Project Planning and Management

By
Shazia Siddique
MSc Sociology UPR AJK
PRINCIPLES OF
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
FIVE TASKS OF PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

 1. Defining the Project:

 The most precisely the project is defined and
understood, the better it will be managed.
 Project manager and the client should discuss in details
all aspects of the project and come to an agreement.
 A good definition of project should be able to answer
these five questions.
 What is the problem or opportunity being addressed?
 What is the goal of the project?
 What objectives are necessary to achieve the goal?
Continued
 How will we determine the success of the project?
 What assumptions, risks & obstacles may affect
the project success?
 This definition phase clarifies the project scope.
 Scope of the project changes with the changes
occurring in the dynamic external business
environment and changing requirements of the
client.
 Project management must respond to the scope
creep effectively by documenting alternatives and
possible consequences of each change of scope.
Continued
 2. Planning:
 Project plan is indispensable and serves as a road
map to execute the work.
 Project plan is dynamic
 It is a tool for decision making.
 Planning reduces uncertainty.
 It improves efficiency (Best use of resources i.e.
through networking).
 It helps in better understanding of objectives and
goals of the project.
 Plan provides basis for performance.
Continued
 3. Executing: (Organizing, Staffing and Leading)
 It Involves:
 Identifying and organizing the specific Human
Resources, Materials, Machines and money etc. for
carrying out various activities of the plan.
 Includes scheduling of activities & resources for the
project duration. (Start & End).
 Adjustments are made according to availability of
resources and other constraints.
Continued
 4. Controlling:
 Planning and controlling are
interdependent.
 Effective Monitoring system is to be
established to monitor the progress
regularly against the approved plan and
update it accordingly.
 Provide feedback about the causes of
the problems for proactive actions.
Continued
 5. Closing:
 Project management usually tends to get
on with the next project.
 Several questions that should be
answered at the closing time.
 Did the project deliver exactly what the
client said it would do?
 Did the project do what project
management said it would do?
Continued
 Was the project completed according to the
PLAN?
 What useful Information collected for use in
other projects?
 How effective was the project management
methodology and how efficiently the project
team followed it?
 Final evaluation of the project studies these
questions and determines efficiency and
effectiveness of the project.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT LIFE CYCLE

 Five (5) Phases the Project Management:

 There are five (5) Phases of Project Management
and each phase has five (5) steps.
 1. Scope the Project:
 1.1 State and elaborately define the problem or
opportunity i.e. what is the basis/ Justification of
initiation of the project?
 1.2 Establish the project goal.
 Project goals must be SMART.
 Goal must be understandable.
continued
 1.3 Define the Project Objectives:
 Provide boundaries and detail of project goal.
 Each objective must contribute fully to the
achievement of project goal.
 Must result in an outcome.
 Must have a time frame.
 A measure should be stated.
 An action should be given as to how achieve
the objective.
continued
 1.4 Identify the Success Criteria:
 Specify clearly what the customer as
well as the organization shall get out of
the project?
 State the conditions of satisfaction of the
customer.
 State the bottom line impact of the
project.
Continued
 1.5 List Assumptions, Risks, Obstacles:
 Identify and document factors which may affect
the deliverable and other success criteria.
 Bring these risks and unknown factors to the
knowledge of senior management such as
changes in external environment and its
repercussion.
 Analyze risks in each aspect with probabilities
and impacts, such as financial, production,
Market, Human Resources, Management etc.
continued
 2. Develop the Project Plan:
 2.1 Identify project activities
 2.2 Estimate the duration of each
activity.
 2.3 Determine/ calculate the resources
required.
 2.4 Construct / analyse the project
network (C.P.M).
 2.5 Prepare the project proposal or PC-I.
Continued
 3. Launch the Plan.
(Implementation)
 3.1 Recruit and organize the project
Team.
 3.2 Establish Team operating Rules.
 3.3 Level project Resources.
 3.4 Schedule Project Resources.
 3.5 Document work packages.
continued
 4. Monitor / Control Project
Progress:
 4.1 Establish progress reporting
system:
 4.2 Install change control tools /
process.
 4.3 Define problem – escalation
process.
 4.4 Monitor project progress versus
plan

Continued
 5. Close-out the Project
 Obtain client acceptance.
 Install project deliverables.
 Complete project documentation.
 Complete post-implementation audit.
 Issue Final project Report.
continued
 Quality Management:
 Project Management must ensure the quality of (a) Quality of
product / services/ process that is deliverable from the
project. (b) the process of project management itself.
  
 Project Management Process:
 Two techniques are commonly used.
 Continuous quality management.
 A. The process involves the following.
 Develop mission statement / vision.
 Identify critical success factors.
 Identify business processes.
 Relate business process with critical success factors.
continued
 B.
 Conduct Gap analysis.
 Select Business process.
 Identify improvement opportunities.
 Analyze and evaluate improvement
opportunities.
continued
 C.
 Define project scope
 Plan project activities.
 Schedule project work.
 Monitor project progress
 Check improvement results
  
 Process Quality Management
 Relating Criteria Success factors with the
Business Process
 Overview of Risk Management
 What are the Risks?
 Probabilities of each Risk.
 Impact of each Risk.
 What are the alternatives?
 What are the ways and means to
minimize Risks?
 What risks are expected from the
alternatives?
continued
 How to address/cope with the Risks?
 For the success of the project the following
steps may be followed
 Identify Risk areas and the constituent risk
factors in each area.
 Assess the risk factors identified and the
probability of occurrence and potential
damage.
 Assign appropriate resources to reduce the
risk factors.
Continued
 Identify and analyze the alternatives
available for reducing the risk factors.
 Select the most promising alternatives for
each risk factor.
 Plan implementation of the selected
alternatives for each risk factor.
 Obtain feedback to determine the success of
the risk-reducing action for each risk factor.
 
Continued
 Pain Curve
 There is a general tendency that the
project management is anxious to start
implementation of the project and does
not give appropriate time and attention
to project planning. This pain curve
indicates that the proper planning is
painful but pays off in less pain later in
the project implementation.
 Pay me now or pay me later refers to
project planning. Improper planning
leads to difficulties and pain in the
implementation stage of the project and
results in wastage of precious resources
as well as delays in the completion of
the project. This diagram shows the
relationship between time and pain as
well as difference between good
planning and poor planning.