Project Management
Practical Project management
Project portfolio gating
Project portfolio gating – Overview and Importance
Project porfolio gating provides a process for tracking the performance, value and current relevance of a project or group of projects vis-à-vis the current strategic reality, which is influenced by the organizational and environmental factors. It is critical to the realization of the business strategic goals. Dynamic organizations will assess the viability of projects, in terms of cost and benefits, on a regular basis. Figure 7 shows a typical gating process for the project portfolio management.Each organization may have its own customized version of the gating process. The important thing to know is that gating provides a practical approach to consistently evaluate and validate the credibility, relevance and viability of projects during the product development stages.
Figure 7 – Project Portfolio Gating Overview
Figure 8 shows the gating process specific to the product delivery management, particularly for new products.
Figure 8 – Project portfolio gating: Product Delivery Management Gating Overview
- Product Delivery Management Gating
The product delivery management gating can be described as follows:
Gate 1 – the initial screening determines the ideas strategic fit.
Gate 2 – the preliminary assessments of the ideas to determine technical and market feasibility.
Gate 3 – the more detailed version of gate 2. The main activity following gate 3 is the design and development of the product and a marketing plan.
Gate 4 – deals with the assessment of the product performance, the likely market acceptance of the product, and whether the degree of the market acceptance is sufficient to justify further development.
Gate 5 – the product is subjected to a test market (laboratory or field test, cash permitting) or pilot. The outcome of the testing or pilot determines the ‘go/no-go’ commercialization decision.Most initiatives or ideas are stopped at the initial stage, a less costly undertaking than stopping the initiatives at a later stage. Gating provides a practical way to prevent committing much resource to projects that may never make it to the commercialization or production stage. Gating can be used to optimize scarce resources, maximize profit or minimize losses.
Other key deliverables for the gating process will be discussed in the project management and product delivery management sections. Business case or marketing plan provides key information for developing other deliverables, mainly project charter and integrated project plan.
Value-added projects are established through effective project portfolio gating.
Incoming search terms:
- Governance
- projects governance models in Oil & Gas industry
- sample system development life cycle project plan
- construction work breakdown structure
- sample IT project management schedule
- procurement workflow of Gas and oil
- program governance template
- portfolio management for new products
- policy management project agenda sample
- project gating
Categories: Introduction Tags:
Project governance
Project governance
Project governance is the harmonization of processes, roles and responsibilities, and resources to facilitate the successful delivery of projects and other organization activities, including service delivery and customer support. Organizations establish governance at different levels of responsibilities to facilitate service excellence and free information exchange.
Figure 6 shows a project governance overview at the corporate, strategic business unit, portfolio, project and operational levels, and the relationship between them. A well thought-out governance facilitates successful delivery of projects. Effective, performing and value driven organizations ensure that governance at different levels have clearly defined interfaces with unambiguous roles and responsibilities. The goal is to maximize scarce resources and reduce product delivery turn-around time or time to the market.Leadership discipline across the organization facilitates value creation and organization effectiveness.
A project manager should understand the established organization governance in order to manage project effectively. Also, to enable the successful delivery of projects, ensure the establishment of steering groups with authority to make timely decisions.
.Figure 6 – project governance Overview
Incoming search terms:
- project governance diagram
- project governance
- delivery Governance model
- project governance structure
- programme governance model
- portfolio management Organization images
- governanace structure templates for projects
- governance Plan template
- IT Project Governance Plan
- Governance Model template for IT Projects
Categories: Introduction Tags:
Practical project management
Practical project management: A practical guide that put you at the top and guarantee success on any project – business or personal!
Straight to the point
- This book is a complete no-nonsense practical step-by-step guide on how to plan and deliver projects of all sizes successfully at all times.
- It is a distinct, practical and succinct guide on realizing business strategy through effective project delivery management.
