Strategic Project Management Techniques: Driving Goals to Reality

Hey there!

Ever wondered why some companies seem to nail their projects while others stumble? Well, here's a little secret: it's all about strategic project management techniques. Imagine having a roadmap that guides your team from idea to success, no detours.

Get this: According to a survey by the Project Management Institute (PMI), companies that don't see project management as a strategic tool have 67% more project failures. This just shows how important it is to have solid project management techniques in place.

In this guide, we'll show you how these techniques aren't just about ticking off tasks; they're about aligning every move with the big-picture goals of the organization.

So, let’s get started!

 

What are Project Management Techniques?

Project management techniques refer to a set of methodologies, tools, and processes used to plan, execute, track, and monitor project metric effectively. 

These techniques are designed to help project managers and teams achieve project objectives within constraints such as time, budget, scope, and resources.

 

5 Importance of Project Management Techniques

Project management techniques are crucial for ensuring successful project completion and achieving desired outcomes. Here are five key reasons why project management techniques are important:-

1. Enhanced efficiency and productivity

By implementing structured and laddering techniques in project management, organizations can streamline their processes, reduce redundancies, and effectively allocate resources.

This leads to improved efficiency and productivity, as teams are better equipped to meet project milestones and deadlines.

2. Enhanced collaboration

Investing in the right project management software not only streamlines project creation but also enhances communication and collaboration among remote team members.

For example, tools like Kroolo enable quick creation of project boards and tasks, while also allowing integration with various apps like Google Docs and Figma.

When paired with project management techniques like Agile and Scrum, which emphasize regular updates and feedback loops, these tools ensure that everyone stays aligned and informed throughout the project lifecycle. By leveraging such tools and techniques, organizations can drive goals to reality more efficiently and effectively.

3. Risk management

Employ SaaS project management techniques to systematically identify, assess, and mitigate risks across various projects. By utilizing multiple views like List and Kanban, project managers can track and manage risks more effectively, ensuring smooth progress and minimizing potential disruptions.

4. Timely delivery of deliverables

Implement project management techniques to ensure timely delivery of project deliverables. With features like custom status and AI-powered project creation, project managers can streamline & transform project workflows, track progress more effectively, and adapt quickly to changing priorities, ultimately delivering projects on time.

5. Continuous improvement

Utilizing SaaS project management techniques is crucial for facilitating continuous improvement in project management processes and outcomes.

By leveraging features such as project summarization using AI capabilities, project managers can quickly review and analyze project performance instantly, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes to enhance overall project effectiveness and efficiency.

This ongoing refinement ensures that projects evolve to meet changing needs effectively, driving continuous improvement and maximizing project success.

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8 Project Management Techniques To Implement

Here are some of the best project management techniques that need to be chosen based on the project's specific needs, team dynamics, and desired outcomes. Check below -:

1. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

• What is: WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.
• How it works: It organizes the team's work into manageable sections. The highest level represents the final deliverable or project. Below this level, the project is divided into manageable and definable components or tasks.
• Example: In constructing a building, WBS includes stages like design, procurement, construction, and inspection, each further divided into smaller tasks.

 

2. Critical Path Method (CPM)

• What is: CPM is a step-by-step critical path technique project management for process planning that defines critical and non-critical tasks to prevent time-frame problems and process bottlenecks.
• How it works: This CPM technique in project management identifies the longest stretch of dependent activities and measures the time required to complete them from start to end.
• Example: In software development, the critical path might include detailed requirements gathering, coding, and testing phases.

The critical path method (CPM) uses the following formulas to calculate various parameters:

📌 Early Start (ES): ES = Maximum Early Finish (EF) of predecessor activities

📌 Early Finish (EF): EF = ES + Duration of the activity

📌 Late Finish (LF): LF = Minimum Late Start (LS) of successor activities

📌 Late Start (LS): LS = LF - Duration of the activity

📌 Total Float (TF): TF = LS - ES or TF = LF - EF

In the website development project, the critical path might include tasks like UI design, coding backend, and testing. If any of these tasks are delayed, it will directly impact the overall project timeline.

 

3. Gantt Charts

• What is: A Gantt chart is a visual project management tool that displays activities (tasks or events) against time.
• How it works: On the left of the chart is a list of the activities and along the top is a suitable time scale. Each activity is represented by a bar; the position and length of the bar reflects the start date, duration, and end date of the activity.
• Example: In event planning, a Gantt chart can display tasks such as venue booking, catering, and invitations against a timeline leading up to the event.

 

4. Waterfall/Linear

• What is: Waterfall is a linear and sequential approach to project management and software development where progress flows downwards in one direction through the phases of conception, initiation, analysis, design, construction, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• How it works: In this waterfall technique in project management, each phase must be completed before the next one begins with little to no overlap.
• Example: In constructing a bridge, the Waterfall method would mean completing the design before any construction begins.

 

5. Kanban

• What is: Kanban is a visual project management framework used to implement Agile that enables teams to visualize their workflow, limit work-in-progress, and maximize efficiency (or flow).
• How it works: Teams use boards (either physical or digital) with cards and columns to represent tasks and stages of the workflow.
• Example: In a marketing team, a Kanban board could help track tasks such as campaign drafting, approval, and publication.

 

6. Scrum

• What is: Scrum is an agile project management framework that is used to facilitate team collaboration on complex projects.
• How it works: It involves short sprints or periods where a set amount of work must be completed and ready for review. The Scrum framework includes roles such as the Scrum Master, Product Owner, and the development team.
• Example: In software development, a team might use Scrum to iterate on a new feature with a two-week sprint to plan, build, test, and review the feature.

 

7. PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique)

• What is: PERT is a project management technique used to plan, schedule, and control complex projects.
• How it works: This PERT technique in project management involves defining the tasks necessary to complete a project, sequencing them with a network model, and estimating the time required to complete each task.
• Example: In launching a new product, PERT can be used to identify the steps from concept through production and market launch, estimating times for each phase and identifying the critical path.

 

8. SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)

• What is: SAFe is a knowledge base of proven, integrated principles, practices, and competencies for Lean, Agile, and DevOps.
• How it works: It provides a framework for scaling Agile practices beyond individual teams to the entire enterprise.
• Example: A multinational corporation adopting SAFe might use it to manage a large initiative that requires coordination across dozens of teams around the globe.