Managing Successful Projects

Introduction

We need to get something done! Initiate a project (planning stage).

Someone must move that task along! Progress a project (progress stage).

You’ll need to learn from someone else’s mistakes! End a project (review stage).

All this talk of a project; to initiate, progress or end a task. Just sounds like doing
some work, no big deal!

So what is a project?

‘A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product or

service’. By the Project Management Institute (PMI) – USA

‘A project is a discrete undertaking with defined objectives often including time,

cost and quality (performance) goals’. By the UK Association for Project
Management

‘A project is a unique set of coordinated activities, with definite starting and

finishing points, undertaken by an individual or organisation to meet specific
objectives with defined schedule, cost and performance parameters’. By the
British Standards Institute (BS6079

We can summarise by stating that a project:

 Is temporary, having a start and a finish
 Is unique in some way
 Has specific objectives
 Is the cause or means of change
 Involves risk and uncertainty
 Involves commitment of human, material and financial resources

As project manager, your job in the project is to get things done. You are paid to
accomplish tasks and achieve results. But what makes the job especially difficult
is that quite often you cannot do it all on your own. You have to work with other
people – your boss, other departments, supervisors, suppliers, customers, clients
and of course, your colleagues.

Notice the words, ‘work with’; it doesn’t say anything about ordering people
about, disciplining them or giving clear instructions. These notes are to explore
the key methods of controlling the process of the project, which is fundamentally
the same as achieving the desired outcomes from a complex task.
You will learn how to use the tools of planning and implementation, progressing
and controlling, and finally review, to make a working environment in which you
and everyone else can give their best.

There are numerous methodologies for approaching a project. What is outlined

here is a methodology, which covers the fundamentals of the system lifecycle.
This process also serves as the basis for any project, which may be adapted from
this approach.

What type of project can I do in engineering!

There are various opportunities in engineering for project work. Outlined below
are some areas with a couple of examples.
 Construct or modify a component / part of a component
 Designing and constructing a new machine guard for a rotating device
(i.e. drilling machine). Modifying a vacuum cleaner end tool, to reach
areas that are inaccessible.
 Servicing a component (first time)
 Overhauling a bicycle that is in a poor state of repair. Or, refurbishment
of a machine for your employer that has not received any maintenance
before.
 Layout of equipment
 Reposition the machines in your workplace to improve the production
routing.
 Construction or modification of premises
 Extensions to existing building with the necessary facilities for all
internal and external equipment.

A project is a process of activities which involves: planning, progress (both design

{conceptual} and manufacture{construction}) and review, as show in the diagram
below.

These represent the

project 'phases' Note the cylindrical
'form' of the diagram
Review
Operation &
Dismantle
Construction

Conceptual

Planning Shutdown

Handover
The Authorization
Project

These represent the

project 'milestones'

Basic project life cycle diagram

Planning
There are three main duties when starting a project:
 Identify and define the problem, thus producing a topic
 Recognise the project process and the different phases
 Collate all necessary documentation to initiate the project

Initiation

The initial point of any project is when you identify a problem, or, you are
approached to solve someone else’s problem. This enquiry or catalyst triggers the
consideration of the business case for a change, be it profitability, improved
performance, environmental changes, or indeed a safety issue.

It is good practice to record a statement of the problem on clarification. This will

help focus on a topic and outline objectives. It is also good practice to commence
a project logbook or diary to record all activities up to the end date of the project.

Progress – conceptual
Is all about monitoring and controlling the activities.

Investigation
Issues raised and activities begun in the initiation phase are dealt with in more
detail to further determine course of action

Analysis
Detailed investigation into key areas, modelling and documentation of the
situation. This stage may be highly structured and engineered or unstructured,
creative and internalised. It may also blend into the following stages

Design
The transformation of analyses into solutions. Again, this may be structured or
unstructured, blending into the above and following stages
Progress - Constructional

Implementation
The stage in which outcomes are reasonably well determined and construction
occurs. Activities of training and testing also occur in this stage. These activities
are then followed by system changeover and uptake

Post Implementation
Final activities to wrap up project, concluding documentation, training and system
uptake

Operation
The ongoing monitoring and use of the system. Data updates, staff changeovers,
testing, hyperlink management and fine tuning of the system all occur. Project
Revisit. Periodically a significant review of environment, supporting business
case and system should consider a project to renew, reengineer or shutdown the
system.

