7 steps to successful project management

Precise project management is essential to monitor progress and guarantee success.

You've defined the scope of your project, chosen the project management method that suits you best and drawn up a set of specifications. What steps do you need to follow to ensure flawless project follow-up? What tools are available to project managers?

This article is your guide to a smooth-running project. Ready to get started? All aboard!

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What is project management?

Understanding project management

What is project management? Simply put :

• a thorough understanding of the project's scope,
• monitoring the project using pre-defined KPIs,
• guaranteeing project progress by completing tasks and milestones, and delivering deliverables on time,
• adapt the project schedule and monitor the difference between the forecast schedule and the actual schedule,
• control the budget by adapting it to project contingencies,
• manage a project team and ensure optimal resource management,
• cope, adapt and take appropriate decisions if risks materialize.

When does project management come into play in the 4 main stages of a project?

Project management takes place at the start of the project, when the project has already been planned and budgeted, and the specifications have been defined. It differs from the other key stages of project management, namely :

• Pre-project,
• project planning,
• project scoping,
• project review.

What role does the project manager play in project management?

The project manager's role is primarily one of coordination and organization, but he or she also has a number of strings to his or her bow:

• a clear, global vision of the project, so they can monitor progress from a distance, always comparing the forecast with the actual,
• the ability to anticipate and adapt, so that unforeseen events don't threaten project completion,
• responsiveness and decision-making skills to ensure that the project roadmap is respected,
• mastery of project management methods and tools for precise, measured steering,
• the ability to manage the project's human resources and encourage collaborative working.

For large-scale projects, steering and even project governance can be ensured by a steering committee (COPIL) made up of operational departments, business departments and sometimes the project owner.

💡 If you're more receptive to visual and audio explanations, this video will give you all the keys. 🎬

7 key steps to successful project management

In a nutshell, it's a matter of keeping track of all the project components as defined during the project planning phase.

ℹ️ Please note that, depending on your own context, these steps may be carried out in a different order.

1. Define indicators for decision-making

This step is essential for prioritizing your criteria: is the quality of your deliverables a priority? Or do you want to exceed your budget to avoid delivery delays?

Every project has its own context: priorities change from one project to the next, and with them, the indicators for steering your project. How do you track these indicators precisely? We answer these questions below.

2. Monitor project planning and task management

Is the project progressing as planned when the tasks are scheduled? When defining the scope of a project, tasks may have been forgotten: identify them during the execution phase so you can plan them and adapt your schedule.

💡 More often than not, this involves re-prioritizing tasks: it's up to you to decide which tasks can be postponed, put on hold, deleted, depending on your requirements and those of your customers.

3. Adapt the allocation of human resources

Do you need to review the allocation of human resources to each task or sub-task? Have you planned too many resources for a task, or on the contrary, not enough? Do you need to recruit more resources?

💡 Project management means being reactive and able, for example, to replace resources that are no longer available, so that their unavailability doesn't have too much impact on the project's progress.

4. Monitor project budget and profitability

As in the case of human resources, the budget forecast drawn up in advance of the project launch may omit some costs. In fact, you're bound to run into them: despite your risk analysis, some unforeseen circumstances may cause the budget to be exceeded.

But don't panic! Set up thresholds and alerts: you'll be warned immediately if you fall short of your projected budget, and can react accordingly.

💡 In addition, defining and tracking financial indicators helps you monitor project profitability. An unexpected expense can add value to your project, which won't necessarily have a negative impact on your margin. However, too many budget overruns, and the project's profitability is in jeopardy.

5. Take regular stock

Keep track of the data you have available. Without this, your project management won't be effective, because you'll lose control of it.

💡 Be realistic about the data you use: over-optimistic (not to say distorted) figures don't reflect the reality of the project, and complicate accurate monitoring.

6. Make decisions to (re)orient project management

Are your indicators showing a discrepancy between forecast and actual? It's up to you to act! Corrective action or preventive measures, your role as project manager is to make the right decisions to steer the team in the right direction.

💡 An error, a late delivery from a subcontractor, a technical problem or simply tasks that are taking longer than expected... Don't wait and react: once again, the project manager's ability to adapt to an unforeseen situation and make the most pertinent decision is the key to successful project management.

7. Centralize and update steering documents

Avoid confusion and keep an eye on your project at all times, thanks to up-to-date documentation:

• project schedule or calendar,
• project roadmap
• Gantt chart,
• resource chart,
• resource planning,
• budget,
• validation procedures and workflows, etc.

The project manager steers his or her project with a multitude of useful documents to set the course. However, other stakeholders also need access to certain information to facilitate communication. Good organization is therefore essential.

Bonus: adapt management to your project management method

Agile, Scrum, Kanban, PMBOK... Depending on the project management method you use, the way you manage and prioritize indicators differs.

For example, the agile method is based on iterations (sprints) with short deadlines. In this case, the methodology calls for very rigorous management and frequent analysis of indicators to anticipate deviations and correct any delays in the project schedule.

What are the best project management tools?

Action plan: getting solutions up and running

In project management, the action plan sets out and implements the actions to be taken on the project.

