📋 Project Management Fundamentals
Core principles and best practices for managing projects effectively.
Project lifecycle
- Initiation — Define scope, objectives, stakeholders and success criteria
- Planning — Break down work (WBS), estimate effort, assign resources, set milestones
- Execution — Deliver tasks, coordinate team, track progress
- Monitoring & Control — Compare actuals vs plan, manage risks, handle change requests
- Closure — Deliver final output, retrospective, lessons learned
Key frameworks
| Framework | Best for | Core idea |
|---|---|---|
| Agile / Scrum | Iterative product development | Sprints, daily standups, backlog grooming |
| Kanban | Continuous flow | WIP limits, visual board, pull-based |
| Waterfall | Sequential, well-defined scope | Phase gates, documentation-heavy |
| PRINCE2 | Governance-heavy environments | Defined roles, stage-based control |
Risk management
- Identify risks early — brainstorm, checklists, past project data
- Assess probability and impact (P × I matrix)
- Mitigate — avoid, transfer, reduce, or accept
- Monitor — regular risk reviews at each milestone
Communication best practices
- Define a RACI matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed)
- Set meeting cadence: kickoff, weekly sync, sprint review, retro
- Use async-first communication for status updates
- Escalate blockers within 24 hours
Common pitfalls
- Scope creep without change control
- Underestimating dependencies between tasks
- Skipping retrospectives
- No single source of truth for project status