How to Create a Project Timeline in Easy Steps?

Managing a project often feels tough. The complexity can be overwhelming, with various tasks needing alignment and constant updates that are essential for team coordination. This is where the role of precise project estimates becomes crucial, yet it’s a task that’s often as challenging as the project itself.

The solution? The project manager’s best ally is the project timeline. It is a schedule for the project that has information related to what tasks need to be accomplished and when. It keeps you on track with the overall project flow. Without a project timeline, the risk of a project spiraling into chaos is high, and chaos is always desirable.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the world of project timelines. You’ll discover what they are, why they’re beneficial, and how to use top-tier project management software to create them more effectively. 

What is a Project Timeline?

A project timeline is a visual and chronological depiction of a project’s workflow. It outlines the various tasks involved and their respective dependencies, durations, and deadlines. This timeline plays a pivotal role in successful project management as it provides a clear and comprehensive overview of everything that needs to be done and the timeframe within which these tasks must be completed.

Project timeline is a crucial tool for everyone involved in the project. The timeline offers a snapshot view, allowing team members to assess what has been completed quickly, gauge the current progress, and understand what remains to be done. In essence, it serves as a roadmap, detailing the project’s past, present, and future.

Importance of Project Timeline

A project timeline isn’t just a tool; it’s a compass guiding project managers and their teams through the complexities of their tasks. It’s an essential component of the project management concept, offering a visual pathway and aligning tasks to support stakeholders and ensure success. 

Here’s a closer look at the benefits a project timeline offers:

Identification of Cost and Time

Before a project starts, a well-crafted timeline helps assess the necessary resources, costs, and time needed for completion. This foresight is invaluable for maintaining customer satisfaction, as it aids in communicating and setting realistic expectations regarding costs and timelines with clients.

Reveals a Clear Path Forward

In projects brimming with complexity, a project timeline simplifies the roadmap. It distinctly shows the first steps and the subsequent actions needed, eliminating confusion and streamlining the process.

Facilitates Project Analysis

A timeline provides a dynamic view of the project’s progression, making it easier to spot when changes are needed. For instance, if a deadline is missed, the timeline can be adjusted accordingly, ensuring that dependent tasks are realigned. It’s a tool for analyzing past actions, managing present tasks, and strategizing for future improvements.

Tracks Task Hierarchy and Sequencing

Understanding which tasks need to precede others is critical in project management. The timeline lays out this hierarchy clearly, ensuring all activities are carried out correctly.

Ensures Unified Goals

For a project to succeed, team alignment is crucial. A project timeline clarifies each team member’s role and how they contribute to the overall objectives, promoting a unified approach towards the project’s goals.

Enables Clear Communication

With a shared timeline, the project manager, team members, and clients can easily track the current progress and upcoming tasks. This transparency simplifies communication and facilitates the efficient management of the project.

Fosters Teamwork

A project timeline encourages teamwork by highlighting task dependencies, due dates, and progress. It makes every team member aware of their impact on the project and how their work interlinks with others, fostering a collaborative environment.

Keeps Everyone Informed

A well-maintained timeline keeps all stakeholders informed about the project’s progression. This builds trust and streamlines communication, making managing expectations and responding to inquiries easier.

A project timeline is more than just a schedule; it’s a strategic tool that brings clarity, efficiency, and teamwork to the forefront of project management. By leveraging its benefits, project managers can navigate through the complexities of their projects with greater ease and effectiveness.

Types of Project Timeline

When it comes to project timelines, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Different projects have unique requirements, and choosing the right type of timeline is essential for effective project management. 

Here are four common types of project timelines, each with its own set of advantages :

Gantt Chart Timeline

A Gantt chart timeline visually represents tasks like pouring the foundation, framing, electrical work, and plumbing. It clearly shows each task’s start and end dates, dependencies between tasks, and who is responsible for each.

Pros: Gantt charts offer a comprehensive overview of the entire project, making tracking key milestones and task dependencies easy. Modern Gantt charts are highly interactive, allowing real-time updates and edits.

Historical Timeline

A historical timeline arranges project tasks chronologically, from left to right or top to bottom, similar to a history timeline showcasing key dates from a specific period.

Example: In a software development project, a historical timeline could display the sequence of development phases, such as requirements gathering, design, coding, testing, and deployment.

Pros: Historical timelines provide a straightforward chronological view of project tasks, making it easy to understand the order in which activities should be completed.

Vertical Chart Timeline

A Vertical Chart Timeline is ideal for tracking data-centric projects, displaying trends and changes over time, such as monthly website traffic or recurring revenue growth.

Pros: Vertical chart timelines are ideal for data analysis or continuous tracking projects. They effectively illustrate trends and changes over time.

Kanban Timeline

A Kanban timeline can be used alongside a Gantt chart. It helps prioritize daily or weekly tasks, ensuring team members are clear about what needs to be done immediately.

Pros: Kanban timelines are a hybrid solution combining task prioritization elements with a Gantt-like approach. They are particularly useful for teams needing high-level project tracking and day-to-day task management.

Selecting the right type of project timeline depends on the nature of your project and the level of detail and tracking required. Whether you opt for the comprehensive view of a Gantt chart, the chronological simplicity of a historical timeline, the data-driven approach of a vertical chart, or the task management focus of a Kanban timeline, choosing the right tool will significantly enhance your project management capabilities.

How to Create a Project Management Timeline?

A well-crafted project management timeline is the backbone of any successful project. It provides clarity, structure, and a roadmap for the entire team. 

