Project Management
Defining Successful Projects
Stakeholder Satisfaction
I believe a project's success is primarily based on the satisfaction of the project's stakeholders. This is any person or entity who will use, fund, or otherwise interact with a project's end result. Stakeholder satisfaction is a primary metric used in gaging the success of a finished project
Transparency
Transparency is an essential component to a successful project. This comes in the form of transparently planning the project, being upfront about costs, and communicating setbacks as soon as possible.
Cost
The term "cost" encompasses resources like time, money, research, and personnel, that are used to deliver the end result of a project. In many cases, stakeholder entities are responsible for the costs incurred from a project. The costs required for project completion directly affect the satisfaction of the stakeholder.
Delivery
Satisfaction can be swayed by how a project is delivered. Does the end result meet the stakeholder's expectations? Was the project delivered on time? Were there issues or difficulties in the delivery? These questions are important to consider when delivering a project's end result.
Components of a Successful Project
Having a source where stakeholders and members of the project's team can easily see and record project specifics promotes the success of a project. I use the following templates for project planning and storing information on the project.
This timeline template was originally built using Monday.com, and exported to .xlsx format. It can be used to plan and track deadlines, costs, and timing.
This slide deck template can be used to store stakeholder expectations, meeting notes, and more. Both the stakeholders and project team should have access to the slide deck information and timeline.