Download
1 / 61
610 likes | 622 Views
Join us for a comprehensive training workshop on project planning and management. Learn how to effectively plan, execute, and monitor projects. Enhance your skills in project chartering, work breakdown structure, risk management, and more.
E N D
September 13, 2005 University of Colorado at BoulderLeeds School of Business Consulting Training
Agenda • Logistics 5:00 - 5:05 • Introductions 5:05 - 5:20 • Project Planning 5:20 - 5:50 • Break/Dinner 5:50 - 6:20 • Effective Meetings 6:20 - 7:00 • Status Reporting 7:00 - 7:30 • Q&A 7:30 - 7:50 • Wrap-up 7:50 - 8:00
Logistics • Agenda • Activities • Dinner • Facilities • Follow-up
Introductions • Instructor introductions • Name • One expectation I have for the participants during these sessions • The project I am involved in is… • Participant introductions • Name • One expectation I have for these sessions • The project I am involved in is…
Project Planning Presenter - Jim Marlatt
Project Planning Objectives • Teach you how to plan for success • How do you adequately plan for a project, regardless of its size or complexity? • After completing this section you should be able to • Apply a framework for project planning to your own project, including: • Project Charter • Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) • Risk Management • Understand how to reference your plan throughout your project, while keeping it up to date.
Project Planning What is a project? • Projects are created as the direct result of opportunities or problems within an organization, which are due to competitive, economic or regulatory issues. • A project maintains the following characteristics. A project: • has a clear purpose • is defined using measurable objectives • has a beginning and an end • requires resources from multiple sources • should have a primary sponsor (champion) • requires changes to the way the organization operates • involves uncertainty • should maximize business value for the organization relative to other project opportunities • is subject to constraints
Project Planning Project Charter • A project charter, or something comparable, must be prepared at the beginning of a project. This document is then used throughout the project as a reference to help keep the team focused on the project objectives. • A typical charter includes the following elements: • Project Background • Business Case • Project Scope • Measurable Objectives • Project Manager Authority • Project Deliverables • Approval Signature
Out-of-Scope: • Inventory management system • Discount program Authorization: John O’Connor CEO Fancy Furniture Shops Project Planning Project Charter • Background: • The project is developing a Point of Sale (POS) system for a retail chain. The chain sells up-scale furniture and home accessories, meaning there are both big ticket, made to order (or ship to order) items and small cash-and-carry items. Each store has a “back of the store”, where some big ticket items are actually available, but most of the big ticket items have to be ordered for later delivery. Items may be ordered from a couple of large central warehouses or directly from manufacturers. Sales people are paid chiefly on commission. Customer service representatives deal with payment for smaller cash and carry items and also answer customer inquiries on the status of their orders when the sales person is not available. • Business Case: • Because accurate promise-dates cannot be provided for big ticket items, sales people are currently selling them with higher discounts than authorized in order to close the deal. This is estimated to cost the company more than $2 million per year in lost revenue. In addition, it is estimated that more than 40% of all customers who start the order process cancel them because they are unable to get an accurate promise date for the items being purchased. If this was reduced to 20% this is estimated to increase revenue by an additional $15 million per year. • Project Manager Authority: • The project manager has been given authority to select project team members, determine the project budget, timeline and priorities. • Measurable Objectives: • Provide real-time promise dates for big ticket items • Customers questions can be answered within 15 seconds using the new POS • System automatically calculates discounts allowed, and requires manager approval to override discounts • System can process an order within 20 seconds • In Scope: • Develop POS system • Convert orders-in-process data to new system • Train users • Interface to inventory management system • Deliverables: • POS requirements • POS prototype • POS pilot in two stores • Working POS in all stores
Project Planning Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) • When all of the activities listed in the WBS are completed, the project is done. By displaying these activities in a hierarchical format, it is easier for the project team to identify missing tasks. • The WBS is created by the project team and reviewed by other key stakeholders for missing activities. This is an iterative process during project planning. • As with the charter, the WBS is reviewed regularly throughout project planning and execution to make sure the work is being done according to plan.
Project Planning Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Project Planning Risk Management • Projects are undertaken to provide a solution to a problem or an opportunity. • Success is defined as achieving the project objectives established up front during the planning phase. • Projects fail when they don’t achieve these objectives. • Risk management is an important step to identify anything that might keep the project from achieving success. • The best way to identify project risks is to bring the team together to discuss problems they have encountered on projects in the past and how they have resolved these. • It is also important to get people who have done a similar project to participate in the risk management process.
