Project Management
Overview
Description
This module is an introduction to Project Management and its essentials. By the end of this module, you will have a solid knowledge about managing a project and how to turn a plan into a success like a pro.
What is a Project?
A project is a temporary endeavour designed to produce a unique product, service or result with a defined beginning and end undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value. The end is reached when the project's objectives have been achieved or when the project is terminated because its objectives will not or cannot be met, or when the need for the project no longer exists. A project may also be terminated if the client (customer, sponsor, or champion) wishes to terminate the project.
Every project creates a unique product, service, or result. The outcome of the project may be tangible or intangible.
A project can create:
- A product that can be either a component of another item, an enhancement of an item, or an end item in itself;
- A service or a capability to perform a service (e.g., a business function that supports production or distribution);
- An improvement in the existing product or service lines (e.g., A Six Sigma project undertaken to reduce defects);
- A result, such as an outcome or document (e.g, a research project that develops knowledge that can be used to determine whether a trend exists or a new process will benefit society).
Examples of projects include, by are not limited to:
- Developing a new product, service, or a result;
- Effecting a change in the structure, processes, staffing, or style of an organization;
- Developing or acquiring a new or modified information system (hardware or software)
- Conducting a research effort whose outcome will be aptly recorded;
- Constructing a building, industrial plant, or infrastructure; or
- Implementing, improving, or enhancing existing business processes and procedures.
A project is a temporary endeavour designed to produce a unique product, service or result with a defined beginning and end undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value. The end is reached when the project's objectives have been achieved or when the project is terminated because its objectives will not or cannot be met, or when the need for the project no longer exists. A project may also be terminated if the client (customer, sponsor, or champion) wishes to terminate the project.
Every project creates a unique product, service, or result. The outcome of the project may be tangible or intangible.
A project can create:
- A product that can be either a component of another item, an enhancement of an item, or an end item in itself;
- A service or a capability to perform a service (e.g., a business function that supports production or distribution);
- An improvement in the existing product or service lines (e.g., A Six Sigma project undertaken to reduce defects);
- A result, such as an outcome or document (e.g, a research project that develops knowledge that can be used to determine whether a trend exists or a new process will benefit society).
Examples of projects include, by are not limited to:
- Developing a new product, service, or a result;
- Effecting a change in the structure, processes, staffing, or style of an organization;
- Developing or acquiring a new or modified information system (hardware or software)
- Conducting a research effort whose outcome will be aptly recorded;
- Constructing a building, industrial plant, or infrastructure; or
- Implementing, improving, or enhancing existing business processes and procedures.
What is Project Management?
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.
Project management is the practice of 1) initiating, 2) planning, 3) executing, 4) controlling, and 5) closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at the specified time. We will talk more about the 5 practices in section 3 of this module.
The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process.
The object of project management is to produce a complete project which complies with the client's objectives. In many cases, the objective of project management is also to shape or reform the client's brief to feasibly address the client's objectives. Once the client's objectives are clearly established they should influence all decisions made by other people involved in the project – for example, project managers, designers, contractors and sub-contractors.
Managing a project typically includes, but is not limited to:
- Scope,
- Quality,
- Schedule,
- Budget
- Resources, and
- Risks
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.
Project management is the practice of 1) initiating, 2) planning, 3) executing, 4) controlling, and 5) closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at the specified time. We will talk more about the 5 practices in section 3 of this module.
The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process.
The object of project management is to produce a complete project which complies with the client's objectives. In many cases, the objective of project management is also to shape or reform the client's brief to feasibly address the client's objectives. Once the client's objectives are clearly established they should influence all decisions made by other people involved in the project – for example, project managers, designers, contractors and sub-contractors.
Managing a project typically includes, but is not limited to:
- Scope,
- Quality,
- Schedule,
- Budget
- Resources, and
- Risks
Project Management Lifecycle
A process is a set of interrelated actions and activities performed to create a pre-specified product, service, or result. Each process is characterized by its inputs, the tools and techniques that can be applied, and the resulting outputs. The project manager needs to consider organizational process assets and enterprise environmental factors. These should be taken into account for every process, even if they are not explicitly listed as inputs in the process specification. Organizational process assets provide guidelines and criteria for tailoring the organization's processes to the specific needs of the project.
