CHAPTER 1 Control of Projects P R O J E C T S AR E E V E R Y W H E R E. Some of these projects succeed; others do not. Many projects fail because the project leader lacks sufficient control to keep things moving toward a successful conclusion. Insufficient project control is a result of many factors: lack of authority, geographically distributed teams, excessive project change, competing priorities, and inadequate planning--just to name a few. Increasingly today, projects are undertaken in environments where the project leader has little formal authority. Even for project managers with formal authority, significant portions of project work are done by contributors who work for other managers, often for a different company. Projects where no one is in charge are almost certain to fail. As the leader of your project, you must assume control, whether or not you possess organizational authority.

As unlikely as it may sometimes seem, any project leader can do much to establish and maintain project control. This book has many ideas for achieving project success using techniques that don''t depend on organizational position or on formal authority. Who''s in Charge? In classes, workshops, and informal discussions of project management that I''ve been a part of, one of the most common questions is, ''''How can I manage my project if I have no power or authority?'''' This issue comes up so often that I developed a list of things that project leaders can (and should) take control of, regardless of their position or power in an organization. None of these things requires any authority beyond what is implicit when you are delegated responsibility for a project, and some don''t even rely on that. Factors That Any Project Leader Can Control * Measurement * Reporting cycles * Milestones * Communication * Project reviews * Change management * Rewards and recognition * Constructive criticism * Reciprocity and exchange * Risk monitoring Project leaders can use these means, along with many others in this book, to enhance their control in any project environment. Because the techniques outlined in the next several chapters don''t rely on the command-and-control authority of the project leader, they are effective in cross-functional, agile, matrix, heavily outsourced, virtual, volunteer, and other challenging environments. In fact, even project managers with substantial authority will benefit from the practices described in this book because they avoid the potential resentment and demotivation that can result from pulling rank. Structure of This Book The first half of this book explores three elements of project control: process, influence, and measurement.

This introductory chapter introduces these elements, and Chapters 2-4 dig into the details and show how to apply them in your project environment. The second half of the book examines when to use these three elements for control throughout the life of a typical project. The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), from the Project Management Institute, identifies five process groups: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. Chapters 5-9 map these topics, describing how to better control your project from its beginning to its end. Where the PMBOK Guide tends to assume that a project manager has formal power, the discussion throughout this book focuses on controlling project work even when you do not have such direct authority. Each chapter begins by outlining the principal concepts for that chapter, then explores each idea in detail using examples. Each of Chapters 2-9 concludes with a summary of key ideas, and Chapter 10 summarizes the fundamental ideas of the book and offers some final thoughts on applying them to your projects. This book contains many ideas--far more than any single project would ever need.

The advice ranges from tips useful on small projects to ideas for dealing with the complexity of large, multiteam programs. Read through the book using your own judgment to determine which ideas are the most effective and helpful for your specific situation. To get started, pick an idea or two from each section that you think will help you with your project. When you encounter a problem, use the table of contents to locate pointers to deal with it, and adapt the practices outlined there to move things back under control. Don''t overcomplicate your project with processes that aren''t needed; if two approaches to a project issue are equally effective, always choose the simpler one.