Project Planning What is Risk? • Risk is simply anything that can (and usually does) go wrong that keeps you from achieving project success. • Anticipate anything that might go wrong and develop a risk management plan for either avoiding these risks or being able to deal with them when they do occur.
Project Planning Common Project Risks • Project has no measurable objectives. • No project champion committed to keeping the project moving forward. • Lack of user involvement, which will result in incomplete business requirements. • Project is being led by the IT department not the process owners. • Project team is unsure about how decisions will be made. • Project team has no authority to make decisions. • Executive management is not kept informed of project status at key points (milestones). • Project status is not being monitored, including budget, timeline and deliverables with regular status meetings.
Project Planning Developing the Risk Management Plan • Brainstorm a list of project risks, including what might cause them to occur. • Organize this list into several categories of similar risk. • Determine the likelihood of it occurring, and the impact it would have on the project. • Identify how to minimize the cause of the risk (including action to take if it occurs), current status, and who from the project team is responsible for monitoring and addressing the risk. • Update this risk management plan throughout the life of the project.
Project Planning Risk Management Plan
Effective Meetings Presenter – Joe Remington
Effective Meetings Objectives • Teach you how to play your role in a variety of meetings • How do you prepare for, participate in, and conduct a meeting? • After completing this section you should be able to • Apply a framework for planning and conducting meetings: • Plan • Meeting Process • Review • Understand and be able to leverage the qualities, skills and responsibilities of meeting roles: • Facilitator • Recorder • Leader • Participant
Effective Meetings Benefits of Effective Meetings • Achieving the desired objectives and outcomes • Sharing responsibility for results • Allowing everyone to participate appropriately • Gaining more focused participation • Empowering people to take ownership for implementing the results
Effective Meetings Effective Meetings Follow a Three Step Cycle Planning Meeting Process Review
Determine objectives and agenda Plan content AND process Determine appropriate players Define roles and responsibilities Pre-position key contributors Arrange logistics Planning Meeting Process Review Effective Meetings Effective Meetings – Step 1
Effective Meetings A Complete Agenda Can Be Your Most Powerful Tool • Helps YOU prepare • Communicates your expectations • Provides a mechanism for order and control • Limits the tasks • Limits the participants • Helps to measure success / failure of a meeting • Describe your objective(s), or goal, for the meeting and create the agenda outlining the steps to get to the goal • Assign time buckets and set time limits • Schedule items in order of importance Agenda
Effective Meetings Enhanced Meeting Agenda (Example) Date: 03/21/04 Starting Time: 8:00 am Ending Time: 10:15 am Meeting Called By: John Doe Meeting Place: Training Conference Room Please Bring: Calendar Attendees:John Doe, Sally Smith, Mike Wood, Susan Wilson Purpose of Meeting:Project X Decision Discuss Report on Conferences Desired Outcome:Project X Decision List of Potential Conferences to Attend Agenda Items Person Responsible Time Allotted To Be Accomplished John Doe 8:00 am (5 Min.) Agenda Review Meeting Expectations John Doe 8:05 am (10 Min.) Project X (Budget Included) Sally Smith Decision/Budget Approval 8:15 am (1 Hour) Report on Conferences 9:15 am (45 Min.) Discussion Mike Wood Benefits/Concerns/ Next Steps John Doe 10:00 am (15 Min.)
Effective Meetings Variety of Potential Roles Facilitator Facilitator / Leader Facilitator / Recorder Recorder Leader Participant
Effective Meetings Meeting Roles: Leader • “Owns” the meeting — sets the objective • Determines the team members / meeting participants • Provides support, information, and resources • Sets the tone, is the role model • Makes decisions (with respect to the meeting, not the outcome) • May sometimes assume the role of facilitator
Effective Meetings Meeting Roles: Facilitator • Encourages creativity • Guides the process • Makes it “safe” for everyone to participate • Harnesses group activity • Records group ideas and decisions • Acts as timekeeper • Brings team back on-track when needed
Effective Meetings Body Language Influences Meeting Flow • Accentuating your presence enables you to better control, change, re-focus the flow • Standing Up • Speaking • Moving towards the group • Diminishing your presence encourages the group to converse, exchange ideas, flow more freely, perhaps focus deeply on a single topic, express feelings • Stand apart from the group • Sit down • Listen • Move away from group • Maintain neutral or inquisitive facial expression
Effective Meetings Language Can Make a Significant Difference... • What I hear you saying is... • What I like about that is... • Let me build on that... • Can you say more about...? • Help me to understand... • How to... • I wish I knew... • What’s behind that?
