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12 vital project management principles

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Successful project management is a critical activity at every company. Every major business activity is made up of one or more projects.

To deliver maximum business value and user satisfaction, project management requires much more than a spreadsheet, a RACI chart , or occasional meetings. All phases of every project must be supported by a clear, consistent, and transparent decision-making process and effective, efficient collaboration across multiple roles and teams. 

The best project management efforts are built upon a core set of governing principles. This guide describes 12 critical principles of project management that provide a structured yet flexible framework and foundation for collaboration. These principles promote effective planning and execution of projects and ensure consistent project management success. 

What are the 12 essential principles of project management?

A successful project management plan provides all the information needed to carry out a project from inception through completion and evaluation.

Regardless of your methodology, your approach must successfully address project requirements, stakeholder expectations, and business needs and goals. Adhering to the following 12 essential project management concepts can help assure your project’s success.

Establish the project structure

A project is larger in scope than a typical task or activity. Structure your project in a manageable, understandable way that is easy for the project management team and stakeholders to evaluate.

Define project goals and objectives

Defining the goals and objectives of your project is essential to establishing its structure and gaining support from project management team members and stakeholders. Articulate the goals and specific objectives of the project clearly, and ensure these align with the company's overall objectives.

Identify a project sponsor

Sponsor support is crucial to the success of a project. A project sponsor can provide enthusiastic assistance and helpful guidance for the project. Sponsors also can garner additional support and resources from multiple stakeholders and teams as necessary.

Form roles and responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities will vary depending on business requirements, stakeholder expectations, available people and resources, and other factors. Define these roles clearly to ensure effective collaboration and avoid duplication of efforts and unaddressed project needs.

Ensure team accountability

Foster a culture of accountability within your team. Implement ways to track and measure individual and collective responsibility.

Manage project scope and changes

Adaptability is key throughout a project’s life cycle. Goals, needs, expectations, available people, and resources are subject to change at any time throughout a project’s life cycle. Every project management plan must include a robust strategy and clearly defined processes for managing project scope and dealing with changes.

Create a risk management plan

Risks can quickly threaten the project, if not the business itself. Project management plans must include comprehensive steps for identifying, assessing, and mitigating project risks. Regularly review and update the risk management plan as the project progresses.

Monitor progress

The project management team should monitor progress at every stage of every project. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to help measure progress toward established goals. Your project management plan must also include a system for regularly tracking, assessing, and reporting project progress.

Focus on effective value delivery

The goal of every project is to deliver value to stakeholders and to the business as a whole. Give the highest priority to tasks that contribute to the project's success. Include methods and tools that enable your team to continuously assess and adjust priorities based on stakeholder needs and project objectives.

Establish a performance management baseline

Effective performance management is key to project management success. Establish a performance management baseline to evaluate and track team and project performance. Use performance metrics to identify areas for improvement and recognize achievements.

Finalize the project

To close out your project successfully, complete all the necessary tasks defined in your project plan . Ensure that all deliverables meet quality standards. Obtain necessary stakeholder and management approvals.

Examine successes

Reflect on the project’s successes, and highlight the key factors that contribute to positive outcomes. It’s equally important to document lessons learned to inform future projects and sustain continuous improvement .

Turn project management principles into project success with Confluence

Effective collaboration is essential for unified adherence to project management principles. Collaboration, communication, and documentation are critical elements of every project management effort, from ideation to execution and assessment.

Confluence brings everyone together in a connected workspace to move projects forward. Teams can create, edit, share, and collaborate on project plans seamlessly, keeping everyone on the same page. Confluence can improve project management team performance and lead to more efficient project execution. It can also deliver greater value to team members, stakeholders, and the business. Try Confluence

Project management principles: Frequently asked questions

What is agile project management.

The Agile project management methodology combines the sprints of Scrum with the continuous information sharing and feedback of Kanban. It focuses project management teams on continuous improvement and delivering value to stakeholders. It's flexibility and cross-functional team support make Agile highly effective for managing projects subject to change.

What are common challenges in project management?

All project management efforts face similar challenges, such as:

• Scope creep. As a project proceeds, needs, requirements, stakeholder desires, and external influences can also change. These changes can cause deviations from the original plan. They can also lead to budget overruns, delays, and disappointed stakeholders. A detailed plan with a well-defined project timeline and regular communication with stakeholders can help minimize or eliminate scope creep. 
• Unrealistic deadlines. Overly ambitious deadlines can lead to missed milestones. Project managers must balance what stakeholders want and what is achievable with the available resources. 
• Insufficient resources. Every project must deal with limited availability of money, time, and talent. Realistic, conservative budgets and accurate cost estimates can help, but teams should expect to face resource constraints beyond their plans and forecasts.
• Poor communication. Ineffective communication can lead to misunderstandings, unclear and unmet expectations, additional work, and missed deadlines. Consistent communication can help you avoid scope creep and manage stakeholder expectations.
• Change and risk management. Project management plans must include well-documented risk identification and mitigation processes and adaptation to sudden changes. This can help minimize project disruptions and delays.
• Monitoring, evaluating, and documenting progress. Consistent monitoring and evaluation can keep projects on track and identify challenges before they become problems. Documentation of monitoring efforts and evaluations can help keep team members and stakeholders informed and engaged.

What are the different project management methodologies?

Here are some of the methodologies most widely used for project management.

• Kanban: Kanban focuses on the visualization of tasks and progress. It relies on a shared physical or digital whiteboard typically divided into columns, each labeled with a stage of the workflow —To Do, In Progress, and Completed, for example. Kanban’s visual approach means everyone can see and follow the work as a project progresses. This keeps everyone informed and aligned with each other and the project objectives. Kanban can also help teams be more adaptable and flexible in the face of changing needs or priorities.
• Waterfall: Waterfall project management is more linear and sequential than other methods. Waterfall projects typically have well-defined requirements for planning, design, development, testing, and deployment. Waterfall projects demand strict adherence to plans and close alignment with declared requirements and objectives.
• Scrum:  The Scrum methodology includes a highly structured framework. It defines specific team member roles and the length of each work cycle or sprint. Teams hold daily meetings to review progress and map upcoming sprints. This methodology is well-suited for complex projects and active stakeholder involvement.

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12 Key Project Management Principles & How to Use Them

Project management is a highly complex field. There are many things that a project manager must understand to be successful such as the methodologies, reports and tools that exist.

To help you simplify things, we’ve listed the top 12 project management principles that any project manager should know. These principles are a great starting point as you go through the journey of becoming a successful project manager.

Once you learn about the key project management principles, you’ll need a robust tool with the features needed to keep track of your project plan, budget and schedule. ProjectManager offers Gantt charts, kanban boards, project calendars and other project management tools to help you and your team achieve more. Get started for free today.

What Are the Principles of Project Management?

These project management principles cover the major areas when managing a project. At ProjectManager, we have tons of project management templates , blogs, tools and other resources to help you manage your projects better.

1. Define a Project Organization Structure

This is the first thing you’ll have to think about when managing a project. The project organization structure is the framework that facilitates the planning, execution and tracking of project activities. To set up your structure, you’ll need to create a project organization chart that specifies the roles and hierarchy of every team member. Then, think about the procedures and guidelines that will be followed by them.

2. Set Clear Project Goals & Objectives

Before you can start the project planning phase, you’ll need to define the main goals and objectives of your project. The project goals define the expected benefits of the project while the project objectives are the steps that you’ll need to take to achieve them. Defining your goals and objectives will set the stage to plan your project scope, schedule and budget.

3. Create a Communication Plan

While reporting to the various participants in the project is key, there must be a primary communication plan to regulate communications between yourself and the project sponsor. This is the only way to ensure those project decisions are properly implemented.

Without having a singular way to disseminate what the sponsor wants to the project manager, you’re not being effective in administrating the project. Even if there are multiple sponsors, they must speak with one voice or risk sending the project into chaos.

You have the responsibility to set this line of communication in place. This entails finding the right person with the right skills, experience, authority and commitment in the executive team to facilitate this important task.

4. Define Roles & Responsibilities

To move forward, a project must have well-defined roles, policies and procedures in place. That means everyone must know what they’re responsible for and to whom they answer. There needs a delegation of authority for any project to function.

It also means that you must know how you’re going to manage the scope of work , maintain the quality of the project, define its schedule and cost, etc. Without these things sorted from the jump, you’re putting the project at risk.

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RACI Chart Template

Use this free RACI Chart Template for Excel to manage your projects better.

5. Create a Risk Management Plan

Risk is part of life, and it’s certainly a part of any project. Before the project even starts, figure out the potential risks inherent in the work ahead. Identifying them is not an exact science, of course, but you can use historic data and knowledge from your team and sponsors to uncover where the risk lies. Using a risk register template helps you capture all of this information.

It’s not enough to know that risk might rise at certain points in a project; you also should put in place a plan to resolve the issue before it becomes a problem. That means giving each risk a specific team member who’s responsible for watching for it, identifying it and working towards its resolution.

Naturally, you’re not going to foresee every risk, but hopefully, you’ll have at least identified the big ones. That’s why you must keep an eye out for any irregularities and train your team to keep an eye out for risks.  The sooner you identify a risk, whether expected or not, the faster you can mitigate it and keep the project on track.

6. Set a Project Performance Baseline

As you progress through your project, you’ll need project performance metrics to measure success. This is how you can hold your team and yourself accountable, so you should always have ways to measure the various aspects of your project and determine if the actual figures reported are in line with the ones you planned.

The great thing about accountability in a project is that it gives you the means to identify team members who are top performers and reward them accordingly. Other team members may require more training or direction to improve their performance.

7. Create a Change Management Plan

As a project manager, you’ll need to know that project plans will likely change as your team starts the project execution phase. Delays, issues, and risks might make it necessary to make changes to your project scope, budget or schedule.

Keeping track of these changes and establishing an approval process it’s called change management, a critical facet to project success as it helps to avoid scope creep and other issues. The change management process is simple. You’ll simply need to create a change management plan , a document where you specify how changes will be handled.

This will guarantee that whenever a stakeholder or a member of the project management team wishes to make a change to the project plan, there will be a change management process in place. In most projects a change request must be created, filed and approved.

8. Focus on Value Delivery

In any project, it’s always important to focus on your clients’ and stakeholders’ expectations and meet their project requirements . As a project manager, you need to make sure that the project goals and objectives are realistic and agreed upon by the project team and project stakeholders.

Then once you’ve reached an agreement with clients and stakeholders you can think about your value chain, supply chain, milestones, deliverables and quality standards and evaluate whether you’re delivering the expected value. During the project life cycle, you’ll be constantly making decisions that could either increase or hinder the value you deliver with your project.

Some examples of decisions that increase value can be creating a quality management plan  or choosing a methodology that allows constant customer feedback and communication for value delivery such as agile or scrum.

Free Project Management Templates

We have dozens of templates to help you implement the project management principles that we just learned about. Our project management templates will help you at every stage of the project management life cycle, speeding up the process and helping you achieve more.

Project Plan Template

Our project plan template is a great place to start planning your projects. Simply download the file and start putting together your project plan. Then you can start using our many project management features such as our Gantt charts, kanban boards and project calendars to keep track of your project scope, schedule and budget.

Project Budget Template

Your project budget must cover all project costs, otherwise, you won’t be able to execute the work that was planned. It’s important to estimate costs as accurately as possible and document them all. Our project budget template for Excel is the perfect tool for that. However, if you need advanced project budgeting features, give ProjectManager a try.

Gantt Chart Template

Gantt charts are the most versatile project management tools there are. They’re helpful for project planning, scheduling, resource management, task management and more. Our Gantt chart template for Excel is ideal to get familiarized with this tool. Then you can import your data into ProjectManager’s Gantt chart, which allows you to identify the critical path, set task dependencies, set milestones and collaborate with your team in real time.

Put Principles Into Action with ProjectManager

Now that you know the principles, it’s time to get the tools that turn those principles into reality. But the last thing you want is to shuffle through a multitude of apps. ProjectManager is an all-in-one project management software that can help you control projects from initiation to close.

Balance Your Resources

Once the project is executed, it can quickly get out of hand if you don’t have resource planning tools . ProjectManager automates much of your resource management with a workload page that is color-coded, allowing you to see resources at a glance and make adjustments accordingly. There are also task management and collaboration tools to empower teams to work more productively together.

Get Live Progress Updates

Progress is the name of the game, of course, but if you’re not able to track progress as it happens, then you’re behind before you’ve even started. ProjectManager is cloud-based software with a real-time dashboard that automatically updates to reflect task progress, costs and other metrics. These numbers are automatically calculated and shown in colorful graphs and charts that make great visuals for stakeholder presentations.

There are more principles to project management. The list might even be endless, but these give you a roadmap to success. But you can’t get there without the right tools for the job. The cloud-based software of ProjectManager has the features you need to implement these principles through every phase of the project’s life cycle. Try it out yourself for free with this 30-day trial, and see how it can help make your job easier and increase project productivity.

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Project Management

12 key project management principles (essential guide).

Content Manager

January 15, 2021

There’s a  lot  that goes into  managing projects .

Budgeting, gaining approval from your project stakeholders , creating your team, monitoring progress, drafting reports….

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

If you’re screaming internally, don’t worry! 

Here’s something to help you out:

Project management principles act as a trusty compass while you’re navigating the entire project management process.

In this article, we’ll explain what these basic project management principles are, their advantages, and how you can use them to manage successful projects.

