How to Manage Large Projects
So what is a large project? It's usually one that:
Involves a large financial expenditure
Takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years
Has a big project team in different locations
Involves the creation of large quantities of deliverables
Requires external suppliers and contractors.
Large projects typically have higher risk and are harder to control than small projects, as they involve large quantities of people, time, money and resources. So they have a lot more to lose when things go wrong!
Using MPMM and Method123 you have 10 different processes available for monitoring and controlling large projects. Each of these processes are described below:
1. Manage Time
Delivering "on schedule" is usually the hardest challenge for a large project, due to the sheer amount of work involved. You need a clear time management process to record time spent by staff, log it in a timesheet register and update the project plan with current progress.
This process allows you to track progress and control delivery against the original target date set. All staff should complete timesheets and hand them to the project administrator weekly.
2. Minimize Cost
To minimize the cost of the project, a cost management process should be implemented. This involves recording all expenses in an expense register and regularly updating the project plan and financial plan schedules with the status of the project budget.
Only by gaining an up-to-date view of the total project spend, can you control expenditure and minimize costs.
3. Control Quality
The quality management process is used to conduct quality assurance reviews to check that the deliverables produced by the project meet the quality targets set.
A set of quality control measures are put in place, to monitor and control the quality of each deliverable produced.
4. Reduce Change
Using a change management process, the Project Manager can identify any requests for change and review their potential effect on the project.
Large projects all too frequently suffer from scope creep, whereby changes are implemented without approval. This causes delays and budget over-runs. The change process will prevent this occurring, by monitoring and controlling all changes and implementing a formal process for their approval.
5. Mitigate Risks
Large projects usually encounter a larger amount of risk, so the key to success is in identifying these risks early and mitigating them before they impact on the project. Using a risk management process, you can identify and mitigate project risks early.
Low and medium priority risks will be addressed by the Project Manager, however high priority risks will be raised at Project Board meetings to be addressed.
6. Resolve Issues
Complex and technical projects usually encounter a high number of issues, as the project deliverables may be unique in nature. The trick is to resolve them as early as possible. Implement an issue management process, to enable staff to raise issues and have them resolved by the Project Manager in a timely manner.
7. Manage Procurement
If you're obtaining goods and services from external suppliers, then you will need some form of procurement management process. This process will explain how you want to procure items, through the issuing and fulfillment of Purchase Orders.
It will also explain how you intend to manage the performance of your suppliers, by conducting supplier reviews at each contractual milestone.
8. Get Acceptance
It's not enough to produce top quality deliverables, you have to gain acceptance from your customer that each deliverable meets their requirements. This is called the acceptance management process.
As you finish each deliverable, get your customer to sign it off as being 100% complete. It will help you manage the project and get permission to perform project closure when you're ready.
9. Perform Communications
On larger projects, it's crucial that you keep stakeholders properly informed. By implementing a communications management process, you can distribute formal communication messages, to ensure that you deliver the right content to the right people at the right time.
10. Complete Phase Reviews
And lastly, to manage large projects, you need to implement phase reviews at the end of each major project phase. Each review allows your team to determine that they have met their objectives for the current phase and can therefore progress to the next phase in the project life cycle.
For large projects, these processes help Project Managers to monitor and control their projects effectively, increasing their likelihood of achieving success.
Download all of the processes, templates and forms for managing large projects - in the Project Management Kit.
Get a methodology for monitoring and controlling large projects, by downloading a free MPMM trial now...
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
How to Manage Small Projects
How to Manage Small Projects
So what is a "small project" vs. a "large project"? It's fair to say that small projects have:
A lower project budget
Very short delivery timescales
Less people and more limited resources
Lower risk and fewer project issues
More clearly defined deliverables
However small projects are not necessarily easier to manage than large projects! They may still be complex and involve a range of departments, resources, suppliers and customers to complete them.
So to boost your chances of success, we have set out here, the Project Life Cycle for managing small projects:
Step 1: Create a Terms of Reference
For small projects, the first step to take is usually the creation of a Terms of Reference. This document describes the project vision, scope, objectives, deliverables, timeframes and known risks for the project.
You need to get all of the project stakeholders to agree to this document, so that you gain a crystal clear view of what the project is to achieve. Without formal approval, projects suffer scope creep, lack of change control, poor sponsorship and communication problems.
Step 2: Appoint the Project Team
Thanks to your Terms of Reference, everyone agrees what it is that has to be achieved. You're now ready to appoint your team. For small projects, you will usually need to gain the support of senior management, to allocate resource to your project, from within the business.
You will probably have a very limited budget for appointing external suppliers, consultants and contractors. But if they are required, you will need to formalize supplier contracts at this point.
Regardless of the project role appointed, make sure you create a clear Job Description first, so that staff know exactly what's expected of them.
Step 3: Set up the Project Office
Even small projects need the support of a project office, who help with project reporting, risk / issue / change resolution, training and administration. For small projects, you will need the services of your project office to make sure that your project conforms with internal standards and processes, and to get project support when you need it.
Step 4: Create a Project Plan
The Project Plan is more than just a schedule of events. It describes the entire Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for the project by defining all of the phases, activities and tasks required to deliver it. It also sets out the project scope, milestones, effort, deliverables, resources and dependencies in detail.
For smaller projects, your project plan will become your "single view of progress for the project." By updating it immediately after your weekly project status meetings, you can ensure that you remain on track.
Step 5: Create a Quality Plan
With a clear view of the project plan, you now need to work out how you're going to ensure that you will meet the requirements of your customer. The Quality Plan will help you do this by defining your quality targets, complete Quality Assurance reviews and Quality Control.
Step 6: Create a Communications Plan
The final step in the planning process is to set out a plan for keeping stakeholders properly informed of the progress of the project.
Using the Communications Plan, you can define the communication needs of all stakeholders. You can then build a schedule of communications events so that you inform the right people with the right information at the right time.