- This is the book you wish you had before you embark on any project delivery assignment for yourself, your business or your organization:
Benefits:
- Learn how to deliver your projects successfully at all times
- Run project in the most cost effective way and at the lowest turnaround time
- Be at the top of your game: establish and sustain a competitive edge
- Transform yourself and/or your organization to be top performer
- Connect your strategy for success with effective project delivery
- Type of projects: event planning and delivery, technology solutions, construction, product design and development, product delivery and commercialization…
- Spend wisely and save money, through effective planning and implementation
What do you get?
- A complete 7 sections, ease to read and understand 32 chapters book
Relevant and valuable additions:
- Separate charts of all figures in the book that can be printed in large size
- Templates for all phases of project delivery management, enabling you to deliver timely and cost effective result
- Free updates to future update release of the book and associated templates
The Book
The mission of this book is to create a practical real life guide that facilitates effective management and successful delivery of projects of all sizes and goal oriented activities, at all times.
Practical Project Management – from Strategy to Realization provides a clear path on how to navigate successfully from strategy to project delivery. This book describes generic and practical processes, deliverables, techniques and tools, as well as approaches and behaviours for success in project management. In addition, it describes good and complementary practices that facilitate successful delivery of projects. The target audience includes the executives, business managers, project management professionals, training institutions and those who require concise, definitive and effective practical guide on project management.
The book outline | shown below:
The Author
Abi Akindele, MBA, PMP: Abi’s career experience to date has been in the Technology, Manufacturing, Sales, Oil & Gas and Government industries. He has led and managed high profile projects and served as a subject matter expert on various business and technology projects, worth over $0.5B, in the last 20 years. He is committed to lifelong learning and service excellence. As a leader, he has successfully delivered transformational and complex projects, which created sustainable competitive advantage and facilitated organization growth. He provides business strategy development, project management and service management services.
We offer four versions of this book for your convenience (all prices are in USD):
1. Colour print version…………………………………. $29.95 || Buy it Now from Amazon.COM
2. Black & white print version………………………. $16.95 || Buy it Now from Amazon.COM
3. eBook read only version………………………. $2.95 || Amazon Kindle Edition
4. eBook read & print version…………………………… $9.95 || Coming Soon!
Discount available for purchase of 10 or more units of the book. For details, contact us at support[at]saturnbaycorp.com or through the saturnbaycorp.com customer support (ticket) system.
If you have purchased the print version of the book, login or register a new account and submit a ticket to request for the free downloads of the eBook version (read-only) and templates.
If you have purchased the eBook version of the book, login or register a new account and submit a ticket to request for the free download of the templates.
Thank you!
SaturnBay Corporation | Your Vision, Our Passion!… delivering practical project management.
Incoming search terms:
- describe a project which your unit organisation wish to embark on
- Describe a project which your unit wish to embark on
Categories: Project Management Tags:
Project Deliverables Checklist
Project deliverables checklist provides a quick overview of the project deliverables, which can be used as a tracking tool. It may also include the key responsible and accountable parties to ensure timely completion of the project deliverables or to achieve the milestones. Maintaining one comprehensive checklist, for tracking, enables the project manager to be on top of the key activities, deliverables and emerging issues.
A project deliverables checklist can be organized or categorized by project management and product delivery management process groups. You can track the project progress using the checklist and the milestones timeline. You may drill down, using the project schedule, to track details, particularly when you detect signals or control thresholds which may impact project delivery time, cost or quality. A concise checklist for tracking the project deliverables or milestones completion, responsibility and accountability, including the delegation of authority, is critical to staying focus and on track. Table 13 includes a reference or link to the project control checklist template.
| | |
Table 13 – Project deliverables checklist template
| PPMGuideDeliverResultPPM_ProjectControlChecklist.doc |
Incoming search terms:
- project deliverables checklist
- project deliverable checklist
- Deliverables Checklist
- Project delivery checklist
- deliverable checklist
- work breakdown glossary
- project plan including time lines breakdown structure roles and responsibilities
- project deliverables checklist template
- deliverable checklist template
- kick-off meeting agenda template
Categories: Managing Outcome Tags: Project Deliverables Checklist deliverables checklist
Projects Interdependency
Projects interdependency is an important aspect of project management. It is a key factor in the successful project delivery. There could be project interdependencies between your project and other projects within and outside the organization, or between your project and others within a large project or program. It is important to identify the interdependencies between projects to determine their impacts on your project and your project impacts on them.
