Policy and Procedures Project Management

Posted by SkillMaker in Dec, 2016

Policy and Procedures – Project Management

Policies and procedures are guidelines to help project managers create, run and deliver a successful project in a carefully controlled way to provide proper quality assurance. These guidelines help to:

ensure that all project activities are completed within a specific time and cost framework
ensure that best practice is used, whatever stage the project is at
provide a framework for responding to both routine and unexpected issues
enable those working on the project at all stages to adhere to relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.

Project management policies and procedures provide ‘rules’ and precedents so that a project’s management is not haphazard or inconsistent. If more than one project is being completed by the team, they also help to ensure consistency between projects.

Policies and procedures may be generated by:

the project manager themselves
the person or organisation who commissioned the project
the organisation within which the project team is working
a larger external body
legal or regulatory requirements.

Often the collective bank of policies and procedures for a project evolve from a range of these sources.

In many cases, policies and procedures include guidance about:

the operational hierarchy
the roles and responsibilities of staff who are working on the project
terms for fulfilling the project properly
steps for conflict-resolution
a schedule for feedback
information about any review and reporting procedures.

Outlining and understanding policies and procedures at the start of each project is important. Project team members should, however, refer to them continually during project delivery—especially if unsure of some issue—to ensure proper processes are being used. This, in turn, contributes to a successful delivery of the project.

Additional resources

In order to find out more about policies and procedures in project management, visit: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10266&page=74