Project Management Tips

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A S
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Brought to you by Project Agency www.projectagency.com
Project anagement

!rom web project"
through
to major change
project"
Project Agency
#$ Project anagement T%p" &rom Project Agency Lt'
(hy (r%te Th%" Boo)*et an' (ho (rote It+
Ron Rosenhead is Managing Director of Project Agency. He believes the modern
day manager needs project management skills to deliver the organisations
agenda. He therefore decided to write this book to help spport them. !he
writing of this !ips "ooklet #ts nicely with the company motto ,-e*p%ng
organ%"at%on" 'e*%.er project" e/ect%.e*y.0 !he word project can be
misleading. Many people think of large scale bilding works or changes in
information technology. $or project may not be as big as those %oted&
preparing and writing a report' developing an internet prodct alongside
marketing and sales plan' relocating an o(ce. !hey all need carefl planning.
!his tips booklet is based on the ni%e Project Agency Project Management
)ystem * PM). +t has been sed in many organisations and is a tried and tested
and very ,e-ible model.
!his booklet will help yo in many ways.
Providing yo with a strctre to manage yor projects
/iving practical advice based on over 01 years of rnning workshops and
projects
Answering many of the %estions posed by people involved in projects
2sing it to check crrent project management practices in yor
organisation
$o' the reader may be a one person bsiness or working in a global company
with many thosands of workers. !his book is written for all of yo33 4e mention
senior managers. +f yo work alone' yo are the senior manager3 Please adapt
the content to #t yor sitation.
Ron has worked in the project and change management #eld for many years. He
is passionate abot project management and formed Project Agency in 0556.
)ince then' he has written articles and spoken at conferences and rn many
many project management events for a vast array of organisations.
Project Agency rn a wide variety of training events arond the world' so do go
to www.projectagency.com for frther information or contact s on
events7projectagency.com
/ood lck with all yor projects and we wold be delighted to receive feedback
abot the content of this booklet as well as how yo have managed to apply it.
Happy Reading
1 2on 2o"enhea'3 Project Agency 8er. 9. :ebrary ;11<
1Project Agency Te*4 566 789 :8 ;66# <<##
www.projectagency.com
:
Th%" T%p" Boo)*et ha" been pro'uce' &or open '%"tr%but%on to anyone. P*ea"e &ee* &ree
to pa"" %t onto &r%en'" or co**eague". (e wou*' be 'e*%ghte' to hear how you u"e' th%"
boo) an' how u"e&u* %t ha" been %n "upport%ng the 'e*%.ery o& your project.
I& you want "ometh%ng more %n='epth try our e=boo)> De*%.er That Project3 a Step= by=
Step Tra%n%ng ?u%'e. ?o to www.'e*%.erthatproject.com or "en' an ema%* to
e.ent"@projectagency.com !%na**y3 goo' *uc) w%th a** o& your project". (e wou*' be
'e*%ghte' to ta*) w%th you about any project management %""ue" you may ha.e. Do ca**
566 789:8 ;6# <<## or ema%* e.ent"@projectagency.com
Project anagement T%p"
?ett%ng Starte' A In%t%at%on
0. Develop a solid bsiness case for yor projects. 4here appropriate'
ensre yo obtain senior managers agreement before yo start the
project. Research points ot that too many projects are started
withot a #rm reason or rationale. Developing a bsiness case will
identify whether it is worth working on.
;. =nsre yor project #ts with the key organisational or departmental
agenda or yor personal strategy. +f not' why do it> )tick to priority
projects.
9. ?arry ot risk analysis at a high level at the initiation stage. Avoid
going into great detail here @ more an overview focssing on the key
risks.
A. +dentify at this early stage key stakeholders. ?onsider how mch
yo need to conslt or involve them at the bsiness case stage.
)eek advice if necessary from senior managers
6. 4here appropriate' involve #nance people in ptting the bsiness
case together. !hey can be great allies in helping crnch the
nmbers which shold give credibility to yor bsiness case.
DeBn%ng Cour Project
<. Prodce a written project de#nition statement Bsometimes called
P+DC and se it to inform stakeholders @ see point 09. !his docment
is Dyor contract to carry ot the project and shold be circlated to
key stakeholders.
E. 2se the project de#nition statement to prevent creep. 2se it to
prevent yo going beyond the scope of the project throgh its se in
the review process.