To create an effective project management timeline, follow these essential steps:

Create a Project Brief

A project brief is the foundational document that sets the stage for successful project management. It is a compass guiding all project stakeholders towards a common goal. 

Here’s how to create an effective project brief:

Why Start with a Project Brief?

A project brief clearly explains the purpose, objectives, milestones, and overall vision. By answering key questions in the project brief, you ensure that everyone involved is on the same page.

Key Questions to Address in Your Project Brief:

1. Project Goals: What are the primary goals of the project? Define both the internal and external objectives you aim to achieve. Clearly articulate what success looks like.
2. Project Deliverables: What are the tangible outcomes or products the project will produce? These are the results that stakeholders can expect at the end of the project.
3. Stakeholders: Identify the internal and external stakeholders involved in the project. Define their roles and responsibilities. Understanding who is involved is critical for effective collaboration.
4. Project Timeframe: Specify the project’s timeline. Highlight the most important dates, including the project’s start and end dates. This sets the project’s temporal boundaries.
5. Project Scope: Describe the project’s scope in detail. If you have a formal project scope statement, reference it here. Clearly state what is included in the project and, equally important, what is not.
6. Key Milestones: Identify the key milestones of the project. Milestones are significant events or achievements that mark progress. They provide a sense of accomplishment as the project unfolds.

Starting your project with a well-structured project brief ensures that everyone involved understands the project’s objectives, scope, and timeline. It sets the stage for effective planning and execution, helping to keep the project on track from start to finish.

Define a Project Scope Statement

Before embarking on any project, defining its scope through a clear and comprehensive project scope statement is essential. This statement outlines the boundaries and objectives of the project and serves as a guiding document throughout the project’s lifecycle.

What is a Project Scope Statement?

A project scope statement is a detailed document that defines the project’s scope, including what is included in the project and, equally important, what is not. It clearly and concisely describes the project’s deliverables, objectives, constraints, assumptions, and acceptance criteria.

Components of a Project Scope Statement

• Project Objectives: Clearly state the project’s objectives and what you aim to achieve. These objectives should align with the overall goals of the project.
• Deliverables: Describe the tangible outcomes or products that the project will produce. These are the results that stakeholders can expect at the end of the project.
• Scope Description: Provide a detailed description of the project’s scope, including the boundaries and limitations. What is within the project’s scope, and what is excluded?
• Constraints: Identify any limitations or restrictions that could impact the project, such as budget constraints, time constraints, or resource limitations.
• Acceptance Criteria: Define the criteria that must be met for the project to be considered complete and successful. These criteria should be measurable and specific.

Example of a Project Scope Statement

Consider a technical project to develop a website for a client:

• Project Objective: To create a fully functional e-commerce website for the client’s online business.
• Deliverables: A responsive e-commerce website with features including product listings, a shopping cart, secure payment processing, user registration, and order tracking.
• Scope Description: The project encompasses website design, front-end and back-end development, database integration, and testing. It does not include digital marketing services or ongoing website maintenance post-launch.
• Constraints: The project budget is limited to $50,000, and the website must be live within four months to align with the client’s marketing campaign.
• Acceptance Criteria: The website is complete when all specified features are fully functional, thoroughly tested, and approved by the client.

Creating a project scope statement tailored to your project’s technical aspects ensures that all stakeholders share a common understanding of the project’s scope and objectives. This document is a vital reference for effective project planning, execution, and successful project delivery.

Make a List of Tasks

To create a successful project timeline, you must compile a comprehensive list of tasks spanning from the initial project planning phase to the final deliverable, whether a report, an event, or a technical project. 

This task list should encompass major milestones and smaller steps that collectively contribute to completing the project on time and within the budget.

During this phase, the order of tasks is not a primary concern; the focus is on identifying all necessary activities. Here’s how to effectively create a task list:

Comprehensive Task List

Break it Down: Break down the project into its constituent tasks. Consider major actions and finer details, ensuring everything is noticed.

Example Task Breakdown: Considering the previous example, if we break the tasks, it will be as follows:

Project Initiation

1. Define project objectives and scope
2. Assemble the project team
3. Identify key stakeholders
4. Create a project brief

Requirements Gathering

1. Meet with the client to gather website requirements
2. Define user stories and use cases
3. Document functional and non-functional requirements

Design Phase

1. Create wireframes and mockups
2. Design the website’s user interface (UI)
3. Develop a visual design concept
4. Obtain client approval on designs

Development

1. Set up the development environment
2. Build the website’s front-end
3. Develop back-end functionality
4. Integrate a secure payment processing system
5. Implement user registration and login features

Database Integration

1. Design the database schema
2. Develop database tables and relationships
3. Implement data storage and retrieval functions

Testing and Quality Assurance

1. Perform unit testing for code components
2. Conduct integration testing
3. Test website functionality (e.g., product search, cart)
4. Perform security testing and vulnerability assessment
5. Identify and resolve defects and issues

Deployment

1. Prepare the website for production
2. Deploy the website to a web server
3. Configure domain and hosting settings
4. Perform final testing in the production environment

User Training

1. Train client personnel on website administration
2. Provide user manuals and documentation

Client Acceptance

1. Review the website with the client
2. Address any final client requests or adjustments
3. Obtain client sign-off on the website

Launch and Marketing

1. Plan and execute the website launch
2. Implement digital marketing strategies
3. Monitor website performance and user feedback

Post-launch Maintenance

1. Establish a maintenance plan
2. Provide ongoing support and updates
3. Address any issues or bugs that arise

Subtask Breakdown

For longer or more complex tasks, further divide them into smaller, manageable subtasks. This clarifies the scope of each step and ensures that no minor detail is overlooked. It makes tackling complex tasks more achievable.

