Project execution

In this lesson

1. 0:00 Project execution and gateways explained
2. 0:36 Milestones and progress tracking
3. 2:00 Setting SMART targets for projects
4. 2:58 Scope creep and project slippage
5. 4:24 Managing slippage and delays
6. 5:25 Managing changes during projects
7. 6:47 Responding to project risks

About this lesson

We cover project gateways and milestones as control mechanisms, how to set SMART targets to track progress, and how to manage common challenges like scope creep, slippage, and unexpected changes. You'll also explore risk response strategies including mitigation, avoidance, transfer, and contingency planning—all essential for keeping projects aligned with business objectives and delivering on time. Project gateways are critical decision points where stakeholders review progress, assess risks, and decide whether to continue, revise, or terminate a project. Milestones are checkpoints that mark key achievements and help you measure whether the project stays on schedule. Together, they create a structured framework for monitoring advancement against deliverables and maintaining control throughout the project lifecycle. Setting effective targets requires a systematic approach: create a timeline with clear milestones, identify key performance indicators to measure progress, assign responsibilities for tracking, monitor regularly, take corrective action when needed, and communicate updates to stakeholders. Using the SMART framework ensures your targets are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—keeping the project aligned with its overall plan. You'll also learn to manage real-world challenges. Scope creep—the uncontrolled expansion of project scope—differs from an authorised revision; it happens when new requirements are introduced without proper change control. Slippage, the delay of timelines beyond the original schedule, requires you to identify causes, review the schedule, reallocate resources, prioritise critical path tasks, manage emerging risks, and communicate transparently with stakeholders. Finally, you'll see how to handle changes proactively through documented approval processes, impact assessment, and continuous monitoring—and how to respond to project risks through mitigation, avoidance, risk transfer, and contingency planning.

Duration: 8m