In order for a project to be successful, the project team should:
- Select appropriate processes required to meet the project objectives
- Use a defined approach that can be adapted to meet requirements
- Establish and maintain appropriate communication and engagement with stakeholders
- Comply with requirements to meet stakeholder needs and expectations
- Balance the competing constraints of scope, schedule, budget, quality, resources, and risk to produce the specified product, service or result.
The project processes are performed by the project team with stakeholder interaction and generally fall into one of two major categories:
- Project management processes. These processes ensure the effective flow of the project throughout its life cycle. These processes encompass the tools and techniques involved in applying the skills and capabilities described in the knowledge areas.
- Product-oriented processes. These processes specify and create projects product. Product-oriented processes are typically defined by the project life cycle and vary by application area as well as the phase of the product life cycle. The scope of the project cannot be defined without some basic understanding of how to create the specified product.
When a project is poorly navigated and falls short of budget and timeline goals, it can cost you more than just money' it can cause irreparable damage to reputation, confidence, and client trust. The answer isn't just dedicated project managers, but instilling your entire team at every level with project management abilities.
Initiate
● Identify a project's stakeholders.
● Establish clear and measurable project outcomes.
● Create a well-defined project scope statement
Plan
● Identify, assess, and manage project risks.
● Create a realistic and well-defined project schedule.
Execute
● Hold team members accountable for project plans.
● Conduct consistent team-accountability sessions.
Monitor & Control
● Create a clear communication plan around the project that includes regular project status reports and project changes.
Close
● Reward and recognize the contributions of project team members.
● Formally close projects by documenting lessons learned
Below is a video explaining the 5 cycles of project management
A process is a set of interrelated actions and activities performed to create a pre-specified product, service, or result. Each process is characterized by its inputs, the tools and techniques that can be applied, and the resulting outputs. The project manager needs to consider organizational process assets and enterprise environmental factors. These should be taken into account for every process, even if they are not explicitly listed as inputs in the process specification. Organizational process assets provide guidelines and criteria for tailoring the organization's processes to the specific needs of the project.
In order for a project to be successful, the project team should:
- Select appropriate processes required to meet the project objectives
- Use a defined approach that can be adapted to meet requirements
- Establish and maintain appropriate communication and engagement with stakeholders
- Comply with requirements to meet stakeholder needs and expectations
- Balance the competing constraints of scope, schedule, budget, quality, resources, and risk to produce the specified product, service or result.
The project processes are performed by the project team with stakeholder interaction and generally fall into one of two major categories:
- Project management processes. These processes ensure the effective flow of the project throughout its life cycle. These processes encompass the tools and techniques involved in applying the skills and capabilities described in the knowledge areas.
- Product-oriented processes. These processes specify and create projects product. Product-oriented processes are typically defined by the project life cycle and vary by application area as well as the phase of the product life cycle. The scope of the project cannot be defined without some basic understanding of how to create the specified product.
When a project is poorly navigated and falls short of budget and timeline goals, it can cost you more than just money' it can cause irreparable damage to reputation, confidence, and client trust. The answer isn't just dedicated project managers, but instilling your entire team at every level with project management abilities.
Initiate
● Identify a project's stakeholders.
● Establish clear and measurable project outcomes.
● Create a well-defined project scope statement
Plan
● Identify, assess, and manage project risks.
● Create a realistic and well-defined project schedule.
Execute
● Hold team members accountable for project plans.
● Conduct consistent team-accountability sessions.
Monitor & Control
● Create a clear communication plan around the project that includes regular project status reports and project changes.
Close
● Reward and recognize the contributions of project team members.
● Formally close projects by documenting lessons learned
Below is a video explaining the 5 cycles of project management
Project Management Checklist
Project checklists are useful and considered crucial in identifying the needed resources in a project. It also serves as a maintenance tool when you are bombarded with too many tasks that are looming on their deadlines. When you have an organized list of things to do and priorities to take into account, your workflow will be much easier and frantically running back and forth on what task to tackle first is not an option.
It’s a given that once you create a checklist, you have a clear vision of what you’re supposed to do. For project checklists, it’s more than identifying the tasks, but the objectives of the project as well. You don’t limit your project checklist on your designated tasks, but rather you have to extend that reach to your team and the progress of the project.
A very informative and common list on how to create a project management checklist is provided below;
Understand Your Role
Having a clear understanding of your role is an important pillar of a successful project. Even if it isn’t documented on paper, it will help you ensure that all stakeholders are considered and that you’re aware of your responsibilities in case issues arise.
