Project Management

16th November 2011

John Patterson
Commercial Development Manager,
Sage (UK) Limited
 What is a project?
• Wikipedia says:
• A project is a temporary endeavor with a
defined beginning and end (usually time-
constrained, and often constrained by funding
or deliverables), undertaken to meet unique
goals and objectives, typically to bring about
beneficial change or added value.
Project Management
Triangle

Quality of
Outcome

Time
 Project Cycle
• Initiating
• Planning
• Executing
• Controlling
• Closing

(or Define, Detail, Develop, Deploy, Debrief, or…)

 Phase 1: Initiation
• What is the project aiming to achieve?
• Why is it important to achieve it?
• Who is going to be involved and what are
their responsibilities?
• How and when is it all going to happen?
 Phase 1: PID (Project
Initation Document)
• Background
• Objectives
• Scope
• Constraints
• Assumptions
• Risks
• Deliverables
• Investment
• Stakeholders
 Phase 2: Planning
• When should activities be done, by whom
• What order?
• Estimating duration and effort
• Agreeing quality control activities
• Calculating overall cost
• Producing project budget
• Assessing the risks
• Identifying management control points
 Key: What? When? Who? What needs to happen
first?
 2. Planning tasks:
Sample Gantt Chart
 2. Planning: Evaluating Risk
• Identify - what is the risk?
• What is the probability of the risk happening?
1=Low, 5=High
• What is the impact if the risk happens?
1=Low, 5=High
• What is the product of probability x impact?
1-9: green
10-19: amber
20+: red
 2. Planning: Responses to risk
• Probability
Response v Impact Description
Prevention Complete removal of the risk
– E.g. null hypothesis
Transference Specialist e.g. insurance
Reduction Reduce likelihood or limit the
impact
Contingency Actions planned if risk happens
Acceptance Tolerate the risk – perhaps
because of cost to treat, or
because likelihood and / or
impact are low
 Phase 3: Execution
Managing a Project is about making things
happen. The Project Manager must:
• ensure that the project resources are focused
upon delivery of the expected outcomes
• keep risks under control, keep the Business
Case/PID under review
• carefully monitor any movement away from
the project scope and outcomes
 3. Execution:
What does this really mean?
• Leading the team
• Meeting with team members
• Communicating with stakeholders
• Fire-fighting
• Securing necessary resources
• …..doing the work!
 3. Execution: Managing Self
• Single consolidated to do list
• Switch off the yellow envelope!
– Schedule email sessions in Outlook
• Body clock
• Group (‘chunk’) and schedule similar tasks
• OHIO / 4 Ds
• Prioritise
– Urgent v Important! Outlook?
– Avoid Student Syndrome… Don’t waste your buffer…
 3. Execution:
Managing through others
• Influencing
• Specification
– Move the chair!
• SMART objectives
– Specific
– Measurable
– Attainable
– Relevant
– Timebound
• Clarity – roles and responsibility
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
 3. Execution:
The importance of the spec…
The ability to use a pen in space The ability to write in zero gravity

Space pen Pencil

$1 Million A little bit less…..

 Phase 4: Controlling
• Managing the plan
• Managing issues
• Managing risks
• Managing scope and exceptions – deviation
from plan
• Monitoring results
• Reporting
Controlling: Managing
Stakeholders
 Phase 5: Closing
• Completion…
– Or not!
– Emotional investment, letting go
• Review and learn
• Documentation
• Handover
 Try to avoid…
• Overcomplicating
• Overpromising and underdelivering
• No contingency
• Bad news late
• Glossing over the planning stage
• Assumptions around other people’s level of
understanding / buy-in (communication)
 Terminology
• PRINCE2
• Six Sigma / Lean manufacturing
• Waterfall
• Agile
• QA
 Useful Resources

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/
main/newMN_PPM.htm
 Thank you!

Any questions?

Email: john.patterson@sage.com