Have you ever wondered what makes for a successful project? We posed this question to Viktoria Feketeova, the head of the project management team at The Information Factory. Here’s what she had to say about the principles she and her team apply to all data driven projects, big or small.

“I would advise new project managers this - while there are specific methods you have to know, project management cannot just be learned as a tool. You need to practice it every day and every assignment brings more experience that will be useful for future projects. You’re constantly learning! Over the years, I have developed five golden rules which I try to follow daily.

1. Build a team

   First, surround yourself with a team of professionals that you know and believe in. As a project manager, it’s not you and them, you are one team - with the customer. You have a shared goal and if you find people that can remove the barriers in your way, everything will be smoother.

2. Be pragmatic

   Be pragmatic and stay on your toes. You need to know potential risks and how to mitigate them. If you don't you’ll just be fixing the problems which pop up instead of preventing them from happening. Our job is to be proactive and listen to what our team and the customer are telling us to guide projects to success.

3. Focus on the added value

   You have a successful project when you think of the end user and not just a list of IT functionalities that must be implemented mechanically. Focus on the added value that you and your team are creating; it makes project delivery much easier and more rewarding.

4. Know your numbers

   As a project manager, you must know everything: from how many days you have to deliver the project, to how many people you need and for how long. If you know your numbers, you won’t under or over plan and you’ll solve problems faster.

5. Communication is key

   Above all else, communication is key! When building a project you’ll face many challenges and the key to solving them is to communicate. Discuss with your team but also with the customer. Transparent communication always helps. This cannot be stressed enough.”

Please get in touch to know more about project management or to discuss how we can deliver a data driven solution for you.