So, what ensures Successful Project Management?

So, what ensures Successful Project Management? 

If project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling resources to achieve specific goals in a timeframe having a defined beginning and end, what is needed to meet the unique goals and objectives?
Essentially, it's Two Things (yes, just 2!) :

Ensure project goals are met

Let's consider the simplest highest goal: to ensure the change, meet the milestones and project goals while adding value.  Projects are usually constrained to tight time and resource budgets and usually have a financial budget that work needs to be contained to. Project plans, Visio high level milestone charts, lists of issues, action items, and risks are needed.

Project Administration

Deliverables and milestones are another thing that requires great attention to during the various stages of the project. Having a Project Administrator monitor action items, issues and risks is key especially during the day to day work, where they can reach out for followups, and interact with resources, often acting as the PM on activities that are not necessarily being tracked. These are usually repetitive tasks directly tied to the success of the project, that can be permanent, or semi-permanent functional activities. Simply put, they are needed initiatives to produce successful project change whether in technical products or services. 

Operational knowledge of roles involved will prove useful because it assists the project manager with the moving targets - the people, regardless of the technical skills or management strategies that are to be adhered to.

Communication

Again, if we revisit the number one challenge of project management: to achieve all of the project goals and objectives while keeping within the projects scope, time, quality and budget, Communication of information is key.

Integrate the Inputs

Lastly, let's not forget one key element of project management - integrating the inputs, which are often more challenging than planning, organizing, motivating and controlling resources to achieve goals. Integration of these inputs, such as changes of scope, reduced budget or resources, are necessary to meet the original deliverables and objectives on time and under budget. A project administrator can help the project manager not lose sight of the moving pieces and help bring the project to a successful close.