CYP Now - Resources: Know How - Project management

It is not luck that makes all the difference as to whether some enterprises happen to schedule, on budget, and realise their quality targets. It happens as a result of good project management. PJ White wanders along the critical paths 1. Devising clear and accurate definitions, and setting tight objectives, might not come naturally in the often fuzzy world of children's services. But they are needed more, not less, than in the commercial sector. Not knowing when - and whether - their job is finished can spread uncertainty and dissatisfaction among both employees and managers. This means that work overload and stress are not very far away.

2. Don't be afraid to do a critical-path analysis for a complex project. All this boils down to is listing every task involved in the project: determine its place in the process, how long it should take, and whether it is a standalone task or one that depends on something else having been completed first.

Once you have methodically identified every task in the project, with the help of your team, you can plot them on some kind of graph or chart. You will then have a schedule, from start to finish, which you know is workable. If things start to slip, you can calculate any effect on the project overall, and determine what subsequent adjustments, if any, you will need to make.

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