There is a saying; “You can’t learn to ride a bike at a seminar” and it fits perfectly with project management. Everything in project management revolves around a pragmatic approach. It’s not like other disciplines where you can be successful by making mistakes. It is also not easy to complete a project on time and within budget. Every project has unique challenges and deadlines, which is why we have a fixed method that we adhere to to ensure that projects run smoothly.

Why is project management important?

Loss of ROI: Poor project management can lead to a loss of return of investment of up to 10%. A bad start results in a sub-optimal product, which in turn will result in disappointing results. This can be addressed by setting clear metrics and informing the team about KPIs.

Budget leaks: This means that up to 32% of the investment can be lost. This usually comes in the form of lost hours, radio silences from both the customer and the team, but also in the form of unnecessary meetings or email series.

Project fails: In practice, up to 39% of projects fail due to no or poor project management. The scenario where a project ends in complete chaos, often due to unclear agreements or incorrect expectations. This can of course be addressed by making clear agreements in advance.

Scope Creep: Up to 52% of poorly managed projects experience scope creep. This is the involuntary addition of work to the scope of work. Bad for the client to unexpectedly have to spend more budget, but also finest for the relationship between studio and client. That is why it is very important that the workflow is clear, what happens within the budget and that extra work is invoiced separately, after approval.

What is project management?

Project management is to steer the process of a project in the right direction. The main goals are to achieve the set goals on time, within budget and with the highest quality. Each 5 project has specific phases;

• Intake
• Planning
• Version
• Observation and Control
• Completion

Intake: The start of each project starts with the definition of goals, why the project is needed, what is needed for this and whether it is feasible or not. In addition, we look at who the stakeholders in the project are and where the interests of the project lie with the various stakeholders. The case and of course the resources needed to complete the project roll out of this. This also looks at the model we use for project management.

Planning: In this phase we look at the scope of work, the timeline and the risks that may emerge in the exploration. This forms the basis for a plan that contains the next steps and the rest of the project.

Performance: In the implementation we coordinate team members and we hire external parties to make the project a success. The project stays on track thanks to clear communication between the team and the customer. In addition, budget and other resources are also allocated in this phase.

Observation and Control: The timeline, budget and performance are checked at every milestone. So that we can make timely adjustments in resources or budget. For example, you could suggest that we discover that certain activities must be carried out extra, from the strategic basis that we have established. Through these reports we prevent larger milestones or a shift in the deadline.

Completion: The phase of completing the project. Here we review the project and deliverables and see if we have achieved the goals effectively. In addition, there is a handoff of the deliverables and workshops are held if necessary. Internally we look for areas for improvement, based on our own insight or feedback.

Our golden rules

Projects are full of details and in a race with time to deliver on time. That is why we use a strategic approach in project management. This comes down to our 10 golden rules to streamline the entire process and ensure success.

1. Set clear goals, a clear scope and get approval from the shareholders.
2. Put a team together to tackle the problem.
3. Clear formulation of project roles and responsibilities.
4. Drawing up the plan, with clear update moments.
5. Delegating and prioritizing tasks.
6. Get sufficient deliverables and resources to successfully complete the project.
7. Communicate regularly and well with the stakeholders.
8. Set regular milestones to measure success.
9. Stay light on your feet to anticipate change.
10. Continue to proactively reduce risk.

This captures a number of issues that endanger the success of a project.
Number 1 is a lack of resources, which can be a budget, but also the non-timely delivery of resources that we need to continue in our process or to deliver. Number 2 are unclear goals. Due to insufficient documentation or communication, as a result of which disappointing results or goals are generally not achieved.
Number 3 are poorly managed stakeholder expectations, as a result of which the project scope changes without the approval of the stakeholders.