We recently completed a complex project for Alison, a designer. It required 5 of us to complete a full restoration on 2 pillows for her father in Florida. He has had these since college. Together, we did it: an artist, a hand sewer, a hand embroiderer, a precision machine sewer, a project manager and, of course, Alison.
I found this online shortly after we finished this. It resonated with me as a fitting definition of Project Management (PM).
The main objectives and principles behind good project management are as follows:
Agree exactly what a project is meant to do and what it is meant to deliver.
Agree on the scope, timescales, cost and quality of a project.
Maintain a schedule and project plan.
Deliver the agreed outcomes of the project to the right scope, timescales, cost and quality.
Provide communications, reports and progress updates throughout the lifecycle of the project.
Manage risks, issues and dependencies.
Make sure that the customer gets the outcome that it wants from the project.
Manage policies, processes, tools, frameworks, techniques, people and relationships to a successful project outcome.
Minimize any impact on normal business operations. (Source https://toughnickel.com/misc/project-management-main-objectives)
What did it mean for Alison, or for you? It means that when we start on any project for you, the above principles are incorporated like this:
Time is spent to fully understand what you want. The overall scope is agreed upon by both parties.
A timeline is created based on your needs.
You receive regular updates illustrating progress and scope. You’re informed if changes are needed. Everyone knows their role and what they need to do to reach a successful outcome.
More than one person is always involved in working on your project. Sure, perhaps one person, can do it, but a higher level of quality is obtained with a team approach and the inherent checks and balances appreciated within the broader definition of co-dependency: dependence on the needs of another.
We depend on each other, so that you can depend on us.