Project management

Topic 4Starting up a project

Overview of processes

Appointing Executive and Project Manager

• Corporate appoints Project Board Executive and Project Manager– Produce Executive Job Description

• Describe role, responsibilities and authority• Confirm appointment by accepting Job Description

– Produce Project Manager Job Description• Describe role, responsibilities and authority• Confirm appointment by accepting Job Description

– Produce Project Mandate• The primary goal of the project• The trigger for the project• The type of project, size and complexity, political and business

sensitivity

Appoint the Project Management Team

Executive appoints the Project Team– Produce the Organisation Structure

• Project Board consist of Executive, Senior User, Senior Supplier, Project Assurance

• Project Manager, Team Managers and Teams, Support and Configuration Librarian

– Produce Job Descriptions• Describe the role, responsibilities and authority• Describe reporting and communicating lines• Identify candidates with the skill sets required• Confirm appointment by accepting the Job Description

Prepare the Project Brief• Prepare the formal terms of reference for the project

– What needs to be done?– Why does it need doing? – Who needs to be involved?– How will it be done?– When will it be done?

• Prepare the acceptance criteria for the project– What are the customer’s quality expectations?– Which expectations are most important? Categories and Priorities– What standards and best practice apply?

• Create the Risk Log• Create an outline Business Case

– Start with the Project Mandate and describe in more detail

Prepare the Project Approach• How will the work of the project be done?

– Bought off the shelf– Made to measure– Developed in house– Contracted to 3rd parties– Based on an existing product– Built from scratch– Based on specific technologies

• Consider Constraints– Time, money, quality and resource use and availability

• Consider standards, best practice and security • Consider maintenance, operations, support and training needs• Consider the context of the project in the business, how critical?• Consider future trends in the industry

Prepare the Draft Initiation Stage Plan

• Produce the Draft Initiation Stage Plan which includes:– The Project Initiation Document

• Project Brief• Project Management Team Details• Project Plan• Risk Log• Project Stage Structure

– Stage Plan for Stage 1

• Describe reporting and communication lines

Authorise Initiation

• Control Point– Project Board evaluates the information– Project Board makes a decision– YES• Project is authorised and moves to Initiation Phase

– NO• Project is scrapped or shelved for another time

Fundamentals

• Find the right people with the authority, responsibility and knowledge to make decisions

• Make sure all stakeholders are represented– Business, user and supplier

• Make sure all the information about the project is right, consistent and complete

• Make sure all options have been considered• Is their time, money, skills and resources available?• Have all activities, during and after the project been

considered?