Creating a detailed task list lays the groundwork for efficient project planning and timeline development. Subsequent steps will involve organizing these tasks in the right sequence and assigning timeframes to each, ensuring that your project progresses smoothly from start to finish.

Determine Project Dependencies

As your project progresses, you may encounter tasks that can be worked on simultaneously, keeping your team members independently engaged. However, there will come a point where certain tasks depend on the completion of others. Identifying and managing these task dependencies is crucial for efficient project execution.

Why Define Task Dependencies?

Mapping out task dependencies in advance can save valuable time in the long run. It allows for adequate time allocation to each step and helps prevent bottlenecks. Moreover, it’s essential to provide team members with a clear understanding of when they might need to wait for another task to be completed, enabling better schedule planning.

Task Dependencies in e-Commerce Website Creation

In the context of creating an e-commerce website, here are some task dependencies to consider:

Design Approval Before Development

1. Dependency: The design phase must be completed and approved before the development phase can begin.

2. Reasoning: Developers need finalized designs to implement the website’s user interface accurately.

Database Integration Before Functionality Development

1. Dependency: The database integration phase must precede the development of website functionality.

2. Reasoning: Functionality development relies on access to the database for tasks like product listing and user account management.

Testing After Development

1. Dependency: Development tasks must be finished before testing can commence.

2. Reasoning: Testing requires a stable and functional website to identify and resolve defects effectively.

Client Review and Sign-off Before Launch

1. Dependency: The client’s review and approval are necessary before launching the website.

2. Reasoning: Client approval ensures that the website meets their requirements and expectations.

Maintenance Planning Concurrent with Development

1. Dependency: Planning for post-launch maintenance should start in parallel with website development.

2. Reasoning: Maintenance planning should be considered from the project’s inception to ensure seamless post-launch support.

By defining task dependencies like these, you can establish a logical sequence of activities, allocate resources efficiently, and communicate effectively within your project team. This proactive approach minimizes delays, enhances project coordination, and contributes to the successful completion of your project, whether it’s an e-commerce website or any other endeavor.

Identify Resource Availability

One of the critical factors in an effective project timeline is identifying the availability of your project team members or employees. While the estimated task duration may be relatively short, you must consider when team members can allocate their time to work on assigned tasks. 

Resource availability, particularly the availability of human resources, can significantly impact project scheduling.

Why Identify Resource Availability?

Understanding the availability of your team members is essential for several reasons:

• Realistic Scheduling: It allows you to create a project timeline that aligns with the actual availability of resources. This ensures that tasks are allocated an appropriate amount of time, preventing overloading team members.
• Conflict Resolution: Identifying potential conflicts in resource availability helps you address them proactively. If team members are engaged in multiple projects simultaneously, you can adjust timelines or redistribute tasks to avoid bottlenecks.
• Effective Resource Allocation: It enables you to allocate resources efficiently, ensuring that the right people are assigned to the right tasks at the right time.

Resource Availability in the e-Commerce Project Example

Task: Develop Back-End Functionality

Estimated Duration: 20 days

Resource Availability Consideration

• Team members’ schedules: Evaluate when the development team can work on back-end development.
• Concurrent projects: Determine if team members are involved in other projects that may affect their availability.
• Workload distribution: Ensure the workload is evenly distributed among developers to prevent overcommitment.

Revised Task Duration: 25 days

In this scenario, the project timeline accurately reflects the team’s capacity by identifying resource availability and adjusting the task duration to 25 days. This approach prevents resource overload, promotes effective project execution, and contributes to the successful creation of the e-commerce website.

Create Your Timeline

Now comes the main part—creating your project management timeline for the e-commerce website development project. This is where you’ll visually map out all the tasks, adjust their durations to match the allotted timeframes, and add essential milestones to ensure a smooth project flow. Behold your completed project management timeline!

Pro Tips for Building Your E-commerce Project Timeline

• Set Start and End Dates: Before diving into task details, establish the project’s start and end dates. This foundational step helps create a preliminary project schedule.
• Choose Line or Block Timeline: Decide whether a line or block timeline suits your project best. A basic line timeline highlights key milestones, while a block timeline visualizes team-specific task progress.
• Label Timelines: Label your project timeline based on the appropriate time units—seconds, hours, days, weeks, or even years.
• Stack Multiple Timelines: If needed, stack multiple timelines, ensuring that labels appear on the bottom timeline for clarity.
• Color-Coding: Organize your project by color-coding different timelines or rows. This practice helps keep the project organized and ensures everyone is on the same page.
• Interval Adjustments: When adjusting intervals, do so only in complete increments to maintain accuracy and consistency.

By creating a project management timeline tailored to your e-Commerce project, you’ll have a visual roadmap that streamlines project execution, ensures timely completion, and keeps everyone aligned with project goals. 

Source: invensislearning.com

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How To Prepare a Project Scope on a Tight Budget?

Every project manager desires flawless project execution devoid of delays and cost overruns. But the truth is far different. Have you ever failed to complete a project owing to budgetary issues? Tight budgets frequently result in constraints, including less room for scope growth, limited resources, and the inability to extend the project schedule.

