The Complete Idiot's Guide to Project Management

Project Management Power     1Linking Projects to Strategy and Performance Results     3Projects Meet a Business Need     4Viewing Change from a Different Perspective     5A Balance Among Time, Resources, Results, and Perceptions     6Defining Project Success     7The Next Step     10What Does It Mean to Be a Project Manager?     11The Business Connection     11What Are My Responsibilities?     12What Do You Need to Do?     12Learn to Plan and Act     13Focus on the Project's End     13Be a Manager and a Leader     13The Leadership Roles of the Project Manager     14Interpersonal Roles     14Informational Roles     15Decisional Roles     15The Other Business Management Roles     16The Seven Traits of Good Project Managers     16Enthusiasm for the Project     16The Ability to Manage Change Effectively     17A Tolerant Attitude Toward Ambiguity     17Team-Building and Negotiating Skills     17A Customer-First Orientation     17Adherence to the Priorities of Business     18Knowledge of the Industry or Technology     18Be the Best Leader You Can Be     18The Rules of the Project Game     21Universal Project Success Criteria     22Project Failure: The Reasons Are Simple     22Twelve Golden Rules of Project Management Success     23Thou Shalt Gain Consensus on Project Outcomes     24Thou Shalt Build the Best Team You Can     24Thou Shalt Develop a Comprehensive, Viable Plan and Keep It Up-to-Date     25Thou Shalt Determine How Much Stuff You Really Need to Get Things Done     26Thou Shalt Have a Realistic Schedule     26Thou Won't Try to Do More Than Can Be Done     27Thou Will Remember That People Count     27Thou Will Gain the Formal and Ongoing Support of Management and Stakeholders     28Thou Must Be Willing to Change     28Thou Must Keep Others Informed of What You're Up To     29Thou Must Be Willing to Try New Things     29Thou Must Become a Leader     29Keep Your Eyes on the Prize     30The Nine Knowledge Areas of Project Management     31Project Integration Management     32Integration Management as Part of Planning      32Integration Management During Project Execution     33Integration Management of Project Changes     33Project Scope Management     33Project Time Management     34Time and the Schedule     34Controlling the Schedule During Execution     35Project Cost Management     35Financial Issues Outside of Your Control     35Competing for Funds with Other Projects     35Project Quality Management     36Project Human Resource Management     36Organizational Planning     36Staff Acquisition     31Making Them a Team     31Project Communications Management     37Project Risk Management     37Project Procurement Management     38Starting Off on the Right Foot     39The Project Life Cycle     39Project Phases and the Project Life Cycle     40Project Life Cycle versus Product Life Cycle     42A Case Study: All-Star Cable     43The Project     44The Project Manager (That's You)     44Project Definition Phase     45Preparing the Leadership     46How Involved Should the Leadership Be?     47Also Focus on the Project Team     48The Project Definition Phase     49Identifying Stakeholders and Defining Their Roles     51Start by Identifying the Stakeholders     52The Customer     54The Project Sponsor     54The Steering Committee     56Functional Management     57The Working Committee     57Key Stakeholders for the All-Star Cable Case Study     58Working Together: The Magic Success Formula     61Stakeholder Questionnaire     61Scoping Out Project Success     65Start with the Business Case     66What Should Be Included in the Business Case     66Conducting a Feasibility Study     66Developing a Feasibility Study for Movies-on-Demand     67Clear Project Goals Make Sense to Everyone     68The Primary Goals of Every Project     69Six Criteria for Setting Great Goals     70Goals Must Be Specific     70Goals Must Be Realistic     71Goals Must Have a Time Component     71Goals Must Be Measurable     71Goals Must Be Agreed Upon      72Responsibility for Achieving the Goals Must Be Identified     72Establishing Goals Step-by-Step     73Developing the Statement of Work (SOW)     74Putting It Down in Writing     74The Components of the SOW     75Seeing Eye to Eye     77Managing Risks and Constraints     79The Three Types of Risk     80Risk Areas     80Don't Forget Business Risks     81The Ultimate Risk: Acts of God     82Taking Risks Stage by Stage     82Risk Tolerance     83The Basics of Risk Management     84Track Risks with a Risk Log     87Constraints vs. Risks     88Constraints to Consider     88The Budget     89The Schedule     89The People     90The Real World     90Facilities and Equipment     90Risky Business     90The Project Planning Phase     93The Breakdown of Tasks: What Really Needs to Be Done?     95Breaking Your Project into Bite-Sized Pieces     96The Work Breakdown Structure and Your Project     96Organizing the WBS      100Five Steps to the Work Breakdown Structure     102Criteria for Ensuring Quality Work     103Give Yourself Plenty of Time     104Defining Your Deliverables     105Refining the WBS     107The Network Diagram: A Map for Your Project     109What's a Network Diagram?     110Why Do You Need a Network Diagram?     111The WBS and the Network Diagram     111Precedence Relationships in a Project Network     112Concurrent (Parallel) Activities     112Complex Time Relationships for Critical Projects     115When Is Enough Enough?     117Three Major Network Methods and Others You May Encounter     117Circles or Boxes? Who Cares?     118AOA and AON     119Tried and True Networks     120Project Start to Finish: Establishing the Time to Get Things Done     121The Schedule or the Budget: Which Is First?     