Step 7: Build the Deliverables
Of course the largest amount of time allocated in your Project Plan, will be spent building the physical deliverables for your customer. Whether it's creating new products, deploying new services or re-engineering processes, make sure that you use a Deliverables Register to record the progress of your deliverables towards completion.
Step 8: Monitor and Control
While your team are building the project deliverables, your job is to monitor and control the critical elements of the project. This includes:
Time Management
Cost Management
Quality Management
Change Management
Risk Management
Issue Management
Step 9: Close the Project
Once all of the deliverables are complete, your job is nearly finished. At this point, you need to close the project by completing any outstanding items, filing project documentation, releasing suppliers, terminating contracts, re-allocating resources and communicating closure to the project stakeholders.
Step 10: Review Completion
Even for small projects, it's necessary to review it's completion. By completing a Post Implementation Review, you can gain an independent assessment of the level of success of the project, the areas for improvement and any lessons learned.
And that's it! By following these 10 steps, you'll boost your chances of delivering your projects on time and under budget.
Need templates to help you manage small projects?
Check out the Project Management Kit from Method123.com
If you want to download a Methodology for managing small projects, then download a free MPMM trial now...
So what is a "small project" vs. a "large project"? It's fair to say that small projects have:
A lower project budget
Very short delivery timescales
Less people and more limited resources
Lower risk and fewer project issues
More clearly defined deliverables
However small projects are not necessarily easier to manage than large projects! They may still be complex and involve a range of departments, resources, suppliers and customers to complete them.
So to boost your chances of success, we have set out here, the Project Life Cycle for managing small projects:
Step 1: Create a Terms of Reference
For small projects, the first step to take is usually the creation of a Terms of Reference. This document describes the project vision, scope, objectives, deliverables, timeframes and known risks for the project.
You need to get all of the project stakeholders to agree to this document, so that you gain a crystal clear view of what the project is to achieve. Without formal approval, projects suffer scope creep, lack of change control, poor sponsorship and communication problems.
Step 2: Appoint the Project Team
Thanks to your Terms of Reference, everyone agrees what it is that has to be achieved. You're now ready to appoint your team. For small projects, you will usually need to gain the support of senior management, to allocate resource to your project, from within the business.
You will probably have a very limited budget for appointing external suppliers, consultants and contractors. But if they are required, you will need to formalize supplier contracts at this point.
Regardless of the project role appointed, make sure you create a clear Job Description first, so that staff know exactly what's expected of them.
Step 3: Set up the Project Office
Even small projects need the support of a project office, who help with project reporting, risk / issue / change resolution, training and administration. For small projects, you will need the services of your project office to make sure that your project conforms with internal standards and processes, and to get project support when you need it.
Step 4: Create a Project Plan
The Project Plan is more than just a schedule of events. It describes the entire Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for the project by defining all of the phases, activities and tasks required to deliver it. It also sets out the project scope, milestones, effort, deliverables, resources and dependencies in detail.
For smaller projects, your project plan will become your "single view of progress for the project." By updating it immediately after your weekly project status meetings, you can ensure that you remain on track.
Step 5: Create a Quality Plan
With a clear view of the project plan, you now need to work out how you're going to ensure that you will meet the requirements of your customer. The Quality Plan will help you do this by defining your quality targets, complete Quality Assurance reviews and Quality Control.
Step 6: Create a Communications Plan
The final step in the planning process is to set out a plan for keeping stakeholders properly informed of the progress of the project.
Using the Communications Plan, you can define the communication needs of all stakeholders. You can then build a schedule of communications events so that you inform the right people with the right information at the right time.
Step 7: Build the Deliverables
Of course the largest amount of time allocated in your Project Plan, will be spent building the physical deliverables for your customer. Whether it's creating new products, deploying new services or re-engineering processes, make sure that you use a Deliverables Register to record the progress of your deliverables towards completion.
Step 8: Monitor and Control
While your team are building the project deliverables, your job is to monitor and control the critical elements of the project. This includes:
Time Management
Cost Management
Quality Management
Change Management
Risk Management
Issue Management
Step 9: Close the Project
Once all of the deliverables are complete, your job is nearly finished. At this point, you need to close the project by completing any outstanding items, filing project documentation, releasing suppliers, terminating contracts, re-allocating resources and communicating closure to the project stakeholders.
Step 10: Review Completion
Even for small projects, it's necessary to review it's completion. By completing a Post Implementation Review, you can gain an independent assessment of the level of success of the project, the areas for improvement and any lessons learned.
And that's it! By following these 10 steps, you'll boost your chances of delivering your projects on time and under budget.
Need templates to help you manage small projects?
Check out the Project Management Kit from Method123.com
If you want to download a Methodology for managing small projects, then download a free MPMM trial now...
Make or buy Your Project Methodology?
Make or buy Your Project Methodology?
Before we help you find an answer to this question, let's define what a "methodology" is. A methodology is a pre-defined set of steps that describe how a project should be managed, from end-to-end. It sets out what needs to be done, by whom, when and how. It also describes how time, cost, quality, change, risks and issues should be managed to ensure that the project delivers on time and under budget.
It gives you a complete delivery roadmap so that you can manage projects in the same way every time, delivering projects faster and more efficiently than before.
So should you create this roadmap (or "methodology") from scratch, or should you buy it off the shelf? Here are the steps you need to take to make that decision:
Step 1: Analyze your Environment
How successful are projects in your Company? Which projects fail and which succeed? Why are projects late? Which problems commonly occur? Do all teams use the same project processes? Which processes work efficiently and which need improvement?
By answering these questions, you can identify the common problems in your project environment and list the areas that need to be improved.
Step 2: Define your Requirements
After you've identified the problem areas and the processes that need to be improved, you're ready to define your requirements for a project methodology.
