Project Management Workshop James 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 RoleThe Responsibilities The Project Manager

Start Up Design it Define 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 InitiationIdentificationRemediation Event Management Manage Internal Systems Manage External Systems Manage Desktops DeployDocsTestCode Specify Y2K Program PROJECT PHASE Activity Task

Dependencies and Interdependencies My Project Project X Project Y Sub 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 …….