A project budget establishes the financial parameters for cost management. Learn how to create a project’s scope on a tight budget. Every endeavor incurs expenses. The larger and more complicated a project is, the more time and money it requires to complete. Due to the fact that no organization has unlimited resources, every project requires a budget.

The difficulty, though, is that it is only sometimes effortless to determine how much money a project will require. If you underestimate what is necessary, you will be short on personnel and unable to execute the job on time. On the other hand, if projections are excessively high, the entire project may be abandoned. So how do you choose the appropriate project scope for project management? First, let’s examine the procedure in detail. But before that, let us discuss what a Project Scope is.

What is Project Scope?

The project scope includes the requirements to achieve project goals and objectives and prevent scope creep. Project scope is a method for setting project limits and defining what objectives, dates, and deliverables will be pursued. Effective scope management involves strong communication. It ensures that all team members comprehend the project’s scope and agree on the precise means by which its objectives will be achieved. 

As part of scope management, the team leader should request permissions and signatures from stakeholders as the project progresses to ensure that the final product fits everyone’s requirements. By defining the scope of your project, you can ensure that your goals and objectives are met without delay or extra effort.

Defining the scope of your project is more than just a one-person job. Rather, you should align with key project stakeholders and ensure everyone agrees. For instance, if you’re working on a product marketing launch, you’ll want to ensure that you’re aligned with appropriate corporate teams, such as the product, design, and content teams. Depending on your project’s complication, you may also need to establish a change management procedure.

What is a Project Scope Statement?

A project management strategy is essential for ensuring that teams execute their task on schedule and according to specifications. Before project managers can design a detailed strategy, a project team can execute that plan. First, however, everyone must understand what work must be completed and why it is essential.

It is when the statement of project scope comes into play. A project scope statement explains the tasks that must be completed to complete a project on itinerary and within budget constraints. In addition, if you’re working with an external agency or team, you can convert your project scope statement into (SOW), a statement of work to formalize your agreement with your vendor.

The Benefits of a Project Scope Statement 

According to the Project Management Institute, an effective project scope statement possesses several essential criteria. First, it ought to: 

◉ Define the project’s boundaries

◉ Define the business need and anticipated project outcome

◉ Identify restrictions that limit the possibilities available to a project team when building a solution

◉ Include assumptions regarding decisions beyond the control of the project team

◉ Determine which business processes are affected by the project

◉ Determine which internal and external entities the project team will interact with

The project scope statement attempts to eliminate ambiguity by outlining the scope and ensuring that all key stakeholders are on board with the project and thoroughly understand it. So, if you have a strong procedure, there will be fewer requests for modifications. If you can accomplish this, your chances of success significantly increase.

As with all project management papers, the project scope statement may have a similar format across projects. But it should also be adaptable based on the project’s size, scope, and complexity. These variables will also influence the types of stakeholders who must be involved in the development and reception of the project scope statement.

Tips to Prepare Project Scope on a Tight Budget

Explain MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

When you know that a client has a limited budget, establish the project’s scope at the beginning so that the client and team are aligned on expectations and have a thorough understanding of what must be delivered. It means that the project team and stakeholders devote sufficient time to understand the product’s requirements and demands comprehensively. To effectively manage project deliverables within the budget and timeframe specified, the first step is to ensure those project requirements are appropriately recognized, recorded, and agreed upon with client stakeholders.

Define the Key Objectives of the Project

Once project managers have an understanding of the organization’s goals; they must identify the project’s precise objectives. The objectives should specify why the project is being undertaken, what will be accomplished, when it will be accomplished, and how much it will cost. In other words, the objectives describe and justify why executives selected and funded a certain initiative. Objectives should be formulated in accordance with SMART goal-setting principles, i.e., they should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.

Why?

SMART gives a framework for establishing goals and objectives. They monitor task execution and, as a result, increase team efficiency.

What are these SMART objectives that have the ability to alleviate so many planning problems? SMART goals for this purpose are comprised of the following criteria:

◉ Specific – the objective is clearly stated

◉ Measurable – metrics exist or can be created to establish when the objective has been met

◉ Attainable – the team agrees the objective is realistic

◉ Relevant – the purpose fits the organization’s strategic plan and holds up the project charter

◉ Time-based – a date or time for achieving the objective is stated. Objectives without target dates are merely dreams.

Open Communication

As the project manager, it is their responsibility to ensure that both the team and the client know and agree with all project choices. Creating a Gantt chart and identifying milestones can assist bring internal and external teams into sync. Additionally, regular agile team meetings and stakeholder/client meetings will be essential for maintaining open lines of communication and keeping everyone informed. 

Project managers must give weekly executive reports containing this information to ensure that client stakeholders know the project’s status, key updates, risks or roadblocks, mitigation plans, and future events/meetings.

Identify Major Deliverables

Project managers should associate with key stakeholders to create a list of the deliverables after the project. These things can be stated at a high level in the project scope statement. For instance, a new market evaluation report or a new software feature — but they should still be concrete and measurable objectives. The precise actions connected with a particular deliverable will be outlined in a work detail structure document. One approach to recall the difference is that deliverables are typically nouns and adjectives, whereas work details are verbs.

Creative Resource Allocation

One of the biggest barriers to a project with a tight budget is that set requirements cannot be assigned even if the project requires additional resources to expedite the timeframe for project deliverables. As a result, when deadlines are tight and the scope appears less attainable, the existing team must work longer hours to fulfill the dates. As a competent project manager, you want to prevent your team from becoming overworked and exhausted. 

