Project management is a skill that must be learned and refined like any other. It takes time and experience to become a good project manager, longer to become a great project manager.

A failed project can lead to loss of revenue and opportunity; failure to achieve business goals; diversion of resources from other activities; sapping of staff morale and, perhaps, even business failure. So, as projects become more complex and critical to business performance, how do you improve your chances of success?

1. Manage by exception: clients should avoid getting too bogged down in the day-to-day running of projects and instead allow the project manager to concentrate on this area. Micro-management by a client is a hindrance, not a help. Clients should set clear boundaries for cost and time, with which the manager should work. If he/she cannot provide the agreed deliverables within these constraints, concerns must be escalated to the client for a decision.

1. Stages: break the project up into smaller chunks, or stages. Each stage marks a point at which the client will make key decisions. For example, is the project still worthwhile? Are the risks still acceptable? Dividing a project into stages, and only committing to one stage at a time, is a low risk approach that enables the clients to manage by exception.

1. Products: it is vital that clients and customers think carefully about the products, or deliverables, they require, before the project begins. The clearer they can be about their requirements, the more realistic and achievable the plans that can be produced. This makes it a lot easier for the project manager and less risky.

1. It's a Learning Curve: don't risk making the same mistakes on every project; consider why certain aspects went well or badly, then incorporate the lessons learned into your approach to your next project. Humans have an amazing capacity to learn, but when it comes to repeating errors made during previous projects, we all too often fail to learn the lessons.

1. The environment: whatever project management methodology or framework you favour, it must be tailored to suit the needs of your project. Rather than blindly following a methodology, the project manager must be able to adapt procedures to meet the demands of the work in hand. How you plan on a two-week project is likely to be very different from how you plan on a two-year project.

If you are looking for a project manager you really need to look for leadership skills! Today's project managers must have leadership skills in order to effectively perform their roles in the organisation and stand out from the crowd. Something must make them distinct from the others.

About the Author:

Article written by Simon Head who is the Managing Director of Cooper James Consultancy Ltd a Project Management Firm based in Newport South Wales. He is an enthusiastic, self motivated person. Excellent in problem solving because of his engineering background and wide experiences in life. Excellent communication skills on all levels from talking to the client, design team and work force. Being able to deal with all situations. He has taken this ability and built his company on this. www.cooperjamesconsultancyltd.co.uk

Project management is a skill that must be learned and refined like any other. It takes time and experience to become a good project manager, longer to become a great project manager.

A failed project can lead to loss of revenue and opportunity; failure to achieve business goals; diversion of resources from other activities; sapping of staff morale and, perhaps, even business failure. So, as projects become more complex and critical to business performance, how do you improve your chances of success?

1. Manage by exception: clients should avoid getting too bogged down in the day-to-day running of projects and instead allow the project manager to concentrate on this area. Micro-management by a client is a hindrance, not a help. Clients should set clear boundaries for cost and time, with which the manager should work. If he/she cannot provide the agreed deliverables within these constraints, concerns must be escalated to the client for a decision.

1. Stages: break the project up into smaller chunks, or stages. Each stage marks a point at which the client will make key decisions. For example, is the project still worthwhile? Are the risks still acceptable? Dividing a project into stages, and only committing to one stage at a time, is a low risk approach that enables the clients to manage by exception.

1. Products: it is vital that clients and customers think carefully about the products, or deliverables, they require, before the project begins. The clearer they can be about their requirements, the more realistic and achievable the plans that can be produced. This makes it a lot easier for the project manager and less risky.

1. It's a Learning Curve: don't risk making the same mistakes on every project; consider why certain aspects went well or badly, then incorporate the lessons learned into your approach to your next project. Humans have an amazing capacity to learn, but when it comes to repeating errors made during previous projects, we all too often fail to learn the lessons.

1. The environment: whatever project management methodology or framework you favour, it must be tailored to suit the needs of your project. Rather than blindly following a methodology, the project manager must be able to adapt procedures to meet the demands of the work in hand. How you plan on a two-week project is likely to be very different from how you plan on a two-year project.

If you are looking for a project manager you really need to look for leadership skills! Today's project managers must have leadership skills in order to effectively perform their roles in the organisation and stand out from the crowd. Something must make them distinct from the others.

About the Author:

Article written by Simon Head who is the Managing Director of Cooper James Consultancy Ltd a Project Management Firm based in Newport South Wales. He is an enthusiastic, self motivated person. Excellent in problem solving because of his engineering background and wide experiences in life. Excellent communication skills on all levels from talking to the client, design team and work force. Being able to deal with all situations. He has taken this ability and built his company on this. www.cooperjamesconsultancyltd.co.uk