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A QUICK GUIDE
Foreword
Over the past five years, there has been a significant increas e in applying
project management methodology within the Tasmanian State Government.
This approach has been based on the Government’s Project Management
Guidelines.
Project Management: A Quick Guide has been developed to meet the need for
an overview of project management. It aims to provide project participants
with an easy-to-read introduction to the Tasmanian Government’s project
management methodology.
I would like to thank all those who have assisted with the preparation of this
booklet, in particular the Project Services’ team members, and recommend its
use as a guide for all project participants.
Linda Hornsey
Secretary
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Acknowledgements
2
Introduction
Project Management: A Quick Guide has been produced to provide you with
some plain English, basic information about project management in the
following way:
Contents page
There are some useful tips from practising Tasmanian State Service Project
Managers, and a list of resources available on the Project Management website at:
http://www.projectmanagement.tas.gov.au
3
What is a Project?
By a certain time
To a defined quality
With a given level of resources
The value of good project management is that you have standard processes in
place to deal with all possibilities.
Using sound project management techniques and processes will increase the
likelihood that your project will be completed on time, within budget, and to an
acceptable level of quality.
4 The Basics
What Are the Characteristics of a Project?
Now read on and learn more about the key elements of project management.
The Essentials 5
“If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail.”
Planning & Scoping
The scope of the project is more than the work involved. It includes:
So how do you ensure that the scope remains manageable a nd all of your work
will produce the required outcomes? The Input-Transform-Outcome (ITO)
model is an effective tool for scoping a project.
6 The Essentials
The ITO Model
This method of defining and scoping a project will instil a greater confidence
that the work to be done will lead to the achievement of the originally intended
outcome.
The Essentials 7
How Do You Smooth Out the Bumps?
Organisational Change Management
You need the right people involved to have a better chance of a successful
project. Stakeholders are the people or organisations that have an interest in
the project processes, outputs or outcomes, and will be a ke y component to the
project’s success. Get them involved in the project as early a s possible; meet
and talk with them regularly, keep them informed, identify the nature of their
interests, develop a stakeholder register, and plan for how their involvement
will be managed on an ongoing basis.
8 The Essentials
It is a Risky Business!
Risk Management
In successful projects, potential problems are minimised. This is the art of risk
management, which concerns identifying, analysing, and planning a response to
potential threats to the project. A useful tool is a risk register, and for this you
will need to know:
Throughout the life of a project, issues and concerns will arise and need to be
managed. Establish a monitoring and review process, because if the issues are
not addressed, they may threaten the success of the project.
Depending on the size of the project, a useful tool for this process is an issues
register. It contains the following details:
The Essentials 9
It Takes More Than Money and People.
Resource Management
10 The Essentials
Are You Doing a Good Job?
Quality Management
It is important to agree on the level of quality the customer expects, as this may
have a flow-on effect on the project budget. In addition, there is also a variable
level of quality or discipline that is applied to the project management processes.
The Essentials 11
How is it Going So Far?
Status Reporting
The people responsible for the success of the project are going to want to
know what progress has been made. Status reports should be provided on a
regular basis and include progress details about:
There comes a time in all projects when you need to evaluate the success
of the project. No matter the size or complexity of the project, a
measurement of success against well-defined criteria is necessary. An
evaluation process will assist you in determining:
12 The Essentials
Tying Up the Loose Ends.
Closure
Eventually, the work will be complete and you will need to plan for the closing of
the project. How formal the closure process will need to be is determined by the
nature and size of the project. Essentially, successful project closure involves:
Projects vary in size and complexity and it is not appropriate for all projects to carry
out all project management activities to the same level of detail or discipline.
In short, the size of the project will determine how formally the project will need to be
managed.
http://www.projectmanagement.tas.gov.au
Project Sizing 13
Life of a Project
Projects do have a life, and this picture represents the life cycle of a
project.
Figure 2 also shows which major project management plans are required
at each phase. For example, a Project Proposal is used in the ‘initial’
phase of a project, whereas the Project Business Plan is used t hroughout
the ‘manage’ and ‘finalise’ phases of the project.
14 Life of a Project
Whose Idea Was This?
Initiate
Project initiatives may originate in a number of ways. For example, they may be from:
Government policy
An Agency's corporate and business unit planning processes (which in
turn is driven by Government policy)
Changes in Government policy
Other external factors, such as customer servi ce requirements
A good idea!
Most projects are usually justified in terms of corporate objectives and should be
closely aligned to them. This relationship is confirmed through the initial scoping
and planning documents, which include the Project Proposal/Brief, the Feasibility
Report, and/or the Project Business Case.
Once a project is approved and funded, there is an initial Set Up period involving
the appointment of the Project Manager and team and the organisation of the
resources required to produce the outputs. This period must be allowed for in any
initial planning.
Life of a Project 15
How Do I Keep It Going?
Manage
This stage is considered the most productive and hectic stage of any project,
requiring ongoing management to ensure the production of the project outputs.
It is concerned with:
While all of this is happening, the business unit(s) is preparing to make the
changes necessary to use and manage the outputs.
Finalising a project involves the handover of the project outputs to the Project
Business Owner (customer) to use and generate the project outcomes.
After the project’s success has been evaluated, the Steering Committee formally
closes the project and the celebrations can begin.
This is the phase that involves moving from the project (transformational)
activities to the ongoing business operational (transactional) activities.
16 Life of a Project
How Does All This Go Together?
To help you put all of this together, the table below broadly summarises where
each of these key elements sit within the phases in the Life of a Project.
As you work through the project, use it as a checklist to make sure that the key
elements are all being considered.
Summary 17
What Do Project Managers Have To Say?
“If you have ever crossed a busy street, then you know what
project management can be like - uncertain and hazardous.”
Rainbow Signs Inc.
Resources
Project Management Guidelines Fact Sheets, including:
Templates, including: ⇒ Project Management
⇒ Project Proposal ⇒ Project Sizing
⇒ Project Business Case ⇒ Developing a Communication
Strategy
⇒ Project Business Plan
Guide to Education & Training
⇒ Project Execution Plan Opportunities
⇒ Outcome Realisation Plan
Glossary
⇒ Project Status Report
Interactive Tools, including:
Knowledge Base
⇒ Project Sizing Calculator
A QUICK GUIDE
eServices Group
http://www.go.tas.gov.au
January 2002