project management essentials

Practical IT Research that Drives Measurable Results

Project Management Essentials

1Info-Tech Research Group

Introduction

Effective project management is critical to ensure that the results meet stakeholder expectations, yet organizations resist project management due to the perception that it must be complex and require excessive effort and expense.

Clear success criteria, strong soft skills, a focus on resource planning, and an active approach to project management are more important than formalized frameworks, certified project managers or complex software.

This solution set will help you:

1. Understand the Project Management Essentials.2. Implement the essentials to improve project success rate.3. Provide tools and templates for successful project

planning, monitoring, and communication.


Executive Summary

Info-Tech Research Group 3

• Projects can be managed effectively by following these basic guidelines:

• Establish specific success criteria to meet stakeholder expectations, control project scope, and identify clear testing objectives.

• Assign project management to an individual with the qualities needed to drive the project: commitment to success, strong interpersonal skills, and ability to influence. Also, clarify authority and escalation path to enable timely decision making.

• Focus the project plan on major activities and resource requirements to ensure a manageable plan with clear timelines.

• Actively manage the project to detect and resolve problems early, maintain commitment to meeting dates, and manage resources effectively.

• Review the project upon completion to evaluate project success and lessons learned for future projects.

• For complex projects, more robust resource and scheduling tools and a full-time project manager may be required, but the above basic guidelines still apply.


• Most projects fail to meet management and stakeholder expectations.

• The low success rate in adherence to scope implies that scope creep occurs frequently in projects.

• Less than 15% of organizations were successful at executing projects on time, on budget and on scope simultaneously over the last two years.

Info-Tech Research Reveals That Project Management is a Struggle for Most Organizations

*Importance measurement is based on the % of respondents who indicated that the given metric was important.

**Success measurement is based on the % of respondents who indicated that they were successful at the given metric.

Most Projects Have Low Success Rates

Adherence to ScopeProjects are on

Budget

Projects are on Time

Quality of

Deliverables

Management

Satisfaction

Stakeholder's

Satisfaction

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Importance*

Su

cces

s**

Project Management


EstablishSuccessCriteria

Develop the Plan

Manage Progress

The Essentials

Identify:

• Stakeholder expectations

• Scope boundaries

• Testing objectives

Look for:

• Commitment to success

• Communication and soft skills

• Ability to influence

Focus on:

• Major activities

• Resource requirements

• Clear timelines

Promote:

• Commitment to key target dates

• Early problem detection and resolution

• Better resource management

Assign Project Manager Role

A Project Example


This report uses the following example to illustrate project management essentials:

• The accounting department has requested that the IT department deploy an application called Trackit.

• Trackit is intended to allow management to understand how much staff time is spent on a number of specific accounting activities such as purchasing, invoice payment, billing, budgeting and so on.

• Management wants to begin time tracking in Q2 to facilitate resource reallocation at the end of Q3.

Establish Success Criteria



Develop the Plan

Manage Progress

Identify:

• Stakeholder expectations

• Scope boundaries

• Testing objectives


Goal Required Action Trackit Example

Meet All Stakeholder Expectations

• Identify required functionality, timing and cost parameters.

• Managers of Procurement, Billing and Budgeting agree on data to be recorded.

• Report content identified.• Implement by June 1st.

Control Scope Expansion

• Establish features needed for requested functionality, and exclude all others.

• Ability to edit timesheet included in scope.

• Request for additional reports moved to a future project.

Establish Testing Objectives

• Determine performance, capacity, and functionality requirements.

• Support up to 100 staff at the main office. Available during normal working hours.

• Less than a half-day downtime per month.

Establish Concrete Success Criteria to Keep the Project Focused

Less than 40% of projects satisfy both management and stakeholders.

Improve the chances for success by getting agreement on measurable success criteria.


When project objectives conflict, make decisions based on success criteria first, then scope, then timing, and then budget.

Info-Tech Insight:




Develop the Plan

Manage Progress

Look for:

• Commitment to success

• Communication and soft skills

• Ability to influence


“The single most important thing I want to put forward is that project

management is not just about process and control. If you don’t have people

skills in order to get everybody on the same page and working towards the

same goal, the project isn’t successful.”

Applications Manager, Recreation Services


• Communication, leadership, people management, and ability to influence are rated much higher than PM process and technical knowledge.

• On average, less than 40% of organizations are very satisfied with these skills in their project managers.

Organizations Identify Project Managers’ Soft Skills as More Important Than Process and Control

*Importance measurement is based on the % of respondents who indicated that the given skill was important.

**Satisfaction measurement is based on the % of respondents who indicated that they were satisfied with their project managers’ given skill.

