Program & Project Fundamentals
The following discussion about project management has been pulled together from various sources including books, courses, presentations, and my own experiences. This is by no means intended to be a complete treatment of the subject of project management. Nor is it going to make you a project management professional. Instead, use these fundamentals as introduction to this discipline perhaps while assessing whether it would be of interest for you to pursue as a career. What is a Project? A project is a unique venture with specific start and end dates. This is different from an ongoing task that doesn't have an end date. Projects are run by people and often involve different parts of an organization. Constraints on project include cost, schedule, resources, and quality. There's a give and taken between these items i.e. you can't have it all. Usually projects are divisible in to stages or phases each with their own set of priorities and goals. What is Project Management? Project management is a combination of techniques, procedures, people, and systems focused on the successful completion of a project. It is also a discipline that will support the planning, implementation, tracking, and control of projects. What is a Program? A group of related projects are called a program. They may have mutual dependencies that may be complex. The key to their success is that they be managed in a coordinated manner. Typical Project Phases There are many methodologies for running projects. Typically, they consist of the following high-level phases:
Projects are rife with politics. Understandably so as everyone is jockeying to achieve the goals they deem the most important. Managing these politics is an essential task for the project manager and team members. It also falls to the project management to help others navigate the political waters. Key to managing the politics is keeping people informed. The bigger the project, the more time it will take to communicate with interested parties. Balancing Priorities A project will consist of a set of priorities. These priorities can be classified in to what must be achieved, what should be achieved if possible, and what would follow from the previous choices. What's not so obvious sometimes is that the priorities of various stakeholders will vary and they will vary over time. It is the project manager's job to manage the inevitable conflict that arises from this situation. Project Scope The objective of this step is to define and agree on results that the customer expects. There are project success criteria and personal success criteria to consider. It is best to use various methods to understand what is really being asked for. This means using words, pictures, graphics, and one-on-one discussions. Graphs, mock-ups, and prototypes will also help. Consider using brainstorming sessions to get the ball rolling. Formal methods and documentation help this process, but it's important to aim for clarity and not just length. This step is also the start of the requirements capture process. Ideally, the project team is involved as much as possible as it will help build their understanding. Project Feasibility The feasibility of the project should be assessed before the project proceeds. Consider whether the project is technically feasible, has organizational support, and has the financial backing to be completed. A business case can help with the feasibility analysis and should at a minimum include a cost/benefit analysis. For some large projects, the feasibility study could be a project in itself. The end result is a clear reason to proceed with a project or to shelve it. Project Risks Risk management should start as early as possible. The goal is to identify and record the major issues that may affect the project including uncertainties and assumptions. As the project progresses, the list of risks should be reviewed to ensure it remains comprehensive. Some items will disappear while others will need to be added. The project objectives are a critical reference for the project. They act as the definition of success for the project manager and the goals for the people involved in the project. This document also serves to summarize the contract with the customer and therefore can be used with the change control process to address new requests. The objectives document should contain the project goal statement and a list of project deliverables. A face-to-face meeting with stakeholders is a good way to build the objectives document. During this meeting, the project manager should ensure that everyone's view is being heard and that everyone is participating. After the meeting, craft the objectives document and distribute for sign-off. Project Goal Statement This is a short statement (around 50 words or less) that accurately reflects what the project is setting out to do. It also outlines the conditions in which it is being done and defines constraints of the project. This statement should not get in to details of implementation. It should just cover what is going to be implemented and when. |
Defining Project Deliverables
Delivrables are always tangible and measurable. They are the things that external project stakeholders are going to receive when the project is complete or at the completion of each phase in the project. These deliverables can be equipment, completion of a report, installation of new hardware, etc. Before implementation work on a project can begin, it is necessary to define project tasks. The most common way to do this is through a work breakdown structure (WBS). Other methods include the Product Breakdown Structure, Organization Breakdown Structure, and the Cost Breakdown Structure. Regardless of the process used, the idea is to break large projects in to many smaller components. These smaller components should be small enough such that accurate estimates and costs can be determined. Aim for the amount of time per component to be around 40 hours for a person or group. Anything bigger and there's a good change the item can be broken down further. However, the ordering shouldn't be determined at this point. Good estimates are necessary for the success of a project. They can help with obtaining approval to start or continue a project. They're also useful for setting priorities based on expected ROI. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to estimates. A lot will depend on where the make up of the project team and the project itself. Exploratory projects are going to be much harder to estimate for than a project that has been done several times before. The most important thing is to try and provide estimates as the act of doing do can help with everyone's understanding of the requirements. Some other things to keep in mind include:
Once the sequence has been figured out, the critical path, the longest sequence of time through a network of tasks, will become apparent. This path will then form the basis of the project schedule since, by definition, the project can't be completed in less time than what the critical path requires. By laying out the tasks end-to-end on a timeline, you will, in effect, create a Gantt chart, which is the most common project planning chart. In large projects, there may be too many tasks to plot so they should be grouped together to ease the work. It's part of the project manager's job to try and find the best fit between a task and a resource. The better the match, the more likely the estimate will turn out to be accurate. In an ideal world resources are available whenever you want them. In reality, resources are often coming from a shared pool. This is one of the first things that can impact a schedule right. Once work has begun, it is important to review the resource issue regularly. You want to detect as soon as possible. You want to determine if there are problems so that you can request more resources or, in some rare cases, release resources because there isn't as much work as expected. There are many tools that can be used to level resources, but don't aim for perfection. Instead, aim for good enough and focus on getting the project done.ewerken. Other things to consider when building and managing a team include
The project manager's responsibility is to track/control the progress
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Some ways to keep the meeting(s) productive include:
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10 Axioms to keep in mind as your pursue your project management goals
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