To avoid this problem, you can be resourceful when assigning team members to the project. For example, you can ask for the content and product designer’s deliverables. When that is conducted, they are allocated at 50% capacity or removed from the project. In addition, it freed up some funds to allocate a test engineer at 50% capacity to the team to expedite the testing process. 

To make adequate use of the project budget, it is essential that project managers regularly examine the number of people working on the project and forecast the allocation requirements as frequently as feasible.

Build Your Budget

Once you have exhausted the list of required project resources, you may proceed. You’ll have your estimations. Don’t forget to add an emergency fund to your budget. For instance, all line items relating to training, such as printing expenditures for training materials, should be grouped together in a training bucket.

As part of developing your budget, you should document any underlying assumptions. It is essential because, after a project begins, some assumptions may hold while others do not, resulting in variance between actual project costs and the budget.

By documenting the assumptions, it will become clear why the budget did not match reality.

Include a timeline if the budget spans a substantial amount of time — often more than a month. It enables recurring expenses to be identified in the budget. In addition, it helps you anticipate when certain fees will arise.

Finally, discuss the budget with other team members to receive comments. The second pair of eyes can spot missing goods and verify the accuracy of numbers by reviewing the budget. It also helps you avoid budgeting errors prior to approval requests.

Avoid Scope Creeps

Scope creep, according to the PMBOK Guide, is the uncontrolled increase of a project’s scope without corresponding modifications to time, cost, or resources. Nearly fifty percent of projects undergo scope creep, only 57 percent are completed within budget, and 51 percent are completed on time.

Moreover, almost all projects experience scope creep at some point, and under favorable conditions, it is sometimes simple to rein in scope creep. 

However, with a constrained budget, there is no room for scope expansion. Therefore, it is extremely important that the project scope is constantly under control and that neither the project team nor the client asks for more features, functions, or requirements. The project manager can prevent scope creep by continuously evaluating the MVP, the agreed-upon feature list, and the Gantt Chart with the client and the team.

Source: invensislearning.com

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Project Objectives: Definition, Example & How to Write Project Objective

Definition: A project objective defines the “what” part of the project. The “what” must be possible, sensible, and able to be completed within a given duration. An objective sets the project’s goals and provides stepping stones for a project’s success.

This article describes project objectives, provides examples, and explains how to write them.

What Are Project Objectives?

Project objectives describe the aim of the project and set the goalposts for success. Project objectives are measurable and achievable; they push the team to stay on track. A project can have multiple objectives that can be achieved at different points over the course of the project. 

Project objectives should be clearly stated since they influence every decision during the project’s lifecycle. Objectives are measurable and include key performance indicators like budget, quality, schedule, etc. 

The project objective is sometimes known as the objective statement.

Importance of Project Objectives

Project objectives make it possible to track the project’s progress. An effective project objective guides the project team throughout the project’s lifecycle and it should have buy-in from all stakeholders. 

Regardless of what project management methodology (agile or waterfall) they follow, all projects have project objectives.

Project Goals Vs Project Objectives

Goals and objectives are different. Setting goals and objectives early in the project life cycle help establish key progress indicators and act as a “road map” for a project team. Failure to do so can derail the project. 

Undefined project goals and frequent changes in project objectives are common causes of project failure.

Project Goals 

A goal is an achievable outcome that is broad and long-term. A project can have multiple high-level goals. A goal should not be specific or vague. For example, making investors happy to get funding is not a worthwhile goal. Measuring satisfaction and happiness is difficult, and it does not serve a business goal.

Examples of acceptable project goals:

1. Boost website traffic every year

2. Grow sales for the next five years

3. Increase product efficiency 

Project Objectives

Objectives are specific and have smaller tasks that serve the broader goal. Goals are essential, but objectives power the engine.

Examples of project objectives:

1. Boost website traffic by 20% for three years.

2. Grow sales by 15% for five years

3. Increase the process efficiency by 30% in three months

The above objectives show what needs to be accomplished. They are the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) format of goal setting.

These objectives are the OKRs (objectives and key results) to help achieve the goals.     

Project Goals and Project Objectives Tables

Key Factors	Project Goals	Objectives
Definition	Project goals define what an organization wants to achieve for a long-term gain.	Project objectives are defined as tasks that are executed to achieve the result.
Time Period	Project goals are long-term and usually can be achieved after 5-10 years.	Project objectives are short- to mid-term achievements.
Measurability	Project goals are challenging to measure. They do not have any criteria to be adequately measured.	Project objectives are easy to measure. They have set criteria that can measure whether they were met successfully or not.
Structure	Projects goals are generic, vague, and abstract and lack structure, as they define long-term gains for an organization.	Projects objectives are precise and structured to an organization’s short- or medium-term achievements.

How To Identify Project Objectives

Examine Project Goals

A review of project goals gives an idea about the objectives. Goals are what a business wants to achieve through a project. Objectives are short-term steps to achieve goals. The project managers must differentiate between goals and objectives and ensure that objectives support the organization’s goal.

Consider Customer Opinions

A project manager can identify objectives by analyzing data and feedback. Opinions from customers, clients, and team members must be included in the goals. 

Project-management specialist Tom Mochal gives an example in which a business plans to improve its telephone set-up to limit average caller wait time to less than sixty seconds. 

This is an objective toward the goal of enhancing customer service. A project manager can identify this objective by analyzing customer surveys that disclose that a two-minute response is reasonable to wait for a call to go through the system.

