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Project Management: A systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling

Project Management

Why did I choose this resource?

Kevin directed me to this resource to learn and understand an outlined process of project management.

What did you learn from it?

I learned that the success to project management comes in the form of guidelines and a great team. Strategic planning, a diligent team, and awareness of risks and errors will yield positive results for any and all projects.

Key Knowledge

16 Guidelines to Project Management Success

  • ONE Project Management Method

    • Detailed

    • Templates and reports

    • Flexible

    • Align with company culture

    • Mirror a systems approach

  • Project Management Viewpoint – a philosophy that pushes your team to complete a project

    • Project Management Office

    • Project Manager – Evaluate and find reasons for conflicts

    • Assistant Project Manager

    • Project Team

      • Personalities to avoid – any and all that undermine implementation

  • Create a Plan at the Beginning of a Project – Planning and execution, most important skills

    • Objective – goal

    • Program – strategy and tactics

    • Schedule – when activities will begin and end, “Critical Chain Project Management”

    • Budget – costs

    • Forecast – expected circumstances at fixed points

    • Organization – work structure, and employee positions, titles, and duties

    • Policy – guidelines for behavior and activity

    • Procedure – steps to execute policy

    • Standards – the degree in which individuals and groups are expected to perform

**At this time the SOW and project specifications, or in our case, project charter is created. It will outline milestones and be aware of points that require tasks to be completed before being able to move forward.  To identify these “bottlenecks” some methods you can use are the “Program Evaluation and Review Technique” (PERT) and the “Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique” (GERT).

  • Risks

  • Set Specific Goals

    • Evade/reduce changes to project scope

    • Evaluate changes based on the “scope statement”

    • Remind your team, “cost of quality” or “cost of conformance,” versus “cost of non-conformance”

  • Cost and Schedule Management Go Hand in Hand

    • Extended time, higher cost.

    • Parkinson’s laws

      • “The work at hand expands to fill the time available”

      • “Expenditures rise to meet budget.

  • The Right Manager

    • Leadership, adaptability, how/when to take initiative, ambition, decisiveness, and ability to communicate.

    • Planning skills, team building expertise, conflict solving, administrative experience, and the necessary technical skills.

  • Clarify roles of project sponsors and managers

  • Increase line managers’ participation

    • Less resistance to change when all managers, including sales, marketers, ect, are involved and their positions do not feel threatened.

  • Deliverable before resources

    • Focus on what needs to be produced before you establish how you will produce them

  • Communication, cooperation, and trust

  • Include all participants in the success of a project

  • Terminate non productive meetings

  • Address problems immediately

  • Review the project status often

  • Use a project management software tool – Active Collab

  • Train employees often and meticulously

Tips for staying out of trouble:

  • Try not to say, “No.”

  • Making employees commit to an unrealistic deadline does not mean they will be able to meet it.

  • Crazy deadlines = higher costs

  • Document everything! (On Paper)

  • Missing information will hurt a progress

  • Progress reporting keeps teams moving forward

  • Periodically review strategic planning for project management

How are you using what you learned?

I am using what I learned to create an outline for project management core skill training that all employees can utilize to understand the project management process. All team member of a project should know the process to successfully complete a project.

Key Changes / Key Actions

  • Create outline for project management core skill training

  • Create a training schedule to review and update the process

Source

  • Name : Project Management

  • Author : Harold Kerzner

  • getAbstract.com: Link to Book

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