For Life™ [Insert Date Here] [Insert Instructor Name Here] Project Management Skills

What is Project Management? Why is project management important? How do unidentified risks impact the outcome of the project? Who should be responsible for tasks? Can projects can be divided into multiple projects or phases?

Triple Constraint Diagram

Class Exercise

What is a project? is a temporary endeavor with a definite beginning and end and it creates or produces a unique product, service or result WHAT ARE THE KEY COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT?

EXERCISE 1 AND DISCUSSION What is a project? (Exercise 1 in the Project Management Skills for Life document)

Project Manager Discussion DISCUSSION: WHAT ARE SOME RESPONSIBILITIES OF A PROJECT MANAGER?

Project Manager Discussion HOW IS A PROJECT MANAGER SELECTED OR APPOINTED?

What is a Stakeholder? Someone who has a negative or positive impact on the project and can influence the expectations and deliverables. Examples of stakeholders – customers, suppliers, vendors, end-users, team members and project sponsor Discuss who were the stakeholders on a previous project. How about your next project?

What is a Sponsor? Individual that provides support or obtain financial funding for the project Someone who has a vested interest in the project Example of sponsors –Member of the management team –Minister or elder of a church –Board of Director or association member –Client or customer

What is a Team Member? IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF A PROJECT TEAMS ARE: Individuals who are appointed, selected, or volunteer to work together on the project Individuals who have diverse skills and talents to complete tasks and will provide expertise to make project decisions Encourage mentoring with team members during the project

Team Organization Chart Sponsor Project Manager Stakeholders Team Members Works with the team to develop a schedule and discuss potential risks. Responsible for ensuring project is completed on time, within budget, and on schedule. Individuals appointed and selected or volunteers that work together on the project completing tasks or deliverables. Individual that provides support and/or obtains financial funding for the project. Someone who has a vested interest in the project. Individuals or organizations that have an interest either positively or negatively in the project’s execution and project outcome.

DISCUSSION: TEAM DIRECTORY TEMPLATE Team Discussion

Class Exercise TEAM CONFLICT & CUSTOMER CONFLICT Divide into teams or discuss as a group possible solutions TEAM CONFLICT  Why are team members not completing tasks  Why are team members turning their tasks in late  Team members are unmotivated to complete tasks CUSTOMER CONFLICT  The requirements are not clear from the customer  The customer delays making important decisions on critical issues  Decide who will deliver the news to the customer if is not favorable

Project Team Discussion DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TEAM RULES When will the team meet (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)? Who will set the agenda and organize the meeting time? How will the team decide issues? Who will write the meeting minutes and distribute? How will the team handle changes? How does the team resolve conflicts and ensure tasks are completed? Who will talk to the customer? Who will report project status to all stakeholders? Decide when to celebrate the project’s completion date?

DISCUSSION: SOLUTIONS TO TEAM CONFLICTS

Class Exercise SOLUTIONS CUSTOMER CONFLICTS

Initiating Process Determine and decide what product or service is being developed Collaborate and clarify the project need Assign or appoint a project manager and sponsor Gather any information to help understand the requirements of the project by answering the what, when, who, why, where and how questions Development of the project charter

Initiating Process PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION ABOUT THE NEED FOR THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE »Why »Who »Where »What »When »How

EXERCISE 2 AND DISCUSSION Initiating Process (Exercise 2 in the Project Management Skills for Life document)

Project Charter Documents the answers to the project Why, Who, What, Where, When and How questions The project charter is a document supported and approved by the sponsor. This document provides the project manager authorization to start the project.

The Project Charter DISCUSSION ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECT CHARTER

Project Charter EXERCISE 3 WRITE A PROJECT CHARTER (Exercise 3 in the Project Management Skills for Life document)

Planning Process The planning process is to organize and identify the components of a project to develop the product or service. The project manager and the team work together to write the scope of work, create a work breakdown structure, identify resources estimate time to develop tasks and recommend major deliverables.

Scope Statement Clarifies and expands in the information in the project charter and adds –constraints –assumptions –risks –boundaries (what will and will not be included) –user acceptance criteria

Project Scope Defines the project parameters and establishes the baseline for measuring success. Provides a common understanding of project expectations (Exercise 4 in the Project Management Skills for Life document)

Scope Statement EXERCISE 4 WRITE A SCOPE STATEMENT (Exercise 4 in the Project Management Skills for Life document)

Project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a checklist of all the work—the deliverables and tasks—prioritized in order of completion. STEPS TO CREATE A PROJECT WBS:  Identify deliverables and milestones  Put tasks in order of completion  Identify tasks or activities

Class Exercise CREATE A PROJECT WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

Project Schedule Good planning allows for the project manager to manage and control the project tasks and resources To complete the project schedule, determine the time for each task and assign a resource who will be responsible for the task The team and project manager should divide up the teams and provide an estimate of time to complete that task

Project Schedule DISCUSSION : HOW TO ESTIMATE TASKS

Critical Path Method (CPM) The critical path is the sequence of tasks that requires the longest duration to complete with no extra time.

Critical Path Method (CPM) StartFinish A B D C F E wk1 wk2wk3wk4wk5wk6wk7 A B C D E F This diagram shows six tasks in the project schedule. Tasks A, C, and F are on the critical path, which means if one of these tasks takes longer than expected, the project will not meet the deadline.