Shutdown
The conclusion of the lifecycle with the removal of the system, with or without
substitution.

Review

Planning

Project management
Project management, tools, process, plans and project planning tips

Here are the rules of project management. Project management skills are essential
for project managers, and any other managers who manage complex activities and
tasks, because complex tasks are are projects. Project management skills are
essential for any complex task, where different outcomes are possible, requiring
planning and assessing options, and organizing activities and resources to deliver
a result. Projects come in all shapes and sizes, from the small and straight-forward
to extremely large and highly complex. Project management can be concerned
 with anything: people, products, services, materials, production, IT and
communications, plant and equipment, storage, distribution, logistics, buildings
and premises, staffing and management, finance, administration, acquisition,
divestment, purchasing, sales, selling, marketing, human resources, training,
culture, customer service and relations, quality, health and safety, legal, technical
and scientific, new product development, new business development; and in any
combination.

Project management, for projects large or small, should follow this simple
process:

Project management process

Agree precise specification for the project.

Plan the project - time, team, activities, resources, financials.

Communicate the project plan to your project team.

Agree and delegate project actions.

Manage, motivate, inform, encourage, enable the project team.

Check, measure, review project progress; adjust project plans, and inform the
project team and others.

Complete project; review and report on project performance; give praise and
thanks to the project team.

Agree precise specification for the project

Often called the project 'terms of reference', the project specification should be an
accurate description of what the project aims to achieve, and the criteria and
flexibilities involved, its parameters, scope, range, outputs, sources, participants,
budgets and timescales (beware - see note below about planning timescales).

Usually the project manager must consult with others and then agree the project
specification with superiors, or with relevant authorities. The specification may
involve several drafts before it is agreed. A project specification is essential in that
it creates a measuarable accountability for anyone wishing at any time to assess
how the project is going, or its success on completion. Project terms of reference
also provide an essential discipline and framework to keep the project on track,
and concerned with the original agreed aims and parameters. A properly
formulated and agreed project specification aslo protects the project manager from
being held to account for issues that are outside the original scope of the project or
beyond the project manager's control.

This is the stage to agree special conditions or exceptions with those in authority.
Once you've published the terms of reference you have created a very firm set of
expectations by which you will be judged. So if you have any concerns, or want to
renegotiate, now's the time to do it.
 The largest projects can require several weeks to produce and agree project terms
of reference. Most normal business projects however require a few days thinking
and consulting to produce a suitable project specification. Establishing and
agreeing a project specification is an important process even if your task is simple
one.

A template for a project specification:

 Describe purpose, aims and deliverables.
 State parameters (timescales, budgets, range, scope, territory, authority).
 State people involved and the way the team will work (frequency of meetings,
decision-making process).
 Establish 'break-points' at which to review and check progress, and how
progress and results will be measured.

Plan the project

Plan the various stages and activities of the project. A useful tip is to work
backwards from the end aim, identifying all the things that need to be put in place
and done, in reverse order. First, brainstorming (simply noting ideas and points at
random), will help to gather most of the points and issues. For complex projects,
or when you lack experience of the issues, involve others in the brainstorming
process. Thereafter it's a question of putting the issues in the right order, and
establishing relationships and links between each issue. Complex projects will
have a number of activities running in parallel. Some parts of the project will need
other parts of the project to be completed before they can begin or progress. Some
projects will require a feasibility stage before the completion of a detailed plan.

Project timescales

Most projects come in late - that's just the way it is - so don't plan a timescale that
is over-ambitious. Ideally plan for some slippage. If you have been given an fixed
deadline, plan to meet it earlier, and work back from that earlier date. Build some
slippage or leeway into each phase of the project. Err on the side of caution where
you can. Otherwise you'll be making a rod for your own back.

