During the course of your project management accreditation you may well have come across the term Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM). This is an incredibly practical guide that helps a project manager to manage the changes within their project. It does so through overcoming cultural and personal barriers. It is the concept that allows for the removing, or at least the addressing of any obstacles in order to be able to deliver any project withing scope, on budget and on time.
This is a methodology that can be used in a number of different fields and the principles applied to any situation.
What is implementation management?
Implementation refers to the process that is followed for the execution of a plan so that all of the ideas that are involved can become a reality. In order to ensure that a plan is implemented properly, the project managers needs to ensure that there is clear communication of any project expectations and goals. They also need to ensure that all of the team members are provided with the resources that are needed in order to help them achieve their goals and complete the project to the desired end.
Communication
When it comes to project management skills, the same key skills are important to any types of management, and implantation management is no exception. Great communication skills are what will drive your project, ensuring that you get the best outcomes.
Communication doesn’t just refer the conversations that you have with your team members. It also refers to the project manager’s ability to listen to the things that team members need to communicate to you as well. Every team member has a voice and when you find your project facing a problem, every one of these voices has the potential to come up with the solution that could help you to get past the problem. Listening may not only help you to find this problem, but will also instil a sense of wellbeing in your team members that will make them feel valued.
Any forms of written communication that you send about the project are also important. Emails to and from stakeholders, messages from team members can all have a bearing on the project. When your company invest in good project management software these can all be logged in the appropriate place so they can be seen by the relevant person and also referred back to if necessary. When you keep all of your communication logged in one place you make the work on your project much easier and are less likely to miss something that could be of vital importance to your project.
This is also where you should be able to consult your project plan and see exactly which member of your team is doing what part of the project. It will also allow you to track exactly how on schedule you are, and more importantly identify any areas where you may struggle to make your timeframes. This is particular important if the inability to meet certain deadlines will have a knock on affect on the work that another team member needs to complete later.
The right resources
With the right resources in place for any project the role of the project manager is made much simpler.
There are a staggering number of different project management software option out there which will help to fulfil a number of different functions. It is important to take a look at these functions before you commit to a software to make sure that you purchase one that is the best match for your project. Some of them offer just the simpler functions that you might need for a relatively straightforward project. However, others will offer a much greater degree of complexity. You may not always want to use the same project management for each of your projects.
As part of your project plan, you should also look at the resources that you will need to complete the project. In many cases this will be the equipment that you require along the way. However, don’t forget that in this instance resources can also refer to your project team. Do not sell yourself short and try to complete your project with the smallest number of team members possible. It is really important in this context to consider how many team members you need to be able to complete the project in the timescale that has been allotted to it. If you end up with a member of your team on sick leave would you still be able to cover the work for a short time or would it be too much of a stretch?
Think about the skillset that you have within your team. Do you have all of the skills that you need, not just at the start of the project but think longer term? If there are elements of your project that need skills that are not possessed by the members of your team, you will need to ensure that you have the resources in place and ready to join your team at the appropriate moment. If their skills are not needed elsewhere and they can offer value to your project from the beginning, then you may prefer to have them on the team from the start.
If you are lacking these important skills later on and they are not immediately available to you, perhaps the individual you need is tied up on another project, then you may have to find an external solution which could have implications for your budget. This could, of course, also have implications to your timescales as well and cause delays to your entire project.
Conclusion
With the right resources and lines of communication in place you are creating a much more organised project environment. This will give you the best possible chances of reaching your project goals within all the necessary parameters of scope, budget and timescale. You should also be able to provide the project with the necessary time and budget, buffers that will allow you to cope with any unexpected problems that surface.