Principle 1: Must be a project

Principle 2: a clear project structure, principle 3: identifying project deliverables, principle 4: allocation of project budgets, principle 5: clear strategy for execution, principle 6: ownership by a project manager or project sponsor, principle 7: assigned team roles and responsibilities, principle 8: clear communication between team members, principle 9: alignment across the organization, principle 10: transparency and accountability, principle 11: risk management and detection, principle 12: measurement of project progress.

Let’s get started.

What Are The Principles Of Project Management?

Project management principles are fundamental concepts that you can use for successful project management.

Pretty simple, right?

So what are the basic principles of project management that  every  project manager  should swear by? 

We’ve grouped these 12 into 3 buckets.

Let’s take a look:

Defining a Project

The most basic principle is that there must be a project.

Let’s take the definition of a project by the Project Management Institute: to qualify as a project, the work must be a temporary endeavor and its goal is to create value.

Since project management is a tool used to effectively manage a project, the principles of project management should apply to this definition.

Activities such as responding to tickets or editing content, therefore, do not count as a project.

A key principle in a  project management plan  during the definition phase is the project structure.

Without it, your project will fall apart faster than a Jenga tower!

Here are three components that need to be defined:

A. Project goals

How do you start something, if you don’t know what you want to do in the first place?

Determining a goal will set things in motion, and will help you create the project structure. Start by asking yourself what the project requirements are, what needs to be done  and  why.

As a project manager, you need to clarify the project goal and make it universally understood by  everyone  involved in it.

But how do you set  project goals?  And what’s the difference between  goals and objectives ?

Free project management tools  like ClickUp make setting goals and objectives a piece of cake.

B. Project timeline

No one gets an unlimited time frame to finish a project.

(unless you can reverse time like Dr. Strange)

For quick project completion, you need to have a  clear  project timeline . 

It contains the tasks that need to be done, and their start and end dates. 

It also indicates the order in which tasks need to be tackled.

C. Milestones

You should first define milestones and then divide your timeline into these important milestones.

What’s that?

Milestones are indicators  that help you understand when the project has entered a new phase.

For example, if your team is moving from milestone to milestone in just a few days; you know they’re working faster than The Flash on caffeine!

And if there is a long gap between two milestones, you’ll need to make sure they move into high gear.

With this approach, you’ll be able to stick to the project schedule.  Always. 

Here’s another thing: milestones boost team morale. 

Because remember,  everybody  likes visible progress.

The next project management principle is defining project deliverables .

Deliverables refer to any unique result or product that’s related to a particular process or phase of the project.

So how do you define project deliverables?

Start by asking yourself the correct questions such as:

• What is the project objective ?
• What do you need in order to achieve that objective?
• How long will this take and how much will it cost ?

These types of questions will help you determine the project deliverables and project requirements.

Here are a few examples of deliverables your team might have to work on: 

• For a web design project, deliverables might include developing a mockup
• For a marketing project, a deliverable might be a zany commercial

Looks like things are finally looking up for Jim from ‘Stranger Things!’ 

There’s another benefit of having well-defined deliverables in advance.

You won’t have to scramble to add new deliverables midway through the project.

Not only will this stop you from spending too much time on it, you also won’t need to work overtime to meet the deadlines.

This way, you won’t need to cut down on binge-watching true crime shows on Netflix.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had a limitless budget?

Unfortunately, unless you’ve got a genie granting you these wishes, you’ll need to work with a strict project budget .

With limited resources, you need to be very mindful of your expenses. 

Remember, you don’t want to be shocked when you find your expenses are off the charts!

So here’s what you can do:

• consider the possible areas where you can save or eliminate spending
• ensure that each phase of your project is accounted for
• reserve a portion of the budget for emergency expenses

Budgeting and accounting can be a lot of work and can need different tools.

But why get several tools when project management software like ClickUp can help you balance the books? 

With ClickUp’s premade  Accounting Template , you can manage your sales records, project expenses, invoices and more, all  within  your Workspace.

Before execution phase , you need a project charter and project plan in place. These play a major role in the success of large projects.

What should be included?

The planning phase should have a clear definition of key performance indicators (KPIs), project management software used, and risk factors that may affect the outcome .

You should also identify potential problems that could cause scope creep or derail your progress.

Identifying Team Roles and Responsibilities

The next fundamental principle is that one person, the project manager, needs to own responsibility for the project success. This person needs to act as a spokesperson and get on the same page as the executive team.

As such, project managers guide project stakeholders through their decision-making process , define team responsibilities, initiate the project plan, and measure success.

Because of the cross-functional nature of a this role, project managers need to have great interpersonal skills, knowledge of business and technology, and experience in the work breakdown structure.

Just knowing your project objective and setting goals isn’t enough. 

You must also determine  what  each member should do.

If you don’t do this, you can start preparing for a funeral: because your project’s dead, even before you started work on it!

When you define roles and responsibilities, each team member becomes accountable for their tasks. 

And since your team members know exactly what to do, they won’t waste time trying to gain clarity on the project.

Establishing Values

Poor team communication = bad results.

When managing projects, strong communication from day one should be your  prime objective.

You don’t want your project communication to turn into a game of he said-she said.

Because that would spell disaster.

Clear communication with your team is key to avoid mishaps. Every member knows what they’re working on and what others are working on, which creates a streamlined workflow.

Additionally, having clear communication allows you to identify and celebrate team member achievements.

This is an important principle to avoid problems later on when a project progresses.

Stakeholders and the project manager work together so that all the components of the organization support one another. This includes the company’s mission, structure, and systems.

Establishing a performance management baseline with three basic components – cost, schedule, and project scope – is important when aligning with company values and setting the scope of a larger project.

After clear expectations are set with management and a project manager is designated to own project activities, that person should be given the freedom to make project decisions.

Moving on to the next project management principle.

Project transparency .

Unless you’re a rogue spy on the run, hiding is a  bad idea.

When you obscure project data or statuses from your stakeholders and sponsors, it’s going to haunt you in the future.

And this might  diminish trust  between your team and the stakeholders.

However, this wouldn’t happen if you and your team always maintain transparency. 

If everyone can access relevant information regarding the project, including statuses, milestones, and the timeline, things will be much smoother.

The result?

Your team’s engagement levels would be through the roof, and they’ll be much happier and satisfied with their work too.

With ClickUp’s  Guests feature , you can collaborate with people outside their team, like stakeholders or clients.

Every project will have certain risks attached to them. This is especially true when juggling multiple complex pieces in  enterprise project management .

Try out these enterprise project management software tools !

When you assess these risks  before  the project begins, you’ll be prepared to face any potential issues that might arise.

And that’s not the only benefit:

• You would be able to prevent any delays in project execution 
• Your project team members will have a plan to help them deal with any risks
• You’ll be able to eliminate or limit the impact any issue can have on your project

With this approach, you could also designate an entire team to focus on the risks that come up during the project life cycle. 

Check out these risk management templates !

(We think ‘Riskbusters’ would be a fitting name for this team. 😉 )

Monitoring and measuring progress is a basic principle that is crucial to the entire project management process.

Imagine if there was no monitoring.

Working from home  would look something like this…

With ClickUp’s  Gantt Charts , you can view all the tasks that need to be done, their deadlines, and the team members who are  assigned  to it.

And there you have it.

All the principles to manage successful projects grouped into 3 buckets.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the basic principles of project management.

Though there are differing opinions on the finer points, the basic principles of project management include the following: a clearly defined project through structure, deliverables, and strategy ; clearly identified team roles, including the project manager, and the establishing of values such as organizational alignment, communication, transparency, accountability, risk management , and performance measurement.

How many project management principles are there?

There are 12 principles, which can be grouped into 3 buckets – defining the project, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing values.

Project management principles are the building blocks of all businesses; no matter how big or small.

Use them wisely, and all your projects will be a smash hit!

However, these principles aren’t going to help you manage an entire project on your own. 

Fortunately, tools like ClickUp were specifically designed to do all the heavy lifting; assisting you with all your tasks, timelines, and team members.

Whether you’re following methodologies such as  Waterfall ,  Agile , or  Lean , ClickUp has all the features you need to organize your work.

So  get ClickUp for free today , and managing your projects will be a piece of cake!

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13 Principles of Project Management and How to Use Them

• Written by John Terra
• Updated on January 13, 2023

There’s much to do in today’s fast-paced, competitive business world. Smart people break up their workload into a series of projects, which allows them to organize the work and make it more manageable.

But more than splitting the workload into projects is needed. After all, you need professionals to oversee or manage the projects’ progress to ensure the work is done within the allocated timeframe and budget. So, it would be best if you had a project manager. But these leaders need a defined set of project management principles to help them keep things running smoothly and according to plan.

This article explores over a dozen project management principles and practices and touches on structure, putting principles into action, PMP principles, and what defines success.

We begin with a few definitions.

What is Project Management All About?

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), a project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.” So, a project has a starting point and a finish, and the uniqueness stems from the idea that all parts of the project are meant to contribute to a stated goal that isn’t an ongoing part of the company’s usual operations.

Projects require project management (PM), which involves applying the knowledge, skills, techniques, and tools to the activities necessary to meet the project requirements. Consequently, project management follows specific basic rules and project management principles designed to help managers lead project team members, define the project’s scope, assess risks and roadblocks, deal with changes, and maintain communication with management and stakeholders.

Also Read: Understanding Project Management: A Comprehensive Guide

The 13 Project Management Principles to Follow

Here are 13 project management principles every project manager should follow.

1) Define your objectives and goals. This phase is an intelligent place to start because you should know why this project exists in the first place and what constitutes success or failure. The project manager, their team, and the clients should meet and ensure everyone’s on the same page. Ideally, goals should be:

a) Realistic. Can this goal be met with the available resources and timeframe?

b) Clear. Do all parties understand what’s expected?

c) Measurable. Does the project have a set of criteria in place to judge when the goal is met?

2) Make a risk management plan. Here is another principle that should be carried out before the project even starts. First, the project manager must figure out the project’s potential risks. Although risk assessment isn’t an exact science, managers can use historical data, knowledge, and experience from the team and the stakeholders to discover likely areas where the risk lies. Project managers can use tools like a risk register template to help collect this data. In addition, risk management plans should have responses in place to resolve the issue before it escalates into a problem.

3) Define the structure of the project’s organization. Here’s another PMP principle that needs to be acted on before things get underway. The project organization’s structure is a framework that facilitates project activity planning, execution, and tracking. Project managers must create an organizational chart that spells out the project’s hierarchy and the roles of every team member. Once the organization has been established, consider what procedures and guidelines the team members must follow.

4) Define the project’s deliverables. Deliverables are unique, verifiable products, results, or capabilities to perform a service created to complete a phase, process, or project. For example, a deliverable could be a new software app, an in-house training class, or an overhauling of the organization’s database.

5) Define team roles and responsibilities. Projects succeed when everyone stays in their lane and avoids duplication of effort. Therefore, someone should clarify the roles and responsibilities and establish boundaries.

6) Establish a communication plan. Constant, clear communication keeps everyone informed and on the same page. When everyone’s talking, deviations and issues get spotted early and can be dealt with swiftly. Define who needs to know what, how that information will be relayed (meetings, regular e-mails, texts, or a mix of these) and how often someone will send these updates.

7) Establish performance baselines. Projects require project performance metrics to measure success. Performance baselines hold you and your team accountable. Therefore, you should always have the means to measure the various parts of the project and see if the measurables align with what you expected.

8) Set priorities and milestones. Priorities show you what the team should focus on, and milestones show where they are in the project’s timeline. By establishing priorities and identifying milestones, project managers will know when they’re on course and schedule. Additionally, team morale rises when you recognize milestone achievements. The project team is more motivated if there’s a means of measuring progress.

9) Develop a change management plan. Change is the only constant; this is true in every aspect of life. So, a good project manager comes prepared with a change management plan. This plan keeps track of changes, specifies how changes are handled, and establishes an approval process. A good change management plan covers changes, delays, risks, and issues involving the project’s scope, budget, and schedule.

10) Devise an initiation and execution strategy. Initiation involves the project’s preliminary work that someone must complete before any other project activities can happen. Execution typically starts with a kick-off meeting to get things underway. Project managers use the kick-off meeting to share the project’s plan and vision, delegate assignments to team members, and turn them loose on the project.

11) Be aware of time and budget limitations. Time and money are finite resources. Therefore, project managers should use project scheduling tools to establish a realistic timeline, factoring in variables such as vacations, holidays, corporate events, etc. In the same way, project managers should create a budget, including a margin for unexpected expenses.

12) Develop a process of accountability and responsibility. Great project managers empower their team members with a sense of responsibility and accountability, which pays great dividends in morale. When managers give team members responsibility for their work, it removes the burden of micro-management and allows them to work from their strengths and learn new project management skills. Both results ultimately benefit the project, the organization, and the employee. But managers must set up a means of accountability before giving team members individual responsibility. For example, managers should have tools to track project deadlines and task delegation.

13) Be transparent. Finally, project managers should create a system where all team members and other interested parties can quickly and efficiently access the project’s relevant information. Project managers who want to develop or improve project transparency should make the project’s data available to the entire team, let everyone see the big picture, provide good collaboration tools, and share calendars among relevant parties, including management and outside stakeholders, if appropriate. Project transparency removes guesswork and uncertainty and leads to better team and project results.

If you want a different perspective, look at these agile project management principles and see where the two sets of principles mesh and where they deviate.

