Good project management is essential to
a successful IT project.
In the previous article, I outlined
what to include in the project plan. So, for this article, let’s assume that
the project is underway and see what needs to be done to manage the project.
Manage Scope
Keep an eye on the type of work that is
being done. Make sure that everything that is within the scope of the project
is being done. In addition, watch for changes in the project that indicate the
amount of work is expanding. If the work is not defined in the project plan, it
is out of scope.
There may be times that scope changes
are necessary. Additional work may be required that was not anticipated in the
project plan. Alternatively, scope reductions may be needed to get a project
back on schedule or to complete within the budget. Scope changes should be
analyzed and approved according to the change control process outlined in the
project plan.
Track Progress Against Schedule
Compare the schedule to the work
actually being accomplished. Watch for any discrepancies. If the project is
behind schedule, find out why. Evaluate the alternatives available to get back
on track. Don’t wait until the project is seriously impacted – take corrective
action right away.
Assess Budget
Get copies of invoices for all project
costs and compare actual costs to the budget in the project plan. Ensure that
the project is not over budget. If it is, evaluate options for getting back on
track or determine that a change to the budget is required.
Resources
Assess the performance of the members
of the project team. Watch for any members requiring more guidance or whose
availability is less than outlined in the project plan. Continue to motivate
team members throughout the project. Ensure resolution of any conflicts that
arise.
Risks
Monitor for risks that were considered
during the planning phase. Also, watch for changing conditions that suggest
there may be new risks that were not considered earlier. If possible take
action that will prevent the risk event from occurring. If a risk event does
occur, implement the contingency plan outlined in the project plan.
Standards
Follow up on use of standards for
programming, testing, documentation and logging of issues. Ensure that work
being done is reviewed and that it is satisfactory. If not, take corrective
action.
Issue Resolution
There will always be issues to resolve.
Make sure that issues are properly documented according to the project
standard. Determine a priority for each issue and a target date for resolution.
Find out what is necessary to resolve the issue and follow up.
The requirements for resolving the
issues may vary quite a lot. A simple issue may be recorded, indicating that a
user decision on a specific account number is needed within a month’s time, and
that it might be delayed. All that is needed here is to follow up and make sure
the decision maker has necessary information an approvals to make the decision at
the appropriate time. However, a bigger issue may be that a key program or
system is not performing as required. This type of issue may need additional
oversight, budget changes, scope changes, different resources and revisions to
project plans.
Status and Coordination
Keep the project team members and the
end users informed about the progress of the project. When the project is busy,
continue to make time to keep stakeholders up to date, as outlined in the
project plan.
Ensure that all coordination that is
needed with other projects is occurring as planned. Also, make sure that any
issues arising from the interaction between the various projects are resolved.
Review Meetings
Hold project review meetings with the
steering committee. At the review meetings, present key decisions that have
been made, major issues and their resolution, and any proposed project changes.
If the project is off track, schedule
review meetings with the steering committee more frequently than outlined in
the project plan. The steering committee will want to be informed in more
detail when there are problems. In addition, the approval of the steering
committee will be required for any changes to the project plan.
Project Not According To Plan
So, what could go wrong? Anything!
Examples include scope problems, deadlines not being met, issues that not being
resolved timely, costs greater than budget, resources that are not available
enough or not performing well, standards not being followed, risk events
occurring, tasks that are not done to expectations.
When something goes wrong, evaluate the
options for getting the project back on track. Determine what the best course
of action is and draft revisions to the project plan. As with the original
project plan, this will be an iterative process. For example, changes to
resources will lead to changes in budget or completion dates.
When a revised plan is completed, meet
with the steering committee and obtain approval for the new plan.
Project Files
When the project starts, and as the
project progresses, keep files of important documents related to the project.
Examples of items to keep include the original project plan, approved change
requests, minutes of project review meetings, documentation of key decisions
made and reasons for them.
Project Completion
It is far too common for projects to
appear to end abruptly when a specific milestone is reached (e.g. users start using
the new system). However, the project really isn’t complete unless all of the
items in the project plan scope statement are finished as well, including any
planned documentation, post-go-live support period, or invoice payments.
Meet with the steering committee to
review the project status, determine their satisfaction with the project
schedule, completed tasks, key decisions, costs, and resolution of issues.
During the project, there may have been
tasks that had to be dropped until a later phase. In addition, there are
usually tasks identified as beneficial to the company, but that cannot be
accommodated within the project schedule. All of these tasks should be
documented so they can be considered for a second phase.
Any unresolved issues that surfaced
during the project should also be documented, and assigned to individuals for
resolution.
Post Project Review
After the project is completed is a
good time to review the entire project to see what went well and what went
wrong.
Things that went well can be used as a
base for planning the next project. Problems that occurred should also be
reviewed – these lessons can frequently prevent similar problems from occurring
in the next project. Note that this is not a search for someone to blame for
the problem. The point is to determine what to do better next time.
Keep Important Documents
Complete the filing of important
documents related to the project. Note that this should be a relatively minor
job at the end of the project, since filing should be done throughout the
project.
It’s All Over
So, you have the information you need
to execute the project plan and to finish the project. Don’t forget to
celebrate the successful project completion!
Copyright
2015 Debbie Gallagher