Identify the Stakeholders
A project is successful when it has met the expectations of all stakeholders. A stakeholder can be anybody directly or indirectly impacted by the project. It is not always easy to determine the project’s stakeholders, particularly those affected indirectly. A stakeholder could be:
- The client
- The project manager
- The project teams
- Consultants
Write a Project Plan
Now you’ve gathered enough information to start planning the project. Use whatever project planning tool that works for you, be it Trello, Scoro, or even a simple spreadsheet.
Some tools are more comprehensive than others, but a rock-solid project plan can be achieved in any solution as long as it helps you to formalize your thoughts and keep consistency
Set Goals
The first step in creating any project plan is setting achievable goals. Meet with the stakeholders and discuss the possible outcomes. Turn the output into a comprehensive list and prioritize the needs. A good technique for doing this is reviewing them against the SMART principle.
The acronym SMART has several slightly different variations, which you can modify depending on your project:
S – specific, significant
M – measurable, motivational
A – agreed upon, attainable, action-oriented
R – realistic, relevant, rewarding, results-oriented
T – time-bound, tangible, trackable
Create a Vision
From the smaller goals, create a wider vision statement. Without a strong, shared vision, it’s hard to gather the momentum needed to get the project off the ground.
The vision statement should explain what the project is hoping to achieve in a few details:
- Where does the project fit with the overall business strategy?
- What will be the project’s outcome?
- How will the project benefit the stakeholders?
Develop the Budget
A project budget is a detailed, time-based estimate of all the costs for your project. You typically develop a budget in phases – from an initial estimate to a detailed version to the final approved project budget.
When starting a project, it is difficult to know how much it will eventually cost – and with so much uncertainty in projects, it can be one of the project manager’s greatest challenges.
Your project budget will be made up of different direct and indirect costs, with a small amount assigned for contingency reserve.
Once you have an idea of how long a project is going to take and how much resources you need, you can calculate the approximate total for the direct and indirect costs.
Determine the Direct Costs
These costs are directly attributed to the project and charged on an item-by-item basis.
- Labour (people) costs
- Consultant fees
- Raw material costs
- Software licences
- Travel costs
Determine the Indirect Costs
These costs signify resources that benefit more than one project, and only a proportion of their total cost is charged to the project.
- Telephone charges
- Office space rent
- Office equipment costs
- General administration costs
- Company insurance costs
Add the Contingency Reserve
Don’t forget to reserve a buffer for your project to cover risks – the contingency reserve. Usually, it’s a percentage of the total project cost and time.
Create a Resource Allocation Plan
An organization’s resources include people, equipment, materials, knowledge, and time.
Find out what resources are available for the project, now and in the future. A resource allocation plan is an important tool in the effective management of scarce resources.
Describe the type of resources needed and the timing of that need. As the project schedule changes, the resource plan must be flexible enough to adjust as these alterations occur.
A Resource Plan will help you to:
- Identify the number of resources required per project activity
- Plan the timeline for using or consuming these resources
- Create a detailed resource utilization schedule
Establish the Deliverables
Using the previously defined goals, create a list of things the project needs to deliver to meet those goals. Simply put – tasks and subtasks. Specify when and how to deliver each item.
Add notes to tasks that might seem confusing or need an explanation. It never hurts to add detail!
Create a Timeline
Create a list of tasks that need to be carried out for each identified deliverable. For each task, determine the following:
- The amount of effort (hours, days, etc.) required for completing the task
- The responsible person who will carry out the task
Once you have established the amount of time needed for each task, you can work out the effort required for each deliverable, and delivery date.
At this point in the planning, you can use project planning software such as Scoro, Wrike, MS Project or any of your choosing, to create your project schedule. Alternatively, use one of the many free templates available.
(Re-)Assess the Deadline
A common problem discovered at this point is that you have an imposed delivery deadline from the client, that, based on your estimates, is unrealistic.
If you discover that you can’t deliver the project in time, you must contact the client immediately.
The options you have:
- Renegotiate the deadline (project delay)
- Employ additional resources (increased cost)
- Reduce the scope of the project (fewer deliverables)
Use the previously created project schedule to justify pursuing one of these options.
Create a Communications Plan
A project must begin with clear communication of the project goals and the effort required to meet them.
Create a document showing:
- Who should be informed about the project?
- How often and when should they be informed
- How will they receive the information?
The most common reporting tool is the weekly or monthly status report, describing how the project is performing, milestones achieved, and the work you’ve planned for the next period.
