Step 01: Identify sponsors and stakeholders

This may sound simple enough, but it's often overlooked. The sponsors and stakeholders of your project are the ones who will judge your success and shape your project and it's rarely just one person. Understand their expectations of your project and what issues are most important to them. Determine early on which of your stakeholders are most important in terms of both organizational and political terms and get their support. Don't be naÏve - ignoring the political reality in your organization can kill even the best projects.

12 STEPS TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUCCESS

 Home: Introduction
 Step 01: Identify sponsors and stakeholders
 Step 02: Get a champion in top management
 Step 03: Clear goals and achievable, objective deliverables
 Step 04: Own the planning process
 Step 05: Establish a methodology
 Step 06: Be honest about your abilities
 Step 07: Make sure you have the resources
 Step 08: Assemble the best team you can
 Step 09: Communicate early and often
 Step 10: Establish clear metrics
 Step 11: Keep your deliverables in mind
 Step 12: Know when to ask for help

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bernie Klinder, MVP, consultant Bernie Klinder is a technology consultant for a number of Fortune 500 companies. He is also the founder and former editor of LabMice.net, a comprehensive resource index for IT professionals who support Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 and BackOffice products. For his contributions to the information technology community, Bernie was selected as an MVP (Most Valuable Professional) by Microsoft. Copyright 2004 TechTarget