Define exactly what it is that you want from your methodology. Which processes do you require, and at which level of depth. For instance, do you need detailed processes to help you plan projects, or do you want procedures for contracting and managing suppliers.
Document your requirements in as much depth as possible and mark them as either mandatory or optional.
Step 3: List the solutions
Great, so you know exactly what it is that you want from a methodology. You now have 3 options ahead of you:
a) Create a new methodology from scratch.
If you have in-house project experts with the time available to create a new detailed methodology, then this is a good option for you. They will need to run workshops to define your project life cycle, identify relevant best practices and standards, document your project processes and implement training courses to roll out your new methodology to your organization.
It's a huge amount of work and will take considerable time, but it may be worth it.
b) Buy a new methodology off the shelf.
These days you can buy, download and implement a project methodology in minutes. The advantage is that it saves you months of work and energy rather than having to create one from scratch. The disadvantage is that it may not perfectly fit your project environment and you will need to train all of your staff in the new processes and procedures included.
This option is best for smaller companies running smaller projects, as they usually don't have the time to create a methodology from scratch and they need to improve their project delivery rate quickly, as their project success directly affects their company profitability.
c) Buy and customize a methodology.
If you already have some project processes that work for you, but you simply want to improve certain areas of your project environment, then the best option is to buy a customizable methodology, upload your existing processes and quickly create a new customized project roadmap that perfectly fits your environment. MPMM allows you to do this.
You will be able to immediately adopt new processes that are based on worldwide project management standards, while still using your existing processes. It usually takes 1-2 weeks to merge your existing processes with the methodology your purchase, saving you months of hard effort and giving you a customized methodology which is a perfect fit for your environment.
Step 4: Rank the options
Once you've identified each of the potential options available, you will want to rank them in terms of their:
Total cost and effort required
Ability to meet your requirements set
Handling of different project sizes.
Step 5: Make your decision
Based on the amount of time, expertise and budget you have available, you should now be able to make a clear decision as to whether you should make from scratch, buy & implement or buy & customize a project management methodology for your project environment.
And just one further tip: If you decide to "buy" a methodology, then make sure that it:
Is completely customizable.
Is based on worldwide standards
Handles all types and sizes of projects
Can quickly and easily be implemented
Is simple to follow and adds real value to your projects.
So that's it. You can follow these 5 steps to make your decision on whether to make or buy a project methodology, to improve your success in delivering projects.
Looking for a customizable project methodology that you can use to deliver successful projects? Download a free trial of MPMM today.
Further Information
Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists helping you to complete project documents effortlessly.
See MPMM.com for an entire Project Management Methodology for project managers, consultants, trainers and students.
Before we help you find an answer to this question, let's define what a "methodology" is. A methodology is a pre-defined set of steps that describe how a project should be managed, from end-to-end. It sets out what needs to be done, by whom, when and how. It also describes how time, cost, quality, change, risks and issues should be managed to ensure that the project delivers on time and under budget.
It gives you a complete delivery roadmap so that you can manage projects in the same way every time, delivering projects faster and more efficiently than before.
So should you create this roadmap (or "methodology") from scratch, or should you buy it off the shelf? Here are the steps you need to take to make that decision:
Step 1: Analyze your Environment
How successful are projects in your Company? Which projects fail and which succeed? Why are projects late? Which problems commonly occur? Do all teams use the same project processes? Which processes work efficiently and which need improvement?
By answering these questions, you can identify the common problems in your project environment and list the areas that need to be improved.
Step 2: Define your Requirements
After you've identified the problem areas and the processes that need to be improved, you're ready to define your requirements for a project methodology.
Define exactly what it is that you want from your methodology. Which processes do you require, and at which level of depth. For instance, do you need detailed processes to help you plan projects, or do you want procedures for contracting and managing suppliers.
Document your requirements in as much depth as possible and mark them as either mandatory or optional.
Step 3: List the solutions
Great, so you know exactly what it is that you want from a methodology. You now have 3 options ahead of you:
a) Create a new methodology from scratch.
If you have in-house project experts with the time available to create a new detailed methodology, then this is a good option for you. They will need to run workshops to define your project life cycle, identify relevant best practices and standards, document your project processes and implement training courses to roll out your new methodology to your organization.
It's a huge amount of work and will take considerable time, but it may be worth it.
b) Buy a new methodology off the shelf.
These days you can buy, download and implement a project methodology in minutes. The advantage is that it saves you months of work and energy rather than having to create one from scratch. The disadvantage is that it may not perfectly fit your project environment and you will need to train all of your staff in the new processes and procedures included.
This option is best for smaller companies running smaller projects, as they usually don't have the time to create a methodology from scratch and they need to improve their project delivery rate quickly, as their project success directly affects their company profitability.
c) Buy and customize a methodology.
If you already have some project processes that work for you, but you simply want to improve certain areas of your project environment, then the best option is to buy a customizable methodology, upload your existing processes and quickly create a new customized project roadmap that perfectly fits your environment. MPMM allows you to do this.
You will be able to immediately adopt new processes that are based on worldwide project management standards, while still using your existing processes. It usually takes 1-2 weeks to merge your existing processes with the methodology your purchase, saving you months of hard effort and giving you a customized methodology which is a perfect fit for your environment.
Step 4: Rank the options
Once you've identified each of the potential options available, you will want to rank them in terms of their:
Total cost and effort required
Ability to meet your requirements set
Handling of different project sizes.
Step 5: Make your decision
Based on the amount of time, expertise and budget you have available, you should now be able to make a clear decision as to whether you should make from scratch, buy & implement or buy & customize a project management methodology for your project environment.
And just one further tip: If you decide to "buy" a methodology, then make sure that it:
Is completely customizable.
Is based on worldwide standards
Handles all types and sizes of projects
Can quickly and easily be implemented
Is simple to follow and adds real value to your projects.
