From Chaos To Order

Project management is an organizational process of many external and internal activities to complete specific scope of work called the project. It is a common situation when the project is started in chaos with no understanding of requirements, the scope of work, or who participates in the project. Let us see how to organize that chaos.

Everything Starts From Chaos

The world began in chaos, and every project inherits this trait.

The first chaotic element is requirements. No matter how good was the preparation — there always will be unclear elements, not mentioned assumptions, not clarified areas, and so on. It is a typical starting point where everybody has to acquire the knowledge to start working.

The second chaotic element is team members’ responsibilities. Before the project is started, team members have to agree on what they are going to do, interact with each other, and the outcome.

The third chaotic element is time limits. Many may disagree with that as projects often have deadlines in the very beginning. However, when it comes to actual planning and milestones, time limits are not that strict.

Organization In Progress

The process of organizing the chaos is not easy, but the team has to do it to stabilize all the areas and start the work.

First, the team needs to clarify the requirements related to the project. This process may involve multiple meetings, discovery sessions, testing, prototyping, and other activities. The team has to have a clear understanding of what has to be done and prepare the backlog.

Second, the team has to define the responsibilities of all team members and organize internal and external workflows. This change allows building an excellent internal infrastructure needed to work, or team members will not work together and achieve any result otherwise.

Third, the team has to estimate tasks in the backlog and set milestones to build the required solution in time. It usually involves prioritization of the requirements to concentrate on the crucial features and reject less important ones. Milestones are used to track the progress and keep the timeline organized.

Maintaining The Order

The final thing every good team should do is maintain the existing good processes and adapt to changes. Such a best practice ensures smooth internal and external processes, provides proper communication level, and builds a foundation for a successful project. After every achieved milestone, adaptation may be required to guarantee that the project will be done in time and within the budget.

One more best practice here is to have regular sync meetings or calls to discuss the operational questions and other important topics. It is good to invite at least one team member from every department to have an overall picture of issues and find the most suitable solution.

These recommendations form a good foundation for keeping the project healthy from the very beginning and keeping potential customers happy. Use them wisely, modify if needed, and do your work correctly to achieve success!