Establishing projects interdependency enables you to understand and focus on your primary responsibilities and identify areas not under your control where you need help from, that is other projects or projects’ activities you depend on to complete your assignment. Projects interdependency will be discussed further in the later section (see Figure 41). Table 12 includes a reference or link to the projects interdependency template.
Figure 41: Projects interdependency
project interdependency
| | |
Table 12 – Project Delivery Interface Template (right click and select “Save link as…”
Project Delivery | PPM_ProjectDeliveryInteface.doc | a checklist for projects interdependency.
Incoming search terms:
- project interdependencies template
- project interdependency template
- interdependencies template
- project interdepencies templates
- programme interdependencies register template
- project interdependencies identification
- project interdependencies
- project interdepencies
- project governance dependencies identify
- programme intra dependency template
Categories: Managing Outcome Tags: Projects Interdependency, Projects Interdependency project dependency
Project governance
Project governance ensures practical project communication, which is critical to successful project delivery. Strategic governance is critical to successful project management. It is the last resort to resolving unresolved issues, particularly roles and responsibilities, at every organizational level. Project governance is vital to ensure well defined roles and responsibilities, leadership discipline, exercise some level of control and provide support to ensure project success. A practical project governance model is show in Figure 35. In most cases, the sponsor or his/her delegate leads the steering committee.
Figure 35 – Project Governance
| | |
‘The primary safeguards against abuses of power in an organization are character, humility and judgement’6.
Take note of the following regarding project governance:
- Organization culture that does not comprehend, practice or have the leadership discipline of project management, usually undervalue the role of a project manager. A project manager may have some challenges in this type of organization. However, you can still deliver successful projects through your effective leadership, courage and good judgment. Though it could be sometime at a cost to you; regardless, you have to make your choice. You need to weigh your options – to be more of a professional and less political or become a push over.
- As a project manager, regardless of the organization culture, encourage the executives to acknowledge the formal establishment of governance for each project. It should be clearly defined and respected to facilitate an effective project team (high relationship and high result team).
- Have clearly defined responsibilities for the sponsor, the champion (an industry enthusiast or ‘god-father’) and the steering committee. The steering committee helps to create a green field and settled water to ensure the success of the project.
- Successful communication depends on a practical project governance.
Incoming search terms:
- project governance template
- project governance model template
- project governance templates
- project governance model
- governance model template
- project governance structure template
- project management governance template
- free project governance template
- the steering committee model
- template for project governance
Categories: Managing Outcome Tags: project communication project governance
Project Schedule
Project schedule provides a tracking mechanism for your project delivery.
Once the key work packages, deliverables and milestones have been defined, project schedule can be created. Project schedule include activities, tasks and their dependencies, resource information and resource assignments. Project schedule can be prepared in different format and levels to represent clear point of responsibility. Keep it simple and understandable by each lead or the assigned resource. Each activity and associated deliverable should have a single point of responsibility. Going into too much details to define tasks, may not be necessary. Do it to a point at which an assignment or responsibility can be defined.
Once the project schedule has been completed, updated, approved and base-lined, the schedule milestones information should be kept in sync with the milestones timeline. Focus your attention on the deliverables and the desired outcome, look ahead and watch for signals (threats and opportunities) and respond appropriately. Every effort should be geared towards the successful completion of the deliverables and the desired outcome.
The key components of a project schedule include:
- Gantt chart: includes activities and tasks by process group or phase, start and end dates, deliverables, dependencies, and the project critical path that needs to be watched at all times to anticipate any slippage in the project schedule.
- Resource schedule: includes resource name, type, availability and rate.
Figure 34 shows a sample project schedule, the Gantt chart, created using Microsoft® Project.
| | |
Figure 34 – Sample Project Schedule
project schedule
Notes on abbreviated columns:
Pre => Predecessor
MO => Mandatory/Optional
This is a sample project schedule.
