FAQ - uniCenta Projects

Why Project Management?

We all know that change happens and it can be an immediate event or a series of events. Project Management is a formal methodology, and discipline, which can be applied to effect "change" effectively such as:

  • Making sure the right resources are used

  • Motivating staff to achieve a beneficial change

  • Managing complex requirements in an organised way

  • Assessing Risks; Defining Goals and Successful Outcomes

Managing the project portfolio efficiently is a fundamental principle of good project management. Because most projects involve new ideas and learning, project management has evolved a discipline to manage the new and unusual. Its objective is to:

    • Define the project

    • Set manageable tasks

    • Secure appropriate resources

    • Build team(s) to carry out the work

    • Planning and allocating tasks to resources

    • Monitoring and controlling work and resources

    • Progress and Status Reporting

    • Project Close-Down on completion

    • Project Review of lessons learned and understanding

What is a Project?

A project is generally defined as a "Programme of Work" and has:

    • a Start and an End
    • a Project Team
    • Cost, Time and Quality Constraints
    • A "Scope" of work to be accomplished

Is a Project different to any other work?

A continuous process is not a project.  A simple example; planning a business trip can be regarded as a project.  Lining up appointment dates (Milestones); planning the route (part of the Scope); booking the hotel (Resource) are all part of the planning.

Going on the trip isn't.

Is Project Management relevant to me?

You probably are a Project Manager in some shape or form within your business and personal life.  Whether this is at a macro or micro level is not important.  If you have been given a specific job to complete then you could consider using simple project management principles if what you have to do has these features:

  • Has a Goal
  • Time; Cost and Quality/Functionality needs
  • Requires expertise and support from others
  • Involves a unique (to you or the organisation) scope of work

Using a project team approach will achieve beneficial gain in a structured, controlled and cost effective way.

What is the Project Management Methodology?

For simple projects in a small organisation, agreed Milestones, a few checklists and someone to steer the project are all that are required.

For complex projects in a large organisation a more structured approach is needed, to set up and approve the project, monitor and guides its progress, solve its problems, deliver the end product (or gain) and close it down.p>

In order to understand the methodology we need to look at the project life cycle. The detailed life cycle will be dependent upon the size and type of organisation and the size and type of the project. However, in outline they all have very similar elements.

 The Project Life Cycle

Project Management stages diagram

 

A typical methodology would involve a number of stages and activities which occur at different parts of the life cycle.

  • The preparation stage involves the project manager and sponsor in the preparation and approval of an outline project justification, plan and project budget.

    N.B. There is no reason why a project sponsor should not also be the project manager. A senior manager who has a strong business reason to drive the project will have the organisational authority and "clout" with other senior managers and will often make an excellent project manager.
  • The start up stage involves the selection and briefing of the project team and some discussion on the roles and organisation.

  • The Feasibility or Research stage will establish whether the project is feasible and establish the risks and key success measures. Unless the organisation undertakes research or new product development, feasibility often means ‘can this process or technology be cost effectively applied to the organisation or department’, rather than is it generally feasible. It may include the identification of external resources such as specialist consultants or product and service providers who may wish to tender goods, software or services for the project.

    The work will be undertaken by the team (which may include external consultants) and co-ordinated by the project manager. This team should consist of the key users or main beneficiaries of the beneficial change the project is delivering (hence the term ‘project deliverables’ or ‘products’. They may be line managers, supervisors or staff with particular skills. They must be the best people available and never those ‘who can be spared’ because they have difficult or awkward personalities. The object is to build a team that is better than the sum of the individuals.

    N.B.     it is often the difficult people who consider and manage the detail. Their expertise and diligence should not be ignored but they are usually happier working in a solitary way or with like minded individuals.

  • Defining and planning the project in more detail by writing and publishing a full definition of the project and determining a project plan. This work is undertaken by the team and co-ordinated by the project manager. Both should be communicated widely to ensure maximum understanding of the project’s objectives by all staff who will be affected by the project. Now is the time to ensure their input to minimise surprises at a later stage.
  • The implementation stage involves the execution of the project as agreed, whilst carefully monitoring progress and managing changes. The team may need to be expanded at this stage to resource all the tasks. If so, it is essential they are fully briefed and feel ‘included’ as part of the team.

    When project management is not an integrated part of an organisation’s culture it is a very good idea to undertake some team building events that allow the team to work together in a competitive but non-threatening environment. As people get used to forming and dissolving teams the need for and style of such team building events will be decided by the team.

  • The close down stage involves the satisfactory delivery (satisfactory to the project ‘customer’ that is) of the products or services that achieve the beneficial gain. A project review should be held to learn the lessons. These should be formally documented and published ‘warts and all’.

Mistakes are not failures, they are how we learn. Ignoring or denying mistakes is how we fail.

So what does a Project Manager do?