So that's it. You can follow these 5 steps to make your decision on whether to make or buy a project methodology, to improve your success in delivering projects.
Looking for a customizable project methodology that you can use to deliver successful projects? Download a free trial of MPMM today.
Further Information
Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists helping you to complete project documents effortlessly.
See MPMM.com for an entire Project Management Methodology for project managers, consultants, trainers and students.
How to Hire the Right Staff
How to Hire the Right Staff
To hire the right staff for the right roles, take these 5 steps:
1. Define the Role
Sounds easy, but defining the role is the most important step to take when recruiting new project staff. You need to create a Job Description document that describes in depth the:
Purpose of the role
Responsibilities for every phase in the project
Reporting and communication lines with other staff
Skills, experience and qualifications required
Team fit and performance criteria
Salary, rate, commission and benefits
Work environment and special conditions.
2. Find Top Candidates
Next, advertise the role both internally and externally. Make your adverts as specific as possible. List the key responsibilities and performance criteria. Explain the challenges and stresses that they will face. List any special requirements. Make it sound enticing, but don't oversell it. Remember, only by attracting the right candidates will you improve your chances of recruiting the right people.
With some luck, your specific adverts will have attracted the right type of candidates to the role. You now want to select 3 to 10 (maximum) people to interview.
Before you start the selection process, you should list all of the characteristics from the Job Description that are critical to this role. These characteristics will become your "selection criteria". Then rank your selection criteria in order of importance and if needed, assign a weighting.
Then review all of the CVs and applications received, against the criteria specified. While it's possible to complete this step scientifically, you should also follow your "gut feel". If a candidate is an 80+% fit but does / doesn't feel right, then you may use that feeling to bias the result. However if they're not an 80%+ fit against your selection criteria, then the chances are that they might fit in well with the team but not be perfect for the role.
3. Interview Candidates
Next, interview the selected candidates. Remember that your ability to critically analyze candidates in an interview situation will determine the success of the recruitment exercise. So don't just "wing it". For every interview, you should:
Prepare a list of questions before you start.
Cover all areas of the Job Description, during the interview.
Addresses any strengths and weaknesses from their CV.
Consider the quality of the questions they've posed to you.
Be specific, direct and to the point at all times.
Don't be afraid to take notes during the interview. If you're interviewing more than 3 candidates, you will rely on these notes more heavily when progressing to the next stage..
4. Test Candidates
Depending on the type of role you're recruiting, you may also want to formally test your candidates. Here are 10 ways that you can test candidates to determine their suitability against the Job Description:
1. Perform personality, competency & numerical testing.
2. Get them to send you samples of work completed in the past.
3. Ask them to perform specific project tasks. For instance, if hiring a software developer, get them to write you an example program.
4. Perform a second interview with management.
5. Get them to meet the team and allow the team to ask questions.
6. Take them for lunch with your team and see how they socialize.
7. Get them to do a formal presentation to your team.
8. Seek 3 professional references, all being past employers.
9. Ask them for 2 personal references, for character checking.
10. Speak to their prior customers to confirm their competency.
5. Select Candidate
Based on the testing and interview results, the final step is to select your candidate. By now, you want to have 2-3 strong contenders for the role. So what if their results are the same and you can't decide? In this case, you have 3 options available:
Hire neither and start again. It's difficult to do this as you've put in a lot of work to get to this point, but it's better to start again than hire a candidate who will not meet 95-100% of the needs of the role. You only have one shot of delivering this project on time—and having the right person is critical to making it happen.
Hire both and deliver earlier. In some cases you can split a Job Description in two and allocate the responsibilities to more than 1 staff member. It's challenging and risky doing this, but in some cases you can deliver the project earlier and at the same cost by hiring 2 gifted candidates at the same time.
Select the best candidate. In most cases you're landed with this option. If both candidates are "on an even par", then don't pass the decision on to someone else, go with your gut feel. We could give you numerous statistical testing methods to choose the right person, but at the end of the day they have to be able to do the job and fit in with your team—and only you will know which candidate is best to do this.
Building high performing teams is one of the traits of a successful Project Manager. By defining the role properly, interviewing and testing your candidates efficiently, you can usually find the right people to help you deliver your project successfully.
In the next issue, we'll give describe how to get the most out of your teams performance.
Want a Job Description template to help you build high performing teams? Click here to download now...
Further Information
Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists helping you to complete project documents effortlessly.
See MPMM.com for an entire Project Management Methodology for project managers, consultants, trainers and students.
To hire the right staff for the right roles, take these 5 steps:
1. Define the Role
Sounds easy, but defining the role is the most important step to take when recruiting new project staff. You need to create a Job Description document that describes in depth the:
Purpose of the role
Responsibilities for every phase in the project
Reporting and communication lines with other staff
Skills, experience and qualifications required
Team fit and performance criteria
Salary, rate, commission and benefits
Work environment and special conditions.
2. Find Top Candidates
Next, advertise the role both internally and externally. Make your adverts as specific as possible. List the key responsibilities and performance criteria. Explain the challenges and stresses that they will face. List any special requirements. Make it sound enticing, but don't oversell it. Remember, only by attracting the right candidates will you improve your chances of recruiting the right people.
With some luck, your specific adverts will have attracted the right type of candidates to the role. You now want to select 3 to 10 (maximum) people to interview.
Before you start the selection process, you should list all of the characteristics from the Job Description that are critical to this role. These characteristics will become your "selection criteria". Then rank your selection criteria in order of importance and if needed, assign a weighting.
Then review all of the CVs and applications received, against the criteria specified. While it's possible to complete this step scientifically, you should also follow your "gut feel". If a candidate is an 80+% fit but does / doesn't feel right, then you may use that feeling to bias the result. However if they're not an 80%+ fit against your selection criteria, then the chances are that they might fit in well with the team but not be perfect for the role.