Critical Path Method (CPM) This diagram shows how Task A took longer than expected, which affected when Tasks C & F could start and added 1.5 weeks to the original schedule. StartFinish A B D C F E wk1 wk2wk3wk4wk5wk6wk7 A B C D E F

Class Exercise : CREATE A PROJECT SCHEDULE

Project Quality Ensure stakeholder expectations are being met by defining processes to verify and validate successful product completion. Understanding the desired outcome the team can work together to build quality into the product. Monitor quality throughout the project.

Project Communications Develop a plan that answers the following questions: what, when, who, where and how. What needs to be communicated? When does the information need to be distributed? Who should receive the information (all stakeholders)? Where should the information be distributed? How and what format should the information be presented?

Communication THE SENDER-RECEIVER MODEL The sender sends a message without interruptions or distractions. The receiver selects the approach that is acceptable by the team and is available to all members. PROCESS STEPS:  Sender has an idea to communicate  Sender selects the approach (voice, gesture, symbols, , phone or meetings  Is there any noises that affects or impedes the message  Receiver processes the information sent by sender  Receiver responds to message with appropriate approach

Project Status Report The project status report is completed by the project manager on a regular basis.

Project Status Report COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT STATUS REPORT: –Project Title –Project Manager –Report Date –Current Status –Activities completed during this period –Activities planned until the next meeting –Issues and Resolutions –Changes to project scope –Problems, Risks or Concerns

Successful Meetings TIPS FOR CONDUCTING SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS: –Determine meeting place and time –Conduct the meeting with an agenda –Ask all members to report their status on tasks –Identify any new risks or issues –Discuss solutions to issues –Ask members if they will meet their task deadline –End each meeting on time and announce the next meeting –Send out meeting minutes

Project Risks DISCUSSION: IDENTIFY, DOCUMENT & EXAMINE PROJECT RISKS

Project Procurement Create a plan to monitor any changes to contracts that occur during the project The project manager will need to understand the contract requirements At project completion all contracts are closed

Executing Process The planning is now complete and the team can begin working on their assigned tasks. Project status reporting will be conducted on a regular basis. Any issues that arise will be discussed with the team and sponsor. Some tasks may be re-assigned if the person cannot complete on time or may require extra assistance. The project manager will need to monitor and control the tasks to ensure timely completion. Communications are ongoing during this phase.

Executing Process PROCURING RESOURCE RECOMMENDATIONS Understand the requirements of the product or services Follow a process for soliciting bids Negotiate terms with vendors or suppliers and have legal expertise review the contractual agreement Implement a billing and payment plan Project manager and team ensure the quality and requirements are being met

Monitoring and Controlling Process Review and track the progress of the project Manage project issues and change requests Review the scope statement at periodic times during the project to ensure objectives are being met If you make many changes to the scope, obtain sponsor sign-off

Issue Log WHAT IS THE ISSUE LOG?

Change Request Log WHAT IS THE CHANGE REQUEST LOG?

EXERCISE AND DISCUSSION Change Control (Exercise 5 in the Project Management Skills for Life document)

On-Going Activities The following activities, already covered, are on-going activities that are completed throughout the project.  Time Management  Communications  Managing risks  Controlling the schedule  Monitoring the budget

Closing Process This is the end of the project and these activities are conducted: Lessons Learned Final work Contract closeout

Lessons Learned DISCUSSION: WHAT WERE THE SUCCESSES & FAILURES OF THE PROJECT? WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED?

Final Work Complete any paperwork and all documentation for the project Assign a person who will who will keep the records for similar future project work

Contract Closeout Complete all paperwork and contracts associated with the project Obtain an approval from the sponsor

Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate! DISCUSSION: CELEBRATING THE CONCLUSIONOF THE PROJECT

Summary & Review Defining what is project management and a project Identifying the five process groups Describing the roles of team members and how they interact during a project Writing a project charter and scope statement Creating a project plan—the work breakdown structure, schedule, resources and the critical path Understanding potential project risks Building quality into the project Procuring of products and services Communicating from the project start to completion Monitoring, tracking, and reporting on the project’s progress Training and mentor team members

Summary & Review Is a temporary endeavor with a definite beginning and end It creates or produces a unique product, service, or result A PROJECT

Summary & Review You are now aware of the five processes Commonly used to manage projects: Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring and Controlling Closing

Summary & Review THE FOLLOWING BASIC QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED WHEN STARTING ANY PROJECT: What are you going to deliver or accomplish? When will you produce deliverables? Who are your stakeholders (customers, sponsors, end users, team members)? Why is the work necessary? Where will the project outcome be used and/or delivered or built when appropriate? How will you accomplish and manage the objectives? How will you measure success?

Summary & Review It is important to train and mentor the individuals involved with the project. Throughout the project it is extremely important to communicate with all stakeholders and to document and share information regarding the status of the project. Without communication you cannot be successful. Ensure that any contractual agreements used during the project are closed and that all of the appropriate invoices are being processed for final payments to be successful.

Summary & Review Project Sponsors typically take responsibility for signing off on the completion of all the agreed upon work. Others stakeholders may also wish to be involved in the signoff process.

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