Finish the Project

How can a project manager decide what tasks to complete, which resources to commit, or what meeting to attend? The answer is priorities.

A project manager must prioritize everything in order to be able to choose when each event must take place. If you ask the business department to prioritize their requests, everyone will be a "high priority" and a "must have". If you ask the IT department you will get the same answer. Lucky PM's will receive a few tasks that are "normal priority" and "nice to have". Immediately move these things to the road map and the next release.

Schedule, costs, deliverables, stake holders, documentation, third party vendors, client demands and internal constraints all contribute to the complex nature of project management. Add to this list the people issues of politics, departmental pressures, social structures, language challenges and personal agendas.

So, with all the demands and constraints on managing a project… What is the number one priority?

The number one priority of a project manager is to finish the project.