Practical Project Management Project Services IS Applications Division
About this course Getting to know the basics Laying the foundations Right people, right message Planning the journey Adapt and survive Reaching the finishing line
Getting to know you Who are you? What do you do? What do you want to get out of today?
What is a project?
What is a project? ' a unique set of co-ordinated activities, with definite starting and finishing points, undertaken by an individual or team to meet specific objectives within defined time, cost and performance parameters' Cabinet Office
What is project management? A structured approach to managing the activities in a project often referred to as a common sense approach!
Why use a project methodology? Roadmap Efficient Improves quality Standard
Why undertake a project? Research New process or service Building Software upgrade
EXERCISE - Why do projects fail?
Why do projects fail? 7% 15% 6% 4% 4% Poor communication 28% Unrealistic budget or schedule Inadequate planning Poorly defined requirements or success criteria Lack of stakeholder buy-in Other 18% Lack of change control 18% Poor risk management Source: PMI
Project lifecycle Monitoring and Control Risks Issues Communication Initiate Plan Execute Close Benefits Objectives Scope Stakeholders Tasks Milestones Do it Check it Release it Benefit Realisation Lessons Learned
Project lifecycle Monitoring and Control Risks Issues Communication Initiate Plan Execute Close Benefits Objectives Scope Stakeholders Tasks Milestones Do it Check it Release it Benefit Realisation Lessons Learned
Initiating a project - benefits Initiate What are benefits? The positive outcomes that a project is being undertaken to deliver, and which justify the investment. Or Why are we doing this project?
Initiating a project - benefits Initiate Tangible benefits Financial savings e.g. staff time Intangible benefits Non-financial savings e.g. staff morale Use proxy measures e.g. staff turnover
Initiating a project - benefits Initiate Compare benefits against costs Costs resources equipment consumables Cost/Benefit Analysis The benefits should justify the costs
Initiating a project - objectives Initiate What is an objective? An objective describes what the project is trying to achieve in order to deliver the benefits. Objectives should be SMART: Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time bound
Initiating a project - scope Initiate What is scope? The way we describe the boundaries of a project it defines what the project will be responsible for and what it will not be responsible for. Projects with general scope are hard to control Stating what is not included can be as important as what is included
Initiating a project - deliverables Initiate What is a deliverable? - Any output from the project - Research data/ paper - New software / process - Links to project objectives and benefits - Should meet agreed requirements
Initiating a project success criteria Initiate What are success criteria? Criteria on which the success of the project is judged it is not always possible to measure benefits immediately.
Success or failure? Initiate
Success or failure? Initiate
Success or failure? Initiate
SUCCESS CRITERIA How will we know when we re done? BENEFITS Deliverables Why are we doing this project? What things will we be producing? What are we trying to achieve? OBJECTIVES In Scope Out of Scope What s our responsibility & what s not?
Agreeing the Project Brief Project Brief https://www.projects.ed.ac.uk/project/p0093
Initiate EXERCISE - Objectives and Scope
Project lifecycle Monitoring and Control Risks Issues Communication Initiate Plan Execute Close Benefits Objectives Scope Stakeholders Tasks Milestones Do it Check it Release it Benefit Realisation Lessons Learned
What is a stakeholder?
Plan What is a stakeholder? A stakeholder is defined as anyone who has an interest in the change and can influence or impact the success of the change Cabinet Office
Stakeholders 1. Identify 5. Review 2. Analyse 4. Implement 3. Plan
1. Identifying stakeholders Plan
1. Identifying stakeholders Be systematic Remember the interest groups Use past stakeholder information Consider the entire project lifecycle People matter identify the right people
Plan 2. Analysing stakeholders HIGH Power/Influence Keep Satisfied Monitor (minimum effort) Engage Closely Keep Informed LOW Interest HIGH
2. Analysing stakeholders What do you need from them? What are their expectations? What do they need from you?
Roles & responsibilities Does everyone know their part?
Roles & responsibilities
Monitoring and Control Communication One size doesn t fit all Who needs the information? What information do they want? When will it be required? How will it be provided?
Communication
Communication plan Plan Stakeholder (Who) Project Sponsor Key Message (What) Frequency (When) Communication Method (How) Responsibility (Who s going to do it) Are we on track? Monthly Status report Project Manager Taxi drivers Road blockages & diversions Weekly Laminated A4 sheet delivered to taxi rank Office junior
Plan EXERCISE - Stakeholders
Project Governance There to support you
Project Governance Who s involved? Project Sponsor Key stakeholders Project Board What do they do? Monitors progress of a project Agreed reporting End of stage sign offs Ensure project delivers benefits
Project Governance Sets boundaries and tolerances to ensure the project stays on track, typically focussing on: Cost Project Outcomes Scope Time
Project status reporting Achievements this period Project Status Report Issues Next steps Target milestones Time RED Approved budget Cost GREEN Spent this period Scope AMBER Spent to-date Overall RED Estimate to complete
Planning a project
Planning a project step 1 Identify the tasks to be done What skills will be needed?