The action plan lies at the crossroads between the preliminary phases of reflection and analysis, and the transition to action. A genuine steering tool, it sets out all the conditions to be met to achieve the objectives, by defining :

• the tasks to be accomplished,
• deadlines and implementation periods,
• human and financial resources, etc.

Rigorous monitoring enables solutions to be found in the event of drift, by analyzing the repercussions on each action.

Planning: monitoring project progress

The schedule naturally accompanies the action plan, providing a visual representation of the various tasks and activities.

For example, using a planning tool such as a Gantt chart or a Pert diagram, you can :

• monitor project progress,
• optimize task allocation,
• adjustment of actions to be taken in the event of unplanned changes,
• coordination of interdependent tasks, etc.

Key performance indicators (KPIs): monitoring objectives

Indicators must be chosen according to the nature of the project and the objectives to be achieved. They also lead to an assessment of the project's performance and progress in the direction set at the start of the project.

They can be quantified in terms of :

• number of hours spent on the project vs. number of hours planned,
• percentage of project completed,
• percentage of budget consumed, etc.

Dashboard: project management made easy

By now you've got it: project management can't be done without tracking indicators. And how do you do this? With the help of a dashboard, a project management tool that centralizes these indicators and helps project managers visualize and analyze project progress.

A true decision-making tool, the dashboard is indispensable for anticipating possible delays, and for visualizing overloaded resources or missed deadlines. It is also a tool for governance and communication between the project team, project managers, management, project owner and customer.

Project review: step-by-step fine-tuning

Project progress is structured around key milestones. Their validation marks the successful completion of each milestone, and initiates the next phase.

Project reviews are regular meetings held at the end of each milestone, to validate the milestone or not. They provide a frame of reference for the rest of the process.

Project management software

The project manager's toolbox is overflowing with tools: Excel spreadsheets of all kinds to monitor the budget or schedule, Gantt charts, PERT, specifications, not forgetting the dashboard...

❗ But how can you find your way around when there are so many tools, when not all stakeholders have access to the same information, when project documentation is scattered and not everyone has the latest version of deliverables at their disposal?

✅ Project management software is there to do the thinking for you, thanks to better tracking of indicators, greater visibility and the centralization of information and deliverables.

🛠️ Examples of simple project management tools :

Abraxio: the software to manage your IT department's projects

Abraxio has been specifically developed for IT department management, taking care of project management from A to Z: requirements, budget, workload, Gantt planning, flash reports, etc. And for even finer control, you can easily access the desired level of detail, from the macro view of the portfolio to micro data on each project.

Beesbusy: organize your project schedules efficiently

Who", "What" and "When" views to track resource, task and schedule indicators precisely, plus a customizable dashboard to prioritize tasks.

Bitrix24: the all-in-one project management platform

Indispensable for all project management, this tool (free for up to 12 users) takes human resources management to a new level, thanks to its ability to measure employee stress.

Clarizen: the PMO's favorite project management tool

One of the pioneers tools for multi-project management, Clarizen offers fine-grained data analysis, comprehensive reporting, KPI tracking, predictions and collaborative tools for large groups and multinationals.

monday.com: the reference in project management tools

Various collaborative dashboards are available. They provide an overview of the project and quick access to information, as well as easy progress tracking thanks to different views, such as the Gantt chart.

Project Monitor: for masterful project portfolio management

As a PPM (Project Portfolio Management) tool, Project Monitor manages the entire project portfolio of major corporations. In particular, the software enables large-scale control of resource allocation, budget management and schedule monitoring, within dedicated functionalities. Dashboards facilitate overall project management and assist in arbitration.

Sciforma: the simple PPM and project management tool with workflow management

The tool not only supports project planning, notably with the Gantt chart, but also provides an overview for strategic decisions, thanks to its project portfolio section.

Stafiz: the solution for experts in staffing and internal activity management

More than just project management software, Stafiz is a modular ERP that enables end-to-end management of service activities (consulting firms, ESNs, agencies, etc.). In particular, it manages the staffing side of the business in great detail: finding the right profiles (candidates, in-house, external) for projects, progress reports and time tracking, gap analysis and financial KPIs, etc.

Triskell: the PPM tool with integrated no-code platform connected to information systems

Triskell, also a PPM software package for small and medium-sized businesses and large groups, goes a step further by managing corporate strategy as well as operational execution. The tool guarantees proper management of all the organization's projects, with a high level of control over priorities and planning, budgets and resource allocation.

Wrike: project management and collaboration made easy

Wrike is a project management solution combining collaboration and communication tools. Extremely easy to use, it provides the key functionalities and visibility needed to enable teams to effectively manage their projects:

• Gantt,
• Kanban,
• workload planning,
• dashboard, etc.

What's more? More than 400 integrations with other software applications, for a smooth flow of data!

See all software Project Management

You'll know everything there is to know about project management

Project management can be a daunting task for novice project managers, but in reality, by following the steps described above, you need have no fear of accidents!

Method and rigor will be your best allies: keep an up-to-date dashboard with indicators that are relevant to you, and your project is bound to be a success.

Why not opt for an online project management tool? You'll automate certain tasks, simplify your project management and save considerable time. All you have to do is choose the best project management tool for you!