F. +dentify in detail what will and will not be inclded in the project
scope. Avoid wasting time by working on those areas which shold
not be inclded @ identify these in the P+D.
5. +dentify who fl#ls which roles in yor project. Docment them on
the P+D. +nclde a paragraph to show what each person does.
$
01. +dentify who has responsibility for what in the project e.g. project
commnications is the responsibility of AD. !his helps redce dobt
early in the life of the project.
00. !hink D!eam )election @ give some thoght to who shold be in yor
team. Analyse whether they have the skills re%ired to enable them
to carry ot their role> +f not' ensre they receive the right training.
?heck they are available for the period of the project. GH!=. this
incldes any contactors yo may need to se
0;. :orm a grop of Project Managers. !he Project Manager role can
sometimes be very lonely3 /ive spport to each other by forming a
grop of Project Managers.
09. +dentify who the "ta)eho*'er" are for yor project @ those aIected
and Dimpacted by the project. !his shold be an in* depth analysis
which needs pdating reglarly.
0A. Recognise early in the life of the project what is driving the project.
+s it a drive to %mpro.e Dua*%ty3 re'uce co"t" or hit a part%cu*ar
'ea'*%ne+ You can only have 1. Discss with the sponsor what is
driving the project and ensre yo stick to this throghot the
project. Jeep Kthe driverL in mind especially when yo monitor and
review.
06. Hold a kick oI meeting B)tart p 4orkshopC with key stakeholders'
sponsor' project manager project team. 2se the meeting to help
develop the P+D Bsee !ip <C. +dentify risks and generally plan the
project. +f appropriate hold new meetings at the start of a new
stage.
0<. =nsre yo review the project dring the De#ning $or Project )tage
@ involve yor sponsor or senior manager in this process. Remember
to check progress against the bsiness case.
De*%.ery P*ann%ng
0E. ?reate a work breakdown strctre B4")C for the project. A 4") is
a key element yo will need to develop yor plan. +t lists ot all of
the activities yo will need to ndertake to deliver the project. Post
it notes can be a great help in developing yor 4").
0F. /rop tasks nder diIerent headings once yo have a list. !his will
enable yo to identify the chnks of work that need to be delivered'
as well as pt together the /antt chart and milestone chart.
6
05. +dentify dependencies Bor predecessorsC of all activities. !his will let
yo pt together the /antt and milestone charts. =nsre yo write
them down otherwise yo are trying to carry potentially hndreds of
options in yor head.
;1. =stimate how long each activity will take. "e aware that research
points ot we are notoriously bad at estimating. $o estimate a task
will take 9 days. +dentify how con#dent yo are that yo can deliver
in 9 days by sing M
e.g. +m only A1M certain + can deliver in 9 days. $o shold aim for
F1M. +f yo do not believe yo can achieve F1M then re*calclate
;0. +dentify the critical path for the project. !he critical path identi#es
those activities which have to be completed by the de date in
order to complete the project on time.
;;. ?ommnicate' commnicate' commnicate3 Delivering a project
eIectively means yo need to spend time commnicating with a
wide range of individals. "ild a commnication plan and review it
reglarly and inclde it in yor /antt chart.
;9. Are yo involved in a major change project> +f yo are' think throgh
the implications of this on key stakeholders and how yo may need
to in,ence and commnicate with them.
;A. ?ondct Risk Assessment @ carry ot a fll risk analysis and
docment it in a risk register. Reglarly review each risk to ensre
yo are managing them' rather than them managing yo. Appoint a
person to manage each risk.
;6. Develop a /antt chart and se it to monitor progress against the
plan and to involve key stakeholders in the commnications
process.
;<. Draw p a milestone plan. !hese are stages in the project. $o can
se the milestone dates to check the project is where it shold be.
Review whether activities have been delivered against the milestone
dates and take a look forward at what needs to be achieved to
deliver the ne-t milestone.
Project De*%.ery A on%tor%ng an' 2e.%ew%ng Cour Project
7Project ?o.ernance9
;E. Have a clear project management monitoring and reviewing process
@ agreed by senior managers * the project sponsor and the project
"oard' if yo have one.
E
;F. =nsre yor organisations corporate governance strctre and yor
project management monitoring and control strctre are
compatible. +f yo do not know whether this is the case then seek
senior management involvement.
