Project Management Series

Overview

Many projects are cancelled before they are completed. Many are completed late and cost well over their original estimates. And, of the rare few which are completed, on-time and within budget, many do not meet the needs of the project stakeholders.

In addition, many organizations do not have procedures and guidelines to support project management efforts. Often organizational culture does not encourage open discussion of problems or possible solutions to those problems.

Sound project management is the key to resolving these difficulties. Unfortunately, general managers are often asked to perform project management and while the two disciplines are similar, project management requires special knowledge and skills. Knowledge and skills which are best obtained by experience. (Using MS Project or another project management application will not suddenly turn general managers into project managers!)

This series is intended to give you a background information about the various processes associated with project management and to give you a start in understanding the nature of project management in general. It is not intended to be a substitute for experience.

Please note that this series discusses project management in broad terms and does not focus on special needs projects such as those involving software or product development.

What is Project Management?

Project management, is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to describe, organize, oversee and control the various project processes.

But perhaps project management can best be described in terms of the things that you need to do to successfully manage a project:

  1. Develop and manage a project plan (Integration Management)
  2. Plan, define and manage project scope (Scope Management)
  3. Create a project schedule, plan resources and budget costs (Time & Cost Management)
  4. Develop a quality plan and carry out quality assurance and quality control activities (Quality Management)
  5. Perform organizational planning, manage staff acquisitions and promote team development (Human Resource Management)
  6. Develop a communications plan (Communications Management)
  7. Identify risks, prepare risk mitigation plans and execute contingency actions (Risk Management)
 

This list may seem quite overwhelming but be assured that even the smallest project can benefit from each of these project management processes. Please note however, that the extent to which you carry out each of these activities should be based on the nature, size and complexity of your project and on your level of project management expertise.

Project Management Processes

Each management process below is described primarily in terms of its overall objectives and core activities. Practical 'how to' information is provided for most processes in the Project Planning Tutorial. 

The following processes are derived from the Project Management Institute's - American National Standard, though they are modified for practicality and are highly simplified.  Note that the standard includes many more management process activities.

Integration Management

The objective of integration management is to coordinate the various interrelated processes of a project. 

To properly manage these activities a project manager needs to do the following:

  • develop a project plan
  • acquire approval of the plan
  • manage the implementation of all the activities described in it
  • update the plan as changes occur
  • communicate the changes to key project stakeholders

The project plan:

  • describes the objectives of the project and how those objectives will be reached 
  • describes the project deliverables
  • describes the activities that will occur for all of the various project management processes (i.e., the plan should have a section which deals with scope, a section that deals with the project schedule, with risks, etc.). 

The project plan acts as a guide for project implementation by describing what needs to happen, who needs to do it and when. 

The project plan also acts as a baseline for measuring project performance. The project manager compares actual work completed against work planned, actual costs against estimated costs, etc. 

Scope Management

Scope Management ensures that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully.

To manage scope a project manager needs to:

  • define scope in terms of the project deliverables

  • respond appropriately to requests for changes by stakeholders (Be aware that changes to scope will almost always have an effect, usually negative, on project costs and/or timelines. This means you need to balance key stakeholder desires & demands against their needs and against their expectations regarding project costs and timelines.)

  • if appropriate, make changes to project scope based on project performance (reduce the number and/or complexity of deliverables if performance is inadequate)

  • document changes to scope in the project plan

  • communicate scope changes to key stakeholders via the modified project plan and if necessary secure approval to proceed

Controlling project scope is often one of the most difficult tasks for a project manager. A moving target is difficult to hit and improper management of scope will more then likely cause the project to fail (either it will be cancelled, run over budget, be completed late or fail to meet the needs of the stakeholders). 

Time & Cost Management

The objective of time & cost management is to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget.

To do this a project manager needs to:

  • develop a project schedule

  • plan resources 

  • estimate costs

  • monitor performance 

A project schedule lays out the various activities (or tasks) for the project in an activity list. An estimate of how long the activity is expected to take is included for each. The schedule is then used to estimate the resources necessary (i.e., people, materials, etc.) to complete each activity. From there, the cost of each activity is calculated. 

The resulting documentation is used to monitor project performance by comparing actual performance against the estimates.

Quality Management 

The objective of Quality Management is to ensure that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken.  

To do this a project manager needs to:

  • develop a quality plan 
  • carry out quality control activities

A quality plan describes what activities will be performed during the course of a project to ensure that the project will be successful (i.e., meet the needs of the stakeholders).

A quality plan may be formal or informal, highly detailed or a simple checklist depending on the nature and complexity of the project.  

Human Resource Management

The objective of the Human Resource Management process is to ensure the most effective use of the people involved with the project.

In order to do this a project manager needs to:

  • perform organizational planning
  • plan staff 
  • promote team development

Good organizational planning is a key component of successful projects. A project manager needs to precisely define roles and responsibilities so that there is no confusion over who does what and who decides what.

Staff planning involves planning when and how people will brought onto the project team and when they will be taken off. This is especially important when your team consists of members who do not report directly to the project manager but to some other organizational member.  

Communications Management

The objective of Communications Management is to promote effective communications between the project team members and key stakeholders. 

To do this a project manager needs to:

  • develop a communications plan

A communication plan describes who needs what information, when they need it and how it will be given to them.

Risk Management 

The objective of the Risk Management process is to ensure that project risks are identified, analyzed and responded to.

In order to do this a project manager needs to:

  • identify risks
  • prepare risk mitigation plans
  • take action as necessary

The preceding processes are derived from the Project Management Institute's - American National Standard, though they are modified for practicality and are highly simplified.  Note that the standard includes many more management process activities.

Ten Tips for Managing a Project

  1. Understand the project objectives and be sure that the project addresses the appropriate business needs
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  2. Create and maintain a set of procedures and guidelines that support project management efforts
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  3. Plan, plan and then plan some more
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  4. Decide, before you begin, how problems which cannot be resolved promptly will be escalated (and to whom)
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  5. Establish effective mechanisms for monitoring project performance
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  6. Manage the project scope!
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  7. Understand project risks and take appropriate action when necessary
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  8. Keep your team happy and focused
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  9. Gain senior management support
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  10. Don't forget to communicate project successes (loudly)