Project Management Process Overview

1. Project Management Process Overview Five Project Management Processes You Need to Understand

2. Initiating a Project-1 • Identify stakeholders, including initial members of the project implementation team. • Recognize that a project is worth doing. • Decide that the risks associated with the project are appropriate to probable success. • Determine what the project should accomplish.

3. Initiating a Project-2 • Define the overall project goals. • Define general expectations of customers, management and other stakeholders, as appropriate. • Define the general project scope. • Develop the Statement of Work (SOW) that documents the project’s approved deliverables and operational guidelines.

4. Planning a Project • Refine the project scope. • Identify the balance required among results, time, resources and product/project quality. • List tasks and activities that lead to achieving the project goals. • Sequence activities in the most efficient manner possible. • Develop a workable schedule and budget for assigning resources to activities required to complete the project. • Get the plan approved by the appropriate stakeholders.

5. Executing a Project • Lead the team. • Meet with team members. • Communicate with stakeholders. • Resolve problems that arise during a project. • Secure necessary resources to carry out the project plan: • Money • People • Equipment • Materials

6. Controlling the Project-1 • Monitor project progress and deviation from the project plan. • Take corrective action to handle day-to-day problems and difficulties. • Receive and evaluate project changes requested from stakeholders and team members. • Reschedule the project, if necessary, to meet resource or outcome restraints.

7. Controlling the Project-2 • Adapt resource levels, as necessary, to achieve on-time delivery of project outcomes. • Change the project scope to meet project goals (when appropriate). • Return to the planning stage to make adjustments to the plan, when necessary. • Get changes approved by stockholders • Document and gain approval for all changes to plans and specifications to avoid nasty surprises and a less-than-ideal project outcome.

8. Closing a Project • Shut down project operations. • Disband project team. • Learn from the project experience. • Review the project process and outcome with team members and stakeholders. • Write a final project report. • Release resources.

9. Project Success Factors-1 • Gain consensus on project outcomes. • Build the best team you can. • Develop a comprehensive, workable plan and keep it updated. • Determine what you really need to get things done. (Consultants) • Maintain a realistic schedule. • Do not try to do more than can be done.

10. Project Success Factors-2 • Remember that people count! • Gain the formal and ongoing support of management and stakeholders, not just ahead of time, but for every step of the project. • Be willing to change. • Keep people informed of what you’re doing. • Be ready to try new things. • Become a project leader as well as a manager.

11. Project Success Factors-3 • Deliver the project on time. Deliver the project according to an agreed-upon schedule. • Deliver within budget. The project must meet forecasted cost estimates. • Deliver high-quality results. The end results must be of an agreed-upon high quality, meeting both functional and performance criteria defined for the project.