;5. "e aware early in the project what will be monitored' how they will
be monitored and the fre%ency.
91. Jeep accrate records of yor project not only for adit prposes
bt to ensre yo have docments which enable yo to monitor
changes.
90. 2se a Planned v. Actal form. +t is easy to create @ it allows yo to
monitor how yo are progressing with speci#c tasks @ time and
money. Nink these forms into milestone reviews.
9;. +dentify with yor sponsor the type of control that is needed @ loose
or tight or a variation of these' e.g. tight at the start' loose in the
middle' tight at the end. =nsre the system yo develop re,ects the
type of control intended.
99. Agree a system for project changes @ have an agreed system for
monitoring and approving changes. 2se change control forms and
obtain formal sign oI BagreementC by the sponsor' before action a
change. Nook for the impact of the change on the project scope as
well as the Kkey driverL * %ality' and cost and time.
9A. Appoint someone to be responsible for project %ality especially in
larger projects. Review %ality formally with the client at agreed
milestone dates.
96. Make certain yo have agreed who can sanction changes in the
absence of yor sponsor. +f yo havent agreed this' what will yo do
in their absence>
9<. )et a time limit for project meetings to review progress. Have an
agenda with times against each item and smmarise after each
item at the end of the meeting.
9E. Prodce action points against each item on the agenda and circlate
within ;A hors of the meeting. 2se these action points to help in
the creation of yor ne-t agenda.
9F. Review the items on the critical path checking they are on schedle.
Review risks' review yors stakeholders and yor commnication
plans and whether yo are still on track to deliver on time' to
bdget and to the re%ired %ality standard.
#
95. )et a tolerance #gre and monitor e.g. a tolerance #gre of O6M
means as long as yo are within the 6M limit yo do not have to
formally report. +f e-ceed the 6M limit Bcost or timeC then yo need
to report this to the agreed person @ probably yor sponsor

A1. Report progress against an end of a stage @ are yo on schedle>
!ime' cost or %ality> =nsre that if something is oI schedle the
person responsible for delivering it sggests ways to bring it back on
time' within bdget or to hit the right %ality standard.
A0. Develop an isses log to record items that may be casing concern.
Review at yor project meetings.
A;. )ee whether yo are still delivering the original project bene#ts
when reviewing yor project. +f not' consider re*scoping or if
appropriate abandoning the project. Do not be afraid of abandoning
a project. "etter to abandon now rather than waste valable time'
money' and resorces working on something no longer re%ired. +f
yo close a project early @ hold a project review meeting to identify
learning.
A9. Prodce one*page reports highlighting key isses. Agree the areas
to inclde with the )ponsor before writing a report.
AA. 2se a series of templates to spport the monitoring process' e.g.
milestone reporting' change control' log' planned v. actal. ?ontact
info7progectagency.com for more information.
A6. Apply tra(c lights to illstrate how yo are progressing @ red' amber
and green. 2se these in conjnction with milestone reports.
A<. =ngender honest reporting against speci#c deliverables' milestones'
or a critical path activity. +f yo do not have honest reporting
imagine the conse%ences.
F*o"e'own an' 2e.%ew
AE. Agree well in advance a date to hold a post project review meeting.
Pt this onto the /antt chart.
AF. +nvite key stakeholders' sponsor' and project team to the post
project review. +f the date is in their diary well in advance it should
make it easier for them to attend
A5. :ocs yor meeting on learning @ identifying what yo can se on
the ne-t project. )hare the learning with others in the organisation.
<
61. ?heck whether yo have delivered the original project objectives
and bene#ts and not gone ot of scope.
60. Make sre that yo have delivered against bdget' %ality
re%irements and the end deadline.
6;. 2nderstand how well yo managed risks and yor key stakeholders.
2se %estionnaires to obtain feedback.
69. Prepare a list of n#nished items. +dentify who will complete these
after the project and circlate to any stakeholders.

6A. Hand over the project formally to another grop Bit is now their day
jobC * if appropriate. $o may need to bild this into the project plan
and involve them early in the plan and at diIerent stages
throghot the project.
66. 4rite an end of project report and circlate. +dentify in the report
key learning points.
6<. ?lose the project formally. +nform others yo have done this and
who is now responsible for dealing with day to day isses.
