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Project Management - a Short Course |
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What is a project
lifecycle? |
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| What is a project? | ||
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To start with, it is helpful to try to define exactly what a project is – what makes it different from other activities such as running a repair service or maintaining the shop floor - and the distinguishing attributes of a project.
A strategic project is focused on expanding or changing your organization's objectives, capabilities, or direction in order to achieve a higher level of success. (e.g., build a new facility; reengineer a business process or workflow.) A tactical project is designed to produce a specific deliverable (e.g., develop a new sales brochure; choose a replacement for an aging computer). |
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| What is a project lifecycle? | TOPá | |
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All projects can be described using a four-phase lifecycle. In the first
phase, a need is identified by the client, customer or other stakeholder. This
results in a process to describe and define the needs and requirements,
sometimes soliciting information or proposals from vendors, contractors or
consultants. We can call this phase Initiation.
The second phase is characterized by the development of proposed solutions. This can be by a structured bid form which requests specific items of information related to project costs, staffing, timescales, description of the activities, compliance to technical standards and key deliverables. The third phase is when the project is actually executed covering detailed planning and Implementation. The final phase is terminating the project or Closure. In some cases this is marked with formal acceptance by the customer or client with signed documentation. |
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| Why should I learn about project management? | TOPá | |
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You cannot allow your organization to stay static and simply concentrate on doing the routine day to day work. Delivering most products and services has become very competitive driven by the economy and technological advances. To survive and thrive, you are going to have to compete by satisfying your "customers" better than your competition does. One of the best ways of achieving that is to deliver traditional services better and new services quicker. Sometimes the way to do either of these will require adaptation and improvement of your business processes or information systems. Sometimes a radical change in the way services are delivered affect many different workers, clients and possibly even vendors. Changing your operations, its structure, its information system are all examples of efforts that will justify a disciplined approach to planning and implementing change. And you and your staff will be undertaking many such projects if you want to be among the survivors. Project management provides such a disciplined approach. Why use a disciplined approach to managing projects? Projects don't get done on time and within budget just by chance. Careful management is vital in any but the simplest project. Project failure may have some important short-term and long-term results. In the short term deadlines are missed, expected benefits aren't obtained, talent is wasted, customers get unhappy, costs go up, and your credibility as a leader goes down. In the long term your organization's ability to compete may be greatly impaired, your market position may drop, you may lose business and profitability, your organization may get overlooked when new opportunities arise, and staff morale and effectiveness may erode. |
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| Why do projects commonly fail? What can I do about it? |
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Projects can and do fail for many reasons that are predictable and avoidable. Projects failures fall into three broad categories: Project process-related factors, Project-related factors, and Uncontrollable factors. Some common project process-related factors include:
Any project which transcends the historically stove-piped boundaries between departments is especially challenging and can test the mettle of even the most skilled administrator or manager. Some common project-related factors that lead to projects going awry include:
Finally, there are factors that can't be controlled such as:
Attention to project management can help your project avoid many of the process and project-related problems. It can also help you adapt to and cope with those uncontrollable challenges and provide you at least a fighting chance to achieve success. |
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| What are the primary components of a project? |
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The primary components of most projects include:
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| What are the main processes or steps used in project management? | ||
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The main processes of a project include the following: |
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| What should I know about the project planning process? |
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In order to achieve the objectives of any project it is essential to look at the details of the work required, which includes identifying specific tasks and estimating time to complete them, estimating associated costs, identifying who will perform the tasks and highlighting areas of risk together with devising appropriate contingency plans. It is part of the responsibility of the project manager to create the project plan and to update it on a regular and frequent basis. This is an important point – project plans are not made in tablets of stone! They are dynamic and must reflect the current situation. In most projects there are a number of "unexpected" challenges or events which may affect the timescales, costs and outcomes of the project. With good planning these unexpected events can be dealt with effectively and will not cause insoluble difficulties to the project team. There are four planning concepts that you should be familiar with. The relevant questions are:
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| What is the role and what are the components of a project description? | ||
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Planning begins during the pre-launch stage of a project and continues for the life of the project. The pre-launch stage of a project spans from conception to project approval. Essential for project approval usually is a project description which includes the following:
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| How does one develop a comprehensive plan? |
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It is useful to begin the process by identifying all the tasks and elements of the project. The creation of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a systematic approach to scoping the project work in which a logical, hierarchical pattern is devised which may resemble an organizational chart. Each branch contains work items which are further broken down into work packages.
The level to which tasks are identified will depend on the size and nature of the project, the level at which a single individual or team can be assigned responsibility and the level at which costs are allocated. Not all branches of the WBS have to be broken down to the same level.
These steps are not necessarily done sequentially but are usually done iteratively. Typically two or more cycles of planning may be needed before a comprehensive plan emerges. In summary, the work breakdown structure:
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| What are some of the other elements of a comprehensive project plan? | ||
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Other elements depend on the nature, size, and complexity of the project. We won't even attempt to cover all the possibilities here. But, among them are:
Finally, developing and maintaining a project notebook can pay off in terms of helping you and your team learn from each project. Such a notebook depicts a standard framework for the project, serves as a repository for essential documents and working papers, and provides continuity over the project's life. |
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| What characterizes a sound project plan? |
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| How should I do project estimating? |
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Estimating is an important process in project management. The purpose of the estimation process is to get an approximation of the cost, personnel requirements, time frame and value of a project. It begins with a comprehensive project plan. What are the key obstacles to realistic estimating? There are actually quite a few and among them are the following:
Sources of time delays that are commonly overlooked include:
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| How is project scheduling done? |
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Scheduling is the process of assigning specific resources to tasks in relation to a specific calendar time. Key steps include:
A visual representation of this process is helpful and a Gantt Chart or bar chart is a valuable aid to planning and achieving this aim. Project milestones, time points that indicate completion of key phases, and deliverables, defined and tangible outcomes of the project, can also be marked. |
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| How should I go about reviewing progress? |
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Reviewing progress is another important process in project management. Of fundamental importance is knowing where you are in relation to your starting point. A progress report that simply states what was accomplished and by whom is not of much value. Knowing where you are relative to where you want to be is a tougher question to answer, but an essential one. Frequent progress reviews and disciplined accountability for results are critical to the success of any project. Project reviews are meaningful only if they are based on sound plans against which progress can be assessed. In progress review meetings it is best to focus on what remains to be done between now and the next deliverable date. Here are some progress review principles:
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| Develop a PM methodology. |
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| The purpose of using a common methodology for all projects is to provide a consistent vehicle for communication, management and reporting of project work. The principles and procedures introduced within your Project Management Methodology will help eliminate or reduce risk, ensure interaction and integration of various project efforts, improve quality and ensure customer satisfaction and business results. Obtain the knowledge or expertise relevant to completing a project successfully. Outside consultants may be one way of acquiring this expertise quickly, especially for complex projects. You and your team will be involved in many projects. If the experience from these various projects can be gathered and pooled in some way, this experience can be extended to subsequent project teams which can materially improve the productivity of the project team. As mentioned before, developing and maintaining a project notebook can pay off in terms of helping you and your team learn from each project. Such a notebook depicts a standard framework for the project, serves as a repository for essential documents and working papers, and provides continuity over the current project's life and reference for future projects. |
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| Acknowledgement and Workshop |
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| This brief overview of project management has been adapted from a workshop developed by A.J. Vasaris, PMP for Value Management Partners, Akron, OH. If you are interested in a custom workshop for your organization please call or email. | ||
3867 W Market St #302 Akron, OH 44333
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