Project design is a big step towards a successful project. Project design is a strategic organization of ideas, materials and processes to achieve a goal. Project managers rely on good design to avoid risks and provide parameters to maintain critical aspects of the project such as schedule and budget. Some people may go through the early stages of the project, such as project design, too quickly, but this is a mistake. Any seasoned manager can tell you from experience that the more effort you put into a project at the beginning, the better results you will achieve at the end.

What is project design?

Project design is one of the first responsibilities of a project manager for a specific project. At this stage of the project, a decision is made on how to manage and direct the project. The project plan is created and of course it is focused on the needs of the stakeholders, the organization and the project itself. This document will then be used to manage all subsequent phases of the project. However, the thinking continues throughout the project design and focuses on the details as well as working on the higher levels of project management. Project design details include all items for the person responsible for completing the project, including the project description, project goals, project outcomes, and project objectives. The project design describes when these goals, results, and objectives will be available and when the major results, deliverables, or features will be completed. The project design also estimates the budget and specifies how progress will be monitored and evaluated. Investors can be offered more than one plan after which they can choose the plan that best suits their needs.

Project design structure

How do you design your product to deliver what it promises? It's hard work. But project management has a process to do it. There are steps to take to define projects and develop an implementation strategy. These steps are the most important in a project. So you need to involve your team and investors in the process to make sure all assumptions are covered. Allow time to complete this entire step.

What is the perspective of the project?

This is not something to hope for the sky, but a description of a perspective to see a problem that needs clarity. This means clarifying the reason for the project. A vision statement is a formal document that describes the project's potential. This document is shown to the investors to show the sustainability of the project and its benefits. This is not a long and detailed document. You can have a short and ideal vision about the outcome of the project; Well, finally, this is how to sell a project. So build a picture of the project's success and put it in a larger context.

What is the problem with the project?

To support this vision document, you need a problem that needs to be solved. Therefore, a needs assessment is often necessary, so that you can see the obstacles that the business is facing. It also provides the necessary data to design an optimal solution to the problem. What information do you collect to get started? What sources are there for that information and how will you then collect the information? Next, analyze and determine the problems that the project has created to be solved. Collect these results in a document.​​​​​​

What are the goals of the project?

You can't achieve goals if you don't identify them first. An objective is something at the end of the project that can be seen and measured. A goal corresponds to the clarity of a problem. Create a goal statement that explains how the goals are represented in the project? To do this well, use the SMART method, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-relevant. Every goal must be defined with these terms.​​​​​​

What is the project strategy?

A strategy must be considered to achieve project goals. Strategy is a process for achieving project objectives within project constraints, such as resources, schedule, budget, etc. How is the strategy developed to achieve project goals? Consider history and go back to similar projects in the past and what were the pros and cons of the strategies used in them. The best project management practices are always first to lay a good foundation and then gradually build a strategy and create a path towards success.​​​​​​