The Ultimate Guide to Project Management Best Practice: Principles, Techniques, and Tools

There are some projects that sail smoothly from start to finish, with happy clients and sometimes even delivered under budget. Then there are ‘those’ projects that are chaos from the start, with loads of missed deadlines and financial headaches. What’s the difference? Well, it often boils down to one simple factor: not sticking to the established project management best practices.

These best practices are not just academic theories, written by bored profs with nothing better to do; they’re actually the distillation of years of:

1. Collective experience
2. Proven techniques
3. Hard-won lessons 

Often, from the completion of hundreds of other successful projects. They provide a standardized roadmap that’ll help:

• navigate complexity
• mitigate risk, and 
• ensure that every action gives predictable results.

Today, teams often work remotely worldwide, and project demands change constantly. It means that guesswork is a direct path to project failure.

To achieve business success, you must first master project management best practices, which underpin project execution.

Don’t know where to start? We’ve got you. Kanbanchi’s comprehensive guide will walk you through these principles, from planning through to key risk management and performance monitoring techniques. 

We’ll also show you how Kanbanchi, the intuitive project management tool built for Google Workspace, is the perfect go-to solution for all of this. So, ask yourself: are you ready to move beyond managing tasks to truly master project delivery? 

Let’s transform your project approach today, so you can win in the future. 

Project Management Best Practices: The Foundations – Planning and Scope Management

Effective project management planning sets the foundation for successful execution and delivery.

The foundations of every successful project are laid long before the first task begins. The initial project management best-practice phase, the planning stage, is where tasks are laid out, risks are identified, and everyone gets to know what their role is. It’s a critical stage, as a lack of clarity here will often lead to mess-ups later on. 

1. Defining Clear Goals (SMART Objectives)

A project with no clearly defined goals is directionless; guaranteed to miss its destination. A critical step in planning is establishing objectives that everyone, from the team member executing the task to the CEO or ultimate stakeholder, can understand and agree upon.

The widely adopted best practice uses the SMART framework to define these goals:

• S – Specific: What exactly needs to be achieved? 
• M – Measurable: How will success be quantified?
• A – Achievable: Is the goal realistic given the resources?
• R – Relevant: Does the goal align with the organization’s strategic priorities?
• T – Time-bound: When must the goal be completed? 

By rigorously applying the SMART framework, you can set goals, steer the team toward them, and deliver consistent results.

2. Creating the Project Plan

Once goals are set, you need a document that serves as a blueprint for the project lifecycle: usually called the Project Plan. The document should be formally approved and distributed before execution begins.

Key components of the Project Plan include:

• The business case and strategy.
• The scope of the project and its deliverables.
• Assumptions and constraints.
• Resource requirements
• Budget estimate.
• Governance structure and key roles.

This document establishes the initial contract for the project, setting the stage for all parties and outlining how expectations will be managed going forward.

3. The Importance of a Work Breakdown Structure

One of the most essential project management best practices for mitigating complexity is creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). This is a hierarchical overview of the project scope and deliverables.

The WBS is crucial because:

• It transforms overwhelming projects into manageable work packages.
• It ensures 100% of the project scope is accounted for.
• It provides the logical structure for resource allocation and cost estimation.
• It forms the basis for scheduling activities and building Gantt charts.

A WBS should be designed around deliverables, not actions, to make it clear what the project is creating at each level.

Mastering the Project Baseline 

The baseline, often referred to at the Scope, Schedule and Cost, is arguably the most fundamental concept in modern project control. It is the snapshot of your approved plan. The original definition of the project’s reach, timeline, and budget. All subsequent performance is measured against this: 

• Scope Baseline: The approved WBS and Project Plan.
• Schedule Baseline: The approved Gantt chart timeline and milestones.
• Cost Baseline: The approved budget and estimated expenditure over time.

This acts as the reference point for project control. If your current schedule deviates from the baseline, you can immediately identify the issues and take action. 

Without a clear baseline, monitoring progress is impossible, turning project tracking into mere guesswork.

Implementing an Effective Change Control Process

Scope creep (that is to say, the uncontrolled expansion of project scope without adjustments to time, cost, or resources) is the primary killer of projects. The best practice for project management here is to implement a rigid Change Control process.

A change control system ensures that:

1. All requested changes are formally documented. 
2. The impact of the change on the scope, schedule, and cost baselines is fully assessed by the Project Manager.
3. The change is reviewed and formally approved or rejected by the Project Sponsor or Steering Committee before any work begins.

