Why You Should Use Forward Planning and Build A Project Already Traced Out
As project managers, it can be all too easy to get caught up in the fancy & complicated parts of our job. You know, things like product release maps, feature planning, metrics, crafting a complete product development definition, etc. However, sometimes it is worth it to take a step back and make sure that we still have a firm grasp on the basics of project planning, or forward planning. One key part of this is doing a review of the process that your customers go through when they decide to use your product.
The Rundown of the issue (aka life without forward planning)
Developing a product alone is not sufficient. It needs to be marketed well so that it reaches the audience. The product has to reach the right audience at the right time. Developers need to plan ahead to ensure that the product does well in the market. The developer should have the knowledge about all the stages of a product’s lifecycle, in order to get the best.
The success of any project depends on its solid thought & the structure around the thought. The developer who responsible for the project must be committed to the achievement of its objectives, they must believe in the value of the successful-completion of the project to the customers. Unless he/she believe in the need for the project, then the project developer will have a difficult task convincing anyone else affected by the project of its value.
The jist on forward planning, aka the better option
The solid thought behind the project planning to co-ordinates all parts of the project include:
- Reviews plans
- Monitors progress against plans
- Monitors risks, issues, & Change Control
- Reviews quality of the projects
- Manages & how to manage project governance
- Maintains financial control in advance.
A good project thought depends on having the scope agreed & a project plan which is completely understood & achievable. Process thinking is a critical success factor in managing projects as well as operational processes.
Developers invest a considerable measure of energy producing plans for what the team will do. Sponsors, partners & the team at that point invest a ton of energy rolling out changes to the scope of the work & how the function will be done.
The simplest method to roll out overseeing change on projects less of a headache is to know that it is going to happen & ready for it. Having techniques set up to manage changes before they happen is the quickest method to get everybody going to play a part with what will be extraordinary.
A defined, structured change project process is the best place to begin. It’s your playbook for what will happen in the event that somebody proposes that the project should be doing something different to what is currently planned & a decent method to maintain a strategic distance from project disappointment. For little changes that fall inside your authorization limit, you can settle on the choice about whether to acknowledge the change or not yourself (with the right contribution).
The effect of the change to different diverse components of the project including time, cost, quality, scope, they won’t have every one of the details so you may have to work with them during the change assessment step to fill in the blanks. They should complete as much as they can. The base you are searching for now is for them to confirm if it will increase, decrease or change the existing project parameters.
In brief: Plan Ahead!
In conclusion, forward planning can be very beneficial to any developer who wants to develop successful software. It is something many still don’t do! Most popular software tends to updates on a predictable schedule that allows their users to feel comfortable knowing when they should be ready for a new update! The problem many developers have maintaining this consistency, however, is they lack the daily planning needed to keep them on schedule! The fact is having a plan offers certain benefits, to anyone wanting to develop a successful software! Your software success is dependent upon delivering interesting content in a consistent fashion to your users! Once users know what to expect in terms of when you do update, they will feel more comfortable.
Photo Credit : ‘362/365’/ Giovanna Faustini / CC BY