How To Set SMART Project Objectives

Objectives are “SMART” if they are specific, measurable, achievable (sometimes agreed), realistic (or relevant), and time-bound (or timely). 

To set SMART project objectives, adhere to the following guidelines:

Specific: Outline requirements with clear statements; do not leave room for misinterpretation. Think of the five w’s (who, why, what, when, and where). 

Measurable: Ensure that the objective is measurable, so the organization can monitor progress and know when the objective has been achieved.

Achievable: Choose achievable objectives. They should be agreed upon by managers, clients, and team members to ensure everyone’s commitment.

Realistic: Set realistic objectives so the project team can believe it is achievable. It will motivate them to reach the objective.

Time-bound: Include a specific date or duration by which the objectives should be achieved and get team members’ agreement. 

How to Write Project Objectives?

The following steps will help write robust project objectives.

1. Identify Behaviors or Conditions to be Changed.

2. Define the Meaning of Success.

3. Describe the Focus Group.

4. Include the Location and Time.

5. Break Down the Project Objectives.

#1 – Identify Behavior or Conditions to be Changed

An organization may have internal challenges or behavior of team members that can affect the project objectives. Assess past projects and identify the behaviors or conditions that need to be changed. 

Identifying these issues helps project managers prioritize the project objectives. This creates a foundation to build robust and SMART project objectives.

#2 – Define the Meaning of Success 

Management should define the purpose of the project, its objectives, and explain how success should be defined. This helps the project team understand what success would look like, provides guidance, and motivates them to achieve the project objectives.

In order to define a project’s “success,” it is essential to write down the possible outputs and challenges using SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis.

#3 – Describe the Focus Group

Describe the focus group for the project. For example, a focus may be collecting leads, websites, systems, customer surveys, turnover, sales, profitability, etc. 

The focus can be different for each objective; therefore, describe the focus in detail to provide the right direction. 

For example, suppose a company wants to focus on profitability, aims to minimize plastic waste, and become a more eco-friendly company. However, these changes will increase manufacturing costs and reduce profitability. Therefore, this problem calls for rethinking that particular project objective.

#4 – Include the Location and Time

Mention the timeframe for achieving the objective and location, such as region or country. The time suggests an objective achievement date, such as the third quarter, annually, etc.

#5 – Break Down the Objectives

The organization has a lot of information when writing project objectives. They must narrow this information and make brief objectives but still contain all necessary information. The best way is to write several versions and select the best one.

A project objective should be a brief, one-sentence statement that includes actionable, measurable goals. 

Some best practices for writing project objectives are given below.

1. Write the objective before starting the project.

2. Identify all objectives before developing the project charter.

3. Involve relevant stakeholders to get their buy-in.

4. Be concise; it increases the chances of objectives being read and understood.

5. Be transparent; ask for what is needed and expected.

6. Use plain English, not jargon, so that everyone in the team can know the project objective in simple terms.

7. Make sure project objectives can be controlled by the organization.

Project Objectives Examples

A few examples of project objectives are given below:

Example of a Business Objective

By June 2022, our senior web development team will develop a remodeled website, including a new logo, using their additional eight hours per week. Every Monday, they’re going to give us an update report on what they’ve achieved and what they still have left to finish. We’re allotting them a budget of 6,000 USD to complete the project.

Example of a Performance Objective

Our sales team plans to increase revenue by 20% by mid-year by offering consumers 1% more coupons in their mailboxes and inboxes. At the end of each quarter, we will track the sales made using the coupons.

Example of a Regulatory Objective

Our objective is to create one-time-use products that are more sustainable for the environment following the state’s recently passed sustainability legislation. By August 2022, we plan to have single-use straws, containers, and utensils that are more environmentally friendly. We plan to use bamboo for these products because it’s manufactured mechanically instead of chemically. We will conduct weekly production inspections to ensure the project progresses on time.

Examples of Good and Bad Project Objectives

Good objectives follow the SMART checklist and have all achievable elements. 

Bad objectives are not SMART. They lack specifics, don’t rely upon actions, or focus on a means to an end.

Source: pmstudycircle.com

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5 Key Aspects to Overcome Project Roadblocks

Is there really some documented key aspects we need to follow when it comes to project management? Can’t I do it in my own way?

When you have been just assigned to a project as a project manager, you may ask yourself this question quite often. 

Read More: PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)

And that is completely relevant too! If you have got no unique style of handling a project, why would your fellow teammates follow you?

Well, let’s analyze it with a simple scenario. Let’s suppose, you plan to cook Pasta. Now, you can cook it with white sauce, red sauce or pink sauce. You can put chicken, meat or vegetables. But no matter which recipe you are going to follow, you still need to use Pasta, Chicken Broth, Pepper Powder and a few more necessary garnishing to it. Right?

Handling a project is kind of similar to this only. You can do it in your own style, but there are some key elements in the project management those you need to remember always.

In this blog, we’re going to tell you about the main key aspects of project management. Make sure to drop a comment below about what would you like to hear from us regarding project management.

Essential Aspects of Project Management:

There are a lot of aspects to project management. They can vary from project to project and organization to organization. But, the vital factors of project management remain the same.

Here are the top five aspects we would want you to look after in order to your next project’s success:

1. Clear Goal:

Walt Disney once said, “Of all the things I have done, the most vital is coordinating the talent of those who work for us and pointing them towards one certain goal.” 