The project team

Another important part of the planning stage is picking your team. Take great
care, especially if you have team-members imposed on you by the project brief.
Selecting and gaining commitment from the best team members - whether directly
employed, freelance, contractors, suppliers, consultants or other partners - is
crucial to the quality of the project, and the ease with which you are able to
manage it. Generally try to establish your team as soon as possible. Identifying or
appointing one or two people even during the terms of reference stage is possible
sometimes. Appointing the team early maximises their ownership and buy-in to
the project, and maximises what they can contribute. But be very wary of
appointing people before you are sure how good they are, and not until they have
committed themsleves to the project upon terms that are clearly understood and
acceptable. Don't imagine that teams need to be full of paid and official project
team members. Some of the most valuable team members are informal advisors,
mentors, helpers, who want nothing other than to be involved and a few words of
thanks. Project management on a tight budget can be a lonely business - get some
help from good people you can trust, whatever the budget.

To plan and manage large complex projects with various parallel and dependent
activities you will need to put together a 'Critical Path Analysis' and a spreadsheet
on MS Excel or equivalent. Critical Path Analysis will show you the order in
which tasks must be performed, and the relative importance of tasks. Some tasks
can appear small and insiginificant when they might actually be hugely influential
in anabling much bigger activities to proceed or give best results. A Gantt chart is
a useful way of showing blocks of activities over time and at a given cost and for
managing the project and its costs along the way.

Various project management software is available, much of which is useful, but

before trying it you should understand and concentrate on developing the pure
project management skills, which are described in this process. The best software
in the world will not help you if you can't do the key things.

The project 'critical path analysis'

'Critical Path Analysis' sounds very complicated, but it's a very logical and
effective method for planning and managing complex projects. This is how to
create a critical path analysis. As an example, the project is a simple one - making
a fried breakfast.

First note down all the issues (resources and activities in a rough order):

Assemble crockery and utensils, assemble ingredients, prepare equipment, make

toast, fry sausages and eggs, grill bacon and tomatoes, lay table, warm plates,
serve.

Note that some of these activities must happen in parallel. That is to say, if you
tried to make a fried breakfast by doing one task at a time, and one after the other,
things would go wrong. Certain tasks must be started before others, and certain
tasks must be completed in order for others to begin. The plates need to be
warming while other activities are going on. The toast needs to be toasting while
the sausages are frying, and at the same time the bacon and suasages are under the
grill. The eggs need to be fried last. A critical path analysis is a diagramatical
representation of what needs done and when. Timescales and costs can be applied
to each activity and resource. Here's the critical path analysis for making a fried
breakfast:

This critical path analysis example below shows just a few activites over a few
minutes. Normal business projects would see the analysis extending several times
wider than this example, and the time line would be based on weeks or months. It
is possible to use MS Excel or a similar spreadsheet to create a critical path
analysis, which allows financial totals and time totals to be planned and tracked.
Various specilaised project management software enable the same thing. Beware
however of spending weeks on the intricasies of computer modelling, when in the
early stages especially, a carefully hand drawn diagram - which requires no
computer training at all - can put 90% of the thinking and structure in place. (See
the details about the most incredible planning and communications tool ever
invented, and available for just a tiny fraction of the price of all the alternatives.)

Project critical path analysis example

Gantt charts

Gantt Charts are extremely useful project management tools. You can construct a
Gantt Chart using MSExcel or a similar spreadsheet. Every activity has a separate
line. Create a time-line for the duration of the project (the breakfast example
shows minutes, but normally you'd use weeks, or for very big long-term projects,
months). You can colour code the time blocks to denote type of activity (eg
intense, watching brief, directly managed, delegated and left to run, etc.) You can
schedule review and break points. At the end of each line you can show as many
cost columns for the activities as you need. The breakfast example shows just the
capital cost of the consumable items and a revenue cost for labour and fuel. A
Gantt chart like this can be used to keep track of progress for each activity and
how the costs are running. You can move the time blocks around to report on
actuals versus planned, and to re-schedule, and to create new plan updates. Costs
columns can show plan and actuals and variances, and calculate whatever totals,
averages, ratios, etc you need. Gantt Charts are the most flexible and useful of all
project management tools, but remember they do not show the importance and
inter-dependence of related parallel activities, and they won't show the necessity
to complete one task before another can begin, as a critical path analysis will do,
so you need both tools, especially at the planning stage.