Also Read: Understanding KPIs in Project Management

Put Principles into Action Using Templates and Software

Fortunately, many resources are available to help managers implement project management principles and practices. For example, you can employ project budget templates, project plan templates, and Gantt chart templates. The last chart is handy, as it lets you identify critical paths, set milestones, set up task dependencies, and collaborate with your team, all in real-time.

Additionally, project managers can benefit from a good project management software solution such as:

1) Monday.com

2) Smartsheet

3) ProjectManager

All About Project Structure

A good project structure is made up of work packages. These work packages represent enclosed work units assigned to the proper personnel. Therefore, when creating the layout for your project, you must consider three primary factors.

1) The Project’s Goal. Ask yourself, “What is this project trying to accomplish?” When you answer that question, you have a better understanding of what must be done, which then determines your project’s goals.

2) The Project’s Milestones. Milestones help split the project into phases or steps, each with defined demands and results.

3) The Project’s Timeline. The timeline defines the project’s starting and ending points and the order of the work packages. This information is best rendered into a flowchart.

What Constitutes Project Success?

There’s isn’t a single correct answer to this question. Project success means different things depending on who you ask. However, success is best expressed at the start of the project using key and measurable criteria to judge the project’s success or failure. These criteria can include the following:

1) Meeting essential project objectives such as the organization, stakeholder, or user’s business objectives.

2) Creating satisfaction with the entire project management process. This satisfaction can be based on factors such as a complete deliverable that meets the organization’s standards and is completed on time and within budget.

3) The project’s customers and most of the project’s community are satisfied with and accept the project’s deliverables.

Also Read: 5 Essential Project Management Steps You Need to Know

How Would You Like Project Management Certification?

We mentioned building upon your newly gained CAPM certification to improve your project management skill set by taking other certification courses. For example, Simplilearn, in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts, offers a PMP boot camp to boost your project leadership skills and prepare you to take on more significant challenges and better career opportunities.

The boot camp, aligned with PMI-PMP® and IASSC-Lean Six Sigma, covers valuable project management skills such as:

• Agile Management
• Customer Experience Design
• Design Thinking
• Digital Transformation
• Leadership Skills
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB)
• Project Risk Management

In addition, the bootcamp helps you earn your 146 Professional Development Units (PDUs) to maintain your continuing certification requirements (CCR) for PMI-related certifications. You will also be offered membership in the UMass Amherst Alumni Association.

Today’s business world needs more qualified project management professionals than ever. So, sign up for this valuable project management bootcamp today, and turbocharge your project manager career while opening more doors and career opportunities.

You might also like to read:

9 Project Management Techniques and Tools That Actually Work in 2023

Project Management Frameworks and Methodologies Explained

Project Management Phases: A Full Breakdown

What is Agile Project Management? A Complete Guide

Essential Project Management Skills to Learn in 2023

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Project Management Bootcamp

Learning Format

Online Bootcamp

Program benefits.

• 25 in-demand tools covered
• Aligned with PMI-PMP® and IASSC-Lean Six Sigma
• Masterclasses from top faculty of UMass Amherst
• UMass Amherst Alumni Association membership

• 12 Project Management Principles Explained by Experts

Something big is happening in the world of project management, have you realized? A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition is shifting from being process-led to becoming more principle-based.

A principle-based approach isn’t exactly a new concept. We've had guiding principles of project management guiding our practice for many years. The current shift is simply putting the spotlight on the broader roles and approaches to conducting the work, while processes take a back seat.

What is the Meaning of Principle-Driven Project Management?

Principle-driven project management is a way of working that follows fundamental rules or guidelines for leading a project.

It’s different from process-driven project management because there is more emphasis on making your own choices. You lead the project following a set of core concepts which guide and shape the work.

This shift has happened because it’s no longer possible to mandate processes and expect them to work for all projects. Processes need to be drawn from both agile, hybrid, and predictive ways of working, so project managers should be free to choose the best processes for their projects.

As a result, learners can expect to see a change in the structure and emphasis of project management training materials. We are likely to see more about principles and how to use them and less about memorizing processes in a rigid way.

The PM PrepCast course is always updated to the latest version of the relevant exam content outline for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam, so you can rest assured that your learning will always prepare you for the current version.

The PMP 2021 Framework

It used to be the case that the PMBOK® Guide focused solely on the processes, process groups, and knowledge areas of waterfall delivery, but that is no longer true.

The shift is a good thing: in the workplace, many teams are using agile and hybrid methodologies, and it’s natural that the guides, templates, and books we use to inform how projects are run reflect that variety. When you study for your PMP exam and do your job, you need an awareness of all the things that affect success - and the principles are part of that.

As a result, the way projects are delivered can no longer be determined by a set of defined processes. Project teams need greater flexibility in how they do their work. The project management principles enable that.

They provide a framework for teams to operate within, and they sit alongside any delivery approach of your choice. Whether you are working in a predictive, iterative, or agile environment, the principles discussed below will be relevant for you. Are you ready to find out what they are?

There are 12 project delivery principles - yes, 12! These are the things that guide project execution and that every project manager should know about.

• Chapter 1 Stewardship
• Chapter 2 Team
• Chapter 3 Stakeholders
• Chapter 4 Value
• Chapter 5 Holistic thinking
• Chapter 6 Leadership
• Chapter 7 Tailoring
• Chapter 8 Quality
• Chapter 9 Complexity
• Chapter 10 Risk
• Chapter 11 Adaptability and resilience
• Chapter 12 Change management

That’s a lot to take in. However, you might notice there are some themes that come up time and time again in PMP exam questions . Suppose you have been working in project management for some time. In that case, topics like leadership, quality management, risk management, stakeholder management, and working with a team will not be new ideas for you.

Even if this list of principles is new to you, don’t worry: we’re going to give you an overview of what each of those principles means in practice.

Let’s dive into the first one now.

1. Stewardship: Be a diligent, respectful, and caring steward

“Being a steward means to take care of something,” says Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM, and Founder of The Project Management Podcast . “In a project environment, that means to look after your project and to act with its best intentions in mind at all times.”

Stewardship should be part of your project management practice. “It matters because the project manager is the person who knows the project better than anyone else,” says Cornelius. “You can steer the project in the right direction and make sure decisions are made that are beneficial to the organization. It’s a way of ensuring that personal politics do not interfere with whatever is the right thing to do.”

An effective steward should demonstrate the following values:

• Responsibility

“In a stewardship role, project managers need to act with integrity so their decisions are above reproach,” says Cornelius. “Honesty goes without saying. It’s important that stakeholders can trust what you do and that they have confidence they are hearing the truth from you.”

Cornelius also believes that fairness and responsibility are essential values for a project manager taking a stewardship role for his or her project. “As a leader, you need to step up and make sure ethical practices are the norm for the team, however tricky that might be from time to time,” he adds.

In practice, stewardship looks a lot like careful thinking, negotiating conflicting requirements, and considering ethics in your dealings.

• Standing up for what is right, even if that is the more challenging route to follow;
• Following the PMI Code of Ethics , and;
• Paying attention to small details and diligently following through on requests to ensure a quality result.

Use this principle to guide your activities throughout the work. It doesn’t matter what methodology you are following, what processes you use, or how big the project, being a good steward will help your organization get the results it deserves.

2. Team: Build a culture of accountability and respect

Projects are delivered through teams. So as leaders, it’s important to understand how to make the team work as effectively as possible. That starts with a culture of accountability and respect.

Michael Tanner, the founder of the Credible Leadership Group and creator of The Leadership Calculator , defines team accountability like this:

“Team accountability isn't about a single person, leader, project manager, or otherwise, holding every other team member accountable. Team accountability is about every team member holding every other team member accountable. It's a culture of accountability."

Great teams have a positive work culture, and that helps the project progress with less disruption. "Lack of team accountability leads to misalignment,” says Michael. “A misaligned team may eventually achieve their goals, but never as efficiently and effectively as a well-aligned, accountable team."

Michael has a few tips to share that you can easily put into practice to adopt this project management principle. “Hold yourself accountable as the leader,” he says. “Your team must see you doing what you say you will do. Be willing to give and receive constructive criticism that holds team members to a higher standard.”

As many of your exam questions will be scenario-based, expect to get a lot of questions that talk about teams. Practice with an exam simulator that will help you get used to that style of question and how best to answer.

He also recommends the book The Four Disciplines of Execution (Chesney & Covey) as it defines a couple of extra ideas that are useful for team leaders, including using a compelling scoreboard that indicates if the team is winning or losing and conducting regular commitment meetings where each team member reports on prior commitments and makes new commitments to achieve the team goal.

Other than that, accountability also fosters a culture of trust and efficiency. When you hold all members accountable, team members trust one another, as they share an understanding that each one is fulfilling the roles assigned to them.

Aside from this, as a project manager, you’re able to ensure that no energy or time is spent on activities that won’t benefit the project. As a group, you achieve deliverables more efficiently. You probably work in a team already, so you can imagine what a culture of accountability and respect should look like. Here are some examples:

• Making sure all voices are heard and all opinions considered.
• Embracing conflict as a positive force that helps you get a better result.
• Respecting others and calling out moments where that respect is not given to ensure everyone’s experience of the workplace is a positive one.
• Make it a regular habit to provide constructive feedback about your team members’ strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.

Unsurprisingly, this is a principle you should stick to throughout the life cycle. It’s something you apply from the moment you are assigned to lead the work through to when you hand over the deliverables to the client or customer.

3. Stakeholders: Engage stakeholders to understand their interests and needs

A stakeholder is someone who is interested in or impacted by the project. Each stakeholder expects something from the project, and it’s important to fully understand their needs so you can tailor the engagement to be most effective.

Your stakeholders will have an active part to play in the work, and you probably want them to take some kind of action. That’s why engagement is important: if you understand their motivations, it is easier to deliver successfully as a team.

Elizabeth Harrin, author of Engaging Stakeholders on Projects: How to Harness People Power , says there are many ways that you can engage stakeholders. “From simple newsletters to gamification, there are many tools you can use to create engagement with the project,” she says. “First, you want to gain clarity on stakeholder involvement and why the project matters to them. Then you can better understand their perspective and build a trusted relationship.”

Elizabeth has a few tips to share. “Make sure you know what you are engaging them in,” she says. “Is it the project management process or the deliverables, or both? Once you know that, you can make sure your communication and interactions share your message in the most appropriate way.”

In practice, engaging stakeholders looks a lot like talking and communicating, but with specific goals in mind that drive the project closer to a successful outcome.

For example, stakeholder engagement in a practical situation could be:

• Initiating dialogue early during project planning avoids misses that could drain your resources.
• Facilitating a workshop and making sure all voices are heard.
• Resolving a conflict between stakeholders who don’t share the same view about what should be in scope.
• Working with a team to reduce resistance to change.

This principle applies the whole way through the project, from the initial idea through to project close. “Your stakeholder community may change as you go through the project,” Elizabeth says, “so make sure you are continually reviewing your plans and engaging the right people.”

4. Value: Focus on value

Value, in project management, is the balance between benefits gained and resources spent.

The perception of ‘value’ differs between stakeholders, so it’s important to understand what value means to your community. For example, if you are creating a PMP study plan , you’ll put on there the topics that would have the most value for your learning.

Let’s say I’m creating a study plan too: what I include would be different to you. I would get value out of different topics because my past experience is different to yours. We both have different views of what would be most valuable for us to learn in order to pass the exam.

“From an Agile perspective, one of the best ways to focus on value is the benefit,” says Jennie Fowler , MPM, CSM, CSPO. “Don’t overthink this! I’m not talking about a ton of math,” she adds. “It’s simple really. For the program or product roadmap that you are working on, the goal should be one sentence.”

Jennie suggests putting together a sentence in the following format:

"We are moving from X to Y by [date] with a projected benefit of [financial value/other benefit]."

“Pick items from your backlog that help you move the needle toward that benefit -the goal - with a shortest path mindset,” Jennie explains. “All backlog items can be assigned a simple financial benefit.”

As you work on the project, focusing on value means making sure that you take into account what is important for the customer at any given time.

For example, being value-driven could look like:

• Holding regular meetings with stakeholders to ensure the project will continue to meet their needs.
• Backlog grooming to prioritize the highest value items for delivery in early iterations.
• Regularly reviewing the business case to ensure the benefits are going to be delivered.
• Collaborating with team members to help determine the status of the project, making accurate estimates, and instilling in them the value of looking at these metrics when reaching project milestones.

This principle is something that applies more during the planning and execution phases than other phases because that’s when you will be aligning what you deliver to the customer’s goals. However, agile principles encourage you to be value-driven at all times, so it’s definitely a principle to keep in mind throughout the project.

5. Holistic Thinking: Recognize and respond to systems’ interactions

Systems thinking is the ability to think of the entire system, the individual parts, behavior of the system, and relationships over time, according to Shane Drumm , PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CSPO.

“The benefit of utilizing system thinking is it provides a holistic view of the system which can help understand the dynamics within the system,” Shane says. “The opposite of system thinking is approaching a problem from a single point of view, by looking at the individual part instead of the whole.”

Because you're looking from a bird's eye view, you'll be able to raise questions and see opportunities that aren't typically seen when elements of your project are viewed individually. This new perspective ultimately leads to better-designed products, services, and policies.

You can see why that might cause issues on projects: the team could miss essential integration points and data flows.

“Thinking in systems will help project managers reduce waste and save money by foreseeing the impact of decisions on the entire system,” Shane explains. “They can utilize different system thinking techniques depending on the issue at hand.”

