1. Project Management Jukka A. Miettinen September 4, 2006

2. Contents Project Management Introduction Project Management Phases
Project Management Tools
Project Plan
What Can Go Wrong?
Event Assignment

3. Introduction What is a “Project” ?
Any unique, complete task with defined results, resources and time spent on it
Examples ?
Building a factory in China
taking a new SW into use
establishing a new sales office
developing a new product
Launching a product
Moving to new facilities
also: writing a novel
Doing an assigment

4. Why Project Management?
Introduction
Why Project Management?
Being organized
“Well planned is half done”
Best use of resources
Preparing for the unexpected
What if no Project Management?
Who is responsible of what?
Is outcome clear?

5. Introduction Project Project is lead by Project Manager
Large projects can be divided into sub-projects
“Project Plan” is created to describe the project
Project management phases

6. Project Management Phases
The Five Phases
Initiation
Planning
Execution
Controlling
Closing
Planning
Execution
Initiation
Closing
Controlling

7. Project Management Phases
Initiation
What are the goals?, what is the scope? (“Project Overview Statement”; “Project Proposal”)
The task and its result must be clearly defined (Cost, Time, Quality, Resources)
Assemble team, nominate Project Manager, establish Review Board

8. Project Management Phases
Planning
Refine the scope, identify specific tasks and activities to be completed, and the deliverables
Map tasks and activities to resources
Develop a schedule and a budget
several stages/milestones/gates, if needed
Use project management tools
Project management SW, GANT charts, communication tools, etc.
Establish reviewing practise
Define how to close the project
Everything explained in ”Project Plan”-document
Use Supporting Plans if needed
Review Board accepts the plan
Examples of supporting plans
-training plan
-quality plan
-marketing plan
-communications plan

9. Project Management Phases
Execution
Accomplish your goals by leading the team, solving problems, and building the project
Follow-up of project metrics
Regular project team status updates
Regular project management meeting
Agile to unexpected happenings
Early reaction to project deviations

10. Project Management Phases
Controlling
There will be problems and surprises
Keep track of the project advancement
To respond to problems, make corrections, adjust the schedule or expectations and goals.
Maintain a risk list, with back-up plans for each risk
Solve minor problems within the team
If you face major problems,which have effect to outside of the project, bring them to review board

11. Project Management Phases
Closing
The project is not complete if 99% is complete!
Sign-off according to predefined steps
Important to define how the outcome of this project in handled in the organization after the project closes
Project team should be freed to other projects with no un-finished tasks for this project
Written ”Lessons Learned” evaluation of the project

12. Project Management Tools
Software Tools can be used during planning and execution
Helps linking time and resources
Usually informative printouts
Versatile reports

13. Project Management Tools
Gant Chart
Gant chart is a graphical representation of the duration of tasks against the progression of time.
Used by different Project management software tools
But easy to compile e.g with Excel for smaller projects
“Critical Path”, determines the shortest time possible to complete the project. Any delay directly impacts the planned completion date

14. Project Plan
Project plan is a document containing all relevant information for carrying out a project
Clearly states the outcome of the project and the means to accomplish it
Project Manager’s responsibility
Required at the beginning of the project, can be updated during the project
Should be stored in safe place

15. Project Plan Typical contents of a Project Plan
Scope and Objective
Deliverables
Organization
Resources
Management
Schedule
Cost budget
Review practise
Risk plan
Exit criteria
Supporting plans can be attached
training plan
quality plan
marketing plan
communications plan

16. What Can Go Wrong? Overly optimistic plan in the beginning:
not enough time, money, resources
Unclear goals or expectations
Unclear responsiblities
No back-up plans for foreseeable risks
Slow reaction to problems

17. Summary Any task to accomplish something is a project
Project Management helps achieve the best use of resources within a project
The 5 phases are
Initiation
Planning
Execution
Controlling
Closing