Projects Terms, definitions and characteristics
Project Planned work or task Executed under a time frame Involves costs and resources Create a committed product Comply with requirements
Previous work Gather information Education Experience Data interpretation
Previous work Pre-proposal Prospect and opportunity Opportunity assessment Proposal preparation Assessment Proposal planning Proposal development Development Project execution plan Proposal review Post-proposal Negotiation Proposal analysis
Assessment Project Client Competitors Strategy
SWOT analysis Strengths: Relative advantages Weaknesses: Relative disadvantages Opportunities: Elements in the environment that the project can exploit to its advantages Threats: Elements in the environment that might cause trouble for the project
Project baseline Contractual responsibility Schedule Cost Estimate Project risk Project execution plan
Gannt chart Activities displayed against time List of activities Suitable time scale Each activity represented by a bar The position and length of the bar reflect start/end dates
Gannt chart What various activities are When each activity begins and ends How long each activity is scheduled to last Where activities overlap with other activities The start and end date of the whole project
Ishikawa diagram AKA Fishbone diagram or Cause-and-Effect diagram Quality tool Summarizes major categories causing a problem
Ishikawa diagram 1) Define the problem 2) Brainstorm the major causes Methods, machines, people, materials, environment, etc. 3) Repeat brainstorming answering why it happens Make sub-branches
5-Whys Quality control tool Helps identify the root cause of a problem Determines the relationship between different causes Easy to complete without statistical methods 1. Write down the statement of the problem 2. Ask why the problem happens 3. Loop back four times (why, and why again)
5-Whys Quality control tool Helps identify the root cause of a problem Determines the relationship between different causes Easy to complete without statistical methods 1. Write down the statement of the problem 2. Ask why the problem happens 3. Loop back four times (why, and why again)
Business plan Once you have your project, you need to go further
What s a business plan? Written description of your business's future What you plan to do How you plan to do it Inherently strategic You re here and you re going to move there
Before writing the BP Determine the duration of your plan Determine your goals and objectives Outline your financing needs
Main elements Executive summary Business description Market strategies Competitive analysis Design and development plan Operations and management plan Financial factors
Executive summary Outline of the plan Tell the reader what you want Clearly state what you re asking for
Business description Short description of the industry Present outlook State of art Future possibilities Information about various markets Include products or developments that may affect you
Market strategies Market analysis Define the target market Analyze all aspects of the market How the company can be positioned
Competitive analysis Determine strengths and weaknesses Strategies that will provide you an advantage Barriers to prevent competition from entering your market Weaknesses to be exploited within the product development cycle
Design and development plan Provide investors with a description of the product s design Chart the product development Production Marketing Company Create a development budget
Operations and management Describe how the business works on a continuing basis Highlight the logistics of the organization Responsibilities Task assigned Capital and expense requirements