Strategy

Encompasses Stakeholder Management GovernanceScope definitionRequirements ManagementCommunication Management Benefits Management.

Business Case

Justification for the project A living document that should be revisited regularly to ensure viability continuesRevisit to ensure that benefits can be deliveredRevisit at gates/ phases as a minimum Do not be afraid to Cancel the project if the business case is no longer viable .

Culture and Behaviours

Understand the types of people in the team Benefit of getting the whole team pulling in the same direction Different types of people for different roles Understand that different cultural norms exist in different companies/ countries As the project moves through the lifecycle different people needed Respect others opinions /ways of working .

Document Control

Ensure everyone who needs access has accessCapture all documents Configuration controlSimple filing systemSearchable capability Easy to find documents

PlanningFully scope the requirement Total Team involvement Take the time to do properly Use history to assist but not constrain thinking/ estimating Use breakdown structures to fully understand what needs to be delivered .Product , Work and Organisational breakdown structures assist understanding Breakdown costs by WBS/CBS/Robust estimating

Scheduling

Understand the logic/ process of the activities / deliverables .Don’t constrain the schedule Remember that a schedule is a forecast, subject to uncertaintyDates are the outcome of good scheduling If the logic does not give required finish dates look at where time can be shortened but remember to add the risks to the schedule. Scheduling is a reiterative process and should be revisited / updated regularly

Baselines

Ensure the Baselines are relevant Used to measure progress /slippage against agreed deliverable Used to assess potential change against baseline Should be set when the schedule is robust , and agreed that it is possible to deliver the project to time, cost and quality.

Risk Management

Capture all risks, threats and opportunitiesAlign with the schedule (time /cost) Regularly review progress of mitigation actionsUse tools to help complex modelling Modelling and management is iterative throughout the life of the project.

Monitoring and Control

Allows understanding of project performance statusEnsure integration of process and data is robust. Allows for accurate progress recording Its good to remember not to have activities spanning too many reporting periods.Requires the correct level of schedule logic and detail to enable accurate data

Earned Value

A simple concept, but when applied to complicated projects may be daunting. Not as difficult as it first seems. Measures three things – the plan, the cost and the value achievedAllows the understanding of the What, how much (cost), where you are within the project and forecast likely outcome It is another measure of project performance, not THE measure. E.g a good check against other measuresCan be used to prioritise management efforts

Change Management

Ensure clear understanding of the change and any impacts Measure the change against a baseline Understand the impact of the change against the baseline. Be prepared to reject the change Ensure that a robust process is in place to assess , manage, control approve or reject a potential change Change management Process should be dovetailed with Risk management

Benefits Management

Understand and agree what benefits are to be deliveredRe-evaluate regularly to ensure that the project is still delivering the benefits.Be prepared to stop the project if things change .

Lessons Learnt

Ensure all have access to the lessons learned documentation Review at regular points throughout the lifecycle of the project and capture accordingly Review lessons Learned documents from other similar projects to assist with estimating and other activities at the beginning . A key activity, particularly at project close-out