122The Schedule Synchronizes the Project     122Estimating Time: Your Best Guess at Effort and Duration     125Who Should You Ask?     125Representative Team Members for Each Part of the Project     126Outside Vendors and Service Agencies      126Experienced Managers or Experts     126Management and Other Project Stakeholders     126Weighing the Risk     127A Compromise Between Best and Worst Case     121The Confidence Factor     128Details, Details     129Applying Calendars to a Resource     130Putting It Down on Paper     131Schedule Charting Pros and Cons     131More on Gantt Charts     132Other Considerations as You Build the Schedule     133Revisions and the Schedule     134Learning Takes Time     134The Heat Is On     134Team Member Estimate Errors     134The Just-in-Time Strategy for Scheduling Resources     135What Happens When They Want to Rush Me?     136Determining the Critical Path and its Impact on the Schedule     137How to Determine the Critical Path on Any Project     138Not Just Floating Around     139The Different Views of Critical in Project Management     139Establishing the Critical Path     140Myth or Reality?     141Use the Critical Path Worksheet to Calculate Path and Float     141Normalizing the Schedule     144Loading Up and Leveling Out     145The Reallocation Questions     145Ready for Leveling Out     147Options for Adjusting the Schedule     148Adjusting a Schedule to Meet a Forced Deadline     149Chart the Final Schedule and See If It Works     149Budgeting and Cost Control Options for Your Project     151How to Avoid the Classic Budgeting Mistakes     152Three Levels of Accuracy for Estimating     153Other Sources of Data for Building the Budget     153Direct and Indirect Costs     154Building a Budget     156Get Expert Opinions     157Types of Budgeting Methods     158Bottom-Up Budgeting     159Top-Down Budgeting     159Phased Budgeting     159Refining the Budget     159Adding a Little Insurance Money     161Master Budget Control     161The Time Value of Money     161Cash Flow Analysis     162Payback     162Net Present Value (NPV)     163Internal Rate of Return (IRR)     163Building a Winning Project Team      165The First Step     166Building the Core Project Team     166The Complete Implementation Team: Where Most of the Work on the Project Is Done     168Matching Skills to Tasks on the WBS     169Where Will the People Come From?     171Your Own Staff and Other People from Your Department     171Staff from Other Departments     172Contracting with Consultants and Temporary Agencies     173Hiring and Training New Staff     174Deciding What You Need and Assigning People     175A Survival Resource After the Project Starts     176The Best of the Best: Making Your Selections     176Sometimes You Have to Compromise     177The Problem of Imposed Team Members     177Getting What You Need: Supplies, Equipment, and Other Things     179The Additional Resources You Need     180Planning for Outside Vendors, Contractors, and Suppliers     181Determine What Kind of Contract to Use     182Get an Estimate     182Working with the Purchasing Department     186The Final Steps in Procurement     187Putting It All Together: Getting the Plan Approved     189Reasons to Plan in the First Place     190The Reality Check Before Approval     190What to Do If Discrepancies Appear     192Other Last-Minute Issues to Consider     192Putting It All Together     193Write the Draft Project Plan for the Review Process     196Conduct a Peer Review     196Review the Plan with the Key Stakeholders     197Presenting the Project Plan     198Plan Approval     199From Plan to Action, Finally     200The Execution Phase     203Getting Started on the Right Track     205Always Get Your Own Act Together First!     206Do It Now and Do It Right     206The Formal Kickoff     207It's a Go     207Between Kickoff and Team Meeting: Use the Time Wisely     208The First Project Meeting     209One-on-Ones: The Individual Starting Events     211Setting the Right Expectations     212Information Everyone Needs to Get Started     213Managing Global Projects     214Schedule     215Budget     215Technology     215Quality     216Human Resources      216Procurement     216Leadership: Taking the Bull by the Horns     219The Importance of Establishing Your Leadership     220Wearing the Big Shoes     220A Style That Gets the Job Done     221How to Lead Change     222Building a Case for Change     223Competing with Other Projects for Attention     229Communication Lines     229Where Do Projects Fit Together?     229Critical Path Conflict     230Keep Your Project Front and Center     230Leading a Technical Project When You Don't Have Expertise     231Being All Things to All People     232What an Organization!     233No Easy Task, but Someone Has to Organize These People     233The Human Drama: Personality, Politics, and Corporate Culture     234Give Them a Script     235Avoid Casting Catastrophes     235The Proud, the Few...the Project Team     235On Becoming a Team: The Basic Ways to Organize People     236The Functional Project Organization     237The Pure-Project Organization     239The Matrix Organization     241The Mixed Organization     244Which Structure Should You Use?     245Using a RACI Chart     245Matching the Organization to Fit the Project     246Managing the Working Committee     247Operating Guidelines: Setting Up to Get Things Done     249The Project Processes in Each Phase     250Project Processes vs. Project Procedures     251Project Processes and the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle     251The Things That Need to Get Done     252Handling Business Process Changes     252Start with the Project Team     253Now It's Time for the Working Committee     254Making the