Projects, when completed on time, are often within budget and meet their quality standards. Here are five best practices for successful project management.

Plan – Remember that planning a project is not a waste of time and detailed plans will help to reduce costs and maintain the quality of the project. Look into the projects objectives, scope, risks and what type of approach you intend to take to accomplish your project.

A work plan – A clear work plan will provide step-by-step instructions to help the project stay on track and make managing the project a lot easier. Start off with a prior work plan and amend this work plan to suit your current project.

Project management procedures – Look at the resources that will be used to manage the project and consider how you will manage issues, risks, quality, and communication. Ensure that the entire team has a clear understanding of how the project will be managed. So that correct procedure is followed and delivery times are met.

Manage the work plan, monitor, schedule, and budget – Review the work plan to understand if your project is progressing on schedule and is within budget. Identify what has been completed and update your work plan to give you and the team momentum to finish the project.

Look for warning signs – Monitor variances in relation to the budget as even small variances can be an indication of bigger issues to come.

Written Lyle Charles. A construction claims consultant who can cater to your construction project needs.