Importance and Satisfaction of PM Skills

Technical know ledge

PM process know ledge

Ability to influence stakeholders

People management

Business know ledge

Leadership

Problem solving

Ability to multitask

Communication

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Importance*

Sa

tis

fac

tio

n**


Assign a Project Manager Who is Committed to Success and has the Soft Skills to Drive the Project

Criteria Description Trackit Example

Commitment to Success

• Affinity with the groups to be impacted.

• Often goes beyond expectations.

• Project manager role is assigned to Mary.

• Mary is the technical analyst who helped the accounting group select Trackit out of a long list of options in less than a month.

Communication Skills

• Keeps management up-to-date; no surprises.

• Enjoys teamwork.

• Mary collaborated with co-workers during the product assessment phase.

• Mary shared her assessments with the IT and accounting managers in concise reports.

Influencing Skills

• Makes recommendations that are usually accepted.

• Mary helped the accounting group agree on Trackit, even though the manager initially preferred another candidate.

Someone with a vested interest in the outcome – in this case study, the person who recommended the tool – is more likely to take personal responsibility for driving the project to a successful conclusion.

Info-Tech Insight:

Clarify the Project Manager’s Authority and Escalation Path to Enable Timely Decision Making


Role Recommended Responsibility

Project Manager • Requisition resources.• Manage assigned staff.• Adjust the plan activities and timing as needed to meet

milestones.

IT Sponsor • Assign IT resources.

Business Sponsor • Assign subject matter experts and testers.• Approve minor changes to scope.

Executive Stakeholder

• Approve changes to success criteria, scope, milestone dates and costs.

Develop the Plan



Develop the Plan

Manage Progress

Focus on:

• Major activities

• Resource requirements

• Clear timelines


Develop a Project Plan That Aligns Major Activities, Resource Requirements, and Project Timelines

Determine Major Activities

Investigate Resource Availability

Create 2 to 3 Timeline Options

Build in Contingencies

Refine Selected Project Plan

Assess Resource and Timing Risks

Consider More Than One Approach Adjust the Plan

Identify Required Resources

The first way is not always the best way. Consider alternative approaches that make better use of resources or reduce project risks.


Identify Resource/Timing Options

Recommendation

Why This Matters Trackit Example

Group Related Tasks • Keeps the plan lean.• Reduces plan

maintenance and tracking time.

• Installation of software by a technician defined as one task.

Eliminate Nice-to-Have Tasks

• Minimizes strain on resources.

• Keeps the focus on critical activities.

• Move request to develop additional reports to a future project.

Assign a Specific Deliverable for Each Activity

• Enables accurate progress tracking.

• Completion of “install software” task can be verified.

Account for Dependencies

• Determines activity order and possible resource conflicts.

• Software installation cannot begin until server available.

• Server delivery defined as a task.

Focus on Major Activities to Produce a Lean Plan That Can Be Managed More Efficiently


Breaking down activities into more granular tasks unnecessarily increases PM overhead, taking time away from more important tasks such as managing resources, resolving issues, and mitigating risks.

Info-Tech Insight:

Typical Resource Risk

How to Minimize Risk Trackit Example

Technical resources may be pulled to fix critical issues

• Schedule their tasks as early as possible to allow for time off project. Reflect likely availability when planning resources.

• Have a backup person on the team.

• The software installation technician, Gary, is available only three days a week because he generally spends two days fixing production problems.

• Deb is Gary’s backup.

Business subject matter experts support several projects

• Establish availability, treat it as fixed to avoid conflicts, and drive dependencies to ensure they can start work when they are available.

• The three accounting clerks assigned have scheduled 1 to 2 o’clock each day when they are to be available for the project.

Vendors are not in your direct line of control

• Talk to vendors to establish their dependencies and risks. Don’t make assumptions for vendors.

• One week is scheduled for server delivery, as recommended by the vendor.

Resource Availability is the Number One Project Risk—Plan Resources Early and Build in Contingencies


Don’t focus just on internal resources. Failure to anticipate vendor risks can sink you.

Info-Tech Insight:

Timeline Elements

Required Action Trackit Example

Fixed Dates • Distinguish between imposed dates, such as customer commitments versus moveable dates, such as QA end time.

• Facilities booked to train staff May 24th – a fixed date in the plan – to meet management requirement to begin data collection June 1st.

Weekly Targets • Schedule at least one deliverable per week to assess progress.

• The server is scheduled to arrive in week two of the project.

• The “Order Server and Track Delivery” task deliverable is a written status update from the vendor confirming the delivery date is still on track.

Testing and Contingency Time

• Start QA testing at project midpoint.

• Start user testing at 3/4 mark.

• Add padding to the end of the project (rather than to individual tasks) to provide overall timeline flexibility.

• System testing starts right after software installation.

• User testing starts four weeks before the planned activation date.

• Two-weeks of contingency time is scheduled after user testing rather than padding the server setup and install tasks.

Establish a Timeline That Includes Realistic Milestones, Target Dates, and Contingency Time for Testing



• Identify resources and their availability.