Incoming search terms:
- sdlc timeline example
- sample sdlc project plan
- SDLC sample project plan
- sdlc project plan
- sdlc gantt chart
- sdlc timeline
- Jo Ann Bain
- sdlc example
- gantt chart sdlc
- Adam Mayes
Categories: Managing Outcome Tags: Project Schedule
Work Breakdown Structure | WBS | Work Packages
Work breakdown structure (WBS) is a representation, usually in a chart or hierarchical form, of the work packages for a project. It defines the complete scope of the project. The subject matter experts collaborate to identify and define the components of the WBS. Effort should be geared towards achieving the desired outcome, which is determined by the successful and timely completion of the work packages and the associated deliverables. Avoid clouding your plan with irrelevancies and do not trivialize this part. When you are developing the WBS always ask the questions: Why is this work package or activity important? To which deliverable is this activity relevant?
Work breakdown structure (WBS) is a prerequisite for creating the project schedule. A very good tool for creating a WBS is the Mind Manager Pro (a mind mapping tool) or Microsoft® Project or their combination. My preferred method is to start with the Mind Manager Pro and migrate to Microsoft® Project to develop a comprehensive project schedule. WBS and schedule can be created in Mind Manager Pro, which provides the creative medium to brainstorm with the project team members. For example, this guide was planned using the Mind Manager Pro to create the outline (a form of WBS), brainstorm ideas and develop the contents.
| | |
A subset of the WBS for this guide development is shown in Figure 33.
Work Breakdown Structure
Figure 33 – Work Breakdown Structure
Incoming search terms:
- Work Breakdown Structure
- mindmanager wbs
- work breakdown structure sdlc
- sdlc wbs
- mindmanager wbs templates
- wbs with mindmanager
- mindmanager WBS template
- work breakdown structure for sdlc
- wbs example sdlc
- online examination work breakdown structure
Categories: Managing Outcome Tags: Work Breakdown Structure WBS Work Packages
Integrated Project Plan
Integrated project plan is made up of several plans in one (see Figure 30). The integrated project plan serves as the reference guide for the project manager and team members to manage and execute the project agenda. To create a comprehensive integrated project plan, you need the participations of the core project team and other key stakeholders. They help to identify and establish the key elements of the integrated project plan and provide the required commitments to implement the agreed plan. Figure 32 shows a sample workflow that guides the creation, review, update, approvals and baseline of the integrated project plan. Once the project kick-off meeting has been successfully completed, the next key step is the project planning meeting(s).
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Albert Einstein
integrated project plan
Figure 30 : Deliver Result – Key Steps framework
Key steps to successful planning meeting(s), similar to the kick-off meeting, include:
- Establish clear meeting agenda. The project charter, or project agenda/mandate in the absence of a project charter, and the establishment of the core project team are prerequisites for conducting the project planning meeting(s).
- Identify and invite the key participants – the core project team and other stakeholders.
- Provide coordination and facilitation to ensure orderliness and avoid derailment of the meeting in order to keep things on track.
- Brainstorm, analyze and decide. Separate ideas/options generation from analysis in order to take advantage of diverse and alternate ideas/options.
- Obtain agreements from key stakeholders, particularly the core team, sponsor and champion, and ensure their commitments to the contents of the integrated project plan.
- Document discussions and inputs to create the plans.
- Communicate documentation and reports to participants. Follow-up on action items and resolve issues/concerns.
- Obtain feedback and conduct follow-up sessions, if required.
Integrated project plan is a comprehensive plan, which is required for the monitoring and controlling, executing and closing of the project. Integrated project plan could be prepared as a single document, and used as the authorized guide for end-to-end management of the project. However, for convenience, the plans can be kept as separate documents accompanied by a single index-type document for referencing the separate plans.
integrated project plan
Figure 32 – Integrated Project Plan Workflow
The main elements of the integrated project plan include the following:
- Scope management (Deliverables / Work packages / WBS): work packages, usually expressed in a work breakdown structure, are the complete set of work components that need to be performed and completed to fulfill the desired project goals.