Create a Risk Management Plan
Although often overlooked, risk management is an important part of project management. It is important to identify as many risks to your project as possible and be prepared if something bad happens.
Here are some examples of common project risks:
- Unclear roles and responsibilities
- Poor communication resulting in misunderstandings, quality problems and rework
- Stakeholders adding or changing requirements after the project has started
- Lack of resource commitment
- Misunderstanding stakeholder needs
- No stakeholder input obtained
- Too optimistic time and cost estimates
Remember: Ignoring risks doesn’t make them go away
Manage the Documentation
To keep the project transparent and everyone on the same page, keep your project plan attached to other project-related documents such as the proposal, time logs, work reports, meeting notes, or anything else that might come in handy.
Format
Having followed this checklist, you should now have an excellent and actionable project plan. Now it’s time to match the content with appearance.
- Include the project information such as the client & project name
- Add your company’s (and the client’s) logo
- Use your company’s branded fonts and colour scheme
Track the Progress
Congratulations, you made it! Don’t forget to update your plan as the project makes progress, and continually measure progress against the plan.
Project managers often use a project KPI dashboard that provides a quick overview of the project’s performance and updates. Having a real-time overview of the KPIs helps to make informed decisions and achieve long-term goals.
Project checklists are useful and considered crucial in identifying the needed resources in a project. It also serves as a maintenance tool when you are bombarded with too many tasks that are looming on their deadlines. When you have an organized list of things to do and priorities to take into account, your workflow will be much easier and frantically running back and forth on what task to tackle first is not an option.
It’s a given that once you create a checklist, you have a clear vision of what you’re supposed to do. For project checklists, it’s more than identifying the tasks, but the objectives of the project as well. You don’t limit your project checklist on your designated tasks, but rather you have to extend that reach to your team and the progress of the project.
A very informative and common list on how to create a project management checklist is provided below;
Understand Your Role
Having a clear understanding of your role is an important pillar of a successful project. Even if it isn’t documented on paper, it will help you ensure that all stakeholders are considered and that you’re aware of your responsibilities in case issues arise.
Identify the Stakeholders
A project is successful when it has met the expectations of all stakeholders. A stakeholder can be anybody directly or indirectly impacted by the project. It is not always easy to determine the project’s stakeholders, particularly those affected indirectly. A stakeholder could be:
- The client
- The project manager
- The project teams
- Consultants
Write a Project Plan
Now you’ve gathered enough information to start planning the project. Use whatever project planning tool that works for you, be it Trello, Scoro, or even a simple spreadsheet.
Some tools are more comprehensive than others, but a rock-solid project plan can be achieved in any solution as long as it helps you to formalize your thoughts and keep consistency
Set Goals
The first step in creating any project plan is setting achievable goals. Meet with the stakeholders and discuss the possible outcomes. Turn the output into a comprehensive list and prioritize the needs. A good technique for doing this is reviewing them against the SMART principle.
The acronym SMART has several slightly different variations, which you can modify depending on your project:
S – specific, significant
M – measurable, motivational
A – agreed upon, attainable, action-oriented
R – realistic, relevant, rewarding, results-oriented
T – time-bound, tangible, trackable
Create a Vision
From the smaller goals, create a wider vision statement. Without a strong, shared vision, it’s hard to gather the momentum needed to get the project off the ground.
The vision statement should explain what the project is hoping to achieve in a few details:
- Where does the project fit with the overall business strategy?
- What will be the project’s outcome?
- How will the project benefit the stakeholders?
Develop the Budget
A project budget is a detailed, time-based estimate of all the costs for your project. You typically develop a budget in phases – from an initial estimate to a detailed version to the final approved project budget.
When starting a project, it is difficult to know how much it will eventually cost – and with so much uncertainty in projects, it can be one of the project manager’s greatest challenges.
Your project budget will be made up of different direct and indirect costs, with a small amount assigned for contingency reserve.
Once you have an idea of how long a project is going to take and how much resources you need, you can calculate the approximate total for the direct and indirect costs.
Determine the Direct Costs
These costs are directly attributed to the project and charged on an item-by-item basis.
- Labour (people) costs
- Consultant fees
- Raw material costs
- Software licences
- Travel costs
Determine the Indirect Costs
These costs signify resources that benefit more than one project, and only a proportion of their total cost is charged to the project.
