Managing projects.Introduction This checklist outlines the steps in project management, provides a framework of sequential action for the manager undertaking a project and offers a general synthesis of current practice, incorporating elements from the various approaches to managing a project. Project management is recognised as a special process which differs in approach from general management or change management. The traditional project management focus is been that of completing defined work within given time constraints In law, time constraints are placed on certain actions and filings in the interest of speedy justice, and additionally to prevent the evasion of the ends of justice by waiting until a matter is moot. and cost limits, and delivering final output to the customer at the required standard of quality. A particular approach to project management that is now widely used is PRINCE2, an acronym acronym: see abbreviation. A word typically made up of the first letters of two or more words; for example, BASIC stands for "Beginners All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. for PRojects IN Controlled Environments For other meanings, see Prince (disambiguation). Projects in Controlled Environments (PRINCE) is a project management methodology. It covers the management, control and organisation of a project. “PRINCE2” is a registered trademark of the U.K. . This approach was originally developed by CCTA (Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency, London, www.ogc.gov.uk) An agency of the U.K. government's Office of Government Commerce that has been providing IT advice and guidance to the public sector for over 25 years. (the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency The Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) was a UK government agency providing computer and telecoms support to Government departments. It was the sponsor of a number of methodologies, including: National Occupational Standards for Management and Leadership This checklist has relevance to the following standards: F: Achieving results, units 1, 2 Definition Project management involves the co-ordination of resources to complete a project within planned time and resource constraints and to meet required standards of quality. It includes planning and allocation of resources allocation of resources Apportionment of productive assets among different uses. The issue of resource allocation arises as societies seek to balance limited resources (capital, labour, land) against the various and often unlimited wants of their members. and may make use of specialized management techniques for the planning and control of projects. Projects are usually considered successful if they meet pre-determined targets, perform the intended job, or solve an identified problem without exceeding time, cost and quality constraints. Action checklist 1. Define the objectives Understanding and agreement of certain factors are fundamental to the management of any successful project. These are: * what is to be achieved * the required outcome or result to be delivered * dates and budgets for project completion by both project sponsor and project manager. Lack of clear objectives will doom the project from the beginning. 2. Appoint the project manager The project manager must be someone who has a proven track record, can command respect from a mix of seniorities and can get action from them. They should be able to: * plan and communicate all aspects of the project * motivate with integrity, sensitivity and imagination * gain productivity and trust from shared decision-making * lead both by example and by taking a back seat when appropriate * monitor costs, efficiency and quality without excessive bureaucracy * get things done right first time without being a slave-driver * get the right people for the right task at the right time * use both technical and general management skills to control the project * see clear-sightedly through tangled issues. 3. Establish the terms of reference Terms of reference allude to a mutual agreement under which a command, element, or unit exercises authority or undertakes specific missions or tasks relative to another command, element, or unit. Also called TORs. The terms of reference should specify the objectives, scope, time-frames and initial scale of resource required. They should also clarify any risks, constraints or assumptions already identified. It is important to make any early allowances for cost escalation or plans veering off course, and to build in a level of contingency, or safety margin. 4. Construct the Work Breakdown Structure (project) Work Breakdown Structure - (WBS) A division of a project into tasks and subtasks. The tasks are numbered to indicate their relationship to each other. WBSs are indespensible for project planning, particularly when estimating time and resource requirements. Document (WBSD WBSD Woodhaven Brownstown School District WBSD Winbond Secure Digital Storage ) Having established what the project should achieve, consider how to achieve it. The WBSD forms the basis of much subsequent work in planning, setting budgets, exercising control and assigning responsibilities. The key is to break the project down into identifiable phases, then into controllable units for action. Dividing a piece of work into more approachable, discrete units facilitates the functions of estimating, planning and controlling. As soon as possible allocate time-scales to each unit of work, taking care to allow for both sequential units (those that need to be accomplished before the next can be tackled), and overlapping units (those that can run in tandem Adv. 1. in tandem - one behind the other; "ride tandem on a bicycle built for two"; "riding horses down the path in tandem" tandem ). 5. Plan for quality Planning for quality requires both attention to detail and ensuring that the project output or outcome does what it is supposed to, or is 'fit for its purpose'. The work breakdown structure should incorporate 'micro' performance criteria or indicators, for discrete units or phases, and 'macro' indicators against which the final outcome can be assessed. Quality measures (systematic inspections against established standards) should be built into the process from the beginning, not later when things (may) have started to go wrong. Use the formula below: establish standards > monitor performance > take corrective action A corrective action is a change implemented to address a weakness identified in a management system. Normally corrective actions are instigated in response to a customer complaint, abnormal levels if internal nonconformity, nonconformities identified during an internal audit or This can run as a continuous sequence throughout the project duration. The key is to ensure effective quality assurance which acts as a prevention rather than a cure, and enables you to get things right first time. 6. Plan costs This is a key area, as the most frequent error in project management is the under-estimation of costs. Typical cost elements include: * staff time and wages--usually the most substantial cost item of all * overheads--employer on-costs * materials and supplies--the raw materials * equipment--the pros and cons pros and cons Noun, pl the advantages and disadvantages of a situation [Latin pro for + con(tra) against] of leasing or purchasing and the factor of depreciation * administration--purchasing, accounting, record-keeping. One of the enabling functions of a good budget is to monitor costs while a project is in progress. 