By ensuring that change is managed formally, not through informal conversations, you protect the project’s integrity and avoid the deadly trap of doing ‘a little extra work’ that turns into months of delays. 

What are the Methodologies and Techniques a Team Can Use? 

Project management best practices in methodologies help teams choose the right approach for efficient and successful project delivery.

No single framework works for every scenario. A core project management best practice is to select and adapt a methodology that fits the project environment, complexity, and client requirements. Understanding the distinctions between the major approaches is essential for modern PMs.

1. Waterfall: Structure and Predictability

The Waterfall methodology is a linear, sequential approach in which each phase:

1. Requirements
2. Design
3. Development
4. Testing
5. Deployment

Must be completed and approved before the next phase can begin.

Best for: Projects with stable, well-defined requirements, little expected change, and a clear, predictable end goal (e.g., manufacturing, simple construction).

Key Strength: Provides maximum structure, detailed upfront documentation, and a clear sequence of activities.

2. Agile Frameworks (Scrum and Kanban)

Agile methodologies embrace flexibility and are designed for projects where requirements are likely to change or are initially unclear, for instance, in software development, R&D, and product marketing.

• Scrum: An iterative, time-boxed approach that breaks work into short cycles called Sprints (typically 2-4 weeks). It emphasizes daily communication (Daily Scrums) and review meetings to ensure continuous feedback and adaptation.
• Kanban: A visual system focused on managing flow. It uses boards to visualize work status (“To Do,” “In Progress,” “Done”), limits work in progress (WIP) to prevent bottlenecks, and aims for continuous delivery.

3. Hybrid Approaches: The Best of Both Worlds

Increasingly, best-practice project management methodologies use hybrid models that combine the structure of Waterfall with the flexibility of Agile.

• Scrumban: Combines the visual flow management of Kanban with the iterative schedule management of Scrum (sprints).
• Gantt-Kanban Hybrid: Using a Gantt chart for high-level timeline planning, milestone tracking, and stakeholder reporting, while using a Kanban board for the day-to-day execution and continuous workflow. This dual approach provides both strategic visibility and tactical flexibility.

Applying Kanban for Continuous Flow and Visibility

For most modern teams, Kanban has become a near-universal best practice. Its simplicity and clarity cut through organizational noise. 

By visually representing the workflow on a board, Kanban allows teams to:

• Identify Bottlenecks: Tasks piling up in one column (e.g., “Awaiting Review”) immediately signal a process blockage that needs attention.
• Limit Work in Progress: Enforcing Work In Progress limits (a Kanban best practice) ensures team members focus on finishing current tasks before starting new ones, dramatically improving flow and quality.
• Enhance Transparency: Everyone, from the intern to the PM, instantly knows the status of every task and who is responsible for it.

This technique is foundational to improving efficiency and reducing delays during the crucial execution phase.

To expand your knowledge, we also recommend checking out other articles on our blog:
11 Principles of Project Management to Guide Your Project to Success
5 Project Management Examples for Project Success

Execution Best Practices: Communication, Risk, and Accountability

The execution phase is where the most value (and the most risk) resides. To keep execution predictable and successful, three major project management best practises must be rigorously applied: risk control, clear communication, and defined accountability.

1. Proactive Risk Management

Risk is inherent in every project. Successful Project Managers don’t ignore it; they treat risk management as an ongoing, proactive exercise with three core steps at its heart: 

• Risk Identification: Involve the entire team and key stakeholders in brainstorming sessions to identify potential threats and opportunities (positive risks) before they occur.
• Risk Analysis: Use a Risk Matrix to qualify and quantify each risk based on its Probability and Impact. 
• Risk Response Planning: Develop strategies to address high-priority risks: Avoid (eliminate the cause), Mitigate (reduce the probability/impact), Transfer (shift risk to a third party, like insurance), or Accept (plan for a contingency).

All identified risks, their owners, and their response plans must be documented in a living Risk Log that is reviewed weekly.

Proactive Risk Identification and Logging

The most effective best practice project management techniques for risk, require assigning clear ownership. Each logged risk must have a designated Risk Owner responsible for monitoring its status and executing the response plan if the risk materializes into an issue.

The Risk Log serves as the project’s collective memory of potential danger. By making it accessible and transparent, Project Managers can easily escalate high-priority items to the Project Sponsor, ensuring that governance is informed and corrective action is timely.

2. Stakeholder Communication and Transparency

Poor communication is cited as a leading cause of project failure. A best practice communication strategy is tailored to each project, consistent, and transparent.