- Time management (project schedule): defines the work packages, activities, tasks, dependencies and resource assignment to ensure timely delivery of the work packages and associated deliverables.
- Governance: defines project organization structure and relationship, roles and responsibilities, and interfaces. It could be part of the communication plan.
- Communication plan: defines what, when and how information will be managed and shared with the stakeholders to ensure effective stakeholders, including project team, relationship management.
- Risks management plan: describes how risks will be identified, categorized, analyzed and mitigated; who will be involved and their roles, including the escalation procedure.
- Stakeholders / human capital management plan: defines human capital assignment matrix, availability and absence management, conflict resolution and stakeholder influence matrix (optional).
- Change management plan: defines how you will manage (respond to, analyze and control) changes, particularly scope change and its implications for cost, quality and time. It includes stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities in change management.
- Financial management / procurement management plan: defines procurement plan that is applicable to your project needs. Consider your organization procurement policies and procedures, vendors’ selection, request for information or proposal preparation, bid analysis, contract awards and administration guidelines. Define budget limits and associated delegation of authority to ensure fiscal responsibilities and include the financial approvals turn-around time as part of the planning process. Also, identify delivery and payment schedule, including billing and invoice payment process.
- Quality management plan: defines how to ensure the project deliver the product based on the agreed quality. It includes the guideline to ensure that the performance measures are controlled within the established performance thresholds.
- Project interdependency plan: identifies interdependencies between your project and other projects. It defines how to track and monitor interdependent activities to ensure that commitments between projects are fulfilled.
- You may adjust this list to reflect your organization standard. However, above list should suffice to enable you to effectively manage and deliver your project successfully.
Table 11 includes a reference or link to the integrated project plan template.
Table 11 – Integrated Project Plan Template
| Template: PPMGuideDeliverResultPPM_IntegratedProjectPlan.doc |
Once an integrated project plan has been created, it should be base-lined and approved by the authorized person(s). If the scope changed, particularly the project schedule, always re-baseline the integrated project plan.
Incoming search terms:
- integrated project plan
- project charter
- albert einstein success plan
- project planning steps
- project integrated plan
- integrate project plan
- integrated management plan sample for new product
- integrated teams
- integrated project plan sample
- integrated project plan picture
Team Formation and Kick-off Meeting(s)
Team Formation and Kick-off Meeting(s)
Initial core team formation is a key prerequisite for the development of an integrated project plan and vital to running the project successfully. The resource requirements should be established as part of the project cost estimation and can be updated, due to other changing factors such as requirements scope and inflation.
Project team resources or members may be acquired internally and/or externally. External resources are acquired as consulting services via procurement process. Internal team resource could be obtained through the established resource sharing arrangement or negotiation with the resource managers or through the portfolio capacity planning exercise (the preferred method). Sometimes service, instead of resource, is procured to deliver part of the project or the entire project.
Once the core team members have been assigned and other stakeholders identified, you are ready to arrange and conduct the project kick-off meeting(s), with the goal of establishing a shared vision, common understanding of the project mandate and consequently developing the integrated project plan.
Key steps to a successful kick-off meeting include:
- Establish clear meeting agenda. The project charter, or project agenda/mandate in the absence of a formalized project charter, is a key input to the kick-off meeting. Information from the project charter should be extracted into a presentation format or the project agenda document.
- Identify and invite key participants.
- Provide coordination and facilitation to ensure orderliness and avoid derailment of the meeting to keep things on track.
- Brainstorm, analyze and decide. Separate ideas/options generation from analysis in order to take advantage of diverse and alternate ideas/options.
- Obtain agreements and ensure commitment to the project agenda/mandate.
- Document discussions, follow-up on action items and resolve issues/concerns.
- Communicate documentation and reports to participants.
- Obtain feedback and conduct follow-up sessions, if required.
Incoming search terms:
- kick off team formation
- KICK OFF FORMATION AND RESPONSIBILITY
