By their very nature, projects involve working with a range of stakeholders, moving parts and unexpected challenges that can often be at odds with each other. For project managers in government, this can come with its own set of extra challenges – from internal requirements to the higher level of transparency needed when using taxpayers’ dollars.
Some government projects involve work with external contractors and vendors, while others are completed internally. They may work across different departments or agencies and need unique governance structures, leading to added layers of complexity and more stakeholders. Disparities in how projects are managed can lead to a lack of proper documentation, inconsistent workflows, and siloed communication across teams – leading to budget blowouts and extended timelines.
To successfully manage government projects, no matter the size or budget, you need consistent processes, centralised information, and real-time tracking – securely – to reduce complexity and accelerate delivery and innovation.
Follow our 5-step roadmap anytime you are embarking on a new project for improved planning and predictability to deliver projects on-budget, on-time.
Step 1: Streamline your program and initiative planning process
First, outline the key components of a typical program or initiative to better understand the resources, budget and time that should be allocated towards it.
- Create cloud-based templates for outlining key project details, such as vision and objectives, deliverables and project milestones, and budgets.
- Ensure planning templates are accessible to all stakeholders and vendors who are participating in the project, including the management bodies (groups, boards and committees) and individuals involved in implementation.
- Set realistic deadlines and goals for tasks, and create a visual timeline to track them.
- Outline project budget expectations to ensure budgets are discussed before project kick-offs, and loop in all stakeholders for buy-in.
Step 2: Strategise on project intake and prioritisation
If you are in a project management function within your government agency or department, you may have multiple projects that come your way as part of a broader program. If this is the case, you need to be able to determine a consistent way to manage, prioritise, and gain approval on projects – staying on top of the different projects or activities part of an initiative.
- Outline and document steps to prioritise new projects or activities.
- Standardise the project intake process by setting up a project request form that outlines all necessary project details. This is particularly important in the handover from plan owner to project manager.
- Set and formalise project approval standards with key stakeholders and following established policies and guidelines unique to your agency or government body. See the project intake dashboard template for a bird’s eye view of the health and status of all projects as well as to get notified when new projects are submitted.
Step 3: Plan for flexible project initiation and execution
Many government projects still rely on the waterfall project management structure; increasingly, however, the types of projects that government are embarking on require a more flexible, agile approach. Efficiently carrying out a project in a timely manner relies on streamlining the execution process and allowing for unexpected changes without derailing your timelines.
- Streamline project initiation by creating a project launch template, with clear details on each phase of the project and tasks underneath them.
- Facilitate team collaboration across both internal and external stakeholders by keeping project details and reports up to date throughout execution.
- Document steps to identify and mitigate potential risks or success blockers and make them visible to your team with transparency.
Step 4: Manage project visibility
Many government projects face increased scrutiny and require transparency for all stakeholders involved. To manage this, create one location for project details that allows your team to easily access, manage, and collaborate on tasks, with a real-time view into project status.
- Ensure accountability by creating a tracking report to identify who is responsible for each task and ensure everyone knows their priorities.
- Establish steps for assigning and re-allocating resources, and ensure it’s visible across teams. If your team members are going away on holidays or other leave, you can track all non-project resourcing updates in a resource management tracker.
- Set up tracking and reporting guidelines to ensure budgets are managed throughout the project, and create a budget tracking report for your team to reference.
Step 5: Take steps to ensure overall team collaboration
Team collaboration is important in any workplace, but even more so as many government agencies or sectors are either working from home or in a hybrid model. Larger projects may include consultants, contractors or span across multiple agencies or departments. They may involve collaborating with third parties – such as local authorities or emergency services.
It’s important to put the right collaboration tools in place along with creating a culture of transparency and accountability, with communication at its heart. Collaboration is the bedrock of any project’s success.
- Communication throughout the lifecycle of a project is key, so make sure you have a consistent plan in place that allows for collaboration during every step of the process.
- Ensure stakeholders have a place to provide comments and attach feedback within the project plan and throughout execution.
- Set up automated alerts to notify stakeholders when specific deliverables are due, or as project timelines and tasks change.
- Document how teams and PMs should work together to improve collaboration and increase efficiency.
Conclusion
Delivering a successful project or initiative in government relies upon transparency, compliance, and consistent processes that can be managed, tracked, and repeated by all team members and stakeholders in the one platform.
While government project managers may have relied on more rigid methodologies in the past, the nature of modern projects means striking the balance between consistency and flexible work management – helping meet delivery objectives on-time and within budget.
Having the right processes not only sets up a project for success but streamlines reviews and evaluations, giving visibility and accountability every single step of the way – from timelines all the way through to community engagement – in real-time, in one place. This is especially important when tackling long-term programs or working with large budgets.
Once you’ve defined the right processes, allow your team to adapt to nuances and take control of their workloads, all with 360 degree visibility to stay ahead of any risks that could hinder the project’s goal. With the right approach, you can move fast without breaking things – and stay in control the whole time.
With Smartsheet – the enterprise platform for dynamic work – you can make the move to more efficient project management today with our 30-day free trial that comes with access to many pre-structured and customisable templates. Streamline your projects by following these best practices to increase consistency, from project initiation to completion.