7 Vital Ingredients

Take a basic project plan, add a dash of funding and stir in some talent. Sprinkle with a bunch of engaged stakeholders and cook for a decent sprint and surely you've got the recipe for project success. Well, to truly guarantee a flawless project delivery you need to ensure you've got these 7 vital ingredients in good balance before you start.

1. A competent project manager

Although it is the project team and the wider organisation who will determine the success of a project delivery, the project manager themselves is the lynch pin that holds all this together. They should be well versed in project management itself, and should be working in an environment that both recognises and supports their competence.

2. A framework

Although the project manager will be responsible for delivery, the organisation itself should select and adhere to a solid project process framework to ensure every aspect of the project is delivered with success. Leadership should set the direction, and everyone in the business should work to a framework that allows projects to be successful.

3. Opportunities for learning

Every person involved with the business and the project itself should have ample opportunity to develop and refine their skills and knowledge within the working environment. Developing a culture where self-development is encouraged will lead to more engaged project workers and a more capable team.

4. Plenty of support

At all levels of the project workforce, there should be support and coaching available to ensure employees can develop their skills. Something as simple as pairing an inexperienced person with a more experienced one can provide valuable learning opportunities to the newcomer, as well as some fresh ideas for the old hand.

5. A dedicated project support office

At its most basic, a project support office should exist to relive some of the administrative pressures of the project team. In more advanced organisations, the project support office does a great deal more, often ensuring corporate compliance and feeding into project ideas as solid members of the management team.

6. A strong start

Project initiation is a fundamental part of a successful project, as it is this stage which will allow all involved the opportunity to grasp the business drivers, the objectives and the scope of the project. Whether this involves an informal meeting, a grand launch or something in between, it is crucial to ensure everyone involved has a strong concept of the reasons behind the project and the end goal.

7. Methods of evaluation

Before anyone actually starts doing anything, it is critical to identify how the project's success will be measured. What are you looking to achieve, and how will you define if you have done it? Everyone on the project team, and ideally stakeholders and the wider organisation, should be unequivocally clear on what the aim is and how it will be measured before any project kicks off.