Project Management JumpStart : The Best First Step Toward a Career in Project Management

Why did I choose this resource?

I chose this resource with Kevin’s help to gain more knowledge and understanding of the project management process.

What did you learn from it?

I learned the phases of a project, from deciding to take on a project to closing and sign-offs; and why each step is important. I also learned why communication is one of the most important skills of a project manager and the guidelines to having great communication.

Key Knowledge

• 5 Phases of a Project
  • Initiating –
    • Establish criteria for selecting a project
    • Identify project goals, project manager, project charter, and sign-off.
  • Planning
    • Define deliverables and draft statement of work
    • Set a budget, schedule activities, and identify resources
  • Executing
    • Create and instruct project team
    • Secure resources, review status, establish communication, manage progress
  • Monitoring and Controlling
    • Evaluate performance
    • Keep the project on track and on time
    • Consider requests for project changes
  • Closing
    • Authorize deliverables
    • Record lessons learned
    • Archive, close books, and release resources
• Top 3 Constraints
  • Time – never enough
  • Resources – availability
  • Quality – Relaxed vs. strict
• A project is not a success until the client is satisfied
• Most important skill for a project manager to have is outstanding communication
• 10 Guidelines for Great Communication
  • Minimize “noise” – Give out only necessary information
  • Use e-mail efficiently – short and to the point
  • Paraphrase – Repeat information back so you know you heard it correctly
  • Ask questions – Show you are listening
  • Keep voice-mail messages short and clear – repeat phone numbers
  • Pay Attention – eradicate disturbances
  • Listen actively – Use body language to show you are listening
  • Avoid jargon – Use plain language. “Start by telling you audience what you’re going to tell them, then tell them, and then tell them what you told them.”
  • Use more than one medium – Voice, writing, pictures, and recordings
  • Be patient
• When choosing to accept a project, criteria to be considered are cost, risk, and business strategy.
• Once a project is chosen, a Project Charter is created:
  • “Statement of work (SOW)” – Defines direction of project
  • “Project scope description” – Defines boundaries
  • “Strategic plan” – Explains how project aligns with the organizations strategy
  • “Project overview” – Reason for project and its goals
  • “Project objectives” – Project achievements; should be “SMART” (specific, measurable, accurate, realistic, and time-bound)
  • “Requirements” – Identify deliverables; should also be “SMART”
  • “Business justification” – Recap of reason for the project
  • “Resource and cost estimates” – preliminary at this point
  • “Roles and responsibilities” – Assign specific task to workers
  • “Sign-off” – Signatures of major project participants
  • “Attachments” – Anything else required to make the project terms clear
• “Program Evaluation and Review Technique PERT” –
  • Can be used to establish how long tasks will take
  • Make 3 estimates:
    • Optimistic
    • Likely
    • Pessimistic
  • Use estimates and statistics to graph the duration of a project
• List all necessary resources, human and otherwise, to create an inventory. Use this information to see what else is required to complete the project.
• Know the purchasing policy for the organization; determines make-or-buy decisions
• Calculate probability of risks and decide what action to take; accept, avoid, transfer, or mitigate.
• Build in buffers of time and money; keep them sensible! May hurt credibility.
• Change Management Plan – 3 Commandments
  • Document ALL requests for change
  • Do not stray from the organization’s change management process; deny a request if it does not agree with the process.
  • Be mindful that changes to budget, schedule, and quality usually affect each other.
• Signs a project may have to be abandoned
  • Poor planning
  • Excessive change requests
  • Delays and budget cuts made without adjusting the project accordingly
• Closing a project
  • Document everything in a project “journal” including mistakes and what was learned
  • Finalize contracts and have all major parties sign-off that the project is completed
  • Distribute a questionnaire to clients and staff for feedback

How are you using what you learned?

I am using what I learned to improve and expand the project management outline I have already created.  I am also trying to use the guidelines for communication in every conversation I hold to improve my own communication skills.

Key Changes / Key Actions

• Add kaizen feedback from clients and employees/contractors to project folders.
• Review kaizen feedback periodically through the project to make improvements.

Source

• Name : Project Management JumpStart
• Author : Kim Heldman
• getAbstract.com: Link to Book