Project Management WorkshopJames Small

Goals

• Understand the nature of projects

• Understand why Project Management is important

• Get an idea of the key activities involved in projects

• Cover the basics of project management

• Help you run your system design project using basic project management techniques

Project Management is:“the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of a particular project”

What is a Project and Project Management?

A Project is:“a temporary endeavour undertaken to achieve a particular aim and to which project management can be applied, regardless of the project’s size, budget, or timeline”

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Project Management Institute, 2000

• Creates change

• Has specific and measurable objectives

• Has a beginning and a target end date

• Requires completion of a set of tasks to achieve objectives

• Can be planned and managed

• Needs co-ordination of activities between different groups

• Deals with activities outside normal day to day function

Attributes of a Project

Some typical roles include:

• Project Manager

• Sponsor

• Team Leader

• Testing Manager

• Implementation Manager

• Developer

• Systems Administrator

• Architect

• Etc…

Who may be involved in a project?

Lots of accountability but little or no empowerment.

The Project Manager must have buy in from all participants to deliver the

project.

• Manage Stakeholders• Manage and motivate the team• Manage Quality, Risk & Change• Initiate corrective action • Plan and Control the Project• Report Progress• Deliver the project

• Communicating

• Simplifying and translating

• Leading

• Influencing the organisation

The Role The Responsibilities

The Project Manager

Start Up

Design itDefine it

Build/Procure it

Validate it

Deploy it Wrap it up

Generic Project Lifecycle

Starting your project

• Ensure the scope of the project is clear

• Establish a roadmap for the project

• Agree on goal & objectives

• Plan indicative budget and time frames

• Identify interdependent projects

• Identify all stakeholders and establish ownership

• Pass initial approval criteria

• Formal recognition that a new project exists

• Break the project down and identify the main project tasks

• Estimate the time it will take to perform each task

• Record the tasks in a logical order

• Develop target start and end dates/times for each task

• Use a GANTT chart to show how the tasks will run in logical sequences

• Identify WHO will be doing WHAT

• Identify project risks and build additional time into task duration to take account of these

Planning the project

Work breakdown structures

Initiation Identification RemediationEvent

Management

Manage Internal Systems

Manage External Systems

Manage Desktops

DeployDocsTestCodeSpecify

Y2K ProgramPROJECT

PHASE

Activity

Task

Dependencies and Interdependencies

My Project

Project X

Project YSub Project

1

Sub Project 2

Projects do not occur in isolation (although it would be much easier if they did!)

Your project may rely on another project, as much as another project relies upon yours.

These dependencies must be identified and managed.

Estimating

What are we estimating?

• How long will it take?

• How much is it going to cost?

• How many resources will it take?

Principles of estimating:

• Estimate effort, not elapsed time

• Estimating is not negotiating

• Involve your Clients and Stakeholders

• Include contingency in your estimates

Improving accuracy through the lifecycle

Source: Knapp & Moore

If everything seems to be going well, you probably don’t know what’s going on….

At any given time, a project manager should be able to state how the project is progressing against our stated timelines.

What should be monitored:• time – are people adhering to given timescales?• costs – is the budgeting correct?• quality – is the output an acceptable level?

If you cannot measure it, you cannot control it.

Monitoring and controlling your project

• Assess the situation• Analyse the problems• Implement solutions and monitor• Refine the project schedule in light of the changes

Choices of action:• Brainstorm an alternative• Put in place contingency plans• Change a key parameter:

• Apply more resource (costs )• Move the end date (deliver late…)• Provide less functionality (quality )

When things go wrong… how to get back on track.

Communication is vital:• Formally report on Project Progress• Keep Stakeholders onside• Flag status of critical issues and risks

Use basic tools to keep everyone in the loop:• Project meetings (regular with all streams attending)• Project status reports (weekly / daily – as appropriate)• Informal reviews and discussions

The project manager should define:• What is communicated (meeting minutes)• Who receives the information (stakeholders and participants)• When they receive the information (needs to be timely)

Reporting and communication

Team members participate in planning & control

• Balanced team with a variety of skills

• Decisions are often made by consensus

• Everyone in the team is communicated to

• The team and the project manager are empowered

• The team is motivated by the project manager to succeed

The Project team

Establish Direction• Don’t underestimate what your team is capable of• Make sure you explain everything clearly

Be a Coach• be supportive and helpful• communicate standards informally

Goals• set them!• group goals are a collection of individual goals, so…. • make sure group and individual goals are aligned• group success is measured by goal achievement

Managing your team

Decisions should be discussed not dictated by Project Manager!

• Always being clear about your GOAL

• About motivating your team and setting a GOOD EXAMPLE

• More about managing UP & ACROSS, rather than DOWN

• Doing it BETTER next time (and next time and next time)

• HARD and frustrating at times but very REWARDING

Conclusion: Project Management is …….