Supporting people with a learning disability

Introduction to Project Management

Presenter: Steve Raw FInstLM, FCMI

Welcome

Who am I?

• Background

• My current role

• Qualifications

• Example of Projects

Attendee Introductions

Please explain:

•Your current Position

•Background in Project Management

•Current Project/Projects

•Any Special Expectations from today

•Something about yourself

What is the difference?

Between

a project and

day to day work

What is a Project?

• An effort or temporary endeavour with a specific objective

• Most frequently it is a one-off/unique effort

• It has a specific start and end dates

• It can be divided into project phases

• Progressively elaborated

Another Project Definition

A project is a temporary endeavour involving a connected sequence of activities and a range of resources, which is designed to achieve a specific and unique outcome, which operates within time, cost and quality constraints and which is often used to introduce change

Lake (1997)

Types of Projects

There are broadly two types of work-based project you can carry out:

1. A consultation project – here you analyse a problem, situation, challenge or opportunity related to your work, draw conclusions and recommend appropriate solutions, explaining how your solutions could be implemented.

2. A change project – where you identify improvements to processes for which you have responsibility, and then implement appropriate changes to bring about particular benefits, such as cost savings or better customer service to the people we support

Project Life Cycle – Prince 2

5 Stages Initiation – what is the vision?

Planning – how will the vision be achieved, by whom, by when and at what cost?

Implementation – doing it!

Monitoring and review – how well are you doing it?

Project closure and evaluation – the vision made real, accepted, signed off and evaluated.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5

What are the benefits of Project Management?

Can be used for all types of products Manage by stages Focus on products A disciplined approach to introducing change Use a common language Recognises the roles and responsibilities in the introduction of change Is time specific Focus on the business case and strategic objectives of the

organisation Stakeholder involvement Promotes learning Monitors risk Stage Boundaries

Work Breakdown Structure and Task Definition

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the

document that translates your objectives into a list

of specific and concrete activities or tasks – the

project menu.• Ensure that every aspect of the project has been

covered adequately and that there are no gaps• Enable detailed resource planning• Allocate responsibilities for tasks to specific

individuals or groups

What is a Gantt Chart?

• A Gantt chart, in its simplest form, consists of 2 elements: task and time.

• Tasks can be specified as individual pieces of work• Time will normally be broken down into periods of weeks

or months• They have an immediate impact. They are a powerful

way of showing the length of time that different activities are expected to take, and which activities will be running at the same time.

• Are there time overlaps in project activities that will put a strain on resources?

Carrying out a Forcefield Analysis

TaskFor the project you chose• Identify the driving forces that are working

for your project• Identify the forces that are working against

your project – these are the resisting forces

• Score them on the basis of +1 or -1 for a weak force to +5 or -5 for a strong force

Estimating Using Ranges

• A single figure estimate is almost certain to be wrong. It is better to determine a “most likely” figure and then to estimate the smallest and largest figure for each task.

• Estimates showing a wide range, or spread, between the smallest and largest figure indicate estimates with a large degree of uncertainty

• These tasks can be targeted to see if the uncertainty can be reduced in any way. For example, the task may be too large and should be broken down further.

Estimating Time and Resources

Common Problems in Estimating• Attitude that projects “always overrun”• Acceptance by Managers of poor estimating• Not allowing enough time• Estimating for too large a task• Fear of committing to a time• Estimates can become a self fulfilling prophesy!

(Parkinson’s Law…..”Work expands to fill the time available.”)

Assigning Resources

• The Manager’s job is to make the best fit between the available resources and the project tasks

• When assigning staff consider:- Availability- Level of experience- Productivity- Past Track Record

Risk Definition

A risk is an uncertain event or set of events that should it occur will have an effect on the achievement of objectives.

It consists of a combination of the probability of a perceived threat or opportunity occurring, and the magnitude of its impact on objectives

What is Risk Management

• Provides a disciplined environment for proactive decision-making

• Identifies and describes risks• Assess likelihood and impact• Control through responses, monitoring and

reporting• Applied to strategic, operational, programme and

project perspectives

Identify and manage potential risks in relation to the project

• To reduce the risks inherent in a project, you need first to identify their source. Possible sources of risk include timing, technology, people, finance, managerial and political.

• To help you to identify and respond to risk, ask:

- What can go wrong here?

- How likely is this?

- What impact would it have?

- What can be done to avoid to mitigate this?

Project Closure

• Ensure all outstanding items are in place• Finish the documentation!• Formally close down the project account• Learning log

DON’T FORGET A TEAM CELEBRATIONIt’s good for psychological closure after a good

team effort

Finishing the project