3. Interview Candidates
Next, interview the selected candidates. Remember that your ability to critically analyze candidates in an interview situation will determine the success of the recruitment exercise. So don't just "wing it". For every interview, you should:
Prepare a list of questions before you start.
Cover all areas of the Job Description, during the interview.
Addresses any strengths and weaknesses from their CV.
Consider the quality of the questions they've posed to you.
Be specific, direct and to the point at all times.
Don't be afraid to take notes during the interview. If you're interviewing more than 3 candidates, you will rely on these notes more heavily when progressing to the next stage..
4. Test Candidates
Depending on the type of role you're recruiting, you may also want to formally test your candidates. Here are 10 ways that you can test candidates to determine their suitability against the Job Description:
1. Perform personality, competency & numerical testing.
2. Get them to send you samples of work completed in the past.
3. Ask them to perform specific project tasks. For instance, if hiring a software developer, get them to write you an example program.
4. Perform a second interview with management.
5. Get them to meet the team and allow the team to ask questions.
6. Take them for lunch with your team and see how they socialize.
7. Get them to do a formal presentation to your team.
8. Seek 3 professional references, all being past employers.
9. Ask them for 2 personal references, for character checking.
10. Speak to their prior customers to confirm their competency.
5. Select Candidate
Based on the testing and interview results, the final step is to select your candidate. By now, you want to have 2-3 strong contenders for the role. So what if their results are the same and you can't decide? In this case, you have 3 options available:
Hire neither and start again. It's difficult to do this as you've put in a lot of work to get to this point, but it's better to start again than hire a candidate who will not meet 95-100% of the needs of the role. You only have one shot of delivering this project on time—and having the right person is critical to making it happen.
Hire both and deliver earlier. In some cases you can split a Job Description in two and allocate the responsibilities to more than 1 staff member. It's challenging and risky doing this, but in some cases you can deliver the project earlier and at the same cost by hiring 2 gifted candidates at the same time.
Select the best candidate. In most cases you're landed with this option. If both candidates are "on an even par", then don't pass the decision on to someone else, go with your gut feel. We could give you numerous statistical testing methods to choose the right person, but at the end of the day they have to be able to do the job and fit in with your team—and only you will know which candidate is best to do this.
Building high performing teams is one of the traits of a successful Project Manager. By defining the role properly, interviewing and testing your candidates efficiently, you can usually find the right people to help you deliver your project successfully.
In the next issue, we'll give describe how to get the most out of your teams performance.
Want a Job Description template to help you build high performing teams? Click here to download now...
Further Information
Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists helping you to complete project documents effortlessly.
See MPMM.com for an entire Project Management Methodology for project managers, consultants, trainers and students.
Defining the Role of a PMO
Defining the Role of a PMO
To help you learn more about what a PMO does, we've answered 5 popular PMO questions. By reading these answers, you'll learn more about what makes a PMO tick and why it's good to have one around.
1. What exactly is a PMO?
A PMO is a department responsible for improving project management within an organization. It's important to note that a PMO is a permanent department within an organization, it's not a temporary function or an outsourced activity. It's there to constantly improve an organizations level of project management success. It does this by making sure that the organization implements the right projects, using the right processes and the right tools needed to succeed.
2. What types of PMOs exist?
There are 3 types of PMOs that may exist in an organization:
Supportive PMO. This is the most common type of PMO. Its purpose is to empower project managers and teams to deliver their projects more successfully. It doesn't control or direct projects, instead it focuses on supporting projects through training, mentoring, administration and reporting.
Controlling PMO. Supportive services may not be enough to put projects back on track. By offering controlling services (such as project reviews, audits, assessments and governance), the PMO can influence project delivery. It can also enforce standards, implement processes and manage overall project risk.
Directive PMO. The least common, but sometimes most effective type of PMO, is one that offers directive services. In this case, the PMO does not just support and control projects, but it's responsible for actually running them. In a Directive PMO, each of the Project Managers report to the PMO Director as their supervisor. This helps to "corral" all of the project work within an organization, to one department.
3. Which type of PMO is suitable?
If you want to implement or improve your PMO, then these tips will help you to decide which model is best suited to your organization:
If you're implementing a PMO from scratch, then a Supportive PMO it best. It helps you add value by providing reporting, training and monitoring services, without taking on the responsibility for controlling and directing projects.
If you have an established PMO and you want to ensure that projects are independently assessed, then a Controlling PMO is best. You can directly influence the success of projects, as well as implement best practices, standards and project management tools.
If your organization has a small set of high risk projects at any one time, then often, a Directive PMO is best. While you'll directly be responsible for the outcome of each project, you can combine all of your organizational resource into making a small set of targeted project activities successful.
4. What are the PMO's responsibilities?
Regardless of the type of PMO you employ, it will be responsible for:
identifying and resolving common problems across projects
standardizing project management processes and tools
improving project management capabilities and skills
monitoring and reporting on project status
reducing the cost of projects
improving project success.
5. How do you set up and implement a PMO?
To set up and run an efficient PMO operation, you need to progress through 4 phases:
PMO Initiation: Within this phase, the role of the PMO is defined, sponsorship is obtained and a PMO Charter is created. Funding is sought and a Steering Committee is appointed to oversee the operation. Staff are appointed to each PMO role, a premise is obtained and the team are relocated, along with the necessary communications infrastructure. Whew!
PMO Planning: By now, you've got the sponsorship, staff and funding you need. The next step is to create a PMO Execution Plan, which describes how you are going to offer all of the required services. You will then want to select which methodology, templates and tools you need to succee d.
PMO Execution: With capable staff and a solid execution plan, you're ready to offer supporting, controlling and / or directive services to project teams. This will include offering training, mentoring and support. It may also include reviews and assessments or the management of projects themselves.
