How to approach a new project

Question

Many a time I get lost in the middle of a project, and the project gets delayed. I have four projects which are still not completed, and new projects are coming.

How should I approach a new project? Are there any books or websites that help understand what I need to do first?

Do we make a database or static design first, as the customer wants to see something online after booking the domain? What are the steps to take when starting a new project?

What we do at our end is start with static designs, then start with the database, and then do the coding in ASP.NET.

Answer 1

You have multiple projects going on, and you need to pick up a new project... well, let's take a step back and look at this from the high level.

Projects A B C D unfinished. What are their statuses? Are they on time? If they aren't, how did they get behind? How they got behind, will it happen to your new project? Do you have the resources to finish these projects on time? Do you have the resources to finish these projects at all?

Project E to be started: Do you have the resources to finish it? Even start it? Do you know what the end result needs to be? Do you know the intermediate steps to get there?

Do you have help internally, both above and below you? What assistance can these people offer?

You need to answer these questions, or at least most of them. These are the questions that help project management. Time - resources - talent - know what you have and what you need!

Without more specifics, I can't really help you more.

Answer 2

There are books and web-sites beyond one's ability to count to answer your question, in brief and in depth and for all manner of projects. I suggest you read the responses to your question here, but check Amazon and Google around. I think that Tom Gilb's book is still one of the best, certainly if you could only afford one book and bought this you wouldn't regret it.

From all the published sources and my many years of project management I distil only one piece of advice:

Stop starting new projects until you learn how to finish old projects.

Answer 3

No there is not such book for you*...

You are the professional...and you are the only one that can give the answers. If you don't know what is more important, no book will help you and you are in the wrong job.

Having this said, I wish that there more like you asking for advise... to help you in the time management field where most people need help.

There are many methodologies but if my feelings about your need are right, all you need is two softwares and alot of discipline: MS project(or something similar) excel(or other spreadsheet)

Make a detailed plan - detailed enough to tell you at the end of each day if you fell short or exceeded your plan. But not to detailed - you need time to work and not just toy with dreams and plans for the future.

in the excel make a log: task ! plan hours ! actual hours in days where you accomplish less then 90% of your actual planing - are very hard days with a lot of over time - you want to go to sleep and fix everything tomorrow -don't! Spend an hour to log what went wrong... phone calls, meeting... everything.

You have to problems 1. You don't know to make good estimations. 2. you jump from one task to another loosing valuable setup time.

You will be late in the next project as well and that is unavoidable... but if you will understand where you loose time. You will make more realistic plans and become a better manager.

*If these thumb rules are not enough - the PMI.org has good website, good course, good book and good people with their PM certification- you can find such expert or become one.

But I really believe that when a professional looks at hard data he can make decisions: 1. I can't speak 4 hr with that client everyday without charging him for the time. 2. That task took me way too long - I need to concentrate, next time I'll do that on the weekend after everybody is gone... shut down the cellphone and finish the job in half time

etc...

• I strongly advice you to find someone that will teach how to use project management correctly, mainly - how to move unfinished work to the future - it's crucial that you will have the real picture of your status and not just have a list of tasks (marked as finished/ not finished) - You will learn alot from analyzing well maintained plan (well not a plan anymore - but actual work!)

Good luck Asaf

Answer 4

And just to make sure it doesn’t get lost in my tl;dr answer above, ‘The Design of Design’ by Fred Brooks is a great whole book on the project planning (and execution) process.

It compares IT projects with architecture/construction projects, which works because the author managed IBM’s OS 360 project and the construction of his own beach house.

It discusses design (i.e. creativity and inspiration) as much as project management, but it’s well worth a read for its in-depth discussion of complicated real-world projects that actually happened, and got finished. It’s simultaneously a great discussion of theory and a great discussion of practice.