Gantt chart example

Project financial planning and reporting

For projects involving more than petty cash you'll need a spreadsheet to plan and
report planned and actual expenditure. Use MSExcel or similar. If you don't know
how to put together a basic financial plan, get some help from someone who does,
and make sure you bring a good friendly, flexible financial person into your team
- it's a key function of project management, and if yiou can't manage the financial
processes your self you need to be able to rely completely on whoever does it for
you. The spreadsheet must enable you to plan, administer and report the detailed
finances of your project. Create a cost line for main expenditure activity, and
break this down into individual elements. Create a system for allocating incoming
invoices to the correct activities (your bought-ledger people won't know unless
you tell them), and showing when the costs hit the project account. Establish clear
payment terms with all suppliers and stick to them. Projects develop problems
when team members get dissatisfied; rest assured, non- or late-payment is a
primary cause of dissatisfaction.

Remember to set some budget aside for 'contingencies' - you will need it.
 Project contingency planning

Planning for and anticipating the unforeseen, or the possibility that things may not
go as expected, is called 'contingency planning'. Contingency planning is vital in
any task when results and outcomes cannot be absolutely guaranteed. Often a
contignecy budget needs to be planned as there are usually costs associated.
Contigency planning is about preparing fall-back actions, and making sure that
leeway for time, activity and resource exists to rectify or replace first-choice
plans. A simple contingency plan for the fried breakfast would be to plan for the
possibility of breaking the yolk of an egg, in which case spare resource (eggs)
should be budgeted for and available if needed. Another might be to prepare some
hash-browns and mushrooms in the event that any of the diners are vegetarian. It
may be difficult to anticipate precisely what contingency to plan for in compex
long-term projects, in whaich case simply a contingency budget is provided, to ba
allocated later when and if required.

Communicate the project plan to your team

This serves two purposes: it informs people what's happening, and it obtains
essential support, agreement and commitment. If your project is complex and
involves a team, then you should involve the team in the planning process to
maximise buy-in, ownership, and thereby accountability. Your project will also
benefit from input and consultantion from relevant people at an early stage.

Agree and delegate project actions

Your plan will have identified those responsible for each activity. Activities need
to be very clearly described, including all relevant parameters, timescales, costs,
and deliverables. Use the SMART acronym to check that you delegate tasks
properly. Delegated tasks fail mostly because they have not been explained
clearly, agreed with the other person, or supported and checked wahile in
progress. Publish the full plan to all in the team, but don't issue all the tasks unless
the recipients are capable of their own forward-planning. For long-term complex
projects you will not know exactly what the future tasks will be. Don't delegate
anything unless it passes the SMART test.

Manage, motivate, inform, encourage, enable the project team

Manage the team and activities by meeting, communicating, supporting, and
helping with decisions (but not making them for people who can make them for
themselves). 'Praise loudly; blame softly.' (Catherine the Great). One of the big
challenges for a project manager is deciding how much freedom to give for each
delegated activity. Tight parameters and lots of checking are necessary for
inexperienced people who like clear instructions, but this approach is the kiss of
death to experienced, entrepreneurial and creative people. They need a wider
brief, more freedom, and less checking. Manage these people by the results they
get - not how they get them. Look out for differences in personality and working
styles in your team. They can get in the way of understanding and co-operation.
Your role here is to enable and translate. Face to face meetings, when you can
 bring team members together, are generally the best way to avoid issues and
relationships becoming personalised and emotional. Communicate progress and
successes regularly to everyone. Give the people in your team the plaudits,
particularly when someone high up expresses satisfaction - never, never accept
plaudits yourself. Conversely - you must take the blame for aything that goes
wrong - never dump on anyone in your team (as project manager any problem is
always ultimately down to you anyway).