PMO Improvement: A PMO is an on-going operation, so you'll need to continually improve your level of service. You can do this by reviewing the effectiveness of your department and the success of projects within your organization. Service improvements need to be continually implemented, to enable the level of project management within your organization to mature.
It's a lot of work - but organizations with a successful PMO find that they can deliver more projects on time and under budget. It may not be for everyone, but if your organization has mixed project management success, then a PMO may be exactly what's needed to get back on track.
Want a methodology to help you implement or improve your PMO? Check out MPMM today.
Further Information
Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists helping you to complete project documents effortlessly.
See MPMM.com for an entire Project Management Methodology for project managers, consultants, trainers and students.
To help you learn more about what a PMO does, we've answered 5 popular PMO questions. By reading these answers, you'll learn more about what makes a PMO tick and why it's good to have one around.
1. What exactly is a PMO?
A PMO is a department responsible for improving project management within an organization. It's important to note that a PMO is a permanent department within an organization, it's not a temporary function or an outsourced activity. It's there to constantly improve an organizations level of project management success. It does this by making sure that the organization implements the right projects, using the right processes and the right tools needed to succeed.
2. What types of PMOs exist?
There are 3 types of PMOs that may exist in an organization:
Supportive PMO. This is the most common type of PMO. Its purpose is to empower project managers and teams to deliver their projects more successfully. It doesn't control or direct projects, instead it focuses on supporting projects through training, mentoring, administration and reporting.
Controlling PMO. Supportive services may not be enough to put projects back on track. By offering controlling services (such as project reviews, audits, assessments and governance), the PMO can influence project delivery. It can also enforce standards, implement processes and manage overall project risk.
Directive PMO. The least common, but sometimes most effective type of PMO, is one that offers directive services. In this case, the PMO does not just support and control projects, but it's responsible for actually running them. In a Directive PMO, each of the Project Managers report to the PMO Director as their supervisor. This helps to "corral" all of the project work within an organization, to one department.
3. Which type of PMO is suitable?
If you want to implement or improve your PMO, then these tips will help you to decide which model is best suited to your organization:
If you're implementing a PMO from scratch, then a Supportive PMO it best. It helps you add value by providing reporting, training and monitoring services, without taking on the responsibility for controlling and directing projects.
If you have an established PMO and you want to ensure that projects are independently assessed, then a Controlling PMO is best. You can directly influence the success of projects, as well as implement best practices, standards and project management tools.
If your organization has a small set of high risk projects at any one time, then often, a Directive PMO is best. While you'll directly be responsible for the outcome of each project, you can combine all of your organizational resource into making a small set of targeted project activities successful.
4. What are the PMO's responsibilities?
Regardless of the type of PMO you employ, it will be responsible for:
identifying and resolving common problems across projects
standardizing project management processes and tools
improving project management capabilities and skills
monitoring and reporting on project status
reducing the cost of projects
improving project success.
5. How do you set up and implement a PMO?
To set up and run an efficient PMO operation, you need to progress through 4 phases:
PMO Initiation: Within this phase, the role of the PMO is defined, sponsorship is obtained and a PMO Charter is created. Funding is sought and a Steering Committee is appointed to oversee the operation. Staff are appointed to each PMO role, a premise is obtained and the team are relocated, along with the necessary communications infrastructure. Whew!
PMO Planning: By now, you've got the sponsorship, staff and funding you need. The next step is to create a PMO Execution Plan, which describes how you are going to offer all of the required services. You will then want to select which methodology, templates and tools you need to succee d.
PMO Execution: With capable staff and a solid execution plan, you're ready to offer supporting, controlling and / or directive services to project teams. This will include offering training, mentoring and support. It may also include reviews and assessments or the management of projects themselves.
PMO Improvement: A PMO is an on-going operation, so you'll need to continually improve your level of service. You can do this by reviewing the effectiveness of your department and the success of projects within your organization. Service improvements need to be continually implemented, to enable the level of project management within your organization to mature.
It's a lot of work - but organizations with a successful PMO find that they can deliver more projects on time and under budget. It may not be for everyone, but if your organization has mixed project management success, then a PMO may be exactly what's needed to get back on track.
Want a methodology to help you implement or improve your PMO? Check out MPMM today.
Further Information
Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists helping you to complete project documents effortlessly.
See MPMM.com for an entire Project Management Methodology for project managers, consultants, trainers and students.
5 steps to Implementing your Project Methodology
5 steps to Implementing your Project Methodology
A Project Management Methodology is defined by MPMM as a "set of processes, tools and systems that a Project Manager uses to deliver projects". A project methodology:
Sets out the entire Work Breakdown Structure for the project.
Tells your team which phases, activities and tasks are required to complete the project successfully.
Sets out how to complete each project activity by describing who should complete it, how and by when.
Includes a set of templates to help you complete each project management task quickly and efficiently.
A methodology gives you a roadmap for delivering your project and it helps you to keep on track by adopting processes to monitor and control it's delivery.
"So how do I select and implement a suitable methodology?"
Step 1: Define your Methodology Requirements
Implement the right methodology for your needs is critical to project success. So the first step to take is to define your methodology needs, in terms of your content needs and your implementation needs.
Your content needs define the content that the methodology should contain. For instance, should it list every phase, activity and task in the project life cycle? Should it apply to your industry specifically, or be more generic? Should it have particular project processes which are particular to your company or rather have best practice processes for delivering projects as a whole?
Your implementation needs define the qualities of the methodology itself. For example, you may decide that the methodology should be: Robust. A robust methodology is one that is comprehensive, clear, and complete so that it cannot be misinterpreted.
Flexible. The methodology should apply to all types and sizes of projects performed by the organization.
Appropriate. The methodology should include project processes, procedures and activities that are common in your organization.
Attainable. The methodology should be one that the organization can accept and use. For instance, it has the right terminology, it's based on worldwide standards and it can be practically implemented.
