1. Project Management Process
Initiate
& Align
Endorse
the Plan
Work
Transition
& Closure
Plan
the Work
Project Team Commitment
Management Endorsement
Project Description
Team Mission/ Assignment
Major Milestones
Boundaries
Team Identification
Measures of Success
Roles & Responsibilities
Operating Guidelines
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) / Master Deliverables List (MDL)
Task Planning & Scheduling
Budget
Risk Planning
Communication Plan
Change Management Plan
Quality (QA/QC) Plan
Transition & Closure Plan
Managing Scope, Schedule & Budget
Manage Risks
Manage Change
Communicate
Progress
Issues
Lessons Learned
Implement Transition Plan
Review Lessons Learned
Reward & Recognize
Archive
Hidden slide – used for copying graphics only
Continuous Communication

2. Project Team Commitment Management Endorsement
ENDORSE THE PLAN
Initiate
& Align
Endorse
the Plan
Work
Transition
& Closure
Plan
the Work
Project Team Commitment
Management Endorsement
Once we have planned our work for the project and prepare the project work plan, project manager will need to receive endorsement for the plan. This comes in the form of project team commitment and management endorsement

3. ENDORSE THE PLAN
Plan the Work
10% +
90 % +
Work the Plan
TIME
LEVEL OF EFFORT
Initiate & Align
Endorse
Close
This “camel” chart depicts the amount of effort over time spent on the 5 process of project management.
Historically, our actions have indicated that we can afford the time and cost to redo work, but we can’t afford the time and cost to plan the work, to get it right the first time. The time and effort invested in Planning the Work (10%) will more than pay for itself in efficiency and effectiveness of Working the Plan (90%). By looking at areas where we can improve we begin to work “smarter”, sharpening our tools and skills to become more effective in project delivery (on-time, within budget, to customer’s expectations).
~1 min

4. ENDORSE THE PLAN Definitions:
Approval – Favorable regard; to confirm or agree to officially
Commitment – An agreement or pledge to do something
Endorse – To approve openly, to express support or approval publicly and definitively
So what exactly does approval, commitment, and endorsement mean?
Approval is to confirm or officially agree to.
Commitment is an agreement or pledge to do something or provide some service.
Endorsement is an open expression to support or approve.

5. Project Team Commitment
ENDORSE THE PLAN
Project Team Commitment
Mutual understanding, agreement, & commitment to support the Project Work Plan
“Grudging Compliance” is not Endorsement.
Project Team Commitment – obtaining a mutual understanding, agreement, and commitment to the project work plan. Developing the project work plan with an interdisciplinary team approach helps in obtaining this endorsement. If the functional managers participate in the planning process, and the project work plan reflects the input they share, the commitment from those team members should be automatic.
Grudging Compliance is not endorsement. A project manager should not force compliance to the project plan is no effort was made to solicit information from the functional managers.

6. Project Management Plan Project Team Commitment
ENDORSE THE PLAN
Project Team Commitment
TOOLS
Project Management Plan Review
Team Commitment Template
INPUT
PRODUCTS
Project Management Plan
Project Team Commitment
So what exactly does approval, commitment, and endorsement mean?
Approval is to confirm or officially agree to.
Commitment is an agreement or pledge to do something or provide some service.
Endorsement is an open expression to support or approve.

7. ENDORSE THE PLAN Project Team Commitment Steps:
Identify the participants and review the plan
The project team is comprised of all project participants required to deliver the project. This includes those directly engaged by the project, as well as specialty groups, consultants, contractors, and other organizations or agencies.
·        Review the Project Management Plan, particularly the work breakdown structure and responsibilities, to identify all resources needed to complete the project.
·        Identify those project team members whose specific commitment to the Project Management Plan is appropriate.
·        Endorsement is easy when the participants have been included in the development of the Project Management Plan.

8. ENDORSE THE PLAN Project Team Commitment Steps:
Establish Endorsement Methods
Formal Meeting
Individual Discussions
Distribute & return
Identify the appropriate methods for gaining commitment from each participant—individual discussions, group meetings, etc.
·        Formal Meeting: Participants review and sign-off on the Project Management Plan. The use of a formal endorsement meeting provides a team-building opportunity where participants can discuss their assignments; discuss the inter-relationships of their assignments with other assignments; develop their working relationships; and open the channels of communication.
Prior to the meeting, the Project Manager should:
·        Coordinate with specialty groups.
·        Coordinate with local agencies, cities, counties, police, emergency services, etc.
·        Distribute the Project Management Plan for review.
The endorsement meeting should be held as soon as possible after completion of the Project Management Plan.
·        Use the Project Management Plan as the structure for the meeting agenda. 
·        Discuss the team mission; roles and responsibilities; schedule; and resources to complete major deliverables.
·        Discuss any outstanding issues.
·        Review Change Management, Risk Management, Communication, Quality, and Transition/Closure Plans.
·        Have a method for signifying commitment: signature on the Project Management Plan or a suitable substitute for documenting commitment.
·        Individual Discussions: A second approach is to conduct individual discussions and sign-offs with each predetermined project participant. The same principles used to conduct an organized session with a group apply here, except that it is less formal.
·        Distribute and Return: A third—and less desirable—approach is to distribute portions of the Plan, either electronically or by hard copy, to selected project participants and ask for their endorsement. It is important, if using this technique, to attach a cover letter that clearly states what is being requested, with directions for providing comments.
Often Project Management Plans are all-inclusive documents that overwhelm rather than inform the reader. They can be much more informative if they are transmitted with instructions that clearly focus readers on the portions of most relevance to them. In some cases, only part of the project work plan needs to be transmitted, reviewed, and endorsed by project participants.

