Project Management, fundamentally, is not about managing people; it is about managing to a clearly defined deliverable; and, getting the work done.

The Resource Manager keeps the business operating. The Project Manager manages tasks and work that the Resource Manager does not have time for. Thus, the Project Manager is an advocate for, not an adversary of, the business management team.

A dedicated team is better than a split team. People can’t really multi-task, even though everyone thinks they can.

The extra work devoted to break-fix or other operational work bleeds over into project work causing the projects to fall behind. Dedicate a resource to a project by at least 75% and the project will usually avoid the task delays experienced by other projects. Distracted resources give only distracted project work.

As soon as you start managing issues, you are managing by exception, managing by crisis, instead of being proactive and managing to a plan. Each issue should link back to a specific task or deliverable. Insert the issue, its work, and its resolution into the project plan so that you can edit the critical path based on this issue.

Reasonable risk management means nothing more than taking some time to plan for contingencies. The purpose is to develop a way to mitigate the risks before they critically wound the project. A triggered risk becomes an issue which is then resolved in the flow of project tasks.

A good change management process actually begins during the planning phase of a project. The stakeholders and project team commit to clearly defined requirements and scope. The stronger this commitment to the original scope, the better the planning for the deliverables, the fewer changes required during the course of the project.