Project Management Tutorial 

The Project Management Lifecycle

• What Is A Project?

A project is a series of events that must take place in order for something to be accomplished.  It consists of tasks with timelines that can have dependencies on other tasks.  It has a definite start and a definite end.

• The Project Management Lifecycle

There are five phases that comprise the Project Management Lifecycle.

1. Initiation
2. Planning
3. Executing
4. Monitoring and Controlling
5. Closeout

• The Role of the Project Manager

1. Gather Requirements.
2. Organize the team
3. Create tasks and Schedule 
4. Monitor the project providing guidance where needed
5. Motivate the team
6. Manage the Budget
7. Manage the Risk(s)

Setting Up For Success

• The Meaning Of Success

This can be defined differently for each project. Sometimes it's all about getting the work done to meet specific price objectives. Sometimes the schedule is the most important driver to define success. Other times it can be meeting a specific set of features or scope that determines the most successful outcome.

• The Initiation Phase

Project initiation involves defining the concept of the project. In the Concept phase of Initiation, decison makers will consider feasibility, resources, profit, etc., and whether or not to move forward and how. In conceptualizing the project, the concept will be fine-tuned into a description statement. The Description Statement will include the objectives, purpose, and deliverables, serving as the foundation on which all other project details are based.

Another important artifact produced during Initiation is the Project Charter. During this part of the process, the Project Manager is normally chosen. It is their responsibility to finish the Project Charter.

• Project Definition and Scope

Identify Project needs - the "what" and "why"

Confirm the objectives with S.M.A.R.T. goals

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time-based

• Project Scope Description

The specifics of the project

Features and functionality

Three ways to deal with uncertainties and risks

Accept the risk and take on additional time, cost, or scope.

Transfer the risk to a third party and let them assume partly or wholly the cost.

Mitigate the risk by performing actions that will reduce the risk of the uncertainty

• Statement of Work

A statement of work is a document that defines all the components of a project. It tends to be highly detailed and discusses tasks, deliverables, milestones, and schedules. It also clarifies the purpose of the project and the indicators of success.

Statements of work generally fit into one of three major categories. Depending on the industry and the nature of the project, you may rely on one of these more than the others:

Level of effort or time and materials or unit rate: The most common type of statement of work, this document explains the materials and amount of time necessary for the project.

Design or detail: This type of statement of work lays out the requirements for the work, including the quality, the measurements or the kind of materials.

Performance-based: A performance-based statement of work discusses the overall purpose of the project as well as the required quality of the resources and deliverables. Because it doesn't specify the work process or methods, it allows for a high level of autonomy.

Although some people use statements of work and scope of work interchangeably, the two documents serve different purposes. In fact, the scope of work is part of a statement of work and generally, details work for a contractor or freelancer to complete.

 

• The Project Charter

1. Aligns the purpose and the outcomes of the project
2. Legally authorizes the start of the project
3. Helps keep track of project deadlines
4. Helps identify constraints and risks and define preventative measures
5. Outlines a general overview of the project

The Project Team 

• The Teamwork Challenge 

Any time you put people together with different backgrounds, life experience,s and preferences, working together as a team can be challenging.

• Selecting Team Members 

If possible, select team members who complement each other.  That way strengths and weaknesses can be balanced helping to assure a good working relationship and outcome for the project.

Risk Management 

• Project Risk

There are different kinds of risks, positive or negative.  Risks must be managed.  It must be decided if you will accept the risk, avoid it or mitigate it.  

Accepting means you acknowledge it but realize it may be too expensive or too time-consuming to mitigate it.

Avoiding means you may change the project scope, cost, or schedule but. you will avoid the risk altogether.

Mitigate means you may provide an alternative solution to remove whatever barrier the risk had represented.

Project Plans 

• The Work Breakdown Structure 

The Work Breakdown Structure or WBS is a visual representation of all the work needed to be completed in the project.  

• Work Package Sequencing 

It's important to know the order in which project tasks should be completed.  While this can take a considerable amount of time, it is usually gained back as the project progresses by avoiding mistakes that arise when it is not done properly.

The Project Schedule 

• The Scheduling Process 

Scheduling is more than a one-and-done activity.  It is really more of a process.  Part is planning and part is monitoring.

• Time Estimates 

Acquiring time estimates can always be unsettling without using some foundation to get started.  A range is always a good idea and it frees the messenger from committing too early.  Think in terms of best case, worst case.  For instance, a task may take 4 hours best case, but 16 hours worst case.

The Project Budget 

• Budget and Schedule Balancing

Knowing how much can be spent on the project and applying that to your project schedule is often as much of an artistic endeavor as it is scientific.  One of the best ways to do this is to use what you know from an earlier project.  Can lessons learned to be applied to your new budget formulation?  What surprised you in an earlier project schedule you must account for now in this new one?

Further guidance: Manage the Schedand and the Budget

Project Tracking and Control 

• Moving the Project Forward 

It is up to the Project Manager to meet with the team on a regular consistent basis.  In this way project monitoring is done as part of the regular flow of work.

• Monitoring for Project Progress  

Meeting with the team should consist of checking progress for deliverables, reviewing cost, scope and schedule to assure surprises remain at bay.

• Earned Value Analysis 

Earned Value Analysis answers these questions; where have we been?, where are we now?, and where are we going?  For more check out this article: the earned value method

• Getting Back on Track 

Project monitoring and Earned Value Analysis can help you get back on track.  Although there will most likely be impacts to the Triple Constraint of Time, Cost and Scope, the sooner you can correct the issues the better off project health will be.

Communications Overview 

• Project Change Requests 

This can be formal and often is to signify that a change is needed and an appropriate amount of rigor has been applied to let the team know this is not an incidental request, but rather something substantial enough to be addressed by all.  The change should be reviewed by subject matter experts to agree that the change is needed and how it should be implemented.

Project Close-Out 

• Elements of Close-Out 

During Project Closeout the team, led by the Project Manager, must review the overall plans for the project.  A Lessons Learned session can last several hours or be done in a series of major project elements.  It should consist of a scope review, a requirements review, a budget review, and acceptance by the customer or major stakeholders.  The most important part is identifying what the team learned as the project progressed.  How these lessons can be applied in the future is the payoff for this particular event.

• Evaluation of people and projects

Agile projects can often do a better job with this than waterfall using ceremonies like the Retrospective to recount what went well and what could be improved for future work.