Now, the entire world can see how that panned out for him. Don’t you think you, as well should do the same thing?

At the starting of the project, you should set a clear goal for yourself and make sure that the goal aligns with the client requirements. Once you set both your short term and long term goals, you need to make sure that each and every teammate of yours have the same goal in mind and working towards achieving it. The short term goals should be aimed towards the tasks to be done by the team. The long term goals should be aimed towards the end result that a project wants to accomplish.

Once you are set with your goals and you know what you want, one of the important project management objectives is already served!

2. Scopes Of Your Project:

In the field of project management, the scope is defined as a set of boundaries that define the scale of a project. It describes the end result which is supposed to be delivered to the client. 

Once you understand the scope of your project, it helps you to understand what falls inside the boundaries of the project and what does not. Activities that fall inside the boundary, are “in scope” of the project. Activities which do not, are mostly “out of scope”. 

Whenever you detect an uncontrolled growth in a project’s scope, it’s scope creep. It usually happens when you add a module to your project, scope creep happens.

Scope creep can increase the resources of the project. Hence, having scope creeps in the middle of the project can be risky. 

Having a clear understanding of your project’s scopes helps you to avoid scope creeps.

3. A Good Project Manager:

We don’t need to emphasize this one much, as we published an entire article named: Key Points Which Make or Break A Good Project Manager based on this previously.

Still, to brief it out to you again, if a project can be compared to a blood circulation system, the project manager should be compared to the heart. So, just like the blood circulation stops when the heart stops working, the project too will be dead if it lacks a good project manager. 

The project manager is the one who sets the goals, strategizes the entire roadmap, and plans out resources to take the project ahead. 

Geoff Reiss, a project management author, once said: “Project management is like juggling three balls: time, cost and quality.” This statement sums it all. Doesn’t it?

4. Engaged Stakeholders:

People who are not a part of the project management group but share a vested interest in the project along with the team members are the stakeholders of the project. 

The stakeholders are not involved with the project like the other team members or the project managers but will be on loop for critical decisions and the overall progress of the project.

So, you see, since they are not involved in the day to day activity of the team, they won’t be really able to understand what your team is doing. Hence, they can’t be involved in every decision of the project, unless you want to turn the project into a battlefield. Neither they can be shut out completely since one of the key aspects of project management is satisfying the stakeholder.

You need to make sure that the stakeholders involved with the project are well aware of the project management objectives so that they are engaged with the project in order to understand it.

5. Dedicated Project Team:

“Get the right people. Then no matter what all else you might do wrong after that, the people will save you. That’s what management is all about.”- said Tom DeMarco, an early developer of structured analytics.

If you have handled a project management team before, then you know how true the statement is. If you have a dedicated team, your project is already halfway successful. Once your project team is well aware about the short term and long term goals and their responsibilities to reach them, another half too will be over soon!

Once you choose your team according to the project goals, it’s easy to divide responsibilities since the goals align with their skill set. Try doing that once!

Source: novelvista.com

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What is a Project?

Let’s start with the project

What is a Project?

According to the PMBOK Guide, a project is defined as a “temporary endeavor to create a unique product, service or result.”

Learn More: PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)

Projects are undertaken to fulfill objectives by producing deliverables. A deliverable is a unique and verifiable product or result; it can be tangible or intangible.

The term “temporary” is not applied to the project output; the project is finite, not the result.

Projects create a unique product, result, or service that is not repetitive. Though many construction projects build similar buildings, bridges or dams, etc., they are all unique products.

If the output is repetitive, it is an operation. Operations have repetitive output; for example, car manufacturing.

Project Features

A project has the following features:

◉ Temporary Nature: All projects are temporary in nature. This means, once the project’s objective is achieved, it ceases to exist.

◉ Definite Timeline: A project has a definite, measurable, and achievable timeline with a definite start and end. A project cannot continue forever; it has a definite duration.

◉ Produces Output: All projects produce an output. The output can be a unique product or an enhancement, a unique service, or a result.

Project Examples

A few examples of a project are:

◉ Constructing a building

◉ Developing a new pharmaceutical compound

◉ Expanding a tour guide service

◉ Merging two organizations

◉ Exploring for oil in a region

◉ Modifying an organization’s software system

◉ Conducting research to develop a new manufacturing process

◉ Improving a business process within the organization

The most important characteristic of a project is its temporary nature; the project ends when it achieves its objective. The project can also end when:

◉ Funding is exhausted

◉ The project is no longer necessary

◉ Resources are no longer available

◉ The project is terminated for legal cause or convenience

Project Life Cycle

Projects undergo different phases, from initiation to completion. These phases are known as the project life cycle, which is a collection of logically related project processes. 

The phases can be iterative, overlapped, or may be sequential. Phases are time-bound with a start and end or control point. These control points are known as “phase gate,” “control gate,” or “phase review.” 

Though projects vary in size and the amount of complexity they contain, a typical project can be mapped to the following project life cycle:

◉ Starting the project

◉ Organizing and preparing

◉ Carrying out the work

◉ Closing the project

A project life cycle has many phases for developing a product, result, or service. These are called developmental life cycles. A project cycle can be:

1. Iterative Life Cycle: Scope is planned early, but time and costs are modified as more scope details become available while the project progresses. Iterations develop the product through a series of repeated cycles, while increments successively add to the functionality of the product.

2. Incremental Life Cycle: The deliverable is produced through a series of iterations that successfully add functionality within a predetermined time frame.