Here is a collection of techniques that help solve complex problems during the design phase, according to Shane.

• Rich Pictures
• Causal Loop Diagrams
• Visible Systems
• CATWOE (which stands for Customers, Actors, Transformation, World view, Owner, and Environment - a technique for stakeholder analysis).

“Methods such as System Mapping, Action Learning, and Systems Dynamics help forecast and identify risks to the plan during the delivery,” adds Shane.

“Next time the team is stuck on a complex problem, try to help them view it from a holistic point of view. Start with positioning themselves as the individual stakeholders to help the team understand the context of the problem they are trying to solve. Then let them be creative by encouraging them to create a rich picture of the problem, so they can visualize the individual parts and how they behave together as a whole. This [method] should help get [everyone’s] creative juices flowing and help the team deliver a solution that has taken the entire system into consideration.”

Here are some situational examples of what holistic systems thinking looks like in practice:

• Using analysis skills to accurately map business processes.
• Drawing on technical expertise to understand IT system interactions. Mapping data flows so that everyone is clear on how information moves through the whole system.
• Listening to your team and accounting for perspectives on how each job is accomplished or each concern is raised about the entire project delivery process.

This principle is something that’s really important during solution design because unless you understand how the business systems link together, you might miss something that could make the solution better.

6. Leadership: Motivate, influence, coach, and learn

“Leadership is absolutely key for project managers,” says Dr Penny Pullan , author of ‘Making Workshops Work: Creative collaboration for our time’ and the bestseller ‘Virtual Leadership’.

“As project managers don’t typically have line management authority over the people in their teams, leadership is different. We need to get things done without line authority, and that means people following our lead of their own volition.”

Leadership in the context of project management is different from leadership in other domains because of the relationship the manager has with the team.

“Effective leaders in this space are much more facilitative, with more use of a servant leadership style than the traditional ‘leader on a pedestal’ style,” Penny says. “It’s much more about influencing and inspiring people. Personally, I think that a facilitative leadership style works really well, especially now in our mix of virtual, hybrid, and in person.”

Leadership in project management is something you do as well as something you experience.

Here are some examples of what leadership in a project context might look like:

• Helping team members understand the vision and goals and their role in delivery.
• Leading by example: being the organizational culture you want to see.
• Mentoring colleagues.

As a project leader, you’ll be ‘doing leadership’ most of the time as you work on the project. From picking up the project to making sure the customer gets what they need as you close it out, leadership is a principle to apply at every step.

Facilitative leadership is a style you can learn and get better at with practice and project management leadership training . “A good thing about more facilitative styles of leadership in project management is that the PM models how the rest of the team can step up,” Penny adds. “With each team member serving each other, success becomes more likely and the project journey more enjoyable, with learning along the way.”

7. Tailoring: Tailor the delivery approach based on context

Tailoring means choosing the right delivery approach based on organizational context, team culture, and maturity, and what you are delivering.

“When we consider an organization and their project management methodology, we usually see an internal evolution or adaptation of a broadly known methodology,” says Bruno Morgante , Head of Digital Transformation Project Performance at ALSTOM. “This adaptation of a ‘ready-made’ system of practices, techniques, procedures, and rules to be used by those working on projects, is already a first step, and an important step, of tailoring.”

However, Bruno believes there is often more an organization could and should do to bring about a tailored solution for project delivery.

“Even when a methodology is tailored to fit the organization’s needs, peculiarities, culture, and maturity, it is important to take a further step and tailor the project management approaches for each project,” he says. “Each project is unique, and not all projects require every process, deliverables, and governance.”

Bruno believes that teams in organizations that prevent tailoring will tailor their projects anyway, but without any control. “What worked well for us at BOMBARDIER was creating a fast-track approach with a simplified governance for particular types of projects with low complexity and low budgets,” he says. The team identified a set of adaptive deliverables that were applicable only to specific projects. “This lowered the burden on project managers and teams, allowing them to focus on delivering and not on creating paperwork,” he explains.

Tailoring is something you do naturally as you gain more experience because it is easier to make those decisions, especially if there is a corporate framework in place that gives you guidance.

If you are just starting out, or haven’t had the opportunity to tailor your processes yet, here are some ways you might do that:

• Reviewing the change management process to ensure it is fit for purpose for your project and making tweaks to the approach as necessary.
• Ensuring everyone understands the approach, processes, and methodology in use.
• Making sure there are regular discussions about how the work is going and listening to improvements for how processes could be improved.
• Taking note of the lessons learned for the reference of future project managers who may revisit your template.

At the beginning of your project, you will make some tailoring choices about how to do the work, with input from the team. However, that’s not the only time that tailoring is important in practice. As you work through the project, you may learn more about how to improve performance and productivity. That’s when you’d want to do a little more tailoring, switching things up, so the team can continue to perform to the very best of their ability.

8. Quality: Build quality into processes and results

Quality should be built into processes and results because stakeholders expect to get an end result that is fit for purpose and meets their needs.

“Project management is about creating value, and without quality, the project team effort is wasted, and no value is created,” says Gabriele Maussner-Schouten , PMP, MBA, BCAP. “In the most basic sense, quality means that the end product or service meets the customer's needs: not more and not less.”

Gabriele says that, typically, quality standards are defined in the Initiation or latest in the Planning Stage. “Together with the customer, the project team contracts quality standards and discusses how to measure quality throughout the project management process,” she says. “I like to make the quality discussion part of my regular team meetings and use various retrospectives to dig deeper if a quality challenge exists.”

Gabriele recommends measuring in-process quality. “This is critical,” she says, “since it allows the project team to correct course early and avoid a finished product or service that does not meet the customer's quality expectations.”

She has seen first-hand how a focus on the principle of quality makes a difference to project success. “In our fast-moving world, I have also witnessed that quality standards evolve throughout the project life cycle,” she says. “This can be part of a project scope refinement by the customer, key stakeholders, and the project team.”

The other consideration for quality is that it is important to understand how quality is defined. “The notion of quality is becoming more multifaceted and incorporates more often on HOW we achieve project outcomes,” Gabriele explains. “There is more emphasis on team effectiveness and an inclusive team and paying attention to our environmental footprint.”

But what does it look like to act on the principle of quality?

Here are somethings you could look out for or adopt in your own environment:

• Robust approaches to how quality management will be undertaken and following through on that.
• Conversing with stakeholders and the team about what quality work is and how it is measured.
• Ensuring team members have the sufficient tools and resources needed to do the job well and avoid cutting corners.

Quality should be ‘baked in’ to the project from the beginning by making sure ways of working encourage quality results. However, there is typically more of an emphasis on quality as soon as you start producing deliverables, because often for stakeholders, ‘quality’ equates to them being happy with what you are doing for them. Make sure that you plan time to do quality activities and don’t try to deliver earlier by skimping on quality.

9. Complexity: Address complexity using knowledge, experience, and learning

“Complexity is the state or quality of being intricate or complicated,” says Mohit Jain , PgMP, PMP, CSM. “There are many factors which influence the project’s complexity.”

Mohit says the following factors influence the complexity, so these are important areas to understand for your project:

• Uncertainty about the scope of the project
• Newer technologies
• Multiple stakeholders’ involvement
• Multiple partners involved
• Inter-dependency on multi-systems
• New territory or new market

“Understanding complexity helps make a proposal or contract comprehensive with adequate consideration for possible risks and their mitigation, as well as for deciding on the contract type,” says Mohit, who is also a PMI volunteer. “When you address complexity, you can decide on the proper project management methodology, and make the decision to choose waterfall, agile or hybrid.”

Bringing together knowledge of the project, the team’s experience, and any other learning will help you minimize the impact of complex issues. “It helps in deciding the proper governance framework,” says Mohit, “and in identifying the right service providers.”

Here are some situational examples of what the complexity principle of project management looks like in practice.

• Making sure the right people with good levels of expertise are invited to participate
• Creating a culture of continuous learning.
• Looking for and expecting complexity and then making a plan to address it head-on when you find a complex problem.
• Breaking down a massive project that feels overwhelming into micro-projects that feel manageable.
• Prioritizing regular team huddles and using collaboration software to ensure smooth communication.

Not all projects are complex, but most organizations are, so it’s highly likely that you will work in a complex environment at some point in your career. Understanding the complexity principle will help you apply it in practice. Take a step back and review the situation as a whole, looking for things that might help you understand the project better.

10. Risk: Optimize risk responses

Risk-related questions come up frequently on exams, so make sure your preparation includes adequate coverage of this topic.

According to Dr David Hillson, risk is ‘uncertainty that matters.’ There’s typically a lot of uncertainty on a project, so it’s important for project managers to be aware of and actively manage project risk to bring a little bit more certainty to the work.

“Project managers typically manage multiple projects containing numerous and diverse stakeholders,” says Harry Hall, creator of ProjectRiskCoach.com . Project risk management helps managers and their teams deal with competing demands and stay focused on the things that matter most.

Optimizing risk responses can also prepare you for the worst-case scenario. When you’re well aware of the risks ahead, you can take steps now to reduce the possibility of encountering threats in the future. Risk analysis essentially helps in the planning stage.

Where do you get started with optimizing risk responses? Harry has this suggestion.

“One powerful priority-setting method for risk analysis is the Probability/Impact Assessment,” he says.

Here is how to use it:

• Rate the probability of your identified risks using a scale such as 1 to 5, 5 being the highest.
• Rate the impact of your identified risks using the same scale.
• Calculate the risk score by multiplying probability times impact (i.e., 4 x 3 = 12).
• Sort the risks in descending order using the risk score as your primary sort.
• Use your risk threshold to determine which risks merit a response. For example, all risks with a risk score of 20 or greater are urgent risks that require a risk owner and response plan.

“When developing the habit of concentrating on the risks that matter most, you will start getting more done than any two or three project managers around you,” Harry adds.

You might feel comfortable with the principle of risk because that has been a common theme in project management for many years. This is what it looks like in practice:

• Carrying out risk analyses using Harry’s process above and making decisions based on the risk profile of the project overall.
• Helping the team and executives understand what risk is and what risky situations might come upon this particular project.
• Making smart choices about risk responses to get the best possible results for both positive and negative risks.

Optimizing risk responses are core to this principle. Make sure you understand what options are available to you for risk response and have a process for choosing the best way forward.

11. Adaptability & Resilience: Be adaptable and resilient

The pandemic events of 2020 made many organizations put adaptability and resilience front and center. For project teams, being able to switch paths, deliver faster and bounce back after a setback are crucial for ensuring projects are completed to customer satisfaction.

“PPM practice is evolving all the time,” says Emma-Ruth Arnaz-Pemberton , PMI volunteer and UK-based PMO expert. “Whether you are in delivery or enabling functions, you should be ready to change alongside the organization to continue to add value and deliver successful beneficial change.”

A huge part of being able to adapt to any circumstance comes from resilience: resilience of the individual, the team, and the organization.

If you think you need to work on your team’s ability to respond to change, where should you start? Emma-Ruth has some suggestions. “Developing and fostering resilience and an adaptable mindset takes input from everyone in the team,” she says. “Developed in isolation, values, and culture won’t stick, so ensure that this kind of work is taken seriously, developed in a safe environment, and in a collaborative way. Once it is developed, foster a culture of innovation through events where community members can engage and share, as well as commit to the plan!”

This principle is all about being able to flex with the situation and bounce back when things are tough. These are great skills to have, but what do they actually look like?

Here are a few examples of how you could use these skills in practice:

• Creating a learning plan for the team, so they have the technical skills required to deliver this project and the next one.
• Listening to stakeholders and being prepared to change the approach or outcomes if that is the best solution for the client or the organization.
• Leading by example and modeling resilient behaviors such as taking a lunch break and finishing work on time.
• Reiterating the value of the project to always remind your team about the value you are trying to build.

Building resilience is quite a personal thing, so the best advice is to consider how well-equipped you feel at the moment with regards to your personal resilience levels and then brainstorm some steps to implement to help you bolster your resilience.

Adaptability is the same: the easiest way to apply this in practice is to be open to change. While change is tough, it is often in the best interest of the project. If you can adapt to changing business needs, you can improve the chances of success.

“Resilience can be taught and should be considered a key skill for the PPM practice of the future,” says Emma-Ruth.

12. Change Management: Enable change to achieve the envisioned future state

“Change management is about setting up people to succeed,” says Bushra Nur , CAPM, “especially those who are going to be impacted by the change.”

Bushra says that project management is all about delivering change, whether that is to a service, product, technology, or process. People are at the heart of these, and that’s why this principle is important to the practice of project management.

“To ensure the change is able to be absorbed and embedded long after the project has completed delivery, change management should be incorporated from the beginning of the project,” Bushra says. “A tip to integrate change management into your project planning activities is to have well-defined responses to common questions at the beginning of your project.”

Bushra recommends answering the following questions at the pre-business case stage and then incorporating them into the business case:

• What is the change?
• Why is the change required?
• How will it impact those affected?
• What will be the consequences if the change does not go ahead?

It’s also important to consider how people will be supported through the change and after the change? Bushra recommends communications, training, user guides, and change champions as options for making sure your changes ‘stick’.

Let’s look at some situational examples of where change management is an important principle to use in your project. For example:

• During a time of organizational change or transition, including mergers and acquisitions or office closures.
• Helping teams understand new processes and software to improve adoption and use of the new ways of working.
• When your organization is changing something that affects that outside of it, e.g., construction projects near residential housing.
• Helping team members to easily voice their concerns about the change to give the team reassurance that you’re for and with them through the transition process.

