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As you read the remark above, did you think to yourself, "Yesterday?" "I'd be delighted to be caught up on last Thursday?" Here are five project management best practices that I learned while preparing for the PMP course and how they might help you.
- Define and prioritize the scope of your project. Let's talk about the scope of your project for a bit. Is doing all of the million and one things you have to do a must-have or a nice-to-have? Tell the truth now. Perhaps you've over-allocated yourself as a result of a lack of scope prioritization. Make a list of what you absolutely must do and what your top priorities are. Keep in mind that there is a difference between what is significant and what is urgent. If something is both urgent and substantial, it rises to the top of the priority list.
- Be aware of your limitations. If you're motivated by time right now, make sure you're working on assignments that must be completed by a certain date and time. Remove everything else from your to-do list that isn't essential. If you can't bear it, put them away until you've completed the must-haves. How did you come to that conclusion? If you completed your scope prioritizing, you should be able to immediately identify where your time should be spent.
- Improve your estimates. Now that you've narrowed your scope down to the essentials, I hope you can accurately estimate how long each of your jobs will take. Your best estimations will come from the knowledge you gained while studying for the PMP course. You can make an estimate based on your previous experience if you've done something similar before. Don't assume that simply because you've completed a task before, you'll be able to complete it much more rapidly now. Yes, you should expect to improve and speed up, but keep your expectations realistic.
- Recognize your essential path. Take the time to understand the sequence in which you should complete your responsibilities. True, I'm referring to important routes, sequencing, and estimation. When you're stressed and busy, it's easy to go from one task to the next. This is illogical, as you are well aware. Take the time to plan out your chores in the correct order. As you can see, our five-project management best practices are meant to work together, with each one building on the one before it.
- Go over your strategy again. Can you really do your chores in the time you have now that you've calculated, scheduled, and plotted them out? If the answer is no, something needs to give. You may need to rethink your scope, acquire support, or change your timeline. You are not required to run yourself into the ground.
Need more tips on the same? Take on the PMP training program today!