- Telephone charges
- Office space rent
- Office equipment costs
- General administration costs
- Company insurance costs
Add the Contingency Reserve
Don’t forget to reserve a buffer for your project to cover risks – the contingency reserve. Usually, it’s a percentage of the total project cost and time.
Create a Resource Allocation Plan
An organization’s resources include people, equipment, materials, knowledge, and time.
Find out what resources are available for the project, now and in the future. A resource allocation plan is an important tool in the effective management of scarce resources.
Describe the type of resources needed and the timing of that need. As the project schedule changes, the resource plan must be flexible enough to adjust as these alterations occur.
A Resource Plan will help you to:
- Identify the number of resources required per project activity
- Plan the timeline for using or consuming these resources
- Create a detailed resource utilization schedule
Establish the Deliverables
Using the previously defined goals, create a list of things the project needs to deliver to meet those goals. Simply put – tasks and subtasks. Specify when and how to deliver each item.
Add notes to tasks that might seem confusing or need an explanation. It never hurts to add detail!
Create a Timeline
Create a list of tasks that need to be carried out for each identified deliverable. For each task, determine the following:
- The amount of effort (hours, days, etc.) required for completing the task
- The responsible person who will carry out the task
Once you have established the amount of time needed for each task, you can work out the effort required for each deliverable, and delivery date.
At this point in the planning, you can use project planning software such as Scoro, Wrike, MS Project or any of your choosing, to create your project schedule. Alternatively, use one of the many free templates available.
(Re-)Assess the Deadline
A common problem discovered at this point is that you have an imposed delivery deadline from the client, that, based on your estimates, is unrealistic.
If you discover that you can’t deliver the project in time, you must contact the client immediately.
The options you have:
- Renegotiate the deadline (project delay)
- Employ additional resources (increased cost)
- Reduce the scope of the project (fewer deliverables)
Use the previously created project schedule to justify pursuing one of these options.
Create a Communications Plan
A project must begin with clear communication of the project goals and the effort required to meet them.
Create a document showing:
- Who should be informed about the project?
- How often and when should they be informed
- How will they receive the information?
The most common reporting tool is the weekly or monthly status report, describing how the project is performing, milestones achieved, and the work you’ve planned for the next period.
Create a Risk Management Plan
Although often overlooked, risk management is an important part of project management. It is important to identify as many risks to your project as possible and be prepared if something bad happens.
Here are some examples of common project risks:
- Unclear roles and responsibilities
- Poor communication resulting in misunderstandings, quality problems and rework
- Stakeholders adding or changing requirements after the project has started
- Lack of resource commitment
- Misunderstanding stakeholder needs
- No stakeholder input obtained
- Too optimistic time and cost estimates
Remember: Ignoring risks doesn’t make them go away
Manage the Documentation
To keep the project transparent and everyone on the same page, keep your project plan attached to other project-related documents such as the proposal, time logs, work reports, meeting notes, or anything else that might come in handy.
Format
Having followed this checklist, you should now have an excellent and actionable project plan. Now it’s time to match the content with appearance.
- Include the project information such as the client & project name
- Add your company’s (and the client’s) logo
- Use your company’s branded fonts and colour scheme
Track the Progress
Congratulations, you made it! Don’t forget to update your plan as the project makes progress, and continually measure progress against the plan.
Project managers often use a project KPI dashboard that provides a quick overview of the project’s performance and updates. Having a real-time overview of the KPIs helps to make informed decisions and achieve long-term goals.
References
References
Covey.F. Project Management. Retrieved from https://www.franklincovey.com/Solutions/Productivity/project-management.html
Project.(May 2013). Project Management Checklist. Retrieved from https://project-management.com/project-management-checklist/
Project. (December 2017). Why is it important to have a project checklist?. Retrieved from https://www.project-management.pm/project-checklist/
Scoro.(August 2019).The Ultimate Project Management Checklist. Retrieved from https://www.scoro.com/blog/project-management-checklist
2013 Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). Fifth Edition
References
Covey.F. Project Management. Retrieved from https://www.franklincovey.com/Solutions/Productivity/project-management.html
Project.(May 2013). Project Management Checklist. Retrieved from https://project-management.com/project-management-checklist/
Project. (December 2017). Why is it important to have a project checklist?. Retrieved from https://www.project-management.pm/project-checklist/
Scoro.(August 2019).The Ultimate Project Management Checklist. Retrieved from https://www.scoro.com/blog/project-management-checklist
2013 Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). Fifth Edition