Maximizing Success: The Essential Role of Briefings, Planning, and Risk Assessment

Briefings: The Cornerstone of Successful Projects

The briefing is the corner stone of every project deliverable. And yet, many times, they are overlooked. Poor briefing or worste of all, no briefing whatsoever is common in project management. Unfortunatly, too common. And it is impacting a project's success.

So what makes a briefing? What elements does it include? Who is the person providing the briefing? Should briefings be approved by hiearchy and project stakeholders (project stakeholders? Who are these people...)?

In short, a briefing should include a clear statement of the project objectives, a description of the deliverables, the target audience, any constraints or assumptions, and a timeline for completion. The person providing the briefing should be the project manager or someone with a thorough understanding of the project. And yes, the briefing should be reviewed and approved by the project stakeholders and any relevant hierarchy to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Planning: The Key to On-Time Deliverables

Weak plannification and poor planning tools generally work well together. They ensure that project managers and the delivery teams have little to no idea when deliverables should take place. And then, it all becomes (extremely) urgent.

Is this sounding too familiar?

Risk Assessment: Avoiding Surprises and Delays

Project outcomes and objectives can be affected by risk events happening during a project lifecycle. Good project managers will consider these potential risks. Excellent project managers will make a proper assessment of the risks, their impacts on the project deliverables, and deliver an action plan to manage project risks.

So, to sum up, proper briefings, plannification, and risk assessment are essential for the success of any project. Without them, projects are likely to face delays, errors, and other setbacks that can impact the final deliverables. As project managers, it is our responsibility to ensure that these elements are in place and properly executed.

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