project managers are the new general managers! · the language of project management project –an...

Project Managers are the new

General Managers!

CAVA January 13, 2015

www.getitdoneprojectmanagement.com | help@getitdoneprojectmanagement.com

Presented by :

Debra Exel

Who we are & what we do

@ 20 years pM / project experience

Successfully managed multipleprojects at a time !

Led a team of over 50 PM’s and

Subject Matter Experts on a 200 person project

for 5 years!

Webinar outline

Terminology … the language of a PM!

The principles of project management

Tool time: what’s out there & why you need it

Guerilla project management … how to get stuff done like a GM!

You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than

anyone else.

~ Albert Einstein

What do clients want from

you besides your expertise….

In business today, just about everything is a

project

More and more, our ‘day jobs’ need project

management skills

People now need project management skills to be

successful

Project

Management…

Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing

and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of

specific project goals and objectives. In other words, the process of

introducing products, services, technology or change.

A project is a specific task or series of tasks which, when completed, will

produce a desired result or one time goal.

On the value of project management

Trying to manage a project without project management is like trying to

play a football game without a game plan

Project Management…

proven, repeatable processes

managing and relating to people

framework, guidelines & techniques for success

Delivering the results your clients expect

Project Management…

Overwhelmed, can’t get things done

Don’t know where to start

Missing deadlines and commitments

Working like a crazy person … 24x7

Firefighter – always in crisis mode

Unorganized – jump from activity to activity

Out of control!

Get the skills, take control & start managing!

With project management we can bring order to the universe.

Project Management...

The language of

project management

Project – an effort to provide a product or service within a finite time and cost constraints

Triple Constraint – time, cost and quality

Project Charter – High level document that describes the project and is used to authorize the start of work.

Task – a piece of work requiring effort

Milestone – a point in time, usually denoting a significant event e.g. completing a set of critical tasks

Resource – tangible support used in the project (people, tools, supplies, etc)

Risk – the likelihood of the occurrence of an event

Scope – the total amount of work to be done

Scope Creep – growth of scope due to uncontrolled changes to requirements

FREE 10 page

handout

‘Great Big List of

Project

Management

Words!’

Project

Management…

Initiation

Planning

Executing

Monitoring or controlling

Closing

Building a better mousetrap !

Also known as phases

Principles of Project

Management

Before you jump in, define the project in a Project Charter.

It should contain:

A very clear and concise statement of the goal of the project

What the benefits will be or the problem solved

A brief description of deliverables

Key milestones

Any assumptions or constraints

Any major risks anticipated

The roles and responsibilities of the project team

Project Charters are:

Used to get approval

Useful for staying focused

Management

Invest time in gathering, analyzing, probing and validating requirements.

Use the SMART approach. They should be:

Specific

Measureable

Achievable

Realistic

Timebound

A requirement is a functional,

physical or operational need.

Consider creating an inventory

of requirements for tracking

and prioritization.

Get client sign off on requirements BEFore you start the work!

Management

supports good decision making

explore options and opportunities

choose the best approach

“I wasn’t planning on going for a run today,

but those cops came out of nowhere!”

Management

• Product breakdown

• Work breakdown

• Estimate effort & duration

Schedule

• Milestones

• Network Diagram

• Schedule/Gantt

Budget

• Resources Plan

• Cost Plan

• Finance Plan

Management

Risk Planning

Gather experts

Brainstorm all potential risks – be specific

Evaluate each risk

Prioritize the risks

Create a risk plan – actions to be taken to address risks

Add risks to your online project for easy tracking

A risk is the probability an event will occur having a negative impact on the project

Risk management is taking action to decrease or prevent the chance of the event

happening or to prepare actions to deal with the impact.

Management

It’s inevitable

Change can drive time, costs

and other impacts into a project

Assess all changes before

implementing

Get all changes ‘approved’!

Have a process for managing

change

Scope creep!!!

Management

Who needs to be informed

What information do they need

How are they going to get it

How often do they need it

Where will I get the info from

How will I get what ‘I’ need

In the world of project management,

status is everything!

Management

The project plan is your plan of reference … it answers all

the basic questions about the project for the stakeholders

and team.

