Words and photo by Tricia Thomas

Project management can be many things. It can involve a multi-million dollar project for a corporation, something in our personal life such as planning a vacation, or even setting up a new office.

Setting up a new office, in particular, can be overwhelming at first. There is so much to think about, especially if it is your first time moving into a new office space. That being said, investing in high-quality office furniture is always a good place to start.

At the very least, each of your employees will need their own office chair and a desk so that they can work comfortably. It might seem intuitive, but in the fast-paced world of business, it can be all too easy to forget about the small things when opening your new office.

Furthermore, it might also be worthwhile investing in some storage solutions. Boxes, filing cabinets, shelving, and other essential pieces of office furniture can all make a huge difference to your office space and can create an environment that is welcoming and organized.

So, how does this all fit into managing a project?

Whether a big or small undertaking, managing a successful project is all about prioritizing and preparing ahead of time. Those were some of the things learned when people from Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council nations participated in a project management planning essentials workshop recently.

The three-day training session took participants through a complete project from planning to implementation and control. Together participants gained essential techniques and tools to assist in the most important aspect of starting any project.

Staying focused and having a solid vision of why you are managing a project in the first place are vital. Take a family vacation, for example. The more family members (stakeholders) that are going on the holiday, the more things need to be planned.

Once everyone decides that they’re going on holiday together (project approval) the real work begins. Project management involves planning and carrying out a collection of activities bound by a timeline and specific costs. The goal is to deliver a unique solution.

Planning a vacation or a work project follows the same steps:

1. Hold initial stakeholders meeting;

2. Determine budget and deadlines;

3. Delegate work;

4. Set milestones; and

5. Measure progress.

Understanding fundamentals is important. Applying those fundamentals is all about controlling the scope, quality, time and cost to create a balanced solution.

A well-planned holiday gives you a better chance of enjoying your time off. A well-managed work project has a greater chance of being a success.

Workshop participants in the sessions – facilitated by Greg Philliban of Environment Project Management & Sustainability Solutions – went home eager to start applying new skills.