There are many factors that make an effective project manager. From my experience, project managers face the biggest challenges managing and communicating project inter-dependencies, open actions, risks and issues.
To help myself and others, I’ve developed a simple spreadsheet, which includes templates for the above items.
For example, open actions can be tracked in the table below, making it easier to keep all the stakeholders aligned on what needs to be done and by when.
| Date Raised | Raised By | Original Action | Progress Update / Revised Actions | Category | Owner | Priority | Target Completion Date | Status |
Additionally, dependencies can be captured in the table below. This format emphasises the potential conflict between the parties and enables a constructive dialogue to clarify inter-dependencies and agree on the critical path.
| Deliverable Title | Provider | Delivery Date | Receiver | Required Date | HandShake? | RAG | Comments / Actions |
Feel free to download the PM Toolkit template (in the Excel format) along with tabs for risk and issue management and adjust it to your needs.
Image courtesy phasinphoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Cyber Security Leadership 