Project development is a useful process for any type of project. Software development projects, construction projects, transportation projects, and change management projects can all benefit from the structure, guidance, and strategies provided by this approach.
Project development involves planning the project timeline, investing resources, and scheduling team members' time. Like project management, project development is present throughout the project, not just at the beginning of the project. A smart project manager conducts regular check-ins to ensure that resources, time, and budget are being used efficiently.
5 steps to building a strong project development process
Project development is not a one-step process. It runs through the entire project lifecycle. Let's take a closer look at each stage of the process to take a more successful project approach.
Step 1: Project start-up.
The first (useful) step in the process is called initiation. In this step, the goals and objectives of the project are clarified and it is decided how to achieve them in the most effective way.
Gather all relevant plans and documents that are already in place, such as the business case, feasibility study, project terms of reference, project deliverables, and preliminary project budget. Review what you've learned and use it to help determine the way forward.
Based on the objectives and existing research, develop a preliminary project plan or outline. This outline may change a bit as you move on to the next phase, but having this outline can help you develop your project plan in a more strategic way.
Step 2: Project planning.
Once you have a general understanding of the project goals and scope, you need to plan in more detail. In the planning phase, the focus is on ensuring that you have the right resources at the right time. Resources can cover anything from internal team members and contractors to physical materials and digital tools.
It also includes a project budget, which may be released in phases as the project reaches certain milestones. The end-to-end 8Manage PM project management software helps you manage the planning process, view workloads, add milestones, and assign tasks to match project goals.
In the system, you can create project timelines based on outlines and plans, allocate resources by project priorities, and easily make changes or reassign tasks when needed.
Step 3: Project execution.
Once the project development plan is ready, it is time to start implementing the project. The project execution phase is mainly about completing the planned tasks until the project is completed.
If you use 8Manage PM for your project management needs, team members will have everything they need to succeed. Assign specific tasks to team members and collaborators to promote autonomy and ownership; Collaborate with whiteboards, comments, and live chat; Mark urgent or important tasks, update custom statuses, and check when tasks are complete.
In 8Manage PM, you can customize the workflow to your needs, visualize the project in a way that suits you, whether it's a Gantt chart, a Kanban board or a calendar, and give early warnings before dependencies, task progress, and roadblocks become issues.
Step 4: Project control and monitoring.
The project control step is a key part of the project development process. At this stage, a quality assurance check is carried out on the progress made to date. It's an opportunity to assess what works and what doesn't, and to make changes to help the project succeed.
When conducting project monitoring, consider the progress made so far. Review any missed deadlines, scheduling conflicts, budget issues, and resource management challenges. Find out why these problems occur and how to prevent them from happening again in the future.
Quality assurance always happens after the project is over, but it can also happen at established milestones in the project's progress. Incorporating these monitoring moments into your timeline can help you stay on top of things in terms of budget, resources, and delivery, and spot challenges before they become major issues.
Use 8Manage PM Milestones to see the goals and progress of the goals so far. Track projects and monitor changes through the 8Manage dashboard, where you can view and manage resources, budgets, time, and progress.
In short, 8manage PM gives you a clear picture of what's going on throughout the life cycle of your project.
Step 5: Project Closure.
Once the project is complete and the product or improvement is released, the next step is to evaluate what happened. The project closure phase is an important part of the project because it gives the team a chance to reflect on the whole process, what went well, and where it can be improved next time.
Consider whether goals or project management KPIs were met, or if you had to change direction altogether. Counter-thinking barriers or resource constraints, and how to overcome them.
Discuss budgets and resources, and whether they can be managed effectively. Consider what contributed to the success of the project and how you can have a greater impact on future projects.
After meeting with team members and key stakeholders and discussing the project, prepare a project completion report to share with them. The content includes an overview of the project's objectives, strategy, progress, and end results.
Plan your path to success with project management software
The best project teams don't rely on their project management skills. They invest in project development and continuously monitor progress through project timelines.
Use these project development strategies and steps to establish your own workflows and processes to help you achieve your project goals.