The principle of change management is something you will find useful over and over again. As projects deliver change, you probably are changing something - however small - on your projects. Keep this one of the basic principles of project management in mind, and you’ll find it easier to encourage others to use whatever it was your team delivered.

Drawing it all together

These 12 principles are shifting the practice of project management. It’s becoming more important that teams focus on broad principles and less on the process - although, of course, using the right processes is always going to be essential for smooth delivery. These principles provide another way to frame what is critical for success.

Think about how you use these principles in your work at the moment. If you don’t think you are doing the best job, focus on choosing one principle to work on and adopt. Then go from there and continue to build your skills, layering on the principles as you go.

Note: For now, please do not tie to the PMP exam, exam content outline, or 7th edition PMBOK directly since the latest PMP exam still uses 6th edition PMBOK as one of the primary references.

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What Are The Project Management Principles (and What Software Should I Use for Project Management)?

Become a better project manager with these 8 principles of project management.

• August 11, 2022 • Project Management

Project management can be daunting, even for the most experienced project managers.

No two projects are alike, and successful project managers must learn how to find the approach that’s best for each particular project.

While there’s no single formula for success, there are principles that project managers can use to ensure they’re on the right track. These principles serve as a system to guide you toward success, regardless of the specific challenges of any given project.

In this article, we outline eight project management principles that will help any project run more successfully.

What are Project Management Principles?

Here are eight project management principles that will help any project run more successfully:

1. Define goals and objectives for the project

Projects should begin with a clear goal so everyone understands what you are trying to accomplish. Goals offer a north star — they help orient your team around the work.

Research makes it clear that goals are one of the most effective ways to improve productivity. Specially, goals achieve three things:

• Activate effort in your team
• Direct that effort into relevant activities
• Foster persistence in the face of obstacles

Without a clear objective, teams can get lost, waste time, and burn resources. On the other hand, a project manager who has a clear goal in mind is more easily able to overcome challenges they encounter throughout the entire project lifecycle.

2. Ensure alignment

It’s critical that project goals are aligned with company goals and direction.

Why? To be successful, projects need to be supported by senior business leaders and executives. Lack of executive support is one of the main reasons that projects fail, and projects that are clearly tied to company strategy are much more likely to receive the necessary support from the top.

To be successful, a project also must fulfill a business need. Even if a project is completed on budget, on time and on spec, it isn’t really “successful” if it isn’t bolstering the work of the company.

3. Identify the project team

In addition to a leader, most projects need a team.

Choosing a team can be difficult. It’s not necessarily about choosing the people with the most knowledge and experience — although those things can certainly help. It’s also a question of choosing a group that works well together.

Look for members who are excellent communicators and listeners. And if they are also organized and reliable and have good interpersonal skills, all the better!

4. Define the team roles and responsibilities

Once you have your people, it’s time to divvy up the tasks and get to work.

One way to do this is for project leaders to assign tasks and roles based on team members’ strengths. Another option is to allow the group to decide who is responsible for what, allowing input from everyone.

Here at Basecamp, we believe in empowering the project team to set and delegate their own tasks. Once projects and desired outcomes are shaped, our project team members are responsible for deciding how to carve out their own roles within the project. We believe this creates an environment of ownership within each project, which leads to more successful outcomes.

Whichever way you do it, providing clear guidance on what tasks each team member will accomplish helps create clarity, improve morale, and foster productivity.

5. Develop norms for working together

You have your team and each member knows their role. How will you work together? How often will you meet? How will you make decisions? What will you use to communicate? Spell out the specifics for your work together right from the beginning.

Maybe you’ll use the Agile method, working in sprints, with a 15-minute standup meeting every day. Or maybe you’ll split into committees and meet every two weeks to share progress.

You might produce written reports on your work. Or you can post progress on your group’s real-time chat in Basecamp.

Will you collect your project files on your internal server? Or compile them in a shared docs folder in your favorite project-management tool ?

There are countless options. Just be explicit with your team about the processes you’ll use.

6. Create a project roadmap

You’ve got your goal, your team, and your process for working. Now it’s time to create your strategy.

Many project managers find it helpful to create a project roadmap. A project roadmap is a shared plan for getting to your goal. It outlines the vision, priorities, and steps you need to take to get there. It often also includes the progress you’ve made.

Roadmaps help your team understand where you’re going and how you’ll get there. It lets them know what’s coming up and motivates them to continue making progress.

In your roadmap, include relevant deliverables, who is responsible for them, and their timelines. We find it helpful to track these on a Hill Chart , but there many options — focus on finding the one that works for you.

7. Identify metrics for success

At this point, consider identifying the metrics you’ll use to evaluate the success of your project. These are often called key performance indicators (KPIs).

Metrics will vary depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. KPIs for project management may measure whether your project is on time (timeliness), within the expected costs (budget), up to a certain standard (quality), or if you’re spending your time and money well (effectiveness).

Examples of common KPIs include:

• Time spent on a project or task
• Planned hours compared to time spent
• Customer satisfaction with a product
• Customer feedback or complaints
• Average cost per hour
• Return on investment (ROI)

Once you identify the indicators you’ll use to measure success, make sure you create methods to track those metrics and collect the relevant data.

8. Communicate effectively

Communication makes up the majority of a project manager’s actual work. It’s critical to check in with the team to identify roadblocks and overcome them.

It also includes identifying key stakeholders and keeping them involved in the group’s work. Business leaders may want regular updates on the status of a project. They may even be required to make decisions or approve resources.

For best results, ensure you have a communication plan shortly after beginning a project and that it includes all relevant parties.

Project principles set you up for success

There’s no one way to manage a project effectively. Good project management often involves changing and adapting your style as you go.

These project management principles will help provide a foundation for your team. Consider them flexible guidelines that you can adapt to your situation. Depending on your project, some may be more important than others. But considering each one as you set up your project can help you avoid pitfalls down the road.

Looking for more project management resources? Check out the Basecamp Guide to Project Management. And if you’re looking for a tool that can organize all your projects and people in one place, be sure to give Basecamp a try:

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What Are the Principles of Project Management?

• 1.  Project Management Basics
• 2.  Project Management Methodologies
• 3.  Project Management Life Cycle
• 4.  Best Project Management Software
• 5.  Team Collaboration Tips
• 6.  Agile Methodology Basics
• 7.  Agile Project Management Tools & Techniques
• 8.  Project Management Frameworks
• 9.  Resources
• 10.  Glossary
• Advanced Terminology
• Methodologies
• PM Software Features
• Basic Terminology
• Professional Development
• Agile Project Management

Introduction to the Principles of Project Management

Smart management is the cornerstone of successful project execution across diverse industries and sectors. By adhering to a set of well-established principles, project managers can effectively navigate the complexities of planning, organizing, and executing projects, just as an experienced sailor navigates a choppy sea. 

In this article, we delve into the essential principles that guide project management practices, shedding light on their significance and offering valuable insights to both seasoned professionals and those new to the field. 

Before we begin, you can unlock a free trial with Wrike right away to make the best of project management in one platform.

What are the principles of project management?

The principles of project management are the fundamental rules that should be followed for the successful management of projects. The Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) does not currently contain an official list of principles for successful projects. However, PMI’s annual pulse survey highlights the principles that successful project managers and companies are following. Here are the nine principles of project management:

• Formal project management structure
• Invested and engaged project sponsor
• Clear and objective goals and outcomes
• Documented roles and responsibilities
• Strong change management
• Risk management
• Mature value delivery capabilities
• Performance management baseline
• Communication plan

Let’s take a look at each one of these in a bit more detail.

1. Formal structure

Projects need to have a formalized structure, including processes, procedures, and tools. If you’ve ever tried to complete a project without a formalized structure (“off the books”), you know how hard it can be to control it and provide the attention it deserves. A project should have a project charter , project plan , and a designated project team to successfully prioritize and manage the project. 

2. Project sponsor

An effective project sponsor is critical to the success of a project. Sponsors champion your project and act as a spokesperson to other executives. Having an engaged sponsor makes it easier to communicate progress, escalate issues to overcome roadblocks, and guide stakeholders through decision-making processes.

3. Goals and outcomes

Without precise requirements and approval criteria, it will be difficult to measure a project’s success. You may think that your final product does everything requested, only to have the customer or user complain that you left out a critical component. The most common factor behind failed projects is a lack of clear goals. Project requirements and approval criteria should be determined and documented at the beginning of the project. These must be reviewed and approved by all key stakeholders, including the sponsor and customer.

4. Roles and responsibilities

Two forms should be used to document and define the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved with a project. For project team members, RACI or RASCI is used to determine duties and expectations. RASCI stands for: 

• R: Responsible 
• A: Accountable 
• S: Sign-off authority (not always used) 
• C: Consulted 
• I: Involved

In a RACI chart , team members are listed along the top, with tasks along the sides. Each member is assigned a letter (R, A, C, and I) according to their role for each job. A stakeholder register documents stakeholders outside the primary team, as well as important information such as the following:

• Communication preferences (type and frequency)
• Contact information
• Level of influence on the project
• Engagement level with the project
• Their role within the company
• Other relevant details or notes

5. Management of project changes

A project needs a well-defined scope to ensure the outcome meets customer expectations. Without strong change management, a project could suffer from scope creep and gradually grow beyond the initial project guidelines. To give an example, team members or stakeholders may want to add additional features to a product. However, if you don’t carefully control changes, you could end up with a great product that costs twice what you expected and is delivered six months late.

6. Risk management

Since we cannot execute projects in a bubble, they all face some risks. Risk can affect your resources, technology, or processes. It’s important to manage risk to minimize or eliminate its impact on your projects. This involves identifying, evaluating, and monitoring risks and deciding upon action plans to implement if they occur. 

7. Value delivery capabilities

Your value delivery capabilities are the project tools, processes, and procedures that help you deliver value to your customers. This can include your project systems, like your scheduling software. It may also include your processes, such as using an Agile project methodology . If you have established and tested approaches for delivering successful projects, you'll be better equipped than if you’re starting from scratch. The more mature your processes and procedures are, the more likely your project will be a success. 

8. Performance management baseline

Projects typically have three basic components: cost, schedule, and scope. Each of these components should have a baseline or plan against which performance can be measured. When these baselines are integrated, it’s called a performance management baseline — then, if you have a change in any one of these components, its impact will be reflected in the others.

Say you have a scope change. With your performance management baseline, you can see how this will impact your project schedule and cost, allowing you to better monitor the overall effect of changes on a project. A performance management baseline improves decision-making, as you can view the whole picture and identify all impacts of potential decisions.

9. Communication

If you’ve worked in project management for a while, you may have heard the saying that project management is 90% communication. A project’s success requires communication of project activities, risks, issues, and status, both within the project team and with other stakeholders. Communication is essential for a variety of reasons, including:

• Keeping stakeholders engaged
• Coordinating tasks and schedules
• Decision-making and problem-solving
• Identifying and resolving conflicts 
• Escalating risks and issues

Master project management principles with Wrike

From initiating a project with clear objectives to effectively managing risks, fostering communication, and promoting collaboration, project management principles provide a solid roadmap for success. However, a roadmap is nothing without a vehicle that gets you to your destination. 

Wrike offers a wide range of features that align perfectly with the above principles. From project templates to real-time collaboration and resource allocation, Wrike empowers teams to efficiently execute projects while staying true to the fundamental principles that underpin effective project management. 

Want to explore how Wrike can revolutionize your project management? Start your free two-week trial today. 

Further Reading

• 3 Tips to Improve Project Management for Creative Teams
• 5 Principles for Managing Remote Employees
• How 5 PM Experts Create a Fail-Safe Project Management Plan
• Don't Forget These 10 Project Management Best Practices (Infographic)

Basic Project Management

• Project Charter
• Project Management Stakeholders
• What is a Project?
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Project Objectives
• Project Baseline
• Project Management Scheduling
• Project Management Work Packages
• Project Management Scope
• Scope Creep

Advanced Project Management

• What is PERT?
• Network Diagram
• Risk Management
• Cost Estimation
• Feasibility Study
• Monte Carlo Analysis
• Project Integration
• Cost Management
• PMI Project Management
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12 Project Management Methodologies: Your Guide

Set your project up for success by choosing the right project management methodology.

Your choice of project management methodology defines how you manage a project. Learn about some common options (and how to choose the right one for your project).

Start advancing your skills today

If you're ready to embark on a career as a project manager, or simply to add project management to your current skill set, you may want to enroll in the Google Project Management Professional Certificate . This comprehensive course takes you through methodologies like Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and more.

What is a project management methodology?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘methodology' as “a body of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a discipline” or “a particular procedure or set of procedures” [ 1 ]. In the field of project management, this would be a set of rules and processes that define how you manage a project.

When discussing project management methodologies (PMMs), you’ll likely encounter a variety of terms—some of them are true methodologies and others would be more accurately described as principles or philosophies. For the purposes of this discussion, we’ll consider a variety of terms often referred to as PMMs, even if they don’t technically satisfy the definition.

12 popular project management methodologies

Often one of the first decisions you’ll make as a project manager involves which methodology to follow. As the industry has evolved over the years, so to have the PM methodology options. Keep in mind that there isn’t one best option—the best methodology is the one (or combination) that best fits your project, team, and company. 

Before we discuss how to choose a methodology, let’s take a look at some common options in project management.

