Contents

Overview of Project Management

Planning the Project

Executing the Project

Scheduling Project Work

Project Control and Evaluation

Building Support for your projects

A Business tale

Managing the Project Team

How to make project management work in your company?

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Achieving Team Member Self-control
Ultimately, the only way to control a project is for every member of the project team to be in
control of his or her own work. A project manager can achieve control at the macro level only if it
is achieved at the micro level. To achieve self-control, team members need:

A clear definition of what they are supposed to

be doing, with the purpose stated.

A personal plan for how to do the required work

Skills and resources adequate to the task

Feedback on progress that comes directly from

the work itself

A clear definition of their authority to take corrective

action when there is a deviation from plan

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Characteristics of a project control system
The control system should focus on project objectives, with the aim of ensuring that the
project mission is achieved. To do that, the control system should be designed with the
following question in mind.

What is important to Which aspects of the work are

the organization? most important to track and
control?

What are we What are the critical paths in

attempting to do? the process at which controls
should be placed?

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Taking corrective action

A control system should focus on response –

if control data do not result in action, then
the system is ineffective.

That is, if a control system does not use

deviation data to initiate corrective action, it
is not really a control system but simply a
monitoring system.

If you are driving and realize that you have

somehow got on the wrong road but do
nothing to get back on the right road, you are
not exercising control.

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Timeliness of response

If actions occurs too late, it will be ineffective.

Data on project status are sometimes delayed by 4 to 6 weeks, making them

useless as a basis for taking corrective actions.

When information collection is delayed for too long, the manager may end up
making things worse, instead of better.

The government’s attempts to control recessions and inflation sometimes

involves long delays, as a result of which the government winds up doing the
exact opposite of what should have been done, making situation worse.

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Designing the right system

One system is not likely to

be correct for all projects.

It may need to be scaled down for

small projects and beefed up for large
ones.

Generally, a control system adequate

for a large project will overwhelm a
small one with paperwork, while one
that is good for small project won’t
have enough “clout” for a big
project.

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Practicing the KISS principle

“KISS” stands for “Keep it Simple, To keep control simple, it is a good idea to
Stupid!”. Any control data that are check periodically that reports that are
not essential should be eliminated. generated are actually being used for
However, as was just mentioned, one something by the people who receive
common mistake is to try to control them. We sometimes create reports
complex projects with systems that because we believe the information in
are too simple! them should be useful to others, but if the
recipients don’t actually use it, we kid
ourselves

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Project review meetings

There are 2 aspects to project control.

One can be called maintenance, and the
other aim at improvement of
performance. The maintenance review
just tries to keep the project on track. The
improvement review tries to help project
teams improve performance. There are 3
kinds of reviews:

1 Status reviews

2 Process reviews

3 Design reviews

A status review is aimed at maintenance. It asks where the project stands.

Process review means the way something is done, and you can be sure that
process always affects task performance.
Design reviews, of course, are appropriate only if you are designing hardware,
software, or some sort of campaign, such as marketing campaign.
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Project evaluation

Evaluation

Project evaluation appraises the progress

and performance of a job compared to
what was originally planned.

That evaluation provides the basis for

management decisions on how to
proceed with the project.

The evaluation must be credible in the

eyes of everyone affected, or decisions
based on it will not be considered valid.

Project process review is the primary tool

for project evaluation.

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Purpose of project evaluation
Following are some of the general reasons for conducting periodic project
reviews.

Improve project preference together with the management of the

project.

Ensure that quality of project work does not take a back seat
to schedule and cost concerns.

Reveal developing problems early so that action can be

taken to deal with them.

Identify areas where other project should be

managed differently.
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Conducting project process review

The process review must be conducted in

a spirit of learning, rather than in a
climate of blame and punishment. If
people are afraid that they will be
“strung up” for problems, then they will
hide those problems if at all possible.

Two questions are asked in the review.

What have we done well so far?

What do we want to improve in the future?.
Finally, the results of the review should be published.
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The process review report
The report should contain the following

• Current project status

• Future status

• Status of critical tasks

• Risk assessment

• Information relevant to other

project

• Limitations of the process review

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Effective Project closure – Check list
Project – Checklist

Have all activities in the project plan has been completed?

Have all work orders been completed?

Have all contracts been comleted?

Have all outstanding commitments been resolved?

Has the client or customer accepted the final products?

Are all deliverables completed?

Has agreement been reached with the client on the disposition

of any remaining deliverables?
Have external certifications and authorizations been signed and
approved?
Have all audits been completed and issues resolved?

Have ongoing maintenance procedures been activated?

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Effective Project closure – Check list
Finances checklist

Have all payments been made to vendors and contractors?

Have all costs been charged to the project?

Have project accounts have been closed?

Have remaining project funds been returned?

Documentation checklist

Have project plans and supporting documents been revised to reflect the
‘as-built’ condition?

Have final project reports have been prepared and distributed?

Has the project plan been archieved with all supporting data?

Have ‘lessons learned’ been documented, shared with

appropriate people, and archieved with project plans?

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Effective Project closure – Check list
Personnel checklist

Are all parties aware of the pending close-out?

Has effort been recognized and rewarded?

Have project personnel been reassigned

Resources checklist

Has excess project material been dealt with?

Have project facilities, equipment, and other resources been

reallocated?

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Summary

• An unique set of co-oridinated activities, with definite starting and finishing points,
undertaken by an individual or organization to meet specific objectives within
defined schedule, cost and performance parameters’ is called Project Management.
• The objectives must be so clear and well defined that anyone with a basic
knowledge of project area can understand them.
• Objectives must be defined in measurable terms. If they cannot be measured, they
are too ambiguous and fuzzy and you need to define them more clearly. To be
successful, you must be able to measure and report on the progress.
• The Project Manager, clients, and customers must agree on the project objectives.
There must be agreement that the end result will solve the problem or respond to
the opportunity defined.
• The Project objectives must be possible to achieve, given that available resources,
knowledge, skills and time. It might take some time and energy to negotiate project
objectives that are realistic.
• The objectives need to be framed within clear time (cost) goals. Define how much
time (budget) is available and if there is any flexibility.