Hans de Graaff - The Attic - Project Management

A brief summary of important aspects of project management. Written primarily to serve myself as a quick checklist after reading the book mentioned below, but perhaps also useful for other people.

In this document I will present a brief abstract of the book "On time/on budget - A step-by-step guide for managing any project" by Sunny Baker & Kim Baker. This book is available from the Central Library. It contains a practical approach to project management, and uses two example projects to illustrate the concepts and approaches in the book.

The abstract contains an overview of the Project Management Process, a number of tips, and a collection of buzzwords.

Note: I'm writing this abstract from a certain perspective. Therefor I will emphasize those components that are important for me, and hardly say anything about some of the other components. Generally, my projects do not involve as many people, and there are not many budget limitations. Your mileage might vary (and you should read the book anyway...)

The Project Management Process

The process: overview

Project conceptualization phase
- Evaluate feasibility of the project idea
- Select best projects for implementation
- Establish project goals
Project planning phase
- Define and chart the work and task sequences
- Establish the required resources (people, equipment)
- Create a schedule
- Develop a budget
Project implementation phase
- Initiate work on the project and assess ongoing progress
- Monitor work and resources
- Recognize problems and make midcourse corrections
Project termination phase
- Complete the project and evaluate the results
- Draft the final report on the project

Project conceptualization phase

Get started by listing the projects you are involved in

The first step is to list all the projects you are involved in. You should list all projects to avoid overplanning your time. An example list might be:

Project name     Project plan   Size of project   Project   Date     Target
                    (Y/N)           (S/M/L)       manager   started  Date
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Write Abstract   No              Small            Hans      Aug 1st  Aug 2nd

Selecting projects

If you have listed more projects than you can work on, then you should select a number of processes. The following steps make up the Project Selection Proces:

List all current projects of project ideas
Establish the need or opportunity for each project
Establish the rough delivery dates and budgets for each project
Establish feasability for each of the projects
Establish the risk associated with each project
Review the project list and objectives with line management and other members of the potential project team to gain consensus on the goals
Eliminate projects that are inappropriate of infeasible
Prioritize the remaining projects for planning and implementation
Select the projects that will be acted on now

An example list could be:

Project        Need      Target   Rough    Feasibility   Risk   Priority
                         date     budget      1-10       H/M/L  H/M/L/C
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Write Abstract Clarify   Aug 2nd  $0            9          L      C
               material

An example of priority levels could be Backburner, Low, Medium, High, Critical.

Defining project goals

This sounds strange, but the goals of a project are often not clear. There always is some sort of goal, but does it adhere to these criteria?

The goals must be specific
The goals must be realistic
The goals must have a time component
The goals must be measurable (see Deliverables)
The goals must be agreed upon
Responsibility for achieving the project goals must be defined

Identifying the work to be done

This paragraph describes methods for describing the tasks and work flow. There are a number of things the project manager must accomplish when developing the work plan:

Break the work into manageable "tasks" that can be assigned to appropriate people and resources.
Define the work as independant elements that can be sequenced, scheduled, and monitored.
Integrate the work elements into a total system with a beginning and an end.
Present the sequence of tasks in a form that can be easily communicated to people involved in the project.
Define the tasks at a level of detail appropriate for the length and complexity of the project.
Verify that the completion of the tasks will result in the attainment of the project goals.

A WBS can be developed to identify the tasks in a project. The number of levels in a WBS will depend on the size and complexity of the project.

The WBS can be presented using a network. In this network you can also use precedence and concurrency to correctly model your tasks.

The following steps will help you to create a network diagram:

List the tasks, using the WBS as a guide.
Establish the interrelationships between the tasks.
Identify the milestones you want to specify in your network.
Layout the tasks and milestones as a network.
Review the logic of the network.

There are three well-known methods for network diagrams: PERT (Performance Evaluation and Review Technique), CPM (Critical Path Method), and Precedence diagramming.

Tips

Avoid the pet project syndrome

Buzzwords

Project: A project is a unique venture with a beginning and an end, undertaken by people to meet established goals with defined constraints of time, resources, and quality.
Project Management: The combination of systems, techniques, and people required to complete a project within established goals of time, budget, and quality. Project management is also referred to as "program management" in the U.S. Department of Defense, "construction management" in large construction projects, and "product management" in consumer-oriented industries. According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), a professional organization dedicated to promoting and improving project management practices, project management requires coordinating nine areas of expertise: cost, time, scope, quality, communications, human resources, contracts, supplies, and risk management.
Deliverables: Project deliverables are the physical items or measurable services that are identified as part of the end result of a project. Deliverables can also be specified for individual tasks within a project. Deliverables are always measurable because they can be counted or observed.
SOW (The Statement Of Work): Usually a written description of the goals, constraints, and assumptions about a project. This project description is used for initiating the rest of the project planning process.
WBS (Work Breakdown Structure): A hierarchical approach to defining project work components. The WBS can be presented as a tree diagram, organizational chart, or outline.
Network: The logical order of tasks that defines the sequence of work in a project. Networks are usually drawn from left to right, with lines drawn between tasks to indicate the precedences between tasks.
Precedence: When one task must be completed before another task can be started, the first task is said to have precendence over the other.
Concurrent Tasks: Tasks in a project that can be worked on at the same time are called concurrent tasks.
Lead time and lag time: The more complex precedence relationships are called lead and lag times. Lead time is the time required by one task befoe another task can begin. Lag time exists when a task must start a certain period after another task.