Planning and Defining Scope Ensure there are

measurable goals. Do not rush the

planning process. Use IS historical

data. Permit all questions. Seek to understand.

Focus on customer’s needs, not the technical ones.

Recognize that all the operational areas are of equal importance.

Remember the most important word in project management--customer.

Activity Planning and Sequencing

Be prepared to run meetings.

Assign resources. Construct activity

sequences. Define procurement

requirements. Ensure the operational

managers gather appropriate data.

Define project activity constraints and assumptions.

Determine skill requirements for critical activities.

Develop cost estimates.

Activity Planning and Sequencing Establish a project

organization structure. Establish project

administrative benchmarks and standards.

Identify potential risks. Ensure there is a viable

quality system program.

Identify standards that can impact the project.

Link budget items with activities.

Remember customer needs come first.

Write the comprehensive activity plan.

Resource Planning

Assist operational managers on resource issues.

Assist the operational managers in identifying resource links.

Consider alternate resource types.

Develop a people availability formula.

Ensure there are budget allocations for all resources.

Ensure there are criteria that establish resource needs.

Identify skills by labor classification, then by name.

Consider the customer’s needs.

Resource Planning

Know reasons for resource uses.

Resolve capital spending.

Resolve resource availability issues.

Emphasize skills over headcount.

Validate resource requirements.

Work with operational managers to balance resources.

Work with the strategic manager to identify available resources.

Write the resource plan.

Time Estimating

Ensure there are appropriate criteria for doing estimates.

Collect all the estimates prior to totaling.

Use technical support from vendors.

Establishing a scientific approach to time estimating.

Resolve estimates beginning with the smallest.

Set daily priorities to resolve time estimate issues.

Analyze time estimates for impacts.

Determine potential risks because of estimates.

Time Estimating

Use project management software to do scenarios.

Finish the time estimating process before scheduling.

Document issues. Include time estimates

for quality control.

Determine impact of estimates on cost estimates.

Determine impact of estimates on resource availability.

Remember the budget cycle can affect time estimates.

Determine impact of procurement on time estimates.

Developing Schedules

Align the schedule to the customer’s expectations.

Analyze the schedule for various impacts.

Communicate with vendors on schedule status.

Create the schedule against the project goals.

Define estimates to average capabilities.

Define the lag-lead time relationships.

Define the start-end time dependencies.

Determine how the schedule is impacted varying cost potentials.

Developing Schedules

Determine how the acquisition of outside resources affects the schedule.

Establish project administrative benchmarks and standards.

Determine the budget cycle’s impact.

Determine potential risks on the schedule.

Discuss with procurement group project requirements.

Do resource and time leveling.

Document assumptions and constraints.

Documents issues and discuss at meetings.

Developing Schedules

Ensure resource availability.

Ensure the schedule has realistic training and documentation requirements.

Ensure that quality control activities are scheduled appropriately.

Look for “forgotten” activities, such as meetings.

Set daily priorities for self to consider schedule.

Smooth the schedule through a balancing of activities, time, and resources.

Validate the schedule by getting everyone’s concurrence.

Cost Estimating

Ensure there are valid estimating criteria.

Analyze cost estimates for potential impacts on skills, equipment, and materials.

Collect all estimates before totaling.

Determine impacts on time estimates.

Determine impact on outside resource acquisitions.

Determine impacts of budget cycle on estimates.

Determine potential risks on estimates.

Document issues and discuss in meetings.

Cost Estimating

Have a “scientific” cost estimating process.

Factor in procurement requirements.

Finish cost estimating before doing budgeting.

Include quality control and assurance cost.

Look for “forgotten” activities.

Resolve cost estimates beginning with the least.

Resolve cost issues well in advance of the “spending” date.

Set daily priority to consider cost estimate issues .

Use software to develop scenarios before a “happening.”

Use technical support of vendors to define any installation or configuration cost estimates.

Developing a Budget

Be aware of events that can affect the budget’s monthly reports.

Be aware impacts of vendor invoicing cycles.

Ensure cost estimates are entered into the budget correctly.

Ensure that operational managers do monthly budget status reports.

Ensure reliable cost estimates.

Ensure reliable resource estimates.

Ensure reliable time estimates.

Developing a Budget

Ensure that predicted spending is reliably given by month.

Ensure you have a budget to manage project administration.

Hold a monthly meeting on budgetary issues.

Identify funding for contingencies, such as emergency travel.

Identify capital costs. Seek the lowest staff

costs. Seek to reduce

extraordinary costs, such as travel.

Use software to do scenarios.

Controlling Quality

Place quality planning at the top of the project agenda.

Ensure there is significant time allocated for quality activities.

Guarantee there is time estimates for peer reviews.

Have a configuration control mechanism.

Controlling Quality

Create an appropriate reporting system on quality issues.

Assure that quality issues stay at the deliverable level rather being consider personal.

Have a separate line in the budget for quality control and assurance.

Have a location where all standards and other quality related documentation is available to everyone.

Managing Risks & Opportunities Discuss risk potentials

at all meetings. Identify people to

correct quickly potential risks.

Identify people that can do evaluations of issues.

Ensure that risk management has the time in the schedule to do a proper job.

Ensure there is a distinctive budget line for risk management.

Ensure there are skilled personnel to handle risk evaluations.

Ensure there is a contingency fund for risks.

Be responsible for risk management.

Ensure that potential risks are identified.

Project Modeling

Answer the basic modeling question with a yes.

Ensure that appropriate historical data are available.

Be prepared to hire a consultant. Ensure any financial model is

consistent with any corporate one.

Network Optimization

Determine budgetary source for any network optimization.

Have management and performance tool strategies.

Have a tools expert or two on staff.

Gantt Chart and Schedules

Have contractors use a standardized Gantt chart.

Use as a part of executive summaries.

Use for initial project planning. Use to refine project plan. Use to revise activity requirements.

PERT/CPM Techniques

List activities; do not consider resources.

Revise activities list by priority and interdependency.

Review activity network diagrams with appropriate managers.

Convert the diagrams to a PERT chart.

Identify the critical path.

Identify the plan using limited resources.

Make the PERT chart a living document.

Risk Analysis

Control risks, rather than risk controlling you.

Responsible for solving risks. Establish measurable objectives,

benchmarks and performance standards.

Prepare for potential risks by using a risk analysis tool.

Handle risks in a positive manner.

Risk Analysis

Discuss potential risks at meetings. Keep good historical documentation

on potential risks. Create regular status reports. Keep a neutral position. Ensure that upper-level management

comprehends the consequences of a potential risk.

Learning Curve Analysis

Consider long-term benefits. Consider learning curve analysis for

training activities and results. Factor into time and cost estimates

the implications of the learning curve.

Documentation

Ensures consistency through templates and standards.

Develops executive summaries. Manages project administrative

documents. Keeps a daily project log.

Miscellaneous Software Packages

Ensure there are standards and templates if general administrative software is used.

Legacy Software and Hardware Analysis

Comprehend the implications on the legacy software and hardware caused by a project.

Remember that legacy is the state of the IS network one minute ago.

Profitability Analysis

Use profitability analysis to prepare executive summaries in terms of return on investment.

Identify sources for doing profitability analysis.

Answer pre-proposal questions.

Scalability, Interoperability and Portability Analyses

Make the abstract infrastructure concrete for the customer when project issues arise that might impact the infrastructure.

Team Management

You lead; the team succeeds. Communicate. Communicate.

Communicate. Praise in public; condemn in private. Software does not rule; it’s only your

guide.

Customer Involvement

Spokesperson for the project. Listen to the managers’ issues on

customers and resolve them.

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