Small Project Management
lindasa
ProjectPlanning_1.pptProject Planning
*
An Old Adage:
Fail to Plan . . .
and You Plan to Fail!
*
Project Planning –
5 Stages
- Prepare project overview
- Develop activity plan
- Assign responsibilities
- Put plan into action; track progress
- Prepare closeout report
*
- High-level summary of the project
- Sets the overall scope
- Clearly written to communicate
- Team leader responsibility
- Critical to get this right!
Stage One:
Project Overview
*
What’s In a Project Overview?
- Statement of Problem (or Opportunity)
- Goals and Objectives
- Measures of Success
- Approach, Process, and Timing
- Assumptions and Risks
*
Let’s Use the Following Example
In your course materials, and pull out Appendix pages A26 - A28.
You have taken a new job, and it is a significant distance from home. You are concerned your current car will not be reliable given its age.
*
Questions -
- What is our problem, or opportunity, or situation to be changed?
- What is our goal?
*
Goals and Objectives
- Goals and objectives describe what we want to achieve to solve the problem or take advantage of the opportunity
- Keep them simple
- Focus on the important items
- Collectively, they define the scope
- They must be measurable for success
- Clearly written
*
6.psd
Goals and Objectives
- Use the SMART Test
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant
T – Time-Based
*
Question -
- Based on our project goal,
What are our most important objectives?
*
Measures of Success
- Our desired results that can be quantified
Numbers, frequency, degrees of change
- Avoid intangible measures
Make it “better”
- Superlatives can be hard to achieve!
Avoid use of “all” or “never”
*
Question -
- What measures of success should we use in our project example?
*
Approach, Process, & Timing
- Describe how we will go about our work – what will we do?
- Define the schedule you will follow
- Consider how success was achieved in similar projects
- For a new project – be creative!
*
Video Presentation
*
*
Video Review
- What approaches did the team consider?
- What assumptions were challenged?
- What was necessary for the novel approach to be considered?
*
Question -
- What approach should we follow for our project?
- What schedule do you want to meet?
*
Assumptions and Risks
- We need to consider the things we expect to happen, and the “what ifs”
- Assumptions
Things we believe will happen
Things needed to be true for success
- Risks
Undermine success
Actions can be planned to offset risks
*
Assumptions and Risks
Might Include:
- Resources needed
- Timing of resources
- Events outside our control
- Potential delays and their effect
*
For your Patrol’s project idea:
- Together, quickly outline a Project Overview for your project
- Be prepared to share your solution
Take 5 minutes to complete
Patrol Activity -
*
- Who would like to share?
Patrol Activity -
*
Project Overview . . .
. . . A Quick Review
- Defined our problem
- Listed goals and objectives
- Decided on measures of success
- Described our approach and timing
- Considered assumptions and risks
*
A Project Overview . . .
- Helps ensure success
- Helps get everyone on “one page”
- Helps prevent
Getting off track
Scope creep
*
Stage Two:
Activity Plan
*
Activity Plan
- Define the activities and tasks needed to achieve our goals
- Organize & Prioritize activities and tasks
- Identify which tasks depend on others
- Assign team members to activities
- Define dates to begin and finish
*
Activity Plan
Goal
Activity
Activity
Activity
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Activity
*
Activity Plan
Replace Car
Choose Make/Style
Shop for Car
Make Purchase
Mileage
Space
Features
Cost Limit
Body
SUV?
Make?
Colors
Negotiate
Finance
Prep
Receive
Online
Dealers
Buyer
Set Price
Define Needs
*
Project Activities and Tasks Should . . .
- Pass the “SMART” test
- Have clear start and stop times
- Include estimated time and cost to complete
- Be assignable and manageable
*
Video Presentation
This clip will help illustrate the second stage of project planning – Activity Plan
*
*
“If you keep on doing what you’ve always done . . .
. . . You will keep on getting what you’ve always got.”
- We must challenge assumptions
- We must think outside the box
*
Stage Three:
Activity Assignments
*
Assign Activities
Team Leader Should -
- Confirm availability of resources
- Understand team member skills
- Match skills to tasks
- Establish progress milestones and reporting procedures
*
Assign Activities
Team Members Should -
- Know project’s purpose
- Understand their assignments
- Know the availability of resources
- Be clear about deadlines
- Understand how to address issues
*
Stage Four:
Putting the Plan
Into Action
*
Work the Plan
- Now is the time to let the team do its job!
- Staying to the plan is the clearest path to success!
- A well-laid plan will help ensure a team is performin’ . . . not stormin’!
*
Work the Plan
- Get the project going
- Provide leadership to the team
- Assist with decisions & problems
- Obtain additional resources
- Monitor progress of activities
- Monitor team performance
The Leader Should -
*
Stage Five:
Project Closeout
*
Closing Out the Project
- Recognize team members
- Prepare After-action report
- Goals and objectives met?
- Completed on schedule?
- Lessons learned?
- Ideas/recommendations for future projects
*
Summary
Five Stages of Project Planning
- Develop a Project Overview
- Plan the Work
- Make Activity Assignments
- Put the Plan into Action
- Prepare Project Closeout
*
A Different Adage:
If you plan the work . . .
. . . you plan for success!
*
