Project Management Excellence: Becoming The Unicorn

More than just cost, scope, and schedule

Photo by Jo Szczepanska on Unsplash

Identifying Excellence

The triple constraint.

If you know anything about project management you know this principle.

Cost — Scope — Schedule.

Rarely can all three be achieved. Managers must select two of the three legs to prioritize, knowing the third will likely be lost.

Good project managers know the triple constraint.

Bad project managers know the triple constraint.

So what differentiates the former from the latter? At a minimum, project managers must be proficient at:

• Timeline development (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, etc.)
• Scope definition
• Costing, delta scope, account tracking, and general financial aptitude
• Communication and coordination
• Planning and scheduling
• Problem-solving and resource management
• Leadership

And, of course, they’ll need to know a little about the industry they’re in. That’s a no-brainer.