Introduction to project management

KEY POINT: A successful project manager needs to keep a

balance between the triple constraints so that the quality of the
project or outcome does not become compromised. Budget and
schedule are the two key factors you will need to monitor
closely!

Five Phases of Project Management

KEY POINTS: Every project must follow each of these

steps logically. First, it is conducted at a project level and
then repeated for each task or sub-task in more detail.
Some view these phases as linear, but as you initiate your
project and then move into the planning and monitoring
phases, you may find that you need to make adjustments
to the original plan design.

PROJECT SUCCESS FACTORS

Agree on a budget
Deliver on time
Meet quality requirements
Meet project objectives

Phase 1: Initiation Phase

Identify Stakeholders: As a project leader, it is

your job to ensure that project expectations
are understood clearly and that everyone is
on the same page. The first step in this
process is to ask the questions 1) who will this
project impact 2) who determines
success 3) what are the expectations 3) what
are project limitations and 4) how do you create a shared understanding of the project
outcomes?
Gather Project Information: Now that you have identified the key stakeholders for your
project, you will want to begin to define your project, you will need to identify required
objectives, goals, sub-phases, tasks, resources necessary, allocated budget and a
timeline or schedule of activities Specifically, you will need to clarify:

What actions are needed?

By when are these actions needed?
Who is going to do them?
What resources are required?
What other work is not going to get done?
How shall we know if we are on track for success?

Resources and Constraints: A successful project manager must

effectively manage the resources assigned to the project.
The three most important resources that you need to
oversee are people, time and budget.

Key to success: Make specific plans for resources and

budget, regardless of the size of your project.

Establish Smart Goals: Establishing SMART goals will

provide a clear and straightforward framework for defining and managing your project
goals and objectives. The SMART Goal design structure is key to clearly setting goals and
objectives that are realistic and measurable. It reduces the risk of creating a vague or
unclear goal that is unlikely to be achieved.

Project Charter: The charter's purpose is to 1) acknowledge the project should begin 2) get
a commitment for resources 3) confirms everyone is on the same page 4) provides an
overview of the project, its goal, and the deliverables.

Here's what typically goes into a project charter:

The name of the project

The purpose of the project (summary of its goal and objectives)
A high-level project description
Requirements, scope, risks, assumptions, and constraints, a milestone
schedule, cost estimate, and a list of stakeholders.
Sign off from project sponsor and key stakeholders
Phase 2: Planning Phase
Work Breakdown Structure: The WBS describes the critical tasks and milestones that
need to take place from the start of your project to the end. This entails:

Sequencing project activities (tasks and sub-tasks)

Identifying the resources (people, equipment, facilities, etc.), you
need for the project.
Identify who is responsible for each task and sub-task
Estimate the duration of each task
Identify dependencies
Checkpoints
Putting all of the information into a project management plan that will become the
baseline document for your project.

People Planning: Building and managing an active project team is one of the most
important jobs you will have as a project manager. Successful team formation begins
with careful planning and assessment of skills, personalities, and experience. Building a
team involves much more than just putting the right people together. For a project
team to gel and work effectively you need to do the following:

Ensure that the roles and responsibilities of all team

members are clearly defined.
Encourage people to think as a group and not as
individuals.
Communicate and listen.
Be dependable. Always do what you promised.
Never miss a chance to praise/reward your team or a
team member.
Be enthusiastic. Being positive is infectious, and
motivates your team.
Empower your team members by giving them
sufficient decision-making power

Communication: Management stakeholders and project sponsors are the ones who
typically care most about a project achieving its goals. During planning, you
communicate the project plan to management. While the project is underway, you tell
them about progress, how much you've spent, and the overall project result. Don't
forget to communicate with team members. Especially those assigned to tasks that are
dependent on other tasks being completed.
Phase 3: Execution

Identify and Manage Risks: You can't predict exactly what will
happen or how many problems will arise. But planning for risk
management gives you a chance to look at some key things
that might happen and plan how to respond if they do.
Two important points:
You are managing risk, not eliminating it.
People may say that planning for problems is pessimistic.
It's not. It's realistic, and it can make a positive difference
in the implementation of your project.

Team Accountability: Conflicts are inevitable when people (especially from different
backgrounds) work together on a project. Conflicts in projects typically fall into the
following categories: Conflict over different objectives and expectations, unclear roles,
and uncertainty about who has the decision-making authority or interpersonal conflicts
between people.
Here is a method called the “win-win” approach to conflict resolution:
Before you start resolving a conflict, analyze it by asking questions from the
conflicting parties.
Once you have sufficient information about the conflict, actively seek
common ground to emphasize the agreement side of things – this starts the
conflict resolution process on a positive note.
Now ask the conflicting parties to
brainstorm possible solutions to the
issues at hand.
Once you have identified resolutions,
agree upon guidelines on how to
implement these resolutions.
Document and then implement
the resolutions.

Tracking Project Progress: Every project has its share of problems, which can be
classified into the following categories: People, Time, Cost or Resources. The causes of
many project problems are as follows: Poor scoping – the scope and objectives of the
project are vague or poor planning – activities are unclear, the processes are not well-
documented, risks have not been well identified and prepared for, the project manager
lacks experience, ineffective project communications, and so on.
Your timeline is your best tracking tool. Keep it close and review it often!
Phase 4: Monitor and Control

Scope Creep: Seasoned project

managers often identify dealing
with changes and project creep
as one of the most (if not the
most) challenging problems that
a project manager has to face.
The very nature of projects makes change inevitable. Changes often impact the project’s
budget and schedule (and sometimes the outcome). To cope with changes use a formal
change control procedure as follows:

When someone asks you for a change that will potentially impact your project refer
to your charter and the agreed upon terms.
Review the impact of the change on your project regarding cost, schedule,
performance and outcome. What will happen if you do not implement the change?
Accept or reject the change – depending on the importance of the change, you can
involve your team members and/or the project sponsor in making the decision. If
the change is rejected, inform the requestor and all concerned parties.
If the change will be accepted, document it, and update your project plan to take
into account the change’s impact on your project’s schedule, budget, and outcome.
Communicate the accepted change and its impact on the requestor and all
concerned parties (include the change in your next project review meeting).

Keeping Stakeholders Informed: In many cases, you will need to seek approval for
changes that impact the budget, people or time. It is important to report delays in
progress, missed activity dates, adjustments and trade-
offs between schedule and budget goals, to the
stakeholders.
Phase 5: Closing

Evaluation: The closing process signals the end of

your project. To ensure that your project does not
languish and has a distinct end, follow this
procedure:
Identify the remaining work and ensure that it
gets completed.
Start releasing your staff as they complete
assigned work.
Finish all administrative tasks such as
obtaining final approvals and transactions
(invoices).
Get a final approval from the project sponsor and other key project stakeholders on
the closure of the project – hold a formal project closure meeting. At the end of the
meeting send out a project closure document that signals the shutdown of all
project activities and the formal acceptance of the project’s results.
Individually thank all the team members and their supervisors for their work. If
required, you may want to communicate your assessment of team members’
performance to their supervisors.