Introduction to Project Management
The Mind Tools Content Team
Project management is the process of planning, budgeting, coordinating and monitoring a series of steps required to achieve a particulr goal. It was used to build the Pyramids, Graet Wall of China and Stonehenge, and today it is used:
- As a business imperative (%40)
- For revenue generation (%30)
- To reduce costs (%10)
- To comply with regulations (%8)
- To refresh absolute technology¬ (%6)
- For other reasons (%6).
What is a ‘Successful Project’?
One that achieves its objectives within an agreed timescale and budget. By those standards, ther are plenty of high profile pojects that have performed poorly:
- Columbia Space Shuttle (Catastrophic technical failure)
- London Olympics (Over budget)
- Channel Tunnel (Over budget, behind schedule, under-used).
In fact, according to PricewaterhouseCooper’s 2012 project management survey, of %30 projects miss schedule and budget objectives.
From most common to least, the reasons for poor performance are:
- Deadlines
Poor estimats/missed deadlines
- Boardroom; Do not disturb
Lack of executive sponsorship
- Poorly defined goals/objectives
- Change(s) in space mid-project
- Insufficient resources
- Poor communication
- Lack of stakeholder involvement.
Keep these reasons in mind during the project management process to help you anticipate problems that could come up.
The Project Management Process
The project managemen process varies from organisation to organisaton, but there are two basic models:
- Waterfall (‘Traditional’)
This method is best suited to construction and manufacturing. Resources and Time are Estimted to achieve a set objective. A Waterfall process is sequential – moving from one stage to the next.
A Waterfall process is a Plan Driven.
- Agile (‘Extreme’)
This method is best suited to software design and creative industries. Resources and Time are Fixed and the final tends to evolve through a cycle of design, build and test stages. An Agile process will frequently double back on itself in response to new developments.
An Agile process is a Value Driven.
The project Management Processes are:
- Project Scope
- Planning and Design
- Implementing
- Monitoring and Controlling
- Close and Evaluate
Project Scope
Underestimation of complexity is listed as a challenge in %35 of projects – have you done an adequate scope?
At the outset, the project is scoped to identify:
- The overall aim/objective
- What is considered ‘out of scope’ for the project
- The business case (the benefits it will bring)
- External dependencies (market circumstances, technology etc)
- Key project team members (recruit mix of skills, knowledge and behaviours)
- Key stakeholders (project sponsor, responsible team members) who must sign off on the scope before the project can go ahead.
Planning and Design
The team plan their project using tools like:
- Taskboarding
Used to identify what needs to be done in a project and in what order, including blocks of work that must be completed before others can start.
Gantt Charts
Gantt Charts help the project team to:
- Prioritise Tasks
- Determine when particular tasks must be completed
- Identify necessary resources
- Calculate the quickest possible time in which a project can be completed
- Determine the project’s critical path (The order of essential tasks).
Implementing
Once the project has been designed and signed off, it can then be implemented.
Effecive implementation requires:
- Qualiy Control
To ensure that the standard of work meets pre-agreed expectations
- Human Resource Management
To assess the impact of the poject on those involved and assign duties correctly
- Communication
To ensure that all involved are clear about what is requires
- Risk Assessment
To idenrify risk and manage it where possible.
On average, large IT projects are:
- %45 Over budget
- %7 Over schedule
- And deliver %56 less value than predicted.
How realistic are your expectations?
During an Agile Process, the team might return to the design stage at this time, or even run both stages concurrently.
Monitoring and Controlling
Once the plan has been implemented, it is important to monitor the project to ensure that work is being completed on time to budget.
One in six IT projects is a ‘black swan’, with a cost overrun of %200 and schedule overrun of %70 - have you communicated your progress to manage stakeholder expectations?
It is helpful to ask:
- What stage are scheduled tasks at?
- How many hours/days have been so far on tasks?
- How many hours are needed to complete the tasks?
Don’t forget to provide progress reports to everyone involved!
Close and Evaluate
Ensure that:
- The intended outputs are delivered
- Customers are satisfied
- Outstanding tasks or activities are handed over
- Lessons are learned for future projects.
Conclusion
Ultimately, a successful projet depends o a Strong Project Manager who can deliver the designed objectives within an agreed timescale and budget.
Conclusion
Ultimately, a successful projet depends o a Strong Project Manager who can deliver the designed objectives within an agreed timescale and budget.
Resources
Bloch, M. & Blumberg, S. & Laartz , J. (2012). Delivering Large-Scale IT Projects on Time, on Budget, and on Value.
www.mckinsey.com. Link
Flyvbjerg. B. and Budzier, A. (2011). Why Your IT Project May Be Riskier Than You Think.
Harvard Business Review. Link
Mind Tools Content Team, B. (n.d.). Introduction to Project Management.
MindtoolsLink
PricewaterhouseCoopers. Insights and Trends: Current Portfolio, Programme, and Project Management Practices.
pwc. Link
The IBM Global Making Change Work Study. (n.d.). Making Change Work.
IBM. Link