9. ENDORSE THE PLAN Project Team Commitment Steps:
Establish the schedule for the Endorsement Process
“The commitment of the project team is required before the endorsement of management is sought.”
Endorsement is needed at any time the commitment of two or more parties is needed; but most importantly, as the Plan the Work process is concluding and the Project Management Plan is being completed for management endorsement.
The commitment of the project team is required before the endorsement of management is sought.
Endorsement is not a one-time occurrence for most projects.  The Project Management Plan should gain new endorsement any time there are major changes to the scope, schedule, budget, sponsor, or team members. Establishing team commitment as soon as possible will help expedite management endorsement.

10. ENDORSE THE PLAN Management Endorsement Understanding & acceptance
Mutual understanding, agreement, & commitment
Commitment of staff, tools, & resources
Management Endorsement - What does this mean? It is an understanding and acceptance of the project work plan from senior management. It’s a commitment of staff, tools, and resources. This is a major step in the project management process. A project work plan endorsement gives that approval to the project manager to obtain those resources that will be needed for the project delivery.

11. Project Management Plan Endorsed Project Management Plan
ENDORSE THE PLAN
Management Endorsement
Project Management Plan
Project Management Plan Review
Management Endorsement Template
Endorsed Project Management Plan
INPUT
TOOLS
PRODUCTS
So what exactly does approval, commitment, and endorsement mean?
Approval is to confirm or officially agree to.
Commitment is an agreement or pledge to do something or provide some service.
Endorsement is an open expression to support or approve.

12. Construction Engineer?
ENDORSE THE PLAN
Management Endorsement
Steps:
Identify the required endorsements
Construction Engineer?
Region Administrator?
PD Engineer?
Endorsement by management results in a specific commitment of support for the Project Management Plan and the resources necessary to successfully deliver it. This may include managers from specialty groups and/or other organizations. Endorsement is not a one-time occurrence for most projects. The project team should gain new endorsement any time there are major changes to the Project Management Plan—scope, schedule, budget, sponsor, or team members.
·        Review Region/Organization requirements for management approval and endorsement requirements.
·        Review the Project Management Plan and identify all organizational resources needed to complete the project.
·        Review the Baseline Performance Schedule and identify the timing and levels of involvement for resources.
·        Identify the appropriate management entities controlling all needed resources.
Engineering Manager?

13. ENDORSE THE PLAN Management Endorsement Steps:
Establish a schedule for the Endorsement Process
The commitment of the project team is required before the endorsement of management is sought. Obtaining management’s commitment as soon as possible will allow a smoother start to project delivery.
The first choice is to obtain management endorsement in a meeting when all the necessary management staff can attend, discuss the required commitments, and share their observations on the Plan and its execution.
If a meeting is not possible, management commitment is gained individually or in groups and the resulting endorsements are sent to all participating managers by memo.

14. ENDORSE THE PLAN Management Endorsement Steps:
Obtain Management Endorsement
The purpose of formal endorsement is to acquaint and inform the manager with the requirements, quantity, and timing for the resources being committed, and to document that commitment.
It is highly recommended that documentation of the agreement be made and shared among managers and the team. The main consideration should be the level of commitment required and the need to document that commitment. The most direct method is to have the manager sign the Project Management Plan or the cover letter.
Prior to the meeting, the Project Manager should have the following complete:
·        Coordination with support offices/organizations
·        Coordination with local agencies, cities, counties, police, emergency services, etc.
·        Team-endorsed Project Management Plan
The endorsement meeting should be held as soon as possible after Team Endorsement.
·        Use the Project Management Plan as the structure for the meeting agenda. 
·        Discuss team mission; roles and responsibilities; schedule; and resources to complete major deliverables.
·        Discuss any outstanding issues.
·        Review Change Management, Risk Management, Communication, Quality, and Transition/Closure Plans.

15. Project Performance Baseline
ENDORSE THE PLAN
Project Performance Baseline
- A baseline plan to evaluate project progress against what was planned and committed to.
The project Performance Baseline is a tool to evaluate the progress of the project. To compare what was planned to what has actually taken place. It allows the project manager to identify potential problems and use proactive measures to manage project issues. (More to come later for EVM).

16. ENDORSE THE PLAN
Initiate
& Align
Endorse
the Plan
Work
Transition
& Closure
Plan
the Work $ S
The “progressive elaboration” or iterative process of the project management process is the arrow from Work the Plan to Plan the Work. Any changes to the overall requirements (scope), time (schedule), or resources/cost (budget) requires some form of re-planning and re-endorsement of the changes to the plan. Once endorsed, the changes are permanently incorporated into the plan and the revised plan becomes the basis for project progress evaluation.
Changes to scope, schedule, or budget require evaluation for re-endorsement.