Read more: What is a Project Manager? A Career Guide

1. Waterfall

The Waterfall method, first designed by Winston W. Royce in 1970 for software development, is a traditional approach to project management. With the Waterfall methodology, a project flows through a series of steps or phases. Generally, each phase of the project life cycle must be completed before the next can begin. 

Stages of the waterfall model

1. Requirements: In this first phase, you’ll work with stakeholders to clearly define the project scope and requirements.

2. Design: The critical design phase is when you’ll plan what the final product will look like and what steps your team needs to take to get there. 

3. Implementation: This is where all your planning gets put into action. For software projects, this is when programmers will write the actual code. 

4. Verification: During verification, you team tests the product to ensure it meets the requirements laid out in the first phase.

5. Maintenance: After the project is complete, the development team responds to feedback and makes any necessary modifications. 

When to use waterfall

The logical flow of waterfall makes it an excellent option for short, predictable projects where you have a clear vision of the finished product and fixed project requirements that are not likely to change. It’s best suited for teams and PMs that excel at planning and documentation. 

2. Agile methodology

Agile approaches are iterative, meaning they work to continuously improve a product by returning to or repeating as many steps as necessary. The Agile Manifesto was created by several software development industry leaders as a way to adapt to quickly changing technology at the time. 

While not technically a full methodology — adopting Agile won’t give you a comprehensive plan for how to manage your projects — Agile does offer a series of values and principles to promote agility and efficiency in the development process. 

Read more: What Is Agile? And When to Use It

Four foundational values of Agile project management methodology

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools: Managing a project around your agile team rather than your tools can help make your team more responsive and adaptable.

2. Working software over comprehensive documentation: Robust documentation involved in older software development techniques often led to long delays. You’ll still produce documentation in Agile, but the focus shifts to functionality.

3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation: Instead of working out every detail of a project at the beginning, this method keeps project stakeholders and customers engaged in every stage of the collaborative development process. This is particularly helpful when a customer has unclear or changing requirements.

4. Responding to change over following a plan: Instead of front loading all the planning of a project, Agile encourages short iterations that help make changes an improvement rather than an expense.

When to use Agile

An Agile approach works well on creative projects where requirements might change along the way and the final details of the product are not yet established. It’s also a good option for projects where clients or stakeholders prefer to offer feedback regularly, rather than only when the final product is delivered.

Learn more about PM methodologies in this lecture video from the Google course and enroll today:

Scrum is a lightweight Agile framework designed to help self-organizing teams develop more complex projects. The framework includes a set of roles and meetings centered on the values of commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect.

To better understand Scrum, let’s take a look at some of its roles and practices.

Sprint: Short (usually one month or less) development cycle where a team creates a useable and (hopefully) releasable product increment

Scrum master : Team leader responsible for coaching the team in the Scrum method, organizing Scrum meetings and events, and ensuring team members have the support they need to succeed

Daily Scrum: 15-minute stand-up meeting held each day of a sprint where the team plans work for the next 24 hours

Product backlog: Prioritized list of work still to be done on a product

Product owner: Person responsible for maximizing the value of the product by managing the product backlog

Development team: Roles responsible for the actual development work of a project

Sprint review: Informal session where the development team presents their finished iterations to stakeholders for feedback

When to use Scrum

The Scrum method, best for self-managing teams and a culture open to innovation, can help bring products to market more quickly. The short development cycles and frequent stakeholder involvement can often lead to a better-quality product.

Read more: Agile vs. Scrum: Which Should You Use, and Why?

Kanban is an Agile method of project management that helps visualize workflow to improve efficiency. The method got its start in the Japanese manufacturing industry before gaining popularity across many fields.

At the center of the Kanban method is a Kanban board—a physical or digital tool that divides workflow into columns organized by development stage, such as to-do, in-progress, and completed tasks. This helps eliminate multitasking by encouraging teams to focus on only a few tasks at a time. It also makes it easy for both the team and stakeholders to quickly see where the team is in the development process.

Did you know? The word ‘kanban’ means ‘billboard’ in Japanese. The method was developed by Toyota in the 1940s. 

Six kanban practices

1. Visualize the workflow. The Kanban board visualizes a team’s workload in a way that’s easy to understand and execute.

2. Limit work in progress. Restricting the number of tasks a team is working on at any given time helps maintain focus.

3. Manage flow. This method switches the focus from managing people to managing a smooth flow of work.

4. Make policies explicit. Keep them simple, visible, and easy to understand.

5. Use feedback loops. Revisiting project goals regularly helps the team respond to changes and take advantage of new opportunities.

6. Improve collaboratively. Teams with a shared vision can work together to achieve continuous improvement. These evolutions should be based on metrics and experimentation.

Read more: Kanban vs. Scrum: What's the Difference?

When to use kanban

If you want to limit planning and meetings and focus on continuous improvement, kanban could be a good choice. It’s particularly effective in helping teams work through big backlogs or deal with frequent requests from stakeholders.

The Lean methodology focuses on maximizing value by reducing waste and improving efficiency. It’s another method that came from Toyota and has expanded in popularity well beyond manufacturing. 

Five core principles of lean

The Lean methodology centers on five principles, outlined in the book The Machine that Changed the World and Lean Thinking .

1. Understand value. Think about value from the customer’s perspective. What are they willing to pay?

2. Identify the value stream. Use visual techniques to map out the actions required to develop and launch a product. Use this map to identify areas of waste.

3. Create value flow. You can achieve this by eliminating waste due to things like excess inventory, time spent waiting, or performing more work than is necessary.

4. Use a pull approach. Deliver value as the customer requests it. This keeps the focus on delivering what the customer actually wants while eliminating time spent on features that might not be wanted or needed.

5. Continuously improve. Always be seeking perfection by assessing the project regularly for ways to reduce waste and enhance value.

When to use Lean

The focus on waste elimination makes Lean a natural fit for more traditional manufacturing projects. But it can also be effective in other industries, particularly when you want to keep the focus of development on the customer first.

6. Critical Path Method (CPM)

The Critical Path Method defines the longest sequence of tasks that must be completed to successfully complete a project. These are the tasks that, if stalled, could cause delays in the entire project. The method also maps out the dependencies between tasks and an estimate of how long each task will take to complete.

Mapping out these elements can help establish important project deadlines and define a more accurate project schedule.  

When to use CPM

CPM is best for projects with a well-defined series of tasks that need to be performed in a set order (construction projects, for example). It’s a good option to keep projects with a fixed deadline on schedule.

7. Critical Chain Management (CCM)

Where CPM focuses on time, the Critical Chain Method (CCM) shifts the focus to the supply chain. This method is used to map out a critical path based on resource availability. These resources could include people, physical space, equipment, or other physical components. Unlike a CPM map, a critical chain project management map includes scheduled “buffers” to remind a project team that a certain resource is necessary to finish a critical task. 

When to use CCM

CCM is well-suited for projects that rely on limited or time-sensitive resources to complete. Overestimating task durations by building in buffers helps teams meet deadlines even in the face of unforeseen circumstances.

PRINCE2 stands for Projects in Controlled Environments. It’s a process-based project management methodology used to answer certain basic questions in product development:

What are you trying to achieve?

When will you start?

What do you need to complete it?

Do you need help?

How long will it take?

How much will it cost?

While used primarily by the British government, the PRINCE2 method has been applied to projects in a variety of industries around the world. The method is designed to be scalable to fit a variety of projects.

When to use PRINCE2

PRINCE2 is particularly popular outside the US — it’s used in more than 150 different countries. If your project involves multinational stakeholders, it might be worth considering this method. The focus on robust organization makes it more appropriate for complex yet predictable projects.

The Project Management Body of Knowledge, or PMBOK for short, isn’t so much a methodology as a collection of best practices and guidelines outlined by the Project Management Institute (PMI). 

Did you know? The PMBOK Guide is currently in its seventh edition, published in 2021. This edition reflects the full range of development approaches and the evolving profession of project management.

The book, regularly updated by PMI, breaks down projects into the following stages, often referred to as the lifecycle of a project:

Introduction

Decline / Retirement

For large companies managing multiple projects, PMBOK can help standardize terminology and practices across different departments.

When to use PMBOK

Just about every company and project can benefit from the standardized practices outlined in PMBOK. Project managers who pursue the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification will want to be familiar with the material.

The Projects Integrating Sustainable Methods (PRiSM) model of project management places an emphasis on environmental sustainability. Specifically, the method focuses on minimizing the ecological risks and increasing benefits that may impact the five Ps: people, planet, prosperity, process, and products.

Unlike other methodologies, PRiSM looks at projects beyond the scope of development to consider their impact beyond delivery.

Six principles of PRiSM

1. Commitment and accountability: Organizations should take responsibility for a clean environment, employee well-being, and equal opportunities. 

2. Ethics and decision-making: All decisions should take into account the short and long-term impacts on both society and the environment.

3. Integrated and transparent: Projects should promote financial, environmental, and social benefits at all policy levels.

4. Principal and values based: Projects should use technology to use resources more efficiently.

5. Social and ecological equity: Project managers should evaluate any impact a project many have on vulnerable populations or environmentally sensitive areas using demographic data.

6. Economic prosperity: Fiscal planning should balance the needs of company stakeholders and future generations.

When to use PRiSM

This approach is best for projects with an established environmental impact, such as real estate and industrial projects. It’s not as useful for things like software development, where environmental impact is less of a concern.

11. Six Sigma

Six Sigma, a quality management process developed at Motorola in the 1980s, comprises a set of tools and techniques to eliminate errors in development. This can help reduce costs and customer complaints stemming from errors.

The method generally takes a five-phase approach to improving existing processes:

Define: Analyze a business problem from a customer perspective.

Measure: Measure the problem in terms of data and define a performance metric.

Analyze: Quantify your goals and determine if your process is efficient and effective.

Improve: Find ways to improve process implementation.

Control: Implement and maintain the solution.

When to use Six Sigma

Six Sigma tends to be most effective in large organizations with several hundred or more employees. 

12. Extreme Project Management (XPM)

Doug DeCarlo, the creator of Extreme Project Management (XPM) defines it as “the art and science of facilitating and managing the flow of thoughts, emotions, and interactions in a way that produces valued outcomes under turbulent and complex conditions.”

This flexible approach helps teams adapt to the unknowns that pop up during a project, including frequent changes to requirements and complex project needs. For software development projects, this is sometimes referred to as extreme programming.

When to use XPM

XPM works best for short development cycles with less-defined product specifications. Teams that like to experiment to see what works could thrive with this method.

Hybrid Methodologies

Just as there’s no single “best” method for managing a project, you also don’t have to limit yourself to just one option. Project managers have mixed and matched to come up with new hybrid approaches, such as Lean Six Sigma or Scrumban (Scrum and Kanban).

How to choose a project management methodology

The best project management method for you will depend on your project, team, organization, and tools. Let’s take a quick look at some things to consider and questions you should ask yourself when choosing a PM methodology.

1. Evaluate the project. Does your project have fixed or flexible requirements? Is the finished product well-defined, or will the team take a creative approach to defining it? How complex is it, and how long will it take to complete? What physical resources are involved? Will the stakeholders or clients be readily available, and how involved would they like to be?

2. Consider your team. Some methods work well with small, self-managing teams. Others lend structure to larger cross-functional teams. Also take into account what method your team might already be used to. Would the benefits of implementing a new method outweigh the time cost of teaching it?

3. Look at the organization. What are your company’s goals and values? You’ll want to choose a methodology that aligns with these elements. Some companies may prefer and employ a particular approach that you’ll need to adapt to.

4. Think about your tools. Some project management tools are flexible enough to work with various different methodologies. Others might be more specific to a particular approach. Make sure the tools and project management software you’re proficient in are a good match for whatever methodology you select.

Start advancing your project management skills today

Taking online courses can be a great way to gain job-ready skills and get hands-on experience with different project management methodologies. Start learning today with one of Coursera's top-rated courses:

To build foundational knowledge in this field , consider the University of Virginia's Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management course. This course takes about nine hours to complete and covers how to sequence project tasks, determining a critical path, address risks, and execute a project.

To learn Six Sigma and Lean approaches , consider the University System of Georgia's Six Sigma Yellow Belt Specialization . In about a month, you'll learn methods that help improve business processes and performance and apply these methods to a course project.

To explore project management more broadly and earn a credential , consider the Google Project Management Professional Certificate . In as little as six months, you'll learn about traditional and Agile methods, access career resources, and get connected with top employers through the Google hiring consortium.

Article sources

Merriam-Webster. " Definition of methodology , https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/methodology." Accessed March 29, 2024.

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What is project management ?

Project management  is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters. Project management has  final deliverables  that are constrained to a finite timescale and budget.

A key factor that distinguishes project management from just 'management' is that it has this final deliverable and a  finite timespan , unlike management which is an ongoing process. Because of this a project professional needs a wide range of skills; often technical skills, and certainly people management skills and good business awareness.

Definition from APM Body of Knowledge 7 th edition

Watch: What is project management?

What is a project?

A project is a unique, transient endeavour, undertaken to achieve planned objectives, which could be defined in terms of outputs, outcomes or benefits. A project is usually deemed to be a success if it achieves the objectives according to their acceptance criteria, within an agreed timescale and budget. Time, cost and quality are the building blocks of every project.

Time: scheduling is a collection of techniques used to develop and present schedules that show when work will be performed.

Cost : how are necessary funds acquired and finances managed?

Quality : how will fitness for purpose of the deliverables and management processes be assured?

When do we use project management?

