What are the benefits of project management?

Unless you’re familiar with, or work within the arena of project management, it may seem like a broad, even vague term.

Here, we’ll examine project management in a little more detail. We’ll look at the key benefits of project management to understand why it’s such an important part of any business.

Projects are Everywhere

The default is often to think of projects as long-term, detailed undertakings. Perhaps they seem relegated to the corporate world. Maybe you feel that they have no bearing on your work or day-to-day life.

In truth, projects are everywhere. Much of what we do is already immersed in projects.

Think of both your working life and your personal life. Are there any ideas or goals you’re working to accomplish? Is there anything new you’re striving to learn? Are you trying to change or improve anything?

If yes, then you’re already working on mini-projects. Wouldn’t it be good to know how to run these projects more effectively? Now, we have arrived at project management…

Project Management Benefits

Here are 6 things that successful project management brings to every project:

1.     Foresight & Strategic Thinking

A large part of the project manager’s role is to plan the project in detail before work begins. They look in detail at everything that will be required to achieve the project deliverables (the goal).

They plan how it will play out, what resources will be needed, and what risks may potentially occur. This level of planning enables the project manager to minimise the risks and put contingencies in place for responding if the risks come to pass.

2.     Structure

Project management tools and frameworks are standardised. They are proven methods for handling a project with skill.

The reliability of following these frameworks gives your project a solid structure to follow.

3.     Clarity and Visibility

Project managers communicate continuously with both the project team and stakeholders. This gives everyone visibility on what is happening and a clear vision for where the project is going.

4.     Ownership

Project management teams have clearly outlined roles and responsibilities. This ensures that nothing falls through the cracks; nothing is missed.

5.     Momentum

Effective project management avoids letting a project drift along for weeks or months at a time.

A project manager remains focused on the schedule, keeping everything moving along at a steady pace.

6.     Improvement

Within project management, there is a project life cycle step called “closing the project”. This step allows for reflection on the successes and failures within the project cycle.

Teams can learn from this, bringing the learning into the next project.

You can learn more about project management and its benefits in our article, What is Project Management?.

Want to begin adding structure to your projects?

If you would like to begin putting a stronger structure to your projects and reaping the rewards of project management, we have some suggestions for how you can get started:

·      Read More

Explore some project management blogs to learn about how project management could fit into your role and your organisation.

·      Attend Training

There are so many fantastic project management course options available. Finding one that suits your schedule and requirements is easy with a little research and guidance.

Involve Your Team

If you would like to begin implementing some strong project management practices in your workplace, why not get the rest of your team involved? Have a brainstorming session to generate ideas about how you can get started. You could even run a ProjectManagement Foundation Workshop to introduce everyone to similar approaches in project management.