The Simplified Project

Management Process
May 13, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Communications Management, Cost Management, Project
Closure, Project Plan Development, Project Scope Management,Project Stakeholder Management, Risk
Management, Scheduling, Scope Management, Team Building
The Simplified Project Management Process
By Kevin Archbold
One of the challenges of explaining project management to people who are unfamiliar with the approach, is
that descriptions are often either so high-level as to be meaningless, or so detailed that they are overwhelming.
Over the years, I have come to use a model as a framework for introducing and discussing project management
tools and techniques. It can be used as the basis for a five-minute explanation of what is involved in project
management, but also as an outline for more detailed discussions. (The actual model can be found on the Key
Consulting website under free templates and info.)
A brief description of each step follows:
Assemble Team
The project planning team will be assembled, including appropriate representation from customers/clients, and
sometimes subcontractors and vendors. Initial roles and responsibilities will be defined.
Deliverables: Initial project setup documentation.
Define Project Objective
With the project team in place, the overall project purpose will be verified and detailed project objectives
developed. A phase-exit review will be conducted to ensure that the project is ready to move into the next
phase, which is planning.
Deliverables: project charter, phase-exit review checklist.
Define Project Scope
An appropriately detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) will be developed to ensure the project scope is
properly agreed to and understood by all stakeholders. This also allows the complete project to be split into
appropriate sub-projects and/or phases.
Deliverables: Project work breakdown structure.
Construct an Initial Plan
Once tasks of an appropriate level have been identified in the WBS, they will be organized by the project team
into logical network diagrams, with estimated durations. This allows the project manager to predict when
activities will be complete, assess the feasibility of target dates, and identify the critical path for the project.
Deliverables: Initial work plan.
Add Resources, Costs, Risks, etc.
Certain project resources may be defined as critical resources. In particular, the project manager may suspect
that key project staff may be faced with too much work. If so, estimated resource usage information can be

added to the project plan to allow resource forecasting. Cost is obviously also critically important, and
expenditures can be added to the plan to create estimated cash-flow requirements. Risk management can also
be utilized on projects to provide a framework to better manage events that occur beyond the control of the
project team.
Deliverables: Resource availability and commitment profiles, risk identification and control strategies, cash-flow
forecasts.
Obtain Stakeholder Buy-in
To ensure the project is implemented as smoothly as possible, with the support of the involved parties, it will be
necessary to review the initial plans with all the major project stakeholders and to solicit buy-in from each one.
A phase-exit review will be conducted to ensure that the project is ready to move into the next phase, which is
control.
Deliverables: Approved final plan, phase-exit review checklist.
Publish the Plan
Once the plans are agreed to, they must be effectively communicated to all stakeholders. This can be done in
hard copy or via electronic media, depending on the resources available. On most projects, a communications
plan will be developed, and distribution of the plans will follow the guidelines laid out in the communications
plan.
Deliverables: Plan published to all stakeholders.
Collect Progress Information
On a regular basis, the project manager will collect progress information that has been reported by the project
team. This will allow the compilation of progress reports, such as:

Activities completed within the past two weeks

Activities forecast for the next two weeks with a focus on activities on the critical path
Funds expended vs. fund expenditure forecast
Prioritized issues report

Metrics can also be developed to measure project progress in other ways, such as earned value, or activity float
statistics. If the project manager reviews the progress data and concludes that the project is complete, a phaseexit review will be completed to confirm that all the objectives have been met before moving into the final
closure phase.
Deliverables: Set of progress reports, set of exception reports, metrics report, (phase-exit review checklist).
Analyze Current Status
By analyzing the progress information received, the project manager will be able to augment the above reports
with information about which areas of the project are of concern and where problems are likely to occur in the
future. This allows managers to focus on the important/critical areas of the project.
Deliverables: Project evaluation report(s).
Adjust the Plan, and Manage Project Change
Based on the analysis, and with the support of the project team, the project manager will make plan
adjustments to help reduce risks, accommodate scope changes, or to compensate for activities that have not
occurred on schedule. Once this has happened, the plan will re-published and the cycle repeated until the
project is complete.

Deliverables: Change request forms, updated plan.

Close Project
When the objectives of the project have been achieved, the project manager will close down the project. This
will involve some financial closure tasks, as well as archiving of the project materials. A lessons-learned
document will be developed to benefit future projects, and if possible a project team celebration will be held.
Deliverables: Final project report including lessons learned.
Administrative activities aimed at (1) defining a process, (2) establishing responsibilities, (3) evaluating
process performance, and (4) identifying opportunities for improvement.
Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/process-management.html#ixzz3Sxvw0bSJ

Management processes are the methods that aid the structuring, investigation, analysis, decision-making
and communication of business issues. Examples include the strategic planning process, talent planning,
expense and capital budgeting, performance management systems, product planning and management cost
accounting.
The purpose of a management process is to ensure a disciplined and consistent approach to analysis and
decision making. They facilitate the use of a logical thought process that is consistent with the objectives of
the firm. The capital budgeting process, for example, is based on financial market disciplines that
encourage wise investment. Product planning is focused on both creating customer value and realising the
benefits of new products for the firms investors, not one or the other.
Management processes should be seen as a support to and not a replacement for management judgment.
These processes require the development of expectations about the future and provide guidance in light of
the associated assumptions. The wise manager uses these tools as inputs to decision making which, when
combined with business acumen, provide a solid basis for choice.
Example
In most towns, restaurants come and go, but there are a few that manage to stay in business over long
periods of time. Why do some succeed while so many others fail? Attention to customer-oriented product
planning, service process effectiveness, workforce management, effective management accounting and
other management processes are the likely differentiators. [1]

Management process is a process

of planning and controlling the organizing and leading execution of any type of activity, such
as:

a project (project management process) or

a process (process management process, sometimes referred to as the

process performance measurement and management system).

The organization's senior management is responsible for carrying out its management
process. However, this is not always the case for all management processes, for example, it
is the responsibility of the project manager to carry out a project management process. [1]