6E. ?elebrate sccess with yor team3 Recognise achievement' there is
nothing more motivating.
?enera* T%p"
6F. But what %" a project+ 4hy worry whether something is a
project> 4hy not se some of the project management processes'
e.g. stakeholder analysis or se of tra(c lights to manage yor
work> !hey key principle is to deliver the piece of work sing the
appropriate tools. 4e se the term project ba"e' wor)%ng to
describe this approach.
65. /et trained3 Research points ot that only <0M of people have
received any project management training. ?ontact Project Agency
on !elephone Go. PAA B1C ;1F AA< EE<< or email
info7projectagency.com for more information.
<1. =nsre yo have the by*in of senior managers for yor project. $o
will need to work hard to in,ence pwards and get their spport.
<0. 4hat abot the day job> Projects get in the way and the day job
gets in the way of projects3 Many people have fond that by
applying project based working to day to day activities and by being
more rigoros on project work' more is achieved.
;
<;. +dentify early on in the life of the project the priority of yor projects.
+nevitably there will be a clash with another project or another task.
2se yor project management skills to deliver and yor senior
management contacts to check ot the real priority of the project.
<9. Discover how project management software can help. "t' yo will
need to develop the bsiness case' prodce a project de#nition
alongside planning what will go into the software. Many project
managers se simple =-cel spreadsheets or charts in word to help
deliver their project.
?oo' *uc) %n 'e*%.er%ng your projectG
H
About Project Agency
Project Agency was formed to help people and organisations deliver
projects eIectively. +ts philosophy was developed early in or history and
is still with s today. 4e work in organisations.
demystifying project management with professionals at all
levels
developing core skills @ of project managers' their teams and
project sponsors
providing written gidelines and protocols for staI to deliver
projects in consistent and eIective way
helping those involved in the project management process to
recognise the need to frther develop their people skills as well
as their project management skills.
4e have a range of staI who spport s in delivering the above
philosophy. !hey are all well trained and work ,e-ibly with clients.
(hat 'oe" the Project Agency 'o+
4e list below a range of services to or clients. Please note that we
cstomise mch of what we do to meet organisational and individal
needs. Hr services inclde.
Delivering practical project management training.
designed to ensre project managers and project team
members nderstand the processes and skills to deliver
eIectively
cstomised to meet speci#c needs @ really targeting
organisational needs
working with project teams focsing on delivering a speci#c
project @ alongside developing their team skills
rnning PR+G?=; %ali#cation programmes or PR+G?=; training
workshops
Developing in*hose project management systems i.e. a
cstomised project management system ensring consistency
of approach * complete with templates
Rnning training sessions for project sponsors and project board
members @ to help develop their role eIectively
I8
?arrying ot adits of projects @ after project completion' end of
stage or an adit of internal project management approaches.
Hrganising and rnning start p workshops for grops pre
project @ ensring projects get oI to a really eIective start
Developing eIective bsiness cases.
=Iective project leadership training.
4orking with senior managers identifying the key projects for
the organisation and their priority
+ndividal coaching spport to project managers and project
sponsors
Developing programme management strategies and
establishing project BprogrammeC spport o(ces
Do get %n touch to '%"cu"" your nee'"4
By telephone. PAA B1C ;1F AA< EE<<
By fax: PAA B1C ;1F AA< <E15
By email: events7projectagency.com
By mobile: PAA B1C E5E9 E961EF
Th%" T%p" Boo)*et ha" been pro'uce' &or open '%"tr%but%on to anyone. P*ea"e &ee* &ree to
pa"" %t onto &r%en'" or co**eague". (e wou*' be 'e*%ghte' to hear how you u"e' th%"
boo) an' how u"e&u* %t ha" been %n "upport%ng the 'e*%.ery o& your project.
I& you want "ometh%ng more %n='epth try our e=boo)> De*%.er That Project3 a Step= by=
Step Tra%n%ng ?u%'e. ?o to www.'e*%.erthatproject.com or "en' an ema%* to
e.ent"@projectagency.com
!%na**y3 goo' *uc) w%th a** o& your project". (e wou*' be 'e*%ghte' to ta*) w%th you
about any project management %""ue" you may ha.e. Do ca** 566 789:8 ;6# <<## or
ema%* u" on e.ent"@projectagency.com
Version 3: November 200
II

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