Check, measure, and review project performance; adjust

project plans; inform project team and others
Check the progress of activities against the plan. Review performance regularly
and at the stipulated review points, and confirm the validity and relevance of the
remainder of the plan. Adjust the plan if necessary in light of performance,
changing circumstances, and new information, but remain on track and within the
original terms of reference. Be sure to use transparent, pre-agreed measurements
when judging performance. (Which shows how essential it is to have these
measures in place and clearly agreed before the task begins.) Identify, agree and
delegate new actions as appropriate. Inform team members and those in authority
about developments, clearly, concisely and in writing. Plan team review meetings.
Stick to the monitoring systems you established. Probe the apparent situations to
get at the real facts and figures. Analyse causes and learn from mistakes. Identify
reliable advisors and experts in the team and use them. Keep talking to people,
and make yourself available to all.

Complete project; review and report on project; give praise and

thanks to the project team
At the end of your successful project hold a review with the team. Ensure you
understand what happened and why. Reflect on any failures and mistakes
positively, objectively, and without allocating personal blame. Reflect on
successes gratefully and realistically. Write a review report, and make
observations and recommendations about follow up issues and priorities - there
will be plenty.

Someone said 'Don't you love it when a plan comes together?' It's true. As project
manager, to be at the end of a project and to report that the project plan has been
fully met, on time and on budget, is a significant achievement, whatever the
project size and complexity. The mix of skills required are such that good project
managers can manage anything.

Amusing project management analogies:

To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To
the project manager, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

____________________
A clergyman, a doctor and a project manager were playing golf together one day
and were waiting for a particularly slow group ahead. The project manager
exclaimed, "What's with these people? We've been waiting over half and hour! It's
a complete disgrace." The doctor agreed, "They're hopeless, I've never seen such a
rabble on a golf course." The clergyman spotted the approaching greenkeeper and
asked him what was going on, "What's happening with that group ahead of us?
They're surely too slow and useless to be playing, aren't they?" The greenkeeper
replied, "Oh, yes, that's a group of blind fire-fighters. They lost their sight saving
our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime."
The three golfers fell silent for a moment. The clergyman said, "Oh dear, that's so
sad. I shall say some special prayers for them tonight." The doctor added, rather
meekly, "That's a good thought. I'll get in touch with an ophthalmic surgeon friend
of mine to see if there's anything that can be done for them." After pondering the
situation for a few seconds, the project manager turned to the greenkeeper and
asked, "Why can't they play at night?"

____________________

A project manager was out walking in the countryside one day when a frog called
out to him. He bent down, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog
called out again, saying, "If you kiss me I shall turn me back into a beautiful
princess, and I'll stay with you for a week as your mistress." The project manager
took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it, and put it back into his pocket. The
frog called out once more, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll
stay with you for as long as you wish and do absolutely anything that you want.
Again the Project manager took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and put it
back. Finally, the frog demanded, "What's the matter? You can turn me back into
a beautiful princess, and I'll stay with you for ever and do anything you want.
Why won't you kiss me?" to which the project manager replied, "Understand, I'm
a project manager. I simply don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog .......
that's cool."

(Ack. G Bee)

________________
Big 6
The Big6 is an information literacy model. Some people call it a metacognitive
scaffold, or an information problem solving strategy. When you apply these
stages, you have an essential framework to approach any information-based
question. Here are the six stages we call the BIG6. Two sub-stages are part of
each main category in the Big6 model:

1. Task Definition
1.1 Define the information problem
1.2 Identify information needed in order to complete the task (to solve the
information problem)

2. Information Seeking Strategies

2.1 Determine the range of possible sources (brainstorm)
2.2 Evaluate the different possible sources to determine priorities (select the best
sources)

3. Location and Access

3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)
3.2 Find information within sources

4. Use of Information
4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch) the information in a source
4.2 Extract relevant information from a source

5. Synthesis
5.1 Organize information from multiple sources
5.2 Present the information

6. Evaluation
6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)
6.2 Judge the information problem-solving process (efficiency)
Workflow Process

Phase 1: Defining the Project

This first phase is all about gathering and analysing the information we need to
clearly identify the scope of your project.

