Course Overview
- Gathering Project Information
- Establishing Project Requirements
- Possessing Multiple Personas
- No Other Choices?
- How to Interview Management
- How to Interview Stakeholders
- Identifying Project Needs
- How to Create Reasonable Expectations
- How to Create a Project Charter
- Project Charter Elements
- How to Establish a Completion Date
Course Objective
Read chapter 1 and review information noted bellow.
Gathering Project Information
“Project management is the ability to administer a series of chronological tasks resulting in a desired goal.”
“A project, technically, is a temporary endeavor to create a unique product or service. Projects are an undertaking outside of the normal operations of an entity.”
“The organization that completes the project work is called the performing organization.”
“The goal of project management is not technology for technology’s sake, but rather a movement toward things like improved customer service, enhanced product quality, and increased profitability.” See figure 1-1
Establishing Project Requirements
“Before the actual project work can begin, the project manager must establish the project requirements with the project stakeholders.”
Stakeholders - Any individuals, groups, or communities that have a vested interest in the outcome of the project.
Your job is to deliver the product/service/support the stakeholders envision. There is absolutely no way you can walk into a meeting with a preconceived solution and achieve success. You must interview the stakeholders to gain a clear vision of what they want and need. Click Here to view a funny little comic strip most project managers have seen but that holds a profound truth concerning project that fail to communicate customers needs accurately.
“Clarity is paramount. When the decision has been handed down that your company will be implementing some new technology, and you’ll be leading the way, you need a clear, thorough understanding of the project’s purpose. Ambiguous projects are a waste of time, talent, and money.”
- Gain clarity by interviewing stakeholders.
- Understand what results will signal the projects end.
- Establish a clear start and end date.
- Establish a path for success by gaining a clear picture of the end result and don’t imbark on a project that is a half baked wish list.
Ask yourself these questions before you start a project
- Does the project have an exact result?
- Are there industry or government sanctions/regulations to consider?
- Does the project have a reasonable deadline?
- Is the project sponsor someone who has the authority to christen the project?
- Does the project have a financial commitment?
- Is someone else doing this already?
Possessing Multiple Personas
There is a lot of information concerning how a project manager should think. Review it and let me know if you agree with the personality the project manager should have. Are there any other questions a project manager should consider?
No Other Choices?
“At the start of a project, in its very genesis, ensure that the proposed technology is the correct technology…You’ll need to create a list of questions and then find the appropriate technology that offers the needed solution,works with your current systems, and fits within your budget. Having the right technology to begin with ensures success at the project’s end.”
How to Interview Management
“You need a strong commitment from from management to the project. You need to share management’s vision of how the end results will benefit the company.”
“When you approach management to find out why the project needs to happen you aren’t questioning their decision making ability. You are, however, questioning what their vision is for the project.”
While working for Precision Estimating I ran into a situation where a manager said he wanted to implement a proprietary website portal technology. This technology was very expensive and and so I interviewed him and discovered his goal was to create an internal searchable body of knowledge. I proposed MediaWiki which was later implemented and met all established requirements. Your goal has to be what is the desired results of the project and after you understand this you can have success.
When talking with management keep it in their language. Don’t get into the technical aspect of what needs to be implemented but keep it where they’re at: speed, profit, accessibility, etc.
How to Interview Stakeholders
“Any project that has an impact on users needs to be discussed with them.”
Focus Groups: “A focus group allows you to take a sampling from each affected department, present the project to them, and then listen to their input. You nee to explain how the proposed technology will be better than the current, how it will solve problems, and, if necessary, why the decision is being made to change.”
Intranet Site: “An effective form of communication because users have the opportunity to share their opinions and have some say on your project.”
I’ve used intranet sites with success several times when implementing web based solutions. After I have a solution at alpha or beta test level I add forums for users to leave their input directly on the pages.
Delphi Technique: “The participants and their comment are annonymous. The users are allowed to freely comment on the technology, their concerns, and desires for the requirements. All of the comments are then shared with all of the participants, and they can agree or discount them based on their opinions and experience. Because the process is anonymous, there is no fear of retribution.”
Identifying Project Needs
“Vision, in project management terms, is the ability to clearly see the intangible and recognize the actions required to get there. One of your jobs is to develop, nurse, and transfer the vision to everyone on your team. The project manger, however, cannot have a clear vision of the project if the project needs are never clearly established.”
How to Create Reasonable Expectations
See Book
How to Create a Project Charter
“A project charter is similar to the goal, but more official, more detailed, and in line with your company’s vision and goals. obviously, a project can step from a broad, general description of an IT implementation. A goal narrows the description and sets a deadline. A project charter formalizes the goals and serves as a map to the destination. Above all, however, a project charter formally authorizes the project.
Not only does a charter clearly define the project, its attributes, and its end results, it also identifies the project authorities. The project authorities are usually the project sponsor, the project manager, and the team leaders (if necessary), and the charter specifies the role and contact information for each.”
The Project Charter Establishes
- Authorization for the project
- Defines the business need in full
- Identifies the sponsor of the project
- Identifies the project manager
- Makes the project manager accountable for the project
- Assigns authority to the project manager on behalf of the project sponsors
Additional Links
How to Write a Project Charter - by ProjectMGT.com
Template for the Project Charter - by Stanford University
How to Write a Project Chater - by eHow.com
Project Charter Elements
See Book and additional links above.
How to Establish a Completion Date
See Book
Project Charter Examples
I’m looking for some good links to online examples of project charters. If you know of one please let me know. Until then review the one in the book.
Summary
You’ve read what I consider to be the highlights from Chapter 1 along with some of my thoughts. You’ll notice that the primary concept is establishing vision and understanding of the projects results. The second most important point is understanding how to write a project charter. Please be sure to obtain a copy of IT Project Management to deepen your understanding of the covered topics.
Resource Links
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