all of our clients’ needs.
Many managers tend to forget about these simple hints. Sometimes, certain tasks only seem to be impossible to complete. Later on, it often turns out that the situation can be coped with. On the other hand, someone can assume that a given task is possible to complete, but he or she does not take into account many factors which, eventually, render the whole idea impossible. Effective and realistic planning makes it possible to reasonably analyze any kinds of possible events during the first stage of conducting a project. In the end, an optimal path of action should guide the staff through the process of completing a project. At the same time, it is advisable during the planning stage to test the practicability of the aims of the project and the possibility of their completion. During the process, we should clearly describe the expected conditions surrounding our project. A realistic plan will serve us as a tool to measure the development of our project and the changes that appear in it. Thanks to such a plan, we will be able to monitor and control the current state of our undertaking.
Unrealistic plans lead to a situation in which a company is unable to complete the assignments issued by a client or a contractor. In consequence, we deal with project related delays which result in the low quality of the staff’s work. All this is mirrored by financial losses and leads to the deterioration of the relations between a company and its client who loses patience and trust. Most probably, the next project will not be assigned to the same group of people as before. The whole company will suffer a loss. This is why a realistic approach to project planning is so important.
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