Project Phases

During their life cycle, all projects go through five phases. These phases are:

1. Initiation

2. Planning

3. Execution

4. Monitoring and Controlling

5. Closing

Initiation Phase

This is the first phase of the project where you officially launch the project. This phase has two important processes: approving project charter and identifying project stakeholders.

The project charter is the most important project document and contains vital information. It may have a result of the feasibility study, business case, summary cost-benefit analysis, key assumptions and constraints, project milestones, budget, duration, important stakeholders, etc.

It shows the project objective, project scope, and list required to complete the project and assign a project manager. 

Identifying project stakeholders is the second process after the project charter is signed. 

Your project is successful if your stakeholders are satisfied. If you fail to identify your stakeholders, you will face many hurdles in successfully completing the project.

You must identify your project stakeholders at the beginning of the project and manage them efficiently to complete the project successfully.

Planning Phase

In this phase, you develop a comprehensive and detailed project management plan. 

The project plan is also sometimes known as the project management plan. This document explains in detail how you will execute the project, monitor and control, and close.

You start your planning by collecting requirements and defining the scope. You then develop the schedule, set the deadline, and assign resources. 

Then you develop other subsidiary project management plans, such as cost management plans, resource management plans, procurement plans, and risk management plans.

You may hold your first project kick-off meeting in this phase.

Rolling Wave Concept

Many times, the detailed project scope is often not available at the initial stage of the project. So you make detailed plans for the near-term work for which a detailed scope is available. For the rest of the work, you go for high-level planning. This phenomenon is known as “rolling wave planning.”

Execution Phase

This is the longest phase of the project life cycle. In this phase, you develop the real product and spend most of your time and budget.

As a project manager, you have to manage your stakeholders, processes, and communication in this phase.

Any delay in this phase will affect your schedule, and you may surpass your budget and schedule. This will affect the team morale and thus the project’s progress.

You have to be proactive throughout the execution phase. 

The project output is developed in this phase.

Monitoring and Controlling Phase

This phase happens concurrently with the execution phase. While executing the project plan, you will continuously monitor the progress for any deviation from the baseline.

If you observe any deviation in your plan, you will immediately take corrective action to solve the problem. You will also take preventive action to stop deviations from occurring.

In this phase, you control all aspects of your projects, including scope, cost, schedule, resource, risk, procurement, communication, etc.

Closing Phase

This is the final phase of the project, and it has only one process: close project.

The key activities of this process are final product transition, final report preparation, project documents update, and updates in the organizational process assets.

Closing a project is not about just closing the project. You also complete the final transition of the product or service to the client. 

You will check if all procurement contracts are closed and invoices are paid.

You will update your lessons learned document and other project documents. After updating these documents, you will store them in repositories as organizational process assets.

Finally, you will disband your project management team and release all team members so the organization can assign them to other projects.

Source: pmstudycircle.com

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The Difference Between a Project and a Programme

Many believe a programme is simply a larger, longer version of a project. Despite the similarities, they are actually quite different. Briefly, a project is a specific, single task that delivers a tangible output, while a programme is a collection of related projects.

Definition of a project

PRINCE2 defines a project as “a temporary organisation that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to a specified business case”.

Projects have an end and aren’t designed to last very long. The project manager ensures the project delivers the intended goal, within a defined timeframe and budget.

Definition of a programme

A programme is defined as “a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually”.

Programmes are usually long term, sometimes spanning years, and don’t have a fixed deadline. A programme is a framework of related projects aligned in a specific sequence. They have predictable and repeatable elements to minimise or even eliminate risks.

Project and programme key differences

Comparison	Project	Programme
Focus	Content	Context
Scope	Well-defined, limited to an output	Broad and adjustable
Timeframe	Short term	Long term
Components	Small tasks	Projects
Functional units	Single	Multiple
Tasks	Technical	Strategic
Produces	Output	Outcome
Deadlines	Strict	Flexible
Designers	Mid-level staff	Top-level staff
Success	Product quality, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, compliance, and customer satisfaction	Long-term benefits to the organization, ROI or new capabilities

Project vs programme example

Let’s say a company wants to build and market a new mobile phone. This programme would be a collection of different projects, like one for updating the operating system and another for sourcing the resources and raw materials, along with the legal, business and support elements. Programme management would manage the dependencies, so each project gets what it needs.

Project and programme similarities

It’s good for project and programme managers to understand the challenges each has to deal with, as both projects and programmes:

◈ Are temporary

◈ Use business cases

◈ Require a team

◈ Are aligned to strategic objectives

◈ Deliver change

Project managers vs programme managers

Project managers focus on the project’s deliverables, making sure the project reaches its intended outcome on time and within the budget.

Programme managers are usually less hands-on, but must view the bigger picture and visualise the benefits that individual projects will have on the whole programme.

Comparison	Project manager	Programme manager
Role	Monitor and control project tasks	Monitor and control projects
Focus	The project staff, i.e. technicians and specialists	Managing relationships with project managers and their teams, freeing up resources and resolving conflicts
Who they manage	The project team	Other managers
Planning level	Creates a detailed project plan for the resources, cost, timeliness, and delivery	Creates high-level plans used by the project managers both as a guide and to develop the detailed plans

The biggest difference is that projects deal with delivering strictly defined outputs within a specific timescale and budget, whereas programmes deal with delivering outputs that benefit the entire organisation. Put simply, projects involve ‘doings things right’ and programmes involve ‘doing the right things’. Similar phrases, but very different meanings.

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