Action Plus Project Management’s 10"S"s for Successful Projects
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1. Stretch - Set goals
Establishing goals is the first key to a successful project.
- State the goal as specifically as possible
- Define the goal measures; how will you know if the goal is achieved?
- What will be different when the project is complete?
- What will completing the project enable you to do?
- What limits or restrictions are placed on the goal?
- What standards (industry, regulatory, trade organization) should
the goals conform too?
2. Scope - the work
Defining the work in detail is the second key to project success.
Many projects are late or run over budget because an area of the
work was not identified, or it was thought to be insignificant
relative to the rest of the project.
What must be done?
Identify the work that must be completed to achieve the goals.
This may include:
- Research, design, specification development.
- Compliance to industry standards, testing, reporting
- Construction, fabrication, assembly, package development
- Acceptance testing, documentation
- Sales planning, advertising, marketing
- Hiring and training personnel
3. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
- analyze risks
Performing a Project SWOT Analysis will alert the team to pitfalls
and opportunities to improve results.
What can interfere with accomplishing the goal?
- Evaluate the probability of occurrence
- Plan how to avoid or overcome.
4. Skills Analysis
What resources do we need?
- Researchers, carpenters, writers, laborers?
- Where will they come from? Employees, contractors, vendors?
- How many units of time for each?
- Do we need facilities? What size? Special requirements?
- Do we need special equipment?
- Will there be transportation needs? Testing?
- What will these items cost? Do we purchase or lease?
Can we rent (short term),
Once the detailed work is identified the types of skills can
be easily indented and estimates of work obtained.
5. Spending - A critical component on any project
Once the work is identified costs can be estimated
or obtained through sub- contractor
quotes.
At this time the duration (or length of time) of the work can be
estimated too.
- How much will it cost?
- Permits & licenses
- Materials
- Labor
- Finishes
- Testing
6. Schedule 
How do the activities relate to each other and the entire
program?
- Which activities depend on others? Which are independent?
- Which activities have the most impact on schedule?
- Which activities carry inherent risk?
- Can we shorten the critical path? At what cost/risk?
- Are all the resources available when we need them?
7. Synergize
- Involve the appropriate team members in planning and executing
the project
- Conduct frequent team meetings regularly & issue notes w/action
items
- When faced with a crisis - get team members input and agreement
on solutions.
8. Supervise - monitor & control
Who does what?
- How do we monitor progress? What measures can we use?
- What do we do if something is not going as planned?
- Who is responsible? How do we get agreement if there is a change?
9. Success - achieve the goals/project close-out
Have all the goals been accomplished?
- Do all stakeholders agree?
- What was not accomplished? Why?
- Reviewing the schedule vs. actual, how was the project completed?
- What areas had problems? How were they overcome?
- What areas went well? Were they planned & controlled? Were
we lucky?
- What can we do better? Recommendations?
10. Salute recognize the deserving 
celebrate to thank everyone involved
- Thank all the team
- Recognize good work
- Reward those who went "above and beyond"
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