Project Management ISE 5101 Karl Smith Project Monitoring & Control I Project Meetings

Project Manager’s Role Over the Project Life Cycle: Planning Organizing Staffing Directing Controlling See Smith Chapter 5 for Elaboration.

3 Controlling Measure project performance by maintaining a record of planned and completed work -Chart planned and completed milestones chart -Chart monthly project costs -Document agreements, meetings, telephone conversations -Communicate regularly with team members

4 Project Monitoring When progress is monitored, three questions should always be asked (Lewis, 2000): 1. What is the actual status of the project? 2. If a deviation exists, what caused it? 3. What should be done about it? In answering the third question, there are three responses that can be made: 1. Ignore the deviation 2. Take corrective action to get back on target. 3. Revise the plan.

5 Variation Common causes – produce points on a control chart that over a long period all fall inside the control limits. Special causes – something special, not part of the system of common causes. Detected by a point outside the control limits

6 Mistakes Mistake 1. To react to an outcome as if it came from a special cause, when actually it came from common causes of variation Mistake 2. To treat an outcome as if it came from common causes of variation, when actually it came from a special cause.

7 Effects of Efforts Type of variation Efforts Directed Common cause Special cause Common cause Good Disappointment (Mistake 2) Special cause Disappointment (Mistake 1) Good

Major Complaints About Meetings Their purpose is unclear Participants are unprepared Key people are absent or missing The conversation veers off track Participants don’t discuss issue but instead dominate, argue, or take no part at all Decisions made during the meeting are not followed up

Guidelines for Effective Meetings State in a couple sentences exactly what you want your meeting to accomplish If you think a meeting is the best way to accomplish this, then distribute an agenda to participants at least two days in advance. Set ground rules to maintain focus, respect, and order during the meeting Take responsibility for the meeting’s outcome If your meeting isn’t working, try other tools, such as brainstorming

Meeting Process BEFORE Plan B Clarify meeting purpose and outcome, Identify meeting participants, Select methods to meet purpose, Develop and distribute agenda, Set up room DURING Start B Check-in, Review agenda, Set or review ground rules, Clarify roles Conduct B Cover one item at a time, Manage discussions, Maintain focus and pace Close B Summarize decisions, Review action items, Solicit agenda items for next meeting, Review time and place for next meeting, Evaluate the meeting, Thank participants AFTER Follow-up B Distribute or post meeting notes promptly, File agendas, notes, and other documents, Do assignments.

How to Run a Meeting (Adapted from “Meetings, Bloody Meetings” starring John Cleese) Plan the Meeting Be clear on objectives of the meeting Be clear WHY you need the meeting List the topics to be addressed Inform Make sure everyone knows exactly what is being discussed, why and what you want from the discussion Anticipate what people and information may be needed and make sure they are there Prepare Prepare the logical sequence of items Allocate time on the basis of importance, not its urgency Structure and Control Put all evidence before interpretation and action Stop people from jumping back and going over old ground Summarize and Recall Summarize all decisions and record them with the name of the person responsible for any action

What to Do When You Start Falling Behind ACTION COST SCHEDULE 1. Renegotiate: Discuss with your client the prospect of increasing the budget for the project or extending the deadline for completion. XX 2. Recover During Later Steps: If you begin to fall behind in early steps of a project, reexamine budgets and schedules for later steps. Perhaps you can save on later steps so the overall budget and/or schedule is met. XX 3. Narrow Project Scope: Perhaps nonessential elements of the project can be eliminated, thereby reducing costs and/or saving time. XX 4. Deploy More Resources: You may need to put more people or machines on the project to meet a critical schedule. Increased costs must be weighed against the importance of the deadline. X 5. Accept Substitutions: When something is not available or is more expensive than budgeted, substituting a comparable item may solve your problem. XX 6. Seek Alternative Sources: When a supplier can’t deliver within budget or schedule, look for others who can. (You may choose to accept a substitute rather than seek other sources.) XX 7. Accept Partial Delivery: Sometimes a supplier can deliver a partial order to keep your project on schedule and complete the delivery later. X 8. Offer Incentives: Go beyond the scope of the original contract and offer a bonus or other incentive for on-time delivery. X 9. Demand Compliance: Sometimes demanding that people do what they agreed to do gets the desired results. You may have to appeal to higher management for backing and support. XX