Effective Meetings Meeting Roles: Participants • All participants take personal responsibility in decision quality and group process — • Contribute ideas • Adhere to the agenda • Practice good meeting behaviors • A team member may sometimes assume the role of facilitator
Effective Meetings Meeting Roles: Recorder • Recorder takes notes on points discussed, open questions, decisions, action items, and next steps • Recorder sends these notes to all meeting participants plus any other individuals identified as recipients • Failure to take notes almost ensures that the topics discussed in the meeting will have to be re-visited
Effective Meetings What about meeting logistics? • Confirm that key meeting participants are available at the scheduled time (use client scheduling tools if available) • Send out an invitation to the meeting participants with the meeting agenda, objectives and additional materials as appropriate • Reserve the meeting room and projector (if necessary) • Allow time before meeting start for room set-up • Set up a call-in number (if necessary) • Make copies of the meeting agenda and any additional handouts (email ahead of time if possible) • You may want to make paper copies and/or email the file even if using a projector or webinar in case of technology problems • Get food, toys, etc., to keep people energized
Activity Creating a Meeting Agenda • Goal: To develop an agenda for a meeting based on a business scenario • Instructions • Read the exercise instructions and develop a detailed agenda for the proposed session • Working in your group, develop a detailed agenda for the proposed session. • Outline your meeting objectives, participants to be included, total meeting time, role assignments, and any deliverables to be created in the meeting. • You have 15 minutes to create a flipchart of your proposed objectives, agenda and supporting assumptions. • Plan to present your solution to the class. • Objectives • Agenda • Assumptions
Planning Meeting Process Review Effective Meetings Effective Meetings • Carry out the agenda • Ensure effective facilitation • Ensure all resources contribute • Bring to closure with next steps, accountabilities and timetables • Identify benefits & concerns
Effective Meetings The Meeting Process • Be prepared • Follow the Agenda • Record ideas • Encourage good meeting behaviors
Effective Meetings How Do I Start the Meeting? • You should always: • Validate meeting agenda and objectives • Review deliverables, goals, and scope • Review operating agreement & ground rules • Review next steps • You may want to: • Make sure all cell phones are muted • Use icebreakers or games • Tell stories or introduce analogies • Create a Parking Lot for open issues • Assign a time keeper • Close with Benefits and Concerns
Effective Meetings Monitor the Meeting • Be mindful of your pacing • Conduct process checks • Draw to sub-conclusions • Make smooth transitions
Effective Meetings How Do I End the Meeting? • Recap • Did we meet our objective? • B’s & C’s (Benefits and Concerns) • Next Steps & Owners
Planning Meeting Process Review Effective Meetings Effective Meetings • Debrief immediately • Publish minutes • Follow up on next steps • Incorporate benefits and concerns in next meeting plan
Effective Meetings A Checklist: After the Meeting Compare your meeting results with your original goal Circulate meeting notes/next steps in a timely fashion Follow up quickly on assignments
Determine objectives and agenda Plan content AND process Determine appropriate players Define roles and responsibilities Preposition key contributors Arrange logistics Planning Meeting Process Review Effective Meetings In Summary: Effective Meetings Cycle • Carry out the agenda • Ensure effective facilitation • Ensure all resources contribute • Bring to closure with next steps, accountabilities and timetables • Identify benefits & concerns • Debrief immediately • Publish minutes • Follow up on next steps • Incorporate benefits and concerns in next meeting plan
Status Reporting Why Status Reports? • Status reports communicate project progress and performance to project management and client management. • Frequency and format of individual or sub-team status reports differ by project management requirements and style.
Status Reporting Status reports serve several purposes • Standard vehicle for raising issues to the next level of attention (project management, project steering committee, client management, management) • Force everyone on the project team to reflect on their work – see their forest as well as their trees • Provide a documentation trail for issues, concerns, problems, etc. “Why are you surprised? We said the same thing in the last three status reports.”
Status Reporting Status reports usually contain three types of information • Project progress and performance against schedule and budget • Highlights of activity currently taking place – What have we recently completed? What are we working on right now? What’s coming up in the near term? • Topics or issues that require management attention now
Status Reporting Status reports often