Projects are separate from business-as-usual activities and occur when an organisation wants to deliver a solution to set requirements within an agreed budget and timeframe. Projects require a team of people to come together temporarily to focus on specific project objectives. As a result, effective teamwork is central to successful projects.

Projects require a team of people to come together temporarily to focus on specific project objectives . As a result, effective teamwork is central to successful projects. Project management is concerned with managing discrete packages of work to achieve specific objectives. The way the work is managed depends upon a wide variety of factors.

The scale, significance and complexity of the work are obvious factors: relocating a small office and organising the Olympics share many basic principles, but offer very different managerial challenges. Objectives may be expressed in terms of:

• outputs (such as a new HQ building);
• outcomes (such as staff being relocated from multiple locations to the new HQ);
• benefits (such as reduced travel and facilities management costs);
• strategic objectives (such as doubling the organisation’s share price in three years).

Why do we use project management?

Project management is aimed at producing an end product that will effect some change for the benefit of the organisation that instigated the project. It is the initiation , planning and control of a range of tasks required to deliver this end product. Projects that require formal management are those that:

• produce something new or altered, tangible or intangible;
• have a finite timespan: a definite start and end;
• are likely to be complex in terms of work or groups involved;
• require the management of change ;
• require the management of risks .

Investment in effective project management will have a number of benefits, such as:

• providing a greater likelihood of achieving the desired result;
• ensuring efficient and best value use of resources;
• satisfying the differing needs of the project’s stakeholders .

Who uses project management?

Anyone and everyone manages projects, even if they aren’t formally called a ‘project manager’ . Ever organised an event? That’s a project you managed with a team of people, and project management is a life skill for all. More formally, projects crop up in all industries and business:

• Transport and Infrastructure
• Product manufacture
• Building and Construction
• Finance and Law

The core components of project management

• defining the reason why a project is necessary;
• capturing project requirements, specifying quality of the deliverables , estimating resources and timescales;
• preparing a business case to justify the investment;
• securing corporate agreement and funding;
• leading and motivating the project delivery team;
• developing and implementing a management plan for the project;
• managing the risks, issues and changes on the project;
• monitoring progress against plan;
• managing the project budget;
• maintaining communications with stakeholders and the project organisation;
• provider management ;
• closing the project in a controlled fashion when appropriate.

Watch : Starting out in project management

Starting Out in Project Management is your essential guide to the basics of project management. Written for anyone new to projects or wishing to progress their career as a project professional 'Starting Out' charts the journey of the APM project life cycle , from concept through to delivery and handover.

Watch APM Learning : Starting a project | How to start a project well

In this video explore what it means to start a project well and what you can be doing to make it happen. No matter what or how a project is started, it’s really important to figure out what the key activities are so that you can get stuck in with confidence and clarity. Keep this is mind so that you begin well, and lead your project to success.

APM Learning is a member only resource.  Not a member? Join today

Go to APM Learning   (🔒)

FEATURED BLOG

How to execute a project successfully

Getting on with it. In the simplest terms, executing a project (alternatively called project deployment in the Body of Knowledge 7 th edition ), is about completing the project plan. 

Once we have a plan, we can begin doing the project: completing the tasks, deliverables and milestones to achieve the planned outcomes and benefits.  

Related reading

APM Body of Knowledge 7 th edition

The APM Body of Knowledge 7 th edition is a foundational resource providing the concepts, functions and activities that make up professional project management. It reflects the developing profession, recognising project-based working at all levels, and across all sectors for influencers, decision makers, project professionals and their teams. 

You may also be interested in

The APM Learning portal is an online resource which provides members with access to digital guides, modules and other digital learning resources as part of the membership benefit.

Project – APM's official journal – is circulated quarterly for members only, and online for regularly updated news, blogs, opinions and insights for those in the project community.

5 Project Management Principles Every Business Leader Should Know

Shubham Gupta

1. Set clear objectives from the start

2. create a project plan, 3. organize and manage resources, 4. assess risks and changes throughout the project, 5. monitor progress and performance regularly, follow these principles to deliver successful projects, adopt these five project management principles to deliver successful projects..

Are you a business leader or project manager looking to set up your projects for success from the get-go but constantly overwhelmed by the barrage of tasks and responsibilities that come with overseeing a team and ensuring project deliverables are completed on time?

Getting yourself familiar with the basic principles of project management can help you better plan, execute, and control projects so you can drive successful outcomes. Project management principles are the guidelines, methodologies, and best practices used to manage projects from start to finish.

From setting clear project goals and creating a realistic timeline to managing project resources and risks effectively, project management principles can help you make the most of your resources and lead your projects to success.

We spoke to Katherine Cheung [ 1 ] , a seasoned project management professional with more than 15 years of experience in various industries as well as the business development head of Bella Aura Skincare, to get a real-world perspective on the five key principles every project manager should know and apply.

Apply each principle thoughtfully and strategically to ensure the project is managed effectively and efficiently and, moreover, it's successful.

Katherine Cheung

Business development head, Bella Aura

You won’t reach anywhere if you don’t know where you’re going. Similarly, if you don’t set clear project objectives, you’ll have no way of measuring performance and progress. Start by setting SMART goals —i.e., Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals—so you have a benchmark to assess project progress and success.

Additionally, you should know what you want to accomplish, how long it will take, how much it will cost, and what resources it will need. This principle will help you ensure every stakeholder involved is on the same page and heading in the right direction from the start, making it easier to track progress and make adjustments as needed to achieve desired results.

/ Best practices to set clear project objectives

Define why each task is important.

Prioritize objectives based on their importance.

Identify criteria to measure project success.

Create both short and long-term goals.

Leverage this software to make your job easier: Use project management software to better manage tasks and objectives. The software lets you define the project scope, track goals, assign tasks, prioritize resources, and monitor project progress in real time so you can stay on track and quickly adjust to any changes.

Without a plan, your project can easily lose track and become disorganized, resulting in missed deadlines and wasted resources. Make sure you create a reliable project plan that covers all aspects, and set a realistic timeline for each project phase. The plan should include the tasks, resources, time, and budget needed to complete your project.

Also, before executing the project, review the plan and understand any potential risks or challenges. That way, you can identify potential bottlenecks and prepare to address them.

/ Best practices to create a project plan

Break down large tasks into smaller, manageable chunks.

Assign clear roles and responsibilities to project team members.

Identify milestones and stakeholders to track progress and ensure accountability.

Estimate the cost of the resources you’ll require.

Leverage this software to make your job easier: Use project planning software to easily create, share, and manage project plans. The software allows you to visualize tasks, assign responsibilities, create milestones, manage timelines, track real-time progress, and make adjustments if needed.

A successful project requires the right resources—whether it’s people, materials, or equipment. Without them, the project can quickly get off track. To ace this project management principle, ensure you have access to all required resources and clearly understand, right from the start, where and how they’ll be used.

Create a resource management plan to ensure each phase of your project is adequately staffed and equipped. Also, make sure to identify any potential risks that could affect resource availability and have a backup plan in place.

/ Best practices to organize and manage resources

Evaluate existing resources to check if they’re enough to meet project needs.

Prioritize tasks and allocate resources accordingly.

Plan for potential risks and resource shortages.

Develop a staffing plan with clear roles.

Leverage this software to make your job easier: Use resource management software to track resource availability against project needs. The software helps identify the most efficient way to allocate resources and track their utilization. It also sends alerts in case of potential resource conflicts.

Risks and changes are inevitable in any project, so you need to prepare for them beforehand. Set up a risk assessment plan and change management process to manage risks and changes throughout the project lifecycle. Also, create a matrix or chart that lists potential project risks and their mitigation strategies to stay prepared for any hurdles.

Additionally, establish a clear process for how the project team should respond to changes, and ensure everyone is aware of the process. This will help reduce confusion and delays, allowing you to quickly adjust to unexpected risks or changes.

/ Best practices to manage risks and changes

Monitor progress regularly, and assess the impact of changes on the project.

Set up a system to track issues and solutions, and ensure tasks are completed on time.

Assess risks and develop contingency plans if necessary.

Inform each project stakeholder about its progress, potential risks, and proposed solutions.

Leverage this software to make your job easier: Use risk management software to identify, assess, and manage risks associated with any project. The software is backed by analytics and reporting capabilities that provide a clear picture of project risks in real time, allowing you to quickly make informed decisions.

Without regular monitoring of project progress and performance, you could lose track of what’s already completed and what still needs to be done. Set up a system to monitor progress and performance , such as creating daily or weekly status reports. This principle will help you stay on top of the project, identify improvement areas, and make changes as needed.

You should also define metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), such as project cost performance, quality assurance, and customer satisfaction, to measure progress. These metrics give an overview of your project's performance and allow you to take corrective actions as needed.

/ Best practices to monitor project progress and performance

Establish clear goals and performance metrics.

Use status reports and dashboards to track progress regularly.

Monitor project KPIs to identify early signs of potential issues.

Once the project is complete, assess its success rate.

Leverage this software to make your job easier: Use project tracking software to gain insights into the progress of your project and how it’s performing. The software is equipped with dashboards, analytics, and reporting capabilities to help monitor project status and make necessary adjustments.

Successful projects are a result of the combination of clear goals, rational planning, smooth execution, and meticulous monitoring. By implementing the principles and tools outlined in this article, you can make each project successful and deliver it on time.

With the right mindset, processes, and tools, you can turn even the most complex projects into successful ones. So, start today by taking the first step toward achieving project success. Good luck!

Want to learn more about project management? Check out these resources:

A Quick Guide to Project Requirements Management

5 Steps To Create an Effective Workload Management Process

A Breakdown of the 5 Phases of Project Management

What Is Agile Project Management? An Expert Guide

Survey methodology

Capterra conducted the Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace Survey in December 2021 of 528 U.S.-based professionals who manage projects at their small to midsize business. Respondents were screened for employment status (full-time), size of business (2 - 500 employees), and involvement in project management (extremely involved).

Katherine Cheung , LinkedIn

Was this article helpful?

About the author.

Shubham is a writer at Capterra, specializing in project management. His focus is to guide project managers from planning to execution and beyond. His expertise also spans construction, manufacturing, and other related topics. Outside work, Shubham likes to explore the depth of Urdu poetry and enjoys his time with his dog.

Related Reading

5 key task management software features and top products that offer them, 5 key time tracking software features and top products that offer them, what is a project timeline and how to make one, how to use analogous estimating for quick and effective budget forecasts, 6 top-rated ai-enabled tools for workflow management, the ultimate review of construction project management methodologies, key qualities of a successful project leader, according to award-winning leadership coach, what is project risk management everything you need to know, 4 risk management strategies for successful project execution.

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3 Universal Principles of Project Management

Whether you're an official project manager or an accidental one, nearly everyone who works in a professional setting is being called upon to understand and apply project management principles these days.

This month, we're reaching out to three project management professionals and asking them six universal questions, in hopes of uncovering the underlying principles of successful project management, no matter what specific process or methodology is used.

This week, we welcome Trevor K. Nelson , president of Nelson Project Consulting.

What are the universal steps that comprise an ideal project management process?

That's easy: Plan, Do, Check, Act. Nobody's been able to improve on Deming's formula, and I doubt anyone ever will.

For a more in-depth answer, I was at first tempted to list the processes or steps more traditionally thought of when discussing project management—planning, estimating, documenting, etc. The problem with this is that while they could apply to all projects, the varying degrees to which they're used make them less than "universal." Not all projects need planning in the same way, or the same degree of estimation (cost or duration). Much like "the only constant in life is change," the only similarity in project management is that projects are different.

So how do you list "universal" phases of project management if there are no universal projects? You start with the principles of project management: what, why and how.

First universal principle: know what Done looks like.

What are we trying to accomplish? What is the end result of the project supposed to look like? What is it supposed to do? Or to put it another way, what does "Done" look like?

This is a universal principle with all methodologies of project management. How do we know when we're done? More traditional project management defines this within a Project Charter , while Agile and Scrum practitioners start with the Definition of Done, and PRINCE2 uses Project Product Description, and so on. The key is to define up front what we're trying to accomplish (even it it's just a within a Sprint ). Without that, we're just wandering aimlessly.

Second universal principle: know why you're trying to get to Done.

Why are we doing this project? What are the expected benefits, or as Agile asks, what value is this producing?

Every project needs to have a "why," a reason for being. If it doesn't, then there's no need for the project. A project without a reason is the very definition of waste. We need to know the why, so that we can evaluate progress and performance of the project against that "why" as we go along. All projects should have a continual feedback loop where the current progress is being evaluated against the intended or expected outcomes. Are we on the right track? Does the project still make sense?

Knowing the why, and measuring against that will allow for necessary changes to be made early, or even for projects to be cancelled if necessary.

Third 'universal' principle: know how you're going to get to Done.

How are we going to manage this project? What methodology will we use?

The "how" is about more than a specific methodology (actually the methodology comes last). This is where we define the steps we're going to follow to go from an idea or concept to a finished product. What are the specific steps we need to follow? Do we need a feasibility study , a prototype, testing, etc.? Would a traditional or Agile approach be more appropriate? Will we need to track progress against cost (Earned Value)? The "how" is where we define the specific steps, stages or phases we're going to need to go through to complete our project.

Why is it important for project managers (whether specially trained or not) to know these universal phases?

Much like the " triple constraints " provide valuable information regarding your project in terms of scope , cost , and schedule , the "what, why and how" principles provide the most important information necessary for ensuring a successful project. Projects are done for a reason, to achieve a goal or specific outcome, and project managers are there to ensure the project achieves that goal or outcome. Without knowing and understanding the three principles, the project manager has no way of knowing what goal they're trying to achieve, why they're trying to achieve it, or how they intend to achieve it.