Step 2: Assess Existing Internal Methodologies
With a clear understanding of your requirements, the next step is to assess your existing project processes. Why re-invent the wheel if you have something that works in-house?
Compare your existing internal project processes, tools and systems against your requirements and identify any gaps. Then rate the overall fit of your existing processes to your requirements and assign an overall score which depicts the level of fit.
Step 3: Assess Available Third-Party Methodologies
There are a number of methodologies available for immediate adoption, in the market place. Having researched these methodologies, compare each against your requirements and assign an overall score which depicts the level of fit.
Be sure to check that the methodology offered in the marketplace is applicable to your market segment and offers the project processes needed by your team. For instance, many methodologies are specifically designed for IT projects and are not suitable for other project types. Others are suitable for small and medium sized projects only.
If you find a methodology that has an 80% fit, then it's probably as good as you'll get. You can usually customize the remaining 20% to meet the unique requirements of your organization.
Adopting a third-party methodology can save you an enormous amount of time and energy. If it's based on worldwide standards, then it may also help you to implement best practice.
Step 4: Evaluate Creation of Custom Methodology
In many cases (such as for a manufacturing company), you may have project processes which are unique in the market. In this case, your only option may be to develop a methodology from scratch.
This will be more time consuming and expensive than adopting existing internal or third-party methodologies, but it may help you to add a little structure to any unique or peculiar project activities.
Step 5: Select and Implement Methodology
Having assessed all of your available options, you now have the information you need to make your decision. Choose the solution which is the best fit for your organization, and will help your teams to improve their practices as quickly as possible. After making your decision, you're ready to proceed with implementation. This involves:
Creating an Implementation Plan
Purchasing, adopting or customizing the methodology,
Publicizing your new project methodology
Creating training courses and materials
Performing management and team training
Aligning your existing projects with your new methodology
Using your new methodology for all new projects started
Continually revising and improving your methodology.
And there you have it. By completing these 5 steps, you can research, select and implement a best-fit methodology which helps you and your organization to achieve true project management success!
The Method123 Project Management Methodology MPMM™ helps you to achieve project success, by offering a complete methodology for projects. Learn more about MPMM by clicking here.
Further Information
Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists helping you to complete project documents effortlessly.
See MPMM.com for an entire Project Management Methodology for project managers, consultants, trainers and students.
A Project Management Methodology is defined by MPMM as a "set of processes, tools and systems that a Project Manager uses to deliver projects". A project methodology:
Sets out the entire Work Breakdown Structure for the project.
Tells your team which phases, activities and tasks are required to complete the project successfully.
Sets out how to complete each project activity by describing who should complete it, how and by when.
Includes a set of templates to help you complete each project management task quickly and efficiently.
A methodology gives you a roadmap for delivering your project and it helps you to keep on track by adopting processes to monitor and control it's delivery.
"So how do I select and implement a suitable methodology?"
Step 1: Define your Methodology Requirements
Implement the right methodology for your needs is critical to project success. So the first step to take is to define your methodology needs, in terms of your content needs and your implementation needs.
Your content needs define the content that the methodology should contain. For instance, should it list every phase, activity and task in the project life cycle? Should it apply to your industry specifically, or be more generic? Should it have particular project processes which are particular to your company or rather have best practice processes for delivering projects as a whole?
Your implementation needs define the qualities of the methodology itself. For example, you may decide that the methodology should be: Robust. A robust methodology is one that is comprehensive, clear, and complete so that it cannot be misinterpreted.
Flexible. The methodology should apply to all types and sizes of projects performed by the organization.
Appropriate. The methodology should include project processes, procedures and activities that are common in your organization.
Attainable. The methodology should be one that the organization can accept and use. For instance, it has the right terminology, it's based on worldwide standards and it can be practically implemented.
Step 2: Assess Existing Internal Methodologies
With a clear understanding of your requirements, the next step is to assess your existing project processes. Why re-invent the wheel if you have something that works in-house?
Compare your existing internal project processes, tools and systems against your requirements and identify any gaps. Then rate the overall fit of your existing processes to your requirements and assign an overall score which depicts the level of fit.
Step 3: Assess Available Third-Party Methodologies
There are a number of methodologies available for immediate adoption, in the market place. Having researched these methodologies, compare each against your requirements and assign an overall score which depicts the level of fit.
Be sure to check that the methodology offered in the marketplace is applicable to your market segment and offers the project processes needed by your team. For instance, many methodologies are specifically designed for IT projects and are not suitable for other project types. Others are suitable for small and medium sized projects only.
If you find a methodology that has an 80% fit, then it's probably as good as you'll get. You can usually customize the remaining 20% to meet the unique requirements of your organization.
Adopting a third-party methodology can save you an enormous amount of time and energy. If it's based on worldwide standards, then it may also help you to implement best practice.
Step 4: Evaluate Creation of Custom Methodology
In many cases (such as for a manufacturing company), you may have project processes which are unique in the market. In this case, your only option may be to develop a methodology from scratch.
This will be more time consuming and expensive than adopting existing internal or third-party methodologies, but it may help you to add a little structure to any unique or peculiar project activities.
Step 5: Select and Implement Methodology
Having assessed all of your available options, you now have the information you need to make your decision. Choose the solution which is the best fit for your organization, and will help your teams to improve their practices as quickly as possible. After making your decision, you're ready to proceed with implementation. This involves:
Creating an Implementation Plan
Purchasing, adopting or customizing the methodology,
Publicizing your new project methodology
Creating training courses and materials
Performing management and team training
Aligning your existing projects with your new methodology
Using your new methodology for all new projects started
Continually revising and improving your methodology.
And there you have it. By completing these 5 steps, you can research, select and implement a best-fit methodology which helps you and your organization to achieve true project management success!
The Method123 Project Management Methodology MPMM™ helps you to achieve project success, by offering a complete methodology for projects. Learn more about MPMM by clicking here.
