Project Management System

Whether you are in charge of a project or you just need to step back and take a good look at the big picture, the use of a metrics system to judge the work in front of you can be vital. When you need to get a good idea of where you are and what work has been done and what work still needs to be done, using a standardized metrics system is an important way to make sure that your project stays on task. If you are in charge of managing a project, especially if you are managing it with someone else, a good metrics system can make sure that the project is completed in most efficient way possible.

There are several different criteria that are often used in project metrics systems, but six will invariably show up, whether you are designing software or planning an ad campaign. While you might need to add one or two for your own company's specifications, you'll find that starting with just these six criteria will help you get a better understanding how your project is coming along.

The first criteria is time. Ask yourself or find out where the project is in terms of deadlines and schedules. Is everything coming in on time? If it is going to be late, how late is it going to be and how is this going to affect the end results. The second criteria is the cost of the project. How is the budget coping with the project? Are things coming in under cost, and if it is going over, why is that? Resource consideration is the third criteria, where you judge the project based on how much you have invested in it in terms of manpower, assets and capital. These are critical project management metrics.

Scope is the fourth criteria and it can seem somewhat difficult to capture. Essentially, you are asking yourself how important the project is, and what you hope to use the project for. Will the project continue to meet expectations and will it still do what it was originally intended to do?

Quality is another intangible criteria and it is also quite important to metric systems. When you are considering the time and effort that is being put into the project, make sure that you take a look at what you are producing. Are you proud to put your name on it? Is the outcome valuable and worthwhile?

The final criteria for a good metrics system is action. What still needs to be done, and how should it be done. This step emphasizes the fact that the metrics system should be used at all steps of your project and that it can help and guide your work. System performance metrics form a useful project management guideline.

One of the reasons why a metric system is so important is that it gives everyone a great convergence point. Whenever you ask a group of ten people what "success" means for a specific project, there is a good chance that you'll get ten different answers! When everyone agrees on the points in a metrics system it is much easier to judge the progress of a certain project.

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