There are many ways to manage a project. But what is a project and how do you manage "it"?
Project: A project, as defined in the field of project management, consists of a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a product or service. More generically, the Oxford English Dictionary suggests that business and science projects involve "a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim".

Project management: Project Management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. A project is a finite endeavor—having specific start and completion dates—undertaken to create a unique product or service which brings about beneficial change or added value. This finite characteristic of projects stands in sharp contrast to processes, or operations, which are permanent or semi-permanent functional work to repetitively produce the same product or service. In practice, the management of these two systems is often found to be quite different, and as such requires the development of distinct technical skills and the adoption of separate management philosophy, which is the subject of this article.

Now. Let's see a method that I believe it could be applied in all projects (and I am not talking only about IT):

• Start:
• Definition of the project's milestones
  
• Calculation of situations, hr and budget pros and cons
• Communication between all members of their tasks and milestones
• Middle:
• Evaluation of the situation
• Revision of milestones (always make one!!!)
• Communication between members on how to enhance their labor performance
• End:
• Overall evaluation
• Definition of non deliverables and dealing strategy
• Proof of quality

Simple no? Try it in all projects that you may have. Though, remember: "A badly planned project will take three times longer than expected - a well planned project only twice as long as expected."

Flavor of the day: Chocolates by Wilburbuds

Must watch: The bitter end - Placebo