The Project Manager as Planner

I think everyone agrees that the first responsibility of the project manager is planning. The project manager's main responsibility is to build the high-level plan, but it is the responsibility of the line/functional managers to build in or provide the details. We know that the project manager does not or should not control the resources that will ultimately do the work, but the project manager is responsible to see that that work is done right, on time, and on budget. There are some tips that will help the project manager create a better project plan and keep the project on track.

Some items to consider are:

• Define your tasks using non-technical language, and include descriptions or notes detailing the work involved
  
• Create milestones in your schedule to help track progress and use them as quality gates
  
• Ensure you have agreement with the line managers about the skill sets required of his or her resources
  
• Define up front how you will measure performance
  
• Define up front how you will measure quality
  
• Ensure you have a strong project sponsor that is engaged and supportive
• Use Communication plans to keep everyone informed
  

Doing the above (and lots of other things) will help ensure that everyone involved with the project will better understand their roles and have a vision of what the end product or service will look like.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management

Organizations have a lot of knowledge. This knowledge is critical to the organization’s success and is housed in many places. Knowledge transfer among employees is always a challenge, and most importantly most organizations do not have processes in place to ensure that timely knowledge transfer takes place.

An organization’s culture can inhibit effective knowledge transfer. Ineffective knowledge transfer can cause knowledge to be lost or be unclear when and if it is transferred.

Some ways to overcome ineffective knowledge transfer are:

• Face-to-face meetings


• Create an environment that is conducive to collaboration


• Set performance objectives around formal and informal knowledge transfer mechanisms


• Establish regular knowledge transfer procedures (meetings, documents, reports, etc)


• Hire people that are flexible and open to good knowledge transfer practices


• Conduct brainstorming sessions and document the what is learned/transferred


• Reward collaborative efforts


• Use failures as a way to create new knowledge

A common language is important for effective knowledge transfer to take place. Glossaries, scope statements, project objectives and project assumptions will help you to begin the process of knowledge transfer in the early stages of your project.

PMI World Congress - Toronto, Canada

I'm at the Project Management Institute's annual World Congress, which is being held this year in Toronto. Lots of good information is being exchanged and I have attended many presentations that are focused on Program and Portfolio Management. As we all know these conferences can add value to our careers, however we have to be ready to accept these ideas and be willing to implement them when we return to our regular jobs.

One of the areas I plan to focus on in the new year is expanding my skills around communications and scope management. We can never stop learning if we want to excel in our careers.

Have a good day, eh!

Project Management Insights - The Human Face of Project Management

The website below has lots of good information, and additionally has some very good templates. Check it out.

Project Management Insights - The Human Face of Project Management

DISCLAIMER *** Yesterday’s Project Management Best Practices Checklist posting

DISCLAIMER *** Yesterday’s Project Management Best Practices Checklist posting

Just so I don’t get in trouble, I didn’t author the checklist that appeared on the blog yesterday.  I found it buried in the reams of documentation, templates, and various Project Management documents that I have in my possession.  While virtually all of the postings on this blog were written by me, I will always credit sources when available.  I am unsure of the source of yesterday’s posting.

Thanks

Stephen F. Seay, PMP

Project Management Best Practices Checklist

Identify the participants and their roles.
Identify potential project team members as well as the major players in the user community that will test and except the final product or service.

Assign an experienced project manager early
This Project Manager will make or break a project. Be sure the individual has the expertise to manage the project and works well with others. Don't hesitate to look at outside sources if there is no one on staff that qualifies.

Assess the qualifications and experience of the planned project team members
Along with the project manager, assess carefully the qualifications and experience of each team member as they pertain to the specifics of this project. Keep in mind the importance of team players, and the ability to get along with others.

Complete a detailed workplan
A preliminary workplan with major milestones should have been completed while developing the PIJ. Now is the time to work with the project manager in identifying the tasks involved for each milestone. The workplan should list the tasks for each milestone with the estimated hours, start and stop dates, costs and responsible parties. Sample workplans and templates are available through GITA upon request.

Establish an issues control tracking system
Establish a method by which, all issues pertaining to the project are recorded and can be reviewed regularly and tracked by the project team. All issues should eventually have a documented resolution. Software to perform these functions may be available through GITA upon request.

Establish a regular project team review meeting schedule
Regularly scheduled project review meetings should be incorporated into the workplan. These meetings are to review the current progress of the project including the percentage of completeness of workplan tasks.

Establish a participant update meeting schedule
Periodic participant update meetings should be incorporated into the workplan. These meetings are to present the current progress of the project to upper management and major participants in the user community.

Conduct a project kickoff meeting
Officially start the project with a meeting of all parties involved. The project team should be introduced, the milestones reviewed with estimated completion dates, and expectations as to the level of participation, should be outlined.

Keep IT Simple

There was a popular survey some time ago that asked leaders in several mid-sized companies about their success. One of the main reasons that many were successful is they focused on simplicity in everything they did. The study concluded that simple, focused companies were more profitable.

The Pareto or 80/20 Principle can help us realize the power of keeping things simple.

Some popular statistics that relate to the Pareto Principle are below:

80% of beer is consumed by 20% of the beer drinkers

80% of classroom participation comes from 20% of the students

80% of traffic jams occur on 20% of roads

20% of your clothes will be worn 80% of the time

80% of sales are generated by 20% of the sales staff

80% of problems are generated by 20% of the employees

80% of problems come from 20% of the customer base

Now that we know this, how do we make things simpler? The answer is "simple". We need to analyze the data. We cannot guess where the problems are. We cannot just use emotion. As I have stated in previous posts, it is important to look at your business processes to eliminate waste and complexity.

Questions to ask yourself and your organization when seeking to simplify your business processes:

What are our processes?

Who are our customers?

What systems do we use? Do we have the right systems in place to support our business?

What services do we offer internally and externally? Are they still valuable today?

Look for the 20% that adds value and eliminate or redesign the rest. Keep in mind that we are looking to automate, minimize, isolate, reduce, redesign, or reallocate those things that are not helping us to achieve simplicity.

Keep it Simple!!!