It is best to have a single source of data in your storage system for all information on a project. It should be easy to use, accessible to all staff, and remove the need for storing documents or information all over the place.
Set hold points for your projects, in the scope documents, specifications and especially on the drawings. Enforce inspection of these hold points, to ensure the scope and quality requirements are met.
Ensure your company and your project have good, easy to use verification systems (Quality Assurance) in place to ensure that your project delivers to the quality expected by your company and by the client.
Save time and money with a well organised list of suppliers and contractors that can be contacted for work to help deliver your project.
Avoid problems later by checking early in the project who is responsible for what aspect of the project and who has authority to approve what. Document this.
Due dates are often not set clearly. Be specific with time based language. Specify the date and time something is due. This will reduce misunderstandings on when things are due.
Problem: Some projects have budget allocated to them, rather than being funded by a purchase order or contract or similar. This is particularly the case with internal projects or government …
Delays on projects are very common. Record the reasons for all project delays. Notify your client of delays in the project schedule as soon as possible, whether the delay is the clients fault or not.
Automate as many project management tasks as possible, especially reporting related tasks. A good database driven system is essential for this, especially one of the many online or self hosted project management software tools.
Booking last minute meetings causes distraction, delays projects, slows people’s work, and doesn’t encourage good attendance. Schedule meetings with as much advance notice as possible.