As you monitor your project, you will discover changes or alterations that need to be made to your schedule or budget. Insignificant alterations are usually easy to make, while large-scale changes take more time to plan and often need approval from various sources including sponsors, stakeholders, and upper management or supervisors.

Just as a living organism grows, your project will grow and evolve into something more than just plans or blueprints. And just as your children come home and surprise you with new words they've learned from their friends at school, there are outside factors that will pop up during the growth of your project that you will have to address. No matter how much you monitor, you will never be completely prepared for every unforeseen event, such as new shipping charges, a new ordinance, or a labor strike. But the more carefully you monitor progress, the more you will be able to handle those issues that are within your control.

Be Prepared

As you make changes and alterations to the schedule or budget, make sure you keep everyone apprised. If the people working on a project don't know that the due date is now Tuesday instead of Thursday, they'll be late in finishing their activity. Keep all necessary people informed of any changes that affect their work. Also:

• Be ready to explain and justify any changes you have made

• Make sure you get all necessary approvals before making changes

• Work within the system and ask team members to do the same

Be Clear

It is important to be very clear when you give instructions. If you ask someone to make sure everything remaining in the office is packed up for a move, the individual may pack everything up in any number of ways. Asking someone to pack everything up is vague. However, asking someone to pack up everything in cartons that are labeled and taped, so you can easily identify and load each item onto the hand trucks in the morning, is much more specific. You need to spell out details and let the team members know what achievement or end result you expect of each task.

More specific directions will result in less frequent monitoring because you've clarified the process and the desired (and expected) results of the task. Never assume people can read your mind — let individuals know the details you are seeking and the end result (achievement). Achievement-based assignments keep things clear for all concerned.