Hints and Tips - Project Management (Level 1)

1. Adopt a structured approach…
• It may require more effort (initially) but you will find that adopting a disciplined approach, with clearly defined stages and responsibilities, makes running the project later on much, much easier.
2. Ask an expert for an estimate…
• If you’re not sure how long something will take then ask an expert! If you can’t find an expert then ask someone who has done something similar. These are the best people to get a reliable and realistic estimate from.
3. Get a colleague to check your plan…
• It’s very easy to become ‘blind to the obvious’ when preparing project plans. If you ask a colleague to check your plan they will look at it with fresh eyes and will be much more likely to spot areas of weakness that you have missed.
4. Consider allowing contingency for all activities…
• The degree of contingency will depend on the perceived risk. For some activities it will be almost zero whilst for others it may be 100% or even higher. Whatever the risk, contingency should be estimated for all activities.
5. Always separate the contingency from the activity…
• If you don’t it will probably be wasted, as people will generally take as long as they are given to do the job! If the contingency is separate they will have to justify using it.

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