Which of these steps do you think are most often skipped or ignored, whether intentionally or accidentally? Why?

I don't think it's intentional, but the most often missed step, or principle, is the "how." All too often we see projects started with project managers moving right from what are we doing and why are we doing it, into executing the first steps they think need to be done, without looking at the overall project.

All projects, whether traditional or using other methodologies, need some level of planning—BDUP, or planning User Stories and Backlog. Unfortunately, we see far too many examples of projects that were started with little to no planning involved. It's like driving from New York to California.

I know the what (a cross-country trip), and I know the why (to visit family). Now, I can just hop in the car and start driving west, or I can look at a map and plan my route. Only one will be efficient and effective, and ensure I will reach my destination. I may be able to get there by just driving, but there's no guarantee, and it will take much longer and cost more.

As for why this step is missed, I think there are a number of reasons, including pressure to get started by management (who don't understand the value of planning), or not knowing how to plan. Another reason I've seen given is the fear that a plan somehow ties you into a specific path and doesn't allow for changes or alterations. This is a common misunderstanding, and not true of good project management. A plan is a great guide, but a poor master.

Using the cross-country trip example, having a plan means that I know where I'm going and the route I'm taking. This allows me to make some scenic detours for sight-seeing, knowing I can return to my guide to make sure I'm still on track after the change in plans.

What can go wrong if certain steps in the process are ignored?

The short answer is project failure.

The "what, why and how" principles are similar in nature to the ‘"triple constraints" (where hitting two out of three is acceptable and you can still achieve success) but far more restrictive. With these principles, if you miss one, your project is going to fail.

• Don't know what you're doing? Well, it's kind of hard to do a project then.
• Don't know why you're doing it? Again, kind of hard to know whether you're doing the right thing (project) or not.
• Don't know how you're going to get there? Settle in for a long road filled with re-work, pain and suffering.

These are the only three steps in the project management process that can't be ignored.

How can today's online project management tools help project managers follow these steps more effectively than in the past?

Online project management tools are useful to project managers if they provide a way to introduce, document, and reference these three principles. Too many project management tools jump from 'insert project name' into establishing teams, assigning resources, identifying tasks, or building a schedule. Even more so, many of today's project management suites focus on the collaborative aspect of project management, at the expense (or in some cases exclusion) of equally important aspects such as estimating, budgeting, documentation, risk management , etc. All too often, these other aspects of project management ( risk identification & management , cost and budget development and tracking, materials procurement, etc.) must be done outside the project management suite.

Do you use or recommend to your clients any particular online project management solutions?

I tend not to recommend or be in favor of any particular project management software . This isn't because I like or dislike them, but rather, because my focus is on the principles. Tools are supposed to be aids to project managers, to help them do their jobs. Unfortunately, too often the tool is confused with the practice. A good project manager must be able to manage the project without any tools. They must know how to build a schedule and verify the logic, how to estimate task durations , how to build, track and maintain budgets, how to communicate with their team (in whatever medium is appropriate), how to work with stakeholders , and how to keep an eye on the project as a whole.

I would be inclined to recommend an online tool that focused on facilitating project management in a generic context, that incorporated ways to include 'generally accepted' practices, rather than attempting to define or teach project management according to how 'they' felt it should be done. As an example, I was recently in a training meeting for an online project management suite, where the trainer told me that A) there are multiple definitions of a milestone, and B) projects should have no more than four milestones. Both of these statements are incorrect, but these faulty principles have now been transferred to another group of novice project managers.

A project management suite that seeks to be an aid across all aspects of project management—as opposed to either restricting itself to what the developers feel is important or re-defining processes and terms—would gain my recommendation.

About Trevor Nelson

Trevor K. Nelson is an accomplished Project and Program Manager with over 20 years of experience managing multiple projects. He has managed over 500 projects in a variety of industries, including architecture (design), construction, non-profits, professional associations, religious organizations, training and software.

As president of Nelson Project Consulting, Mr. Nelson is recognized as an expert on overall project management, receiving requests for consultation and advice from around the world. He is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a Level C Certified Project Manager by asapm (IPMA-USA), and a PMD Pro 2 by PM4NGOs.

He currently serves as the Board Chair of PM4NGOs and is a former Vice-President of asapm (IPMA-USA). In these capacities, Mr. Nelson is active in promoting sound project management practices, enhancing the theory of project management, and developing and improving the competencies of project managers and organizations worldwide. In addition, he writes frequently on project management topics and has contributed to several project management standards.

Project Management Principles and How to Implement Them

Any organization growing their operations will be faced with the complexities of organizing tasks for the different projects they are carrying out. To be efficient in executing these projects, proper management from planning to doing, all the way to budgeting must be fluid and well organized. Otherwise, there will be gaps that can potentially affect the efficiency of the project.

What is Project Management?

Project management plays an important role in large organizations. Over time, it has grown to be a well-studied and well-recognized management practice that’s seen a lot of developments over the century.

As companies and organizations grow, so do the volume of projects. Projects, especially for large-scale businesses, require structure from the planning stage all the way to the post-project stage. It is difficult to keep track of projects, especially in dynamic organizations, which is why project management plans are implemented to help organize a project and guarantee its success.

Different techniques are applied from the planning to execution stages. There are now a variety of resources you can find to help an individual with their project management skills, but it’s always important to learn and understand the principles of project management.

8 Principles of Project Management

Principles are your fundamentals for successful project management. Here, we discuss 8 principles to remember to help you execute a successful project.

Structure & Definition

Anything that stands sturdy relies on the support of a good structure. This is the same case when it comes to project management. During the early planning stage, having a structure and definition helps set the stage for later success.

Structuring and defining the project means identifying its needs and outlining them in a well-thought-out plan. The needs may include factors like the manpower and team, the budget, the materials needed, and so on. This will help keep the project under control and troubleshoot future challenges that may arise throughout the project’s duration. Without structure and definition, it is hard to have a steady direction for the project.

Communication Plan

Keeping track of communication is a challenge that project management novices are all too familiar with, especially considering that projects involve multiple people.

For most of a project, communication plays a vital role in transferring information. Issues, escalations, hurdles, and progress reports are all important matters that need to be communicated with the team and stakeholders to properly address any obstacles that will hinder progress. Creating a communication plan eliminates the risk of poor communication that ultimately leads to the failure of the project. A communication plan also helps keep stakeholders engaged throughout the workflow.

Clear Goals and Objectives

Another important foundation of successful project management is having a clear set of goals and objectives. Defining these early on helps guide your activities and ensures that every phase of the project advances the ultimate goal.

Being able to lay down the goal of the project and a number of objectives that take you one step closer to achieving it helps you develop a purpose for each task involved in your workflow. Further, these need to be communicated to team members so that everyone is on the same page and knows that their work contributes to a bigger picture.

Documented Roles, Responsibilities, and Accountability

Assigning and delegating roles and responsibilities will make project accountability a lot clearer. When you are involving a team in a project, it is important to document their individual roles and to define their responsibilities. That way, you know who the right stakeholders are for a specific type of project. In the same manner, they can carry out their tasks more effectively because they are clear on their responsibilities and roles in the workflow.

In times of crisis, accountability comes into the picture. When a crisis does occur, it’s important to know what or who is accountable so as to properly troubleshoot the problem. An often-used structure to properly appoint team members is the RACI chart (sometimes also RASCI).

R: Responsible A: Accountable S: Sign-off Authority (if used)  C: Consulted I:Involved

When plotting tasks, you can assign a member a specific letter in the RACI chart to properly allocate who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and involved. This makes the flow of information a lot more fluid and helps clearly lay down the responsibilities of team members.

Transparency

Even honesty plays a big role in project management. When the figures aren’t true to what they are, they create a false sense of progress and can give rise to problems that will come back to haunt you.

Transparency, especially to your project sponsor, is important to help ground the project in reality. Most times, projects will encounter hurdles and obstacles. To seasoned project managers, these are all normal, and being transparent with your project sponsor and the team helps create sound contingency plans as well as solutions if problems do arise. It may not be the most comfortable thing to report obstacles faced throughout the project, but being transparent definitely pays off in the endeavor’s long-term success.

Committed Stakeholders: PM and Project Sponsor

Two of the most crucial roles in a project are the project manager and the project sponsor. The project manager oversees the project from the planning stage all the way to the post-project. It is common for project managers to be all hands on deck throughout the duration of the project

An equally important role, on the other hand, that most likely won’t manage every day operations would be the project sponsor. The project sponsor focuses on making sure that there are enough resources for the completion of a project and also holds the big responsibility of promoting the project and communicating with board members to give them updates. With both committed stakeholders playing a huge role in the conception and duration of the project, finding the right people for the job is crucial to a project’s success.

Risk Management

Prior to even giving that go signal for a project, it’s important to properly assess the risks involved so as to minimize its impact. Risks, if not properly managed, can easily deplete resources and create big problems.  Risk management helps the team identify potential issues or failures and create strategies to solve them should the need arise. While it is ideal that everything goes according to plan, that’s not always the case. Planning ahead and preparing risk management plans will help significantly when problems arise, making crisis management a lot easier.

Success: Measurement, Performance, Progress

Of course, success will always be the ultimate goal when a project is started. But measuring success can be difficult at times. While measuring success may not always be variable, setting milestones helps in giving you an idea of how far you’ve gone. Different methods can be used for this, but perhaps the most popular one is a Gantt chart. Gantt charts let you measure the progress and performance of a project. The chart states the expected time of completion for a task as well as the time used. This allows you to have a clear picture of how much progress has been made and ultimately, how successful the project is. Even when a project is completed and achieves initial success, it is still important to track its progress post-project. These will be the measure for how successfully the project was implemented and if needed, will provide data for innovation and further improvements.

Implementing Project Management Principles

While all these principles might be a lot to digest, it comes naturally over time. Projects are often unpredictable, but they are controllable. Careful planning makes project development a lot more manageable and having these principles as a guide can increase the likeliness of your success.

Of course, all these need to be implemented to take effect. Now that we are aware of the principles, conducting implementation steps will be a breeze.

Projects are great signs that an organization or company is growing. But it’s easier said than done as they take a lot of planning and resources to properly execute. Projects are, however, manageable with the right mindset and skills. Using the 8 project management principles as your guidelines whenever you are working on a project will definitely increase the likelihood of your success.

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Project Management Strategies for Research Team Members

Webinar series on the principles of project management

For more information:

• Understand the foundational principles of project management.
• Explore how project management principles and strategies can influence your work with colleagues and stakeholders on various projects.

Managing projects is a detailed and systematic process. Yet, the applications of this process vary across disciplines and teams. This webinar series will introduce how to troubleshoot, forecast, and problem solve using project management in various contexts while considering how these elements impact the work of teams. Each of the four independent sessions will be led by David Vincenti, PMP, a certified project management professional. This series will identify the principles of project management and how to apply templates and skills to your work and experiences in team settings. The last session will feature a panel of guest speakers who utilize successful project management strategies in their respective roles and professions. Those without official training in this area will gain skills and confidence in project management during this series.

Boundary-Crossing Skills for Research Careers

This session explores approaches to developing a broad range of competencies integral to establishing and maintaining a successful research career. The series delves into the following competencies: team science, mentorship, project management, communication, leadership, and funding research. For more information and to access other resources and webinars in the series, please visit  Boundary-Crossing Skills for Research Careers.

Meet the Presenter

Vincenti has presented to academic and professional audiences on project management, professional development, and other topics, and has been recognized for his work with career planning for early-career technical professionals. He holds degrees in materials engineering and technology management from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Meet the Panelists

Sarita Patil, MD:  Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Assistant Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

Jane Shim, BA : Clinical Research Coordinator, Food Allergy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital

Neal Smith, MSc : Senior Computational Biologist, Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital

Yamini Virkud, MD, MA, MPH : Pediatric Allergist/Immunologist and Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Session dates

Session 1: Defining the Work November 1, 2022 | 12:00pm ET This session introduces basic project management principles. You will learn the definition of a project, how to manage project scope, and how to draft the baseline of a project while considering how projects can be connected.

Session 2: Creating the Plan November 3, 2022 | 12:00pm ET In this session, you will learn to apply project planning terms and understand how to break a project into manageable parts, sequence tasks, and manage time while considering how these components affect your work and the work of your team members.

Session 3: Finalizing the Plan November 8, 2022 | 12:00pm ET In this session, you will explore project management principles further by calculating risks, managing a process, reviewing a project plan, and forecasting the execution and completion of a project while considering how these elements impact your work and the work of your team members.

Session 4: Panel Discussion November 10, 2022 | 12:00pm ET This culminating session features a panel discussion with four successful project management practitioners. The panelists will share their experiences in their respective roles and professions, and discuss how they engage in project management work within team settings.

Time commitment

50-minute sessions on Zoom

This series is designed for team members in the clinical and translational (c/t ) workforce who are familiar with project management but have no formal training. Attendees are welcome to attend on their own or with their team members.

We believe that the research community is strengthened by understanding how a number of factors including gender identity, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture, religion, national origin, language, disability, and age shape the environment in which we live and work, affect each of our personal identities, and impacts all areas of human health.

Eligibility

There are no eligibility requirements. Prior session attendees have included: PhD, MD, postdocs, junior faculty, and medical students.

Registration is currently closed. Please check back for future opportunities.

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