Project Management Basics: Have You Mastered These Six Fundamentals?
No matter your type of health care organization, your project management fundamentals should be defined by the terms why, what, when, who, where, and how.

As seen in Healthcare Business Today.
At times undervalued, project management is the glue that holds projects together and propels them to success. Done well, project management mitigates project risks, cuts costs and improves success rates. Conversely, poor project management can cause projects to fall apart, wasting time and resources.
Based on my more than 25 years of project/program experience in health care, I have assembled the following six fundamentals for project management success. By coupling these with a committed sponsor, dedicated team and realistic budget and schedule, you should be on your way to project management success!
The Six Fundamentals
No matter your type of health care organization, your project management fundamentals should be defined by the terms why, what, when, who, where, and how.
1) Set a project goal: Why are we doing this project?
In my experience, nearly 90 percent of projects launch and complete without a clear understanding of why the project is important to the organization. It’s virtually impossible to define a project’s goals — and keep team members on track — when you have no idea how to measure or identify success.
Here are ways to clarify the expected project goals and outcomes:
2) Describe your project: What are we doing here?
Clearly defining and managing project scope is challenging. At a high level, this is understanding what you are creating, building, or developing. While you may have a clear project objective, you may also have no sense of how detailed a project like this will be. Without clearly understanding all of the moving parts, how can you properly resource or schedule the project?
To properly outline and define your projects’ scope:
3) Set a firm project deadline: When does your project need to be completed?
Every project has a timeline and due date. To maximize success, clearly define how much time it will take to complete the project and communicate this to your entire team.
4) Define project roles: Who and what are my project resources?
From my project management experience, I learned that a lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities often causes work to not get done or fall through the cracks – everyone thought someone else was doing the work! To manage resources effectively:
5) Determine your project location: Where is the project taking place?
Do not overlook location when considering project fundamentals. The logistics of where your work will be completed is important and can directly impact resource management.
6) Determine your project approach: How will the project be completed?
It is critical that the project team and stakeholders understand how the project will be tracked and managed, as well as how project progress and issues will be communicated. Your project management plan should:
Toward Successful Project Outcomes
No matter your staff’s attributes and the worthiness of your project, if project management fundamentals are not effectively employed, projects can fail to meet their deadlines and/or desired business outcomes. By adhering to the six project management fundamentals above and clearly communicating measurable business outcomes with your sponsors, you can achieve greater health care project management success.