Big projects involve big risks and big rewards—that’s why project managers are drawn to them. Leading an enterprise project to a successful conclusion can improve your reputation, increase your earning potential and put you in line for even more important projects in the future. A high-profile failure, on the other hand, is a career setback that may be hard to recover from. That’s why it’s so important to understand the challenges you’ll face before you begin.
One of the biggest challenges in modern day enterprise project management is project logistics. Keeping track of dozens of stakeholders across multiple departments or companies is almost a full time job in itself, especially when many interrelated tasks are underway at the same time. It’s the project manager’s job to keep the lines of communication open at all times, and to make sure that everyone knows where they’re supposed to be and what they’re supposed to be doing. If you’re an enterprise project manager, the strategies listed below will help you avoid common pitfalls and master the art of project management logistics.
Setzen Sie klare Erwartungen
Ein paar Minuten zusätzlicher Kommunikation zu Beginn eines Projekts können Ihnen später wochenlange Probleme ersparen. Bevor alle Mitglieder des Projektteams in Arbeit versinken, sollten Sie sich die Zeit nehmen, die Erwartungen hinsichtlich der Projektkommunikation, der Besprechungszeitpläne und anderer wichtiger Aufgaben festzulegen. Sie möchten sichergehen, dass alle Beteiligten verstehen, wie das Projekt abläuft, damit Sie sich später nicht mit Kommunikationspannen oder verpassten Aufträgen herumschlagen müssen.
Keep Key Stakeholders Engaged
Enterprise projects often have hundreds of stakeholders, each of whom has a unique role within the project. Many project managers use a RACI matrix to identify different groups of stakeholders and characterize their roles. A RACI matrix groups stakeholders into four categories:
- Responsible: the team members who perform the actual project work
- Accountable: team or project managers who ensure that the project work is completed
- Konsultiert: Interessengruppen auf höherer Ebene, die Beiträge zu strategischen Projektentscheidungen leisten
- Informiert: andere Gruppen oder Einzelpersonen, die über den Fortgang des Projekts informiert werden müssen, aber nicht anderweitig beteiligt sind
Placing your project’s stakeholders into a RACI matrix can make it much easier to manage your project communications and meeting schedule.
Zusammenarbeit ermutigen
Online collaboration is critical to enterprise project success, especially now that project teams are so often distributed across multiple cities or countries. Be sure that your team members understand the importance of sharing ideas, insights and updates with their colleagues as quickly and effectively as possible. Whether through weekly progress meetings or daily check-in emails, encouraging collaboration is key.
Verwenden Sie die richtigen Tools
Enterprise project management is simply not possible without the right project management software. A cloud-based enterprise PM solution like Planview AdaptiveWork will not only help you manage your project logistics, it will simplify communication, collaboration, budget tracking and the multitude of other tasks necessary for enterprise project success. In using the right tools, you’ll be less likely to overlook small details that can quickly turn into larger issues.
