Elements of Project Success

There are numerous well-known, time-tested success factors that contribute to the likelihood that your project will be a success.

We will discuss what elements will help you reach your BC/DR planning goals.

In past blogs we have talked about how it is important for executive support; this is at or near the top of success factors for any project, especially a BC/DR project.

User involvement is a key to success because any BC/DR project that does not ultimately meet user requirements likely will be seen as a failure. User involvement must be well managed to guarantee it remains focused and productive.

Clearly defined project parameters (scope, budget, schedule) as well as project definition and requirements are also important to the success. The more detail you develop to describe what you’re trying to accomplish and how you’ll accomplish it, the more likely you are to hit the target.

Projects with more milestones tend to be more successful because these help you keep focused on the pre-identified deliverables. Using milestones, as checkpoints will help you check your progress against the plan, the more likely you are to be able to make small changes early to help you stay on track.

 Also, shorter project schedules lead to more completed projects.

If you are tackling a large project, it may be helpful to divide it in to subprojects.

Lastly, if your team knows what to expect and how to go about accomplishing and reporting on the progress of the project, the overall project has a much higher chance of getting completed on time.