An introduction to Project Management Ainsley Smith

A Brief Project Definition Unique process Co-ordinated and controlled activities Start and finish dates To achieve an objective Specific requirements Constraints of time, cost, resources, scope, and risk

Typical Project Characteristics Organisation is temporary Often forms part of a larger programme Objectives and product characteristics may be defined and achieved progressively Result may be the creation of one or several units of a project Interrelation between activities may be complex

The “Four Phase” Project Model Keith Lockyer describes a four phase model of the project process Conception - assess the feasibility of the project Development - prepare the project plan Realisation - carry out the plan Termination - close the project

Key Project Factors Size of the project Budget/costs, Size of team, Size of product Complexity Industry in which it is carried out Civil engineering Manufacturing IS/IT

Project Complexity Number of tasks? Number of people? Size of Budget? Number/Nature of constraints Dependencies between tasks Number of subcontractors Number of skill sets Number/types of users Maturity of applied technologies Mixture of management structures

Project Complexity

The Minimum Project Structure Project executive who will direct the project and undertake the responsibilities of the project Board Project Manager, responsible for the day to day running of the project. Service Provider, responsible for doing the WORK

Large Project Structure Excecutive Senior Supplier Senior User Project Manager Team Manager Team Members Support Staff Project Board

An Overview of Project Management Project Management The planning, monitoring and control of all aspects of a project and the motivation of all those involved in it to achieve the project objectives on time and to the specified cost, quality and performance Project Board Is responsible to corporate or programme managers for the overall direction and management of the project and has responsibility, and authority, for the project within the remit (Project Mandate) set by the corporate or programme management. It is also the project’s “voice” to the outside world “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE 2 TM; OCG “

An Overview of Project Management Project Management Team Covers the entire management structure of Project Board, Project Manager, plus any Team Manager, Project Assurance and Project Support roles Project Manager The person given the authority and responsibility to manage the project on a day to day basis to deliver the required products within the constraints agreed with the project board “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE 2 TM; OCG “

Getting off to a good start 1 The Project Mandate Project management starts with the project mandate, often the “end product” of a feasibility study which is passed down from the Corporate/programme management level. It will outline the subject matter of the proposed project The Project mandate is typically enhanced to become one of the cornerstones for developing the Project Initiation Document (PID)

Getting off to a good start 2 The Project Initiation Document (PID) The PID, developed from the Project mandate, should cover: – What the project is aiming to achieve. – Why it is import to achieve it. – Where it will be developed, in the case of a geographically distributed product. – Who is going to be involved in managing the project and what their responsibilities are. – How and when it is all going to happen. “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE 2 TM; OCG “

Getting off to a good start 3 Understanding how the Project is Funded Revenue projects – Carried out within the normal organisational structure – Normally within a single accounting period Capital projects – May extend over a number of accounting periods – Occupy considerable time, employ considerable capital – Not carried out within the normal organisational structure

Getting off to a good start 4 Project Planning Projects are unique and therefore there will always be uncertainties – Need to plan for these (Plan B) For anything more than the smallest project, planning must be a formal process. The use of “stages” to provide a structured approach for when the Project Board reviews a project’s progress is highly recommended For “High Technology” projects of more than 12 months it may be worth considering a series of small projects, rather than one large project

Getting off to a good start 5 A well defined Organisational Structure Project Board Project Manager Team Manager Team members Internal staff, contractors or external suppliers Customer’s organisation Customer’s Organisation or Freelance Projects should normally have only ONE Project Manager A Customer/Supplier relationship

Getting off to a good start 6 Use of sub projects Project Board Project Manager Sub project 1 Sub project 2 Sub project 3 HardwareSoftware Networking Server based Project Administration Software Large IT systems Project Main project

Getting off to a good start 7 Early identification the “Project approach” Bought off the shelf Made to measure Developed “In House” Contracted to a third party Based on existing products “Built from scratch” Based on a specific technology “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE 2 TM; OCG “

Critical Chain (CCPM) is based on: Critical Chain (CCPM) Does Not: Common sense and realityRequire ideal scenarios, nor perfect data How people work most effectively Make people work like robots to impossible standards of perfection Using information effectively Create Information Overload, nor Information Vacuum, nor out of date reports Minimum schedule complexity that gets the job done with acceptable risk Create Analysis Paralysis, nor a huge bureaucracy overhead Proven Theory of Constraints philosophy put to another practical use Depend on impractical nor untested ideas Simple, proven methodsRequire project management specialists, nor "Rocket Science" Software that makes Critical Chain (CCPM) accessible by everyone Have proprietary technology nor algorithms, everything is "open source" One project alone, or multiple projects sharing resourcesLimit your flexibility nor responsiveness, it enhances them Critical Chain Project Management