We'll discover as much about you, your project and your industry as possible, as
well as finding out about the needs of your internal and external stakeholders, and
your potential users.

The collection and analysis of customer and industry information, along with the
identification of technical requirements, allows us to clarify project goals and
prepare a project plan.
Phase 1 Deliverable: Project Plan
This project plan takes a series of defined goals and plots a course of action.
Budget, scope and schedules, along with a creative brief and technical
specifications, are all documented and signed off by all parties before progressing
to the next phase.
Phase 1 Key Benefits:

The foundation is set for effective team working

 The correct technologies and tools are identified as 'fit for purpose'

Phase 2: Setting the Structure

The second phase is all about information strategy - determining how to organise
your information.

First we organise the content, a process referred to as information architecture,

and develop a site map, or schematic, that defines hierarchy, internal links and
navigation.

We then create "wireframes" - purely informational, non-designed page layouts

that demonstrate how content is displayed and how the site is navigated - a low-
cost method of refining the way your site looks and works.

At this stage, we'll also analyse your content requirements and prepare a content
management plan. In simple terms, this plan identifies what content is required,
how it functions, who's responsible for it and when it's due.

Phase 2 Deliverable: Project Proposal

Finally, we translate all these requirements into a fully costed, detailed project
proposal, which includes: the finalised schematic, wireframe page templates,
design concepts for key pages, the content management plan and a high level
functional specification.
Phase 2 Key Benefits:
  All stakeholders can envisage the website and confirm that it satisfies
requirements
 Initial visuals will be developed based on a sound knowledge base
 A written specification of all features and functionality will inform the
development process
 The timescales and budgets will be fixed for the project

Phase 3: Visual Design

The third phase sees the creation of all design elements, based on the deliverables
from phases 1 and 2. You'll be offered three initial visual concepts, which you can
refine and discuss before deciding on the final design direction.

Once initial concepts are agreed, a "protosite" is created - a dummy site that
allows you to examine the way content is displayed, how the pages are navigated,
and to assess the overall look and feel.

Technical testing against multiple browsers and platforms is carried out at this
stage, and usability testing is undertaken to identify any flaws in the user-
friendliness of the information architecture and creative work.
Phase 3 Deliverables: Finalised Visuals

After discussing and refining the visual concepts and protosite, all parties will
sign off finalised graphic templates and a design 'bible', which defines how
content will be represented on your site.
Phase 3 Key Benefits:

 The opportunity to see all elements of your website working together in a

low-cost, easily amended format
 Low-cost usability evaluation before flaws are built-in
 Agreed style guidelines to ensure integrity of look and feel

Phase 4: Build

The fourth phase merges content, design and technical implementation, bringing
all the planning and scoping decisions from the first 3 phases into play.

Before starting actual production, time is taken to re-address original expectations

and scope, all technical, creative and content specifications are checked, and
guidelines finalised.

Production itself then follows a structured path, where final pages are created,
light scripting is implemented and any complex functionality is integrated.

Quality assurance is an integral part of The Run Deep Workflow Process as a

whole. Phase 4 sees a systematic and exhaustive QA process specifically designed
to uncover any defects and usability issues. All issues are logged and detailed, and
 any resolutions required to get the site ready for launch are prioritised and
actioned.
Phase 4 Deliverable: Fully Tested and Functioning Website

Phase 4 Key Benefits:

 QA testing ensures that the delivered website meets the agreed criteria
outlined earlier in the project

Phase 5: Launch and Beyond

During the fifth and final phase we organise a thorough handover and the site will
be launched using the chosen hosting option. Registration with the search engines
will commence.

A post-launch meeting provides all parties with the opportunity to learn and
enhance operational systems and procedures.
Phase 5 Deliverables: Handoff Packet

The handoff packet contains all technical information and final specifications, a
post-launch report and site maintenance recommendations, the launched website
and Content Management Console.