Further Information
Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists helping you to complete project documents effortlessly.
See MPMM.com for an entire Project Management Methodology for project managers, consultants, trainers and students.
How to keep your Project Plan Up-To-Date...
How to keep your Project Plan Up-To-Date...
Whether you're managing small, medium or large scale projects, you need to keep your project plan up-to-date on a regular basis. Most Project Managers update their Project Plan on a weekly basis to ensure that they will produce the required deliverables, within the agreed schedule.
However the process of entering all of the required information into the project plan and having it ready for review on a weekly basis, is not an easy one! But if you take these simple steps listed below, then you will be able to update your Project Plan quickly and accurately, giving you all of the information you need to make decisions about the project.
Step 1: Enter Timesheet Information
The first step taken when updating your Project Plan is to identify how much time your staff have spent on the project. You need to calculate:
The total time spent by full-time and part-time staff
All time spent by contractors and suppliers
Any time spent by internal staff
To capture this information quickly and accurately, you should make sure that all staff who have been accounted for in the Business Case submit to you a Timesheet on a weekly basis. By collating the time captured within each timesheet and allocating it against the respective project activities in the Project Plan, you will be able to determine whether the budgeted time allocated to each project activity has been exceed or not.
Step 2: Enter Deliverable Information
You now have an idea of the time spent completing each activity and project deliverable. But what is the status of the deliverable? How complete is it? Your team now need to update the project plan with the current percentage completion of each deliverable to give you an idea of how much has been achieved vs. the time spent achieving it.
For instance, your team might have already used all of the time budgeted to complete a deliverable, but the deliverable might only be 50% complete!
By comparing the percentage completion of each deliverable vs. the percentage of budgeted time used, you will have a good idea of whether the team are currently on track. Any delivery issues can then be identified and you can immediately take action to rectify them.
Step 3: Enter Financial Information
The last step taken to update your Project Plan is to enter the total expense information for the project to date. You will need to gather all of the project invoices for the current reporting period (e.g. the prior week) and calculate the total cost of completing each activity and deliverable within the project. Then enter this information into the project plan.
You can then use this information to check the percentage completion of the deliverable against the percentage consumption of the available budget. You'll easily be able to identify any instances of over or under spending, and take action to rectify any issues.
Step 4: Perform Project Planning Maintenance
Having now updated your Project Plan and determined whether your project is on track, there are several other tasks to perform, including:
Re-baselining the Project Plan if needed
Updating the Resource Plan
Updating the Financial Plan
Updating the Quality Plan
Updating the Risk Plan
Updating the Acceptance Plan
Updating the Communications Plan
Updating the Procurement Plan
By keeping your Project Plan up-to-date, you can keep an eye on the overall status of the project at all times. You'll be able to identify any delivery issues early and the take action when needed, to keep the project on track. As a Project Manager this is your single most important project task.
Select any of the above links to download templates which help you to keep your project on track.
Further Information
Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists helping you to complete project documents effortlessly.
See MPMM.com for an entire Project Management Methodology for project managers, consultants, trainers and students.
Whether you're managing small, medium or large scale projects, you need to keep your project plan up-to-date on a regular basis. Most Project Managers update their Project Plan on a weekly basis to ensure that they will produce the required deliverables, within the agreed schedule.
However the process of entering all of the required information into the project plan and having it ready for review on a weekly basis, is not an easy one! But if you take these simple steps listed below, then you will be able to update your Project Plan quickly and accurately, giving you all of the information you need to make decisions about the project.
Step 1: Enter Timesheet Information
The first step taken when updating your Project Plan is to identify how much time your staff have spent on the project. You need to calculate:
The total time spent by full-time and part-time staff
All time spent by contractors and suppliers
Any time spent by internal staff
To capture this information quickly and accurately, you should make sure that all staff who have been accounted for in the Business Case submit to you a Timesheet on a weekly basis. By collating the time captured within each timesheet and allocating it against the respective project activities in the Project Plan, you will be able to determine whether the budgeted time allocated to each project activity has been exceed or not.
Step 2: Enter Deliverable Information
You now have an idea of the time spent completing each activity and project deliverable. But what is the status of the deliverable? How complete is it? Your team now need to update the project plan with the current percentage completion of each deliverable to give you an idea of how much has been achieved vs. the time spent achieving it.
For instance, your team might have already used all of the time budgeted to complete a deliverable, but the deliverable might only be 50% complete!
By comparing the percentage completion of each deliverable vs. the percentage of budgeted time used, you will have a good idea of whether the team are currently on track. Any delivery issues can then be identified and you can immediately take action to rectify them.
Step 3: Enter Financial Information
The last step taken to update your Project Plan is to enter the total expense information for the project to date. You will need to gather all of the project invoices for the current reporting period (e.g. the prior week) and calculate the total cost of completing each activity and deliverable within the project. Then enter this information into the project plan.
You can then use this information to check the percentage completion of the deliverable against the percentage consumption of the available budget. You'll easily be able to identify any instances of over or under spending, and take action to rectify any issues.
Step 4: Perform Project Planning Maintenance
Having now updated your Project Plan and determined whether your project is on track, there are several other tasks to perform, including:
Re-baselining the Project Plan if needed
Updating the Resource Plan
Updating the Financial Plan
Updating the Quality Plan
Updating the Risk Plan
Updating the Acceptance Plan
Updating the Communications Plan
Updating the Procurement Plan
By keeping your Project Plan up-to-date, you can keep an eye on the overall status of the project at all times. You'll be able to identify any delivery issues early and the take action when needed, to keep the project on track. As a Project Manager this is your single most important project task.
Select any of the above links to download templates which help you to keep your project on track.
Further Information
Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists helping you to complete project documents effortlessly.
See MPMM.com for an entire Project Management Methodology for project managers, consultants, trainers and students.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)