• Develop a Communication Plan: Define who needs to know what, when, and how. An executive sponsor needs a summarized monthly status report; the project team needs a daily status check; the client needs a weekly progress update. Use tools appropriate to the message (for instance, Slack chat for urgent messages, email for formal documentation).
• Targeted Messaging: Avoid information overload. Present information relevant to the audience. Executives focus on budget and schedule variances and major risks; team members concentrate on task dependencies and immediate obstacles.
• Transparency: Use project management software that provides all stakeholders with real-time access to the project status. This reduces the need for constant updates and builds confidence.

3. Defining and Enforcing Accountability

Role clarity is a pillar of execution. When responsibility is fuzzy, tasks get delayed or duplicated. Best practice is to implement an accountability matrix such as RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed).

The key principle of RACI is that every key decision and deliverable must have exactly one Accountable person. This single point of ownership ensures decisions are made efficiently and that a single person holds the ultimate sign-off authority.

Accountability requires continuous check-ins because it isn’t just about assigning tasks; it’s about having a system to track progress on those assignments. This leads directly to the need for clear performance monitoring.

Achieving Best Practice with Kanbanchi’s Project Management Software

Kanbanchi helps teams implement project management best practices by visualizing workflows and managing tasks effectively.

The abstract principles of project management best practice are brought to life through practical tools. Kanbanchi is designed to help Google Workspace teams seamlessly implement all the principles we’ve discussed so far, in our guide:  from WBS creation to transparent reporting.

Kanbanchi eliminates the friction points that often prevent teams from following best practices. How? By integrating all required views into one unified platform. 

The added bonus is that there’s no learning curve either. If you’re familiar with Google Workspace already, you’ll find Kanbanchi easy to get to grips with from the start. 

Here’s what it can offer you: 

Planning: WBS and Scheduling 

Kanbanchi allows users to instantly switch a visual Kanban board to a full Gantt chart. This feature automatically converts the structured lists of your Kanban board into the hierarchical Work Breakdown Structure required for formal planning. 

Methodology: Visual Execution 

Teams can use the Kanban view to manage day-to-day workflow, enforce WIP limits, and maintain continuous flow, the core of Agile best practices. The immediate visual status tracking inherent in Kanban ensures constant transparency.

Accountability and Task Management

Kanbanchi cards serve as the single source of truth for all deliverables. Team members are assigned as the Responsible party, and custom fields can be added to clearly designate the Accountable person, effectively implementing the RACI model within the workflow.

Communication and Documentation

Since Kanbanchi is stored in Google Drive, documentation is always centrally linked to the relevant tasks. Furthermore, Kanbanchi’s alerts integrate with Gmail, ensuring timely communication and documentation.

If your business is ready to make project management central to success, you need the best tools. Kanbanchi offers intuitive software with no learning curve and it integrates with your existing business systems. Get in touch with us today, and let’s get a conversation started. 

Try Kanbanchi Free Today for project management solutions that make a real difference

FAQs: Project Management Best Practice 

We’ll round off our guide with some commonly asked questions about project management best practices. 

Are Gantt charts and Kanban boards examples of project management best practices?

Yes, they are considered best practice project management techniques because they provide essential visualization. 

Gantt charts are a best practice for timeline planning and dependency management. At the same time, Kanban boards are a best practice for visualizing workflow, managing flow, and limiting work in progress (WIP) during execution. The best practice is often to use them together and take a hybrid approach.

What is the most critical project management best practice principle?

While many are critical, arguably the most important foundational principle is Scope Definition and Control. Having a clearly defined scope (documented in the Project Charter and WBS) and a rigorous Change Control process prevents scope creep, the leading cause of project failure and budget overruns.

How does Kanbanchi integrate with the WBS best practice?

Kanbanchi directly supports the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) by allowing users to switch the task list in the Gantt chart view into a hierarchical structure. This allows managers to organize tasks by phase and deliverable, ensuring 100% of the scope is captured and visually represented, which is key to effective planning.

Are best practices different for Agile projects versus Waterfall projects?

The core best practice project management principles (clear goals, risk management, stakeholder communication) remain constant regardless of the methodology. However, the techniques differ. Waterfall emphasizes upfront, detailed planning and adherence to baselines, while Agile emphasizes continuous feedback, iteration, and adaptation to change.

Does project management best practice include risk opportunities?

Absolutely. Best practice risk management includes identifying positive risks (opportunities). Just as you plan to mitigate threats, you should plan to maximize the potential impact of opportunities (e.g., accelerating a schedule or reducing costs) through strategies like Exploiting or Enhancing the opportunity.

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