Plan Planning a project step 2 Estimate the effort & duration
Planning a project step 3 Identify the sequence of the tasks What are the dependencies?
Planning a project step 4 Identify milestones Are they hard or soft?
Plan Planning a project MS Project
Plan Planning a project MS Excel
Planning a project MindGenius Plan
Plan Planning a project other options
Planning tips Be realistic about people s availability Keep it somewhere visible Review regularly Allow some contingency Remember to ask about holidays
Planning tips Working to a fixed end date? - Can you remove any tasks? - Can you overlap tasks? - Will more people shorten tasks?
Plan EXERCISE - Planning a project
Estimating
Estimation techniques 3 point estimation
Estimation techniques Planning poker
Estimation techniques Relative sizing
Estimation tips Include the people who will be doing the work Record any assumptions Recognise under/over tendencies Re-estimate periodically
Project Lifecycle Monitoring and Control Risks Issues Communication Initiate Plan Execute Close Benefits Objectives Scope Stakeholders Tasks Milestones Do it Check it Release it Benefit Realisation Lessons Learned
Project Execution
Project Lifecycle Monitoring and Control Risks Issues Communication Initiate Plan Execute Close Benefits Objectives Scope Stakeholders Tasks Milestones Do it Check it Release it Benefit Realisation Lessons Learned
Project Lifecycle Monitoring and Control Risks Issues Communication Initiate Plan Execute Close Benefits Objectives Scope Stakeholders Tasks Milestones Do it Check it Release it Benefit Realisation Lessons Learned
What is a risk?
Monitoring and Control Risk management What is risk? ' uncertainty of outcome, whether positive opportunity or negative threat' Cabinet Office
Risk management Monitoring and Control Identify Review Analyse Implement Plan
Monitoring and Control 1. Identify risks Potential sources of risk
Monitoring and Control 2. Analyse risks CRITICAL C Amber Amber Red Red Probability H M Amber Green Amber Amber Red Amber Red Amber L Green Green Amber Amber LOW L M Impact H C CRITICAL
3. Plan your approach Monitoring and Control Reduce Remove Retain Transfer Share
3. Plan your approach Monitoring and Control What is your contingency plan? (plan B)?
4. Implement your plans
5. Review risks Initiate Plan Execute Close
Monitoring and Control Risk Log https://www.projects.ed.ac.uk/project/p0093/risks
Monitoring Execute and Control EXERCISE - Risks
What is an issue?
Issue management Monitoring Execute and Control What is an issue? ' a relevant event that has happened, was not planned and requires management action' Cabinet Office
Issue management Monitoring Execute and Control Capture Examine Propose Decide Implement
Monitoring Execute and Control Issue/Change Log https://www.projects.ed.ac.uk/project/p0093/issues
Managing change Monitoring Execute and Control What is the impact of the proposed change? Cost Project Outcomes Scope Time
Project Lifecycle Monitoring and Control Risks Issues Communication Initiate Plan Execute Close Benefits Objectives Scope Stakeholders Tasks Milestones Do it Check it Release it Benefit Realisation Lessons Learned
Close Closing a project Measuring benefits Has the project delivered benefits promised in the Project Brief? What will be measured and when? Success criteria met?
Close Closing a project Lessons learned What went well? What could have been done better? Business as usual Has a handover to business as usual from the project team taken place?
Close Completion Report https://www.projects.ed.ac.uk/project/p0093/completion_report
Summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lsninglkqa&feature=player_detailpage
Summary Monitoring and Control Risks Issues Communication Initiate Plan Execute Close Benefits Objectives Scope Stakeholders Tasks Milestones Do it Check it Release it Benefit Realisation Lessons Learned
Summary Laying the foundations Right people, right message Planning the journey Adapt & survive Reaching the finish line Project definition Stakeholder mapping Communication plan Project governance Project planning 3-point estimation Risk management Issue management Change management Project closure Completion reporting
Contacts and Resources Email project-management-training@mlist.is.ed.ac.uk Twitter https://twitter.com/uoe_pmo Projects website - www.projects.ed.ac.uk