Project Management Focus

There are few things that matter more in project management than focus. The areas to focus on include objectives, team, stakeholders, outcomes and many other project variables. In fact, there are so many areas that it can be difficult to decide which area is most important and the most important area can be different depending on the project and can be different depending on where the project is relative to the delivery life cycle. It is also important to remember that the project will go in the direction that the project manager is focused. Let me elaborate. When the project manager is focused on risks then the project will be about the risks, when the project manager is focused on resources then the project will be about resources, when the project is focus on metrics then the project will be about metrics and when the project manager is focused on outcomes then the project will be about outcomes. The project manager focus creates the project focus.

Methodologies are created to help teach project managers when to focus on certain areas or aspects of the project during the project life cycle. A methodology suggests that during the initiation of a project the primary focus is on the stakeholders and scope and during the planning the primary focus is on the team and schedule. The other thing that a methodology provides is a specific language for the various areas or aspect of the project life cycle. Armed with the “what to do when” and a common language, project managers set out to deliver a successful project. It would be great if it were that easy. A project manager could use the right language and check off whether the work that should be done is done during the right portion of the project life cycle. A checklist here or there would be all that is needed. We all know that it just isn’t that easy. Checking off whether something has been done is not the same as providing the right focus at the right time.

It is true that stakeholders have a primary focus during initiation, they have to be identified, their needs have to be captured and they have to become engaged. The project manager must maintain enough focus on the stakeholders throughout the project so that they stay engaged. Missing a stakeholder causes problems in most projects, losing one can cause a similar problem. The project manager must focus on developing the right schedule during the planning phase and must maintain enough focus on the schedule so the project stays on track. Staying focused on the schedule may mean a project delivered on time but it doesn’t mean the project is successful. Focus must move fluidly like the waves of the ocean. A successful project occurs when the project manager changes focus based on the project need.

The primary focus of all project delivery, from initiation through close, must be on the business benefit seen through the lens of the project constraints. There must be a balanced focus, primarily on the benefits the project is to deliver, without ignoring the constraints of the project. When the focus is only on the constraints the opportunities may be lost and when focused purely on the benefits the constraints may be forgotten. This balanced focus for all activities provides the right view into who needs to be engaged, what needs to be delivered, when the work needs to be done and how the work needs to be done. This balance can provide the project manager the right focus for project success.

Ride On, Manage On