Purpose/goal/objective

Deliverables

Budget or Cost estimate

Communication plan

Schedule and Milestones

Risks and Assumptions

Change process

Approval or governance

Roles and Responsibilities

The project plan is the guide for how the project will be managed

Management

build the project in online system

introduction of team members

present the project goals

milestones and overall schedule

assignment of responsibilities

processes and tools team will use

communication and meetings

other relevant team info or admin

Teamwork in action!

Management

Monitoring lets you know how closely reality resembles the plan

Provides input and status for reports

Facilitates decision making

How does a project get to be a year late? One day at a time.

~ Frederick Brooks

Things to monitor

incomplete/over due tasks

upcoming tasks / dates that need to be changed

issues, risks, concerns from team

budget / overages in hours

other warning signs or pressures

Management

Insight is the result of the information that’s

been gathered

A one page Dashboard or Project Status

Report works well

Tell client or team exactly what they need to

know: current status of progress, risks, issues, schedule,

budget, highlights

how problems are being handled, any decisions to

be made

Weekly Status Report: “Begin worrying … details to follow!”

Management

Client deliverables met

Benefits realized

Lessons learned conducted

Management

Resolve open issues

client sign off and acceptance

lessons learned

project and documents archived

celebrate!

Doing things better...

• complete projects faster

• better scope management

• better planning = better solutions

• better communications

• better risk management

• better management of budget

• better decisions

Collaborative

Workspaces

Tool Time

Centralize your portfolio (internal and client) in an online tool:

• Manage everything from one location – at your fingertips

• All tasks, files, communication, time is captured together - integrated

• Visibility - status of projects / tasks

• Accurate time reporting / capacity to take on work

• Reports - for you and your client

• Know the true cost of a project

How are you managing everything today?www.getitdoneprojectmanagement.com | help@getitdoneprojectmanagement.com

Feature

comparison

Feature comparison

CentralDesktop

Basecamp Teamwork Live

Zoho 5pm Teamwork PM

Scheduling

DocumentManagement

Calendar

Reports

Time Tracking

Email *

Mobile App

Invoices

Integrations Google Docs Google Docs DropBoxGoogle Apps

DropBoxGoogle DriveSpiderScribe

Drop Box FreshBooksQuickBooksGoogle DocsLots more

Working in the real world

distributed teams are becoming more common (really?)

adoption of online collaborative tools is exploding

clients are craving more structure and better performance from teams

more and more businesses want project managers to lead more vs. just manage

Demanding environment – faster, cheaper, but still want quality results

Have a structured routine

Plan and prioritize

Create packages or templates

Daily to-do list and task management

Collaborate and communicate

Use WIKI’s – build ‘lessons’ as you go

Document EVERYTHING in your online tool

Daily monitoring and task management

Always look beyond today to what is coming

Due Date tactics

Assigning timelines – be conservative

Have back ups

Use your online tool for messages and mail

Have a communication arsenal

Try not to micromanage*

communication is cited as #2 cause of project

failure

send clear, compelling message – repeat

frequently

store critical documentation or information in

shared online tool

keep communications short and relevant

create a one page project scorecard

use a Gantt chart – high level timeline start to

finish visual

Clients are interested in the overall goals of the project

• Beginning - see/sign off that the plan meets the requirements

• Implementation – how much progress has been made, money/hours spent, results met

• Need to know of any significant issues or risks

• Major milestones met

• Clients need to approve or reject any changes

• Don’t underestimate the need to keep them informed or updated

• Determine the right frequency and tool for each client

• Always get sign off on decisions

Not just a PM anymore … you’re the GM!

status

results

prevention

recruit team

eyes and ears in the field

take charge

handle stuff

A general manager usually oversees day-to-day operations and is often

responsible for planning, delegating, coordinating, staffing, organizing, and

decision making to attain desirable profit making results for a business.

Able to explain the project in 10 minutes

Build a plan in 1 day and stick to it

Stay cool and manage in a crisis

Can plan in your head / survive without tools if you have to

Jump into a project in crisis and fix it (problem solving)

Change on a dime if required

show leadership and good judgement

lead team/keep project together in a crisis with little or no support

1. Be a control freak (at first)

2. Don’t abuse communication or email

3. Put out fires fast

4. Always do a Lessons Learned

PM’s are the new

General Manager!

Command and Control

Leadership

Accountability

Thank you !

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