Typically a project manager will be nominated to lead a project and will be expected to be fully accountable for meeting its objectives. The project manager will be the leader of the project team and will be responsible for ensuring the following are completed in a timely way:-

  • Gaining approval for the project aim and terms of reference
  • Selecting and leading the team and setting individual objectives
  • Ensuring a feasibility study is complete
  • Ensuring that the project is planned in appropriate detail
  • Allocating and monitoring the work and cost
  • Motivating the team
  • Reporting progress back to the organisation
  • Helping the team to solve project problems
  • Achieve, through the team, the goals
  • Reviewing and closing down

A project manager is a negotiator, a mediator and often a diplomat 

What skills does a project manager need?

Very broad skills and a deal of experience are needed to manage a large project successfully. They include business knowledge, technical skills and individual and team leadership skills.

Individual Skills

The personal skills are likely to include good presentation and persuasive skills, good written skills but allied to goal orientation, high energy and credibility.

N.B. Having high energy does not mean you play squash five times a week but that you have the intellectual energy and commitment to deliver the project with a positive ‘we can do it’ team approach. Good project managers know their own strengths and weaknesses and will compensate for these in selecting the team.

Team Skills

They will appreciate the differing needs of both individuals and the project team at different stages of the project. They will be aware of different team types.

Technical Skills

They will have technical skills in setting objectives, planning complex tasks, negotiating resource, financial planning, contract management, monitoring skills, managing creative thinking and problem solving, as well as their own specialist topic.

What are Milestones? Why are they called Milestones?

Imagine you are walking along the road and you see a milestone that says 20 miles to London so you keep walking and later you see one that says 10 miles to London. Now you know that you are going in the right direction and you have made some progress. That is the principle of project milestones. For example, if the project is to build a house then completing each significant chunk of work could be considered a milestone on the road to building the house. For example the milestones might be:-

  • Planning permission granted
  • Foundations laid
  • Walls constructed
  • Roof built
  • Fixtures, fittings and services completed
  • Garden landscaped
  • House inspected and approved
  • House sold
For simple projects, a milestone plan may be the only plan required.

Who else would be involved and what would they do?

A number of people may be involved depending on the size of the project. They fall into a number of groups.

The Project Sponsor

The project sponsor should be a senior person in the organisation who has the most to gain from the project’s success and the most to lose if it fails.

The Steering Team

The steering team may only be one person on a small project (perhaps the project sponsor) who meets informally with the project manager. On a large project a formal cross functional senior team will be set up to meet regularly to review progress and provide strategic guidance.

Functional or Line Managers

The line manager of each team member will want to be kept informed about the progress of the project and be involved in setting of individual objectives.

The Project Customer

The project ‘customer’ should either be a member of the steering team or represented on that team.

What are the main roles and responsibilities?

There are three key roles in the management of projects whether they are service development projects, organisational change projects, TQM projects, or facilities projects.

Top Management

Setting the conditions and culture such that the business can select and implement appropriate projects to support the business.

Middle Management

Ensuring that all projects are selected, allocated, steered and closed down satisfactorily. Ensure that projects that are not approved are not worked on.

Operational Staff

To use the tools and techniques to manage projects effectively.

What about running more than one project?

If an organisation is considering managing a portfolio of projects it needs to consider 5 key areas:-

  • Commitment of the senior management team to the effective use of project management and its acceptance by staff.
  • People in the organisation who have been trained in the principles and practice of project management are required.
  • Systems that provide the information needed by senior management to manage the portfolio of projects.
  • A methodology that is clearly understood by everyone and which every project will follow.
  • An organisational structure to select the projects that support the strategy, guide them, prioritise them and close them down.

Is there a hierarchy of project managers in project management?

Yes - dependent on the size of the project and the number of projects in the portfolio, an organisation may require several people to lead different projects or significant stages of a major project. There are generally 3 management levels but the title ‘senior’ may be added to differentiate between experienced (or full time) project managers and those who have less experience or are part time project managers.

Programme Manager(sometimes known as a Change Manager)

The Programme Manager is responsible to the Senior Management for the portfolio of projects under his control. The role is a strategic one. He or she will have command of Project Managers and Project Leaders who report for individual projects. The Programme Manager is responsible for ensuring that the portfolio of projects deliver the beneficial business gain intended.

Project Manager

A Project Manager is experienced in the skills and disciplines of project management, may manage more than one project at a time and may have Project Leaders as directly reporting staff.

Project Leader

A project leader usually manages a project stage or a small project where his or her particular skills or expertise are a large part of the work.  A Project Leader may report to a Project Manager or to the Programme Manager.

How do I get started?

As with most other things in life, good preparation is essential to success. In practice this requires that you spend time discussing agreeing and then approving:-

  • The overall aim of the project and the benefit of doing it
  • The scope (or terms of reference) of the project
  • The key objectives project
  • The specific deliverables
  • The resources available to the project
  • Roles and responsibilities within the project

Often it is not possible to define the overall requirements until some feasibility work has been done, in which case a short feasibility study may be required. Once feasibility has been established and approved then the work may be planned in the appropriate detail. This process of planning will help the team to understand its mission better and resolve outstanding research questions. The next stage is to implement the plans and monitor progress continuously until the goal is achieved. The final stage is to close down and review the project so that the lessons learnt are passed on to the next project.

 

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