Project Management Masterclass

Mark CurranYear in Industry Mentor

Welcome to the Session!

Importance of perspective in Projects

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI):

“A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.”

What is Project Management?

• Lack of support for the project;• Lack of project scope definition;• Continual change requests to scope; and• Reluctance to discuss/deal with bad news.

Common issues that arise in PM

• Control and predictability of project outcomes;• Stakeholder confidence and support;• Provides reference or roadmap for future similar

projects; and• Provide you with basic tools to manage future projects.

Benefits of good PM

Topics covered today:• Stakeholder Analysis;• Defining the project scope;• How to create a Work Breakdown Structure;• How to create the project schedule;• Managing Project Quality;• Managing Project Communications; and• Managing Project Risk.

Creating a Project Management Plan

• Identify all parties that will be impacted by the project i.e. the stakeholders;

• Identify stakeholder interest, involvement and impact on the project;

• Collect project requirements (from identified stakeholders plus any other relevant source); and

• Create stakeholder register.

Stakeholder Analysis

Stakeholder Register

Stakeholders Stakeholder Interest

Operations Director (Sponsor)

Keen to improve access time to documentation (business efficiency). Very keen to expand warehousing area.

Departmental ManagersKeen to improve access time to documentation. Maybe reluctant to release personnel for project due to business commitments.

Departmental Personnel Will be interested but may be indifferent to detail.

Warehouse ManagerConcerns over short term disruption. Need to keep on side by mitigating issues faced where possible.

External contractorHave no direct interest in the project but interested in the end date so they commence the warehouse expansion.

Stakeholder Analysis “Power/Interest” matrix:

Keep Satisfied Manage Closely

Monitor Keep Informed

Interest HighLow

Low

Power

High

Their lack of interest/power means they are most likely to accept was is communicated and follow instructions .

If communicated and presented in a logical way, will generally provide support and often ignore dissenters.

Need to keep satisfied enough toavoid them getting too interested and unnecessarily involved. Reassuring them of outcomes usually achieves this.

Major supporter (or dissenters).Potentially major driver of change.Need to provide regular updatesand provide reassurance of outcomes.

Create stakeholder “power/interest” matrix:

Keep Satisfied Manage Closely

Monitor Keep Informed

Interest HighLow

Low

Power

High

External contractor

Departmental Personnel

Warehouse Manager Operations Director (Sponsor)

Assigned project personnel

• Define project scope description/characteristics:

• Digitise/destroy docs held in records area;• Register of all docs and status must be provided;• Must be converted to .pdf;• Create a map of where digitised docs to be stored;• Access to digitised docs must be assigned; and• Storage area to be completely cleared for contractor.

Define scope:

• Define product acceptance criteria:

• All docs on register to be digitised/destroyed;• All digitised docs uploaded as per directory map;• User access to digitised docs correctly assigned;• Storage area completely empty for contractors;• Assigned personnel have digital access to specified

records; and• Specified area allocated for warehouse expansion.

Define scope:

• Project exclusions:

• Only paper records in storage area to be digitised/destroyed.

• Project constraints:

• Project cannot start before; and• Project must complete by.

Define scope:

• Scope freeze:

• This effectively sets the project baseline across all areas;• Further request for change will be reviewed

accepted/rejected and then documented; and• Accepted changes may well affect the schedule, cost,

the deliverable and quality etc.

Define scope:

Cost/risk implications of change orders:

£

Time

Risk Cost

Define scope:

How to create a WBS (Work Breakdown Structure):

Create high-level WBS:

Identify docs by

deptScan docs

Shred or destroy docs

Digitised doc

register

Clear storage area

Digitise docs and clear

store area

How to create a WBS (Work Breakdown Structure):

Identify Activities:

Identify docs by

dept

Scan docs

Shred or destroy docs

Digitise doc

register

Clear storage

area

Digitise docs and clear

store area

• Create paper doc reg

• Tag each doc i.e. digitise or destroy

• Sort paperwork to be digitised

• Covert to txt via OCR

• Covert to pdf

• Shred/destroy

• Load pdfdocs to networkDirectory

• Assign user access rights

• Clear area

How to create a Project Schedule:

Critical Path Schedule:

Plan Quality:• Define quality requirements/standards (how compliance will be

demonstrated)• Register of each doc by dept;• Each register section to be signed of by dept manager;• Sign off authorises doc to be digitised or destroyed; and• Register to highlight status and date performed.

Perform Quality Assurance:• Performing quality audit.

Perform Quality Control:• Graphs/Charts and their use.

Managing Project Quality

Identify what information needs to be communicated:

• Activity Progress against schedule and plan;• Where will project documentation be stored; and• Revision control.

o Rev A, Rev 1, Rev A1 etc

Identify when required information needs to be communicated:• i.e. every Friday.

Plan Communications

Decide who to distribute to:

• Progress detail to all stakeholders except external contractor; and

• Schedule progress, all stakeholders.

• Report performance/progress:

• Total docs to convert; and• % complete by status.

Plan Communications:

Decide who to distribute to:

Plan Communications:

Stakeholder Schedule Doc progress reports

Operations Director Yes Yes

Departmental Managers Yes Yes

Departmental Personnel Yes Yes

Warehouse Manager Yes Yes

External contractor Yes No

Plan risk management:• Start with what might happen, chances and impact; and• Add new risks as they are discovered.

Identify and categorise risks:• High – work with sponsor to resolve or halt project;• Medium – try and resolve immediately; and• Low – do nothing but monitor.

Respond to risk: • Continually review and audit.

Risk Planning

Track risk:

Risk ID Description Prob

H/M/L Impact Response DateLogged Owner

1Lack of project support/help

M

Potential project

delay, quality of data

Assigned personnel to be

made available by 2 Aug 13

10 July 13 Dave M

2All paper docs

may not be accounted for

H

Docs could get mis-

assigned or even lost

Dept Mgr to review and sign off

relevant part of doc reg

10 July 13 Dept Mgr

3Scanner may break down

L

Digitising docs will

delay schedule

Ensure immediate repair service available or

replacement unit

15 July 13 PM

Risk Planning

Any Questions