There are many project management methodologies out there. Toolset, frameworks, certifications. Words that come to mind are Prince, Scrum, Agile, Stand up. Confused? Me too. Over time I have learnt to always have a simple guiding project management philosophy. Read on for my secrets.

My philosophy has come from reviewing where projects go wrong. A classic issue on many projects is poor requirements. Any great product can be made to look poor based on a bad fit. There are also other issues as you will see as you read below.

So what is the philosophy? The philosophy is summarised by the following mantra.

Consult, Communicate, Test and Train. Then Kudos!

Consult – when you do a task or project, make sure you talk to those involved – users, stakeholder etc. Get their feedback and take that into consideration as you plan your way forward.

Communicate – communicate what you are doing. The best way to get people on board with your vision is to sow seeds early. Share what you are doing and why. That way nothing is a surprise when you enact your vision.

Test – whether it is a project, or a new method of managing a process, always make sure to test it out and ask for feedback.

Train – no matter how good an outcome is, if you don’t train people on your new process or new system, they may rightly think it just doesn’t work. Training is key to any great initiative and outcome.

Kudos! (yes, exclaimed!) – this has now been added to my mantra of late. Always give Kudos (thanks) to those who have helped you along the way!

Miss any one out, and you will sure have issues of some sort. Recite to heart and reflect on the next time you are doing a ‘lessons learnt’. Happy project management!