The 10 commandments of project management

The term “project” has become vague because it is used whenever someone wants to achieve something. The Larousse dictionary gives no fewer than 5 definitions, ranging from a fuzzy notion of an idea to a precise concept detailing the outline of the objective to be reached.

The same is true in the world of industry and services:
In the minds of many executives, there is an awareness that a project needs to be launched, but very quickly the requirements for its good execution get lumped together.
Yet it is obvious that the scale of a project is not the same when it comes to delivering a tool from standard production as when it comes to sending a robot to Mars. In both cases we speak of a project under the direction of a project manager, although the scale of each calls for very different skills, resources and stakeholders.
Here we call a strategic project any undertaking that has an overall impact on a company or on several of its departments.

The success criteria of a strategic project are numerous and so specific from one project to another that listing them exhaustively is impossible.

However, experience shows us a minimal list of things to do without which the strategic project is in danger from its launch. We call them the 10 commandments of project management:

1/ Thy objectives shalt thou define
Before launching a project, the objectives to be achieved must be clarified in a project mandate. This list must be clear and precise. The danger is, for a multitude of “good” reasons, to adjust one’s target as the project progresses. In that case, the project is already lost.
It is not forbidden to adjust an objective, but the impact must be clearly studied and validated, without hesitating to question the soundness of the project itself. Sometimes it is better to abandon a project in favour of a new project mandate.

2/ With care, the sponsor shalt thou choose;
For a strategic project, the choice of the sponsor is an essential element in ensuring that the objectives are met. The sponsor must be at least a line director with the power to set priorities and validate the project’s objectives. This person must champion the project within the line organisation and be convinced of its benefits.
Under the Hermes methodology, the sponsor is defined as the person responsible for the success (or failure) of the project.

3/ With even more care, the project manager shalt thou select;
As with the choice of the sponsor, the selection of the project manager is a decisive criterion.
Their profile must be wisely selected according to the needs of the project and the way the company works. In a strategic project, the project manager will have to work with directors and potentially external companies, and experience as an executive will become paramount. It is therefore questionable that some SMEs simply appoint an engineer from a department of the company.
Moreover, the sponsor–project manager pair must be solid and reliable, just like the Chairman–CEO pair of a limited company. It is therefore up to the sponsor to select their project manager.
Other considerations to take into account in selecting the project manager are explained in this article.

4/ Suited to the scale of the project, the COPIL shalt thou set up;
The members of the COmité de PILotage (steering committee) are to the sponsor what the members of a board of directors are to the chairman.
Ideally, each director of a department affected by the project should be a member of the COPIL. Like the sponsor, the COPIL members must carry and own the project within their respective departments. A single COPIL member resisting the project is enough to seriously compromise its success.

5/ By involving the business functions concerned, the COPRO shalt thou establish;
The COmité de PROjet (project committee) is the working group whose mission is to carry out the work under the supervision of the project manager. Its members represent the different business functions affected by the project and should be selected by the project manager with the support of the head of the department concerned.
It is essential here to choose people who do not resist the project’s objectives and whose business expertise is recognised by their peers.

6/ The R&R of each shalt thou specify;
A large-scale project involves a multitude of stakeholders who must be identified and whose Roles and Responsibilities must be defined: each of them must be aware of their own role and responsibility. When problems arise, and they do in any large-scale project, it will be too late to define who must do what: the witch hunt will then be in full swing.
Good project governance is essential to the success of the project.
This article gives some additional considerations on this subject.

7/ The means required shalt thou allocate;
An ambitious project requires substantial means. It is pointless to neglect the allocation of resources, whether financial resources or time for each of the stakeholders.
These means are indispensable investments for the success of the project. There is no point in underestimating them to allow the project to be launched, because the backlash will only be more severe.
If the required means are too substantial, ambitions should be reconsidered or a deployment in several stages envisaged.

8/ Regular monitoring shalt thou ensure;
A large-scale project requires regular monitoring to measure the progress of the work. Like a metronome for a musician, it is essential to beat the rhythm of the project. Only regular monitoring will make it possible to identify risks and resolve conflicts of priorities.

9/ Of discipline shalt thou demand;
Faced with the reality on the ground, the temptation is great to adjust the project’s objectives. However, any change of objective must follow a well-defined process, otherwise the target will be missed entirely.
Moreover, those involved must regularly report back to ensure that tasks progress despite the inevitable conflicts of priorities with day-to-day operations.

10/ The profession shalt thou by no means underestimate.
It would occur to no one to have their home built by anyone other than a qualified and experienced architect. Why should it be any different when the fundamentals of the company are at stake?
Project management is a profession in its own right. It requires skills both in good project-management practices and in people management at different hierarchical levels.
Moreover, the company’s business functions represent what creates the added value of the company. These functions must be involved in the project and not simply subjected to it.
The illusion of delegating the management and delivery of the project to the first person available will inevitably lead to a costly disappointment.

These rules are sine qua non conditions for strategic and complex projects, and also a good basis for simple projects.

The partners of Enatis will gladly help you with this reflection, with no obligation.

Interested in our articles and developments? Follow our LinkedIn page.