• Organize activities, taking into account dependencies and key target dates.

• Track task completion.

• Generate accurate and easy-to-read visual reports.

Use the ITA Premium “Project Planning and Monitoring Tool” to:

Combine Activities, Resources, and Timelines in One Tool for Easy Maintenance and Review

Create a Communication Plan to Keep the Project Team on Track and Inform Management of Progress

Keep the team informed through in-person communication. Don’t let “I’m out of the loop” be an excuse for missing target dates.

People are more likely to divulge issues one-on-one. Maintain open communications with your team to know the real status of the project.

Info-Tech Insight:

Critical Communications

Purpose

Project Kick-Off Meeting • Establish responsibilities and introduce the project plan.

Weekly Project Team Meetings

• Communicate project changes and resolve issues.

Meeting Summaries • Document decisions and action items.

Status Updates to Management

• Keep management informed of the timeline and risks. Note that managers are busy. Get agreement on how they want to receive updates, and how frequently.

Escalation Path • Involve the right decision makers to resolve issues.


Manage Progress and Update the Plan



Develop the Plan

Manage Progress

Promote:

• Commitment to key target dates

• Early problem detection and resolution

• Better resource management


Actively Managing Progress is Necessary to Drive the Project to Completion


• Talk to the team, in-person, to explain the project plan and assign responsibilities to avoid misunderstandings and promote accountability.

• Meet regularly with the project team to track progress, discuss project changes, and resolve issues.

• Update the plan to reflect current status, adjust to project changes, and mitigate anticipated risks.

• Communicate decisions, risks, and upcoming key dates.

• Keep management informed of project changes, risks, and timelines.

Recording status and providing reports is not enough. The project manager must:


• Run an efficient focused meeting.

• Outline project objectives and responsibilities in a clear manner.

• Introduce the project plan, key target dates, and next steps.

Use the Info-Tech “Project Kick-off Meeting Agenda Template” to:

Use the Kickoff Meeting to Establish Responsibilities and Introduce the Project Plan


• Acknowledge success.

• Resolve issues.

• Communicate plan changes, risks, and upcoming activities.

• Motivate team members to meet their dates.

Use the Info-Tech “Project Team Meeting Agenda Template.”

' to:

Meet Weekly with the Project Team to Track Status, Review Project Changes and Resolve Issues


• Update resource availability and assess the impact.

• Rearrange activities to manage risk and account for changes to resourcing.

• Generate accurate and easy-to-read visual reports.

Use the Info-Tech “Project Planning and Monitoring Tool” to:

Update the Plan to Accurately Reflect Current Status and Timelines

In the Trackit example, Gary has been pulled to resolve network issues. His backup, Deb, takes over his tasks, and dates are adjusted to reflect her availability.


• Document action items to promote accountability and further motivate team members to meet target dates.

• Inform management of project changes, risks, and timelines.

Use the Info-Tech “Project Meeting Follow-Up Template” to:

Publish Meeting Summaries to Document Decisions and Inform Management of Project Status


• Highlight key targets, and document whether the project is on track.

• Provide a quick visual summary of the project status with a Gantt chart automatically generated by the Info-Tech, “Project Planning and Monitoring Tool”.

Use the Info-Tech “Project Milestones Report Template” to:

Create a Milestones Report to Supplement Status Updates to Management

Project Tasks The Myth The Reality

Progress Reporting

• Team members will report progress accurately.

• Deliverables are the only good evidence of completed activities.

Task Estimating • Padding task timelines will allow for delays and keep the project on track.

• Resources typically use up all the time given to them, leaving no contingency time for unforeseen issues. Better to set aggressive dates and save contingency time for the end of the project.

Plan Approval • Once approved, the plan should not be changed.

• Stuff happens. Estimating errors, late resources, rework. Plans must adapt to reality.

Specification Approval

• Getting management sign-off eliminates later changes.

• Pressure to change specifications continues, especially during testing.

Insights: Project Myths Be Realistic in Managing Projects


Review the Project Upon Completion to Evaluate Success and Document Lessons Learned for Future Projects


Hold a Project Closure meeting to assess the following:

• Did the project meet the success criteria in terms of functionality, timing, and costs?

• Are the stakeholders satisfied with the project outcomes? If not, is this due to incomplete success criteria, or did the stakeholders change their minds about what they really needed?

• What issues were encountered and how were they resolved?

• Were resource availability estimates accurate?

Conclusion

• Project management essentials — specific success criteria, a project manager with strong soft skills, a plan focused on major activities and resource requirements, and actively managing progress — are more important to project success than formalized frameworks, certified project managers, or complex software.

• Weekly meetings and effective communication are key to tracking progress, detecting and resolving issues, and meeting deadlines.

• Info-Tech project management tools and templates facilitate successful project planning, monitoring, and communication, all important components of the project management essentials.


Technology

project management essentials