7. Project scheduling In order to calculate the shortest time necessary to complete the project you need to know: * the earliest time a stage or unit can start * the duration of each stage * the latest time by which a stage must be completed. Gantt charts, Programme Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT PERT An acronym for program evaluation and review technique; a planning, scheduling, and control procedure based upon the use of time-oriented networks which reflect the interrelationships and dependencies among the project tasks (activities). ) and Critical Path Analysis (CPA (Computer Press Association, Landing, NJ) An earlier membership organization founded in 1983 that promoted excellence in computer journalism. Its annual awards honored outstanding examples in print, broadcast and electronic media. The CPA disbanded in 2000. ) are prominent amongst several project management techniques which can help with the effective prioritising and scheduling of activities. 8. Monitor and report progress Monitoring of in-progress costs, time-scales and quality is a vital factor and should be constant throughout the duration of the project. Quality is the hardest area to measure and, as such, is often at risk of neglect. In addition to progress reports, feedback sessions and Management By Walking About, there are various control aids which can help you to check that implementation is going according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. plan. Control Point Charts ask you what is likely to go wrong in terms of time, cost and quality. Project Control Charts provide status reports of actual costs against budget with variances. Milestone Charts are a means of showing stages of achievement as steps towards the project objectives. It is important to know what to do when these, or other control mechanisms indicate that something is going wrong. Contingency plans A plan involving suitable backups, immediate actions and longer term measures for responding to computer emergencies such as attacks or accidental disasters. Contingency plans are part of business resumption planning. are also vital, in case goalposts get moved. 9. Deliver the output Steps preceding delivery of the project outcome may include the compilation of instructional documentation or training packages. The penultimate pe·nul·ti·mate adj. 1. Next to last. 2. Linguistics Of or relating to the penult of a word: penultimate stress. n. The next to the last. stage before project completion is ensuring that the outcome of the project is acceptable to the customer or sponsor. 10. Evaluate the project By building in a final stage of evaluation it is possible to gain a measure of the project's success, and see what lessons can be learned. Once again, the three key areas for review are quality, time and costs. Others include: * staff skills gained or identified * mistakes not to be repeated * tools and techniques that were valuable * what should be tackled differently. Managers should avoid: * taking too little time to properly plan the objectives, terms of reference and work breakdown structure * forgetting to build in checks on quality and that you are still working within time and budget limits * neglecting the monitoring of small changes and the assessment of any possible implications. Additional resources Books Leading project teams: an introduction to the basics of project management and project team leadership, Anthony T. Cobb Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , Calif.: Sage, 2006 Managing successful projects with PRINCE2, Office of Government Commerce London: TSO (Time Sharing Option) Software that provides interactive communications for IBM's MVS operating system. It allows a user or programmer to launch an application from a terminal and interactively work with it. The TSO counterpart in VM is called CMS. , 2005 The project workout: a toolkit for reaping the rewards from all your business projects, 3rd ed, Robert Buttrick Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall Prentice Hall is a leading educational publisher. It is an imprint of Pearson Education, Inc., based in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6-12 and higher education market. History In 1913, law professor Dr. , 2005 Advanced project management: a structured approach, 4th ed Frederick Harrison and Dennis Lock Aldershot: Gower, 2004 Essentials of strategic project management Kevin R Callahan and Lynne M Brooks Hoboken NJ,: John Wiley John Wiley may refer to:
Goal directed project management : effective techniques and strategies, 3rd ed, Erling S Andersen, Kristoffer V Grude and Tor Haug London: Kogan Page, 2004 Creating an environment for successful projects, 2nd ed, Robert J Graham and Randall L Englund San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden Calif,: Jossey Bass, 2004 It sounded good when we started: a project managers guide to working with people on projects, Dwayne Phillips and Roy O'Brian Hoboken NJ: John Wiley, 2004 This is a selection of books available for loan to members from the Management Information Centre. More information at: www.managers.org.uk/mic Internet resources DfES project management guidance: www.dfes.gov.uk/ppm Has guidance on project and programme management. Office of Government Commerce: www.ogc.gov.uk/prince2 Gives an introduction to the OGC project management method, and includes the new PRINCE2 templates and a selection of case studies. Mind Tools: www.mindtools.com./pages/main/newMN_PPM.htm Help offered with project planning project planning - project management and management techniques. Organisations Association for Project Management 150 West Wycombe Not to be confused with West Wickham. West Wycombe is an area due west of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England and is the home of the West Wycombe Caves and the Italianate West Wycombe Park — a stately home accompanied by 5000 acres (20 km²) of land which was built Road, High Wycombe High Wycombe (wĭk`əm), city (1991 pop. 69,575), Buckinghamshire, S England. The city is well known for its furniture industry and also has paper mills, sawmills, and engineering works. Buckinghamshire, HP12 3AE Tel: 0845 4581944 www.apm.org.uk Major Projects Association Templeton College Kennington, Oxford, OX1 5NY Tel: 01865 422581 www.majorprojects.org |
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