Decision     255Escalating the Decision     255Set Up a Work Authorization System     256Administrative Procedures That Won't Hurt     256The Reports You May Need     257Simple Forms to Create Useful Reports     258Every Report Needs a Purpose     258Ask Two Final Questions Before You Start     259Why You Should Keep a Project Diary     259The Bottom Line     260Making Your Communications Count     261The Basics of Communications: It's All About Perceptions      262What Does a Communication Plan Look Like?     263Stakeholder Analysis     263Sensitivity Analysis     264Information Needs     265Media Requirements     265Delivery Personnel and Power Bases     266Timing Requirements     267Common Definitions     267Feedback Loops     268Macro and Micro Barriers     268Jargon and Acronyms     269Execute the Communications Plan     269Communications and Leadership     270Developing Effective Messages     270Listening Is Part of Communicating     271The Controlling Processes     273Monitoring and Controlling Schedules and Expenses     275Taking Charge and Getting Control     276Success Criteria for Project Control     276What Should You Monitor?     278What Monitoring Should Accomplish     280Using Earned Value Analysis to Determine Project Status     280Using Gantt Charts to Control Your Project     282The Project Review Meeting as a Control Process     282The Project Audit     283The Project Peer Review      284Monitoring and Controlling the Budget     284Putting It All Together     285Preparing Operations for the Project Deliverables     289Five Requirements for Operations Integration     290Create and Communicate the Conclusion     290Have the Skills to Use the Deliverable     290Give Users Incentives     291Help Users/Operators Make the Transition     291Let Stakeholders Know the Schedule     292Developing the Training Plan     292Symptoms That Operations Is Not Ready     294Overcoming Resistance to Change     295Fear     295Feelings of Powerlessness     296Discomfort     297Absence of Self-Interest     297Changes, Changes, and More Changes     299Develop a Process for Change Control     300What Might a Change Process Look Like?     301The Rules of Change Control     302Understanding and Estimating the Impact of Changes     304The Balancing Act     304Comparing Changes with Trade Off Analysis     307Communicating a Scope Change     307When Conflicts Occur     308Create an Issues Log     309Quality Management: Making It the Best It Can Be     311What Exactly Does Quality Mean in a Project?     312Planning for Quality Is the Starting Point     312Quality Planning Tools and Techniques     313Cost/Benefit Analyses     313Benchmarking     314Cause-and-Effect Diagrams     314Quality Assurance: The Real Proof     316Quality Control: It's All About Results     317Common Project Problems: Get Them Before They Get You     319Recognizing All Problems, Large and Small     320The Floating Start Date     320There's Not Enough Time, or They Need It Faster     321The 90-Percent-Done Syndrome     322Moving Target Objectives     323The Key Person Always Quits     323Costs Spiral out of Control     324The Staff Has More Enthusiasm Than Talent     324The Impossible Remains Impossible     325Politics, Politics, and More Politics     326Management by Best-Seller     326Taking Care of Yourself to Remain Sane     327A Parable of Last Resort     327The Close-Out Phase     329Will the Last One Out Please Turn Off the Lights?     331Is There Life After Project Termination?     332Why Is a Close-Out Phase Necessary?     332The Final Shutdown     332Closing a Small Project     334Closing a Large Project     334Write Out Your Lessons Learned     335Some Additional Details for Project Shutdown     336The After-Implementation Review     339Three Ways to Release a Workforce     339Give It Up!     340The Final Evaluation: The Short and Long of It     343Evaluating Your Project     343Meet with Core Team Members     344Compare Goals to Achievements     344Writing the Final Report     345Packaging Options for the Report     347The Political Impact of Final Reports     348Who Accomplished What and How Well?     348The Bottom Line and You     349The Organization and Tools to Make Project Management Prosper     351The Project-Enabled Organization     353Understanding the Benefits of Formalizing Project Management     354Is Your Organization Ready to Be Projectized?     354Define the Organizational Boundaries First     356Now Come the Standards     358Where Do Standards Come From?     359Establish a Life Cycle Standard     359Manage Projects Like an Asset for Your Future     361Putting a Project Office in Place to Support the System     362In the End, It's Leadership That Makes It Work     363Software for All Projects Great and Small     365Software That Simplifies the Details     366What Can Project Management Programs Do?     366The Virtual World of the Project Needs Virtual Tools     369The Power of Networking     370So What's in It for Me?     370Simple vs. Complex Projects and the Software They Need     371The Types of Project Management Programs     371Single-Project Programs     372Corporate-Level Programs     372Mega-Project Programs     373How Do You Choose?     373Pricing     373Total Number of Activities and Resources     374Direct Cost Assignment and Tracking     374Resource Scheduling and Leveling     374Flexible Calendar Functions     374Import and Export Functions      375Infrastructure Requirements     376Documentation and Support for the Program     376Reputation of the Product Manufacturer     376Word-of-Mouth Experience     376Technical Support     377Things Project Management Software Can't Do     377Go Get Yourself Some!     379AppendixWeb Resources for Project Managers     381Index     383