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Project Management 101... continued from page 25
“That way, if things come up, we can just take care of it. So we don’t have to have this formal back and forth change control. And then
we’re going to track that. And if we end up using fewer hours, we’ll reimburse you,” he said.

“Or you tell them, all right. We’re budging these hours. This is exact. Anything beyond this, we have to do a change order. And then they
just know upfront, and it’s documented it’s in the contract.”

This approach won’t work for all projects, but it’s been an innovative practice that serves him well for Tony.

Step 4: Project close-out

It’s a great feeling to wrap up a project and check it off your list.
But the best project managers don’t
end their project involvement after the
final payment is received.

The project close-out phase is a great
time to document what worked well,
what didn’t, and the associated lessons
learned.

Tony holds a project debriefing session,
where stakeholders are gathered
together to both celebrate and review
those lessons learned.
“You’re celebrating for sure. Here’s
what we accomplished. Here’s what we
overcame. Here’s how you helped us
out, customer, client, vendor, whatever.
Make everyone look good. Be humble
about it, and document it. Say hey, here
are the things that we know we would
repeat or do differently the next time
we work together. Just keep assuming
we’re going to do work with you again,
and keep that relationship going,” he said.

Glen agreed that project completion is a natural place to start selling again and to plant the seed for getting the next project with that
client on the books.

“Maybe you say okay, we finished our part. And now there’s still life to the client’s project. And you check in on occasion to find out how
was your product being used in the overall project? Is it still working?” he said.

Checking in on past projects can continue months later. After all, the true lessons learned may only be discovered once the completed
project or site is used.

Any additional learnings that arise can go into your project recap and help you do better on the next project. They can even help you look
better in the eyes of your client if you move to address them.
“They may say, ah, we’re really frustrated with X, Y, and Z. And you go, oh, that would have been an easy fix. And maybe you do it for free
because it’s so easy. And then you’re like, holy cow. You’ve established a relationship that’s going to set you apart from your peers,” Glen
said.

While there are project management certification programs out there, they are helpful but not essential. The true skills of project
management are learned on the job.
When done well, project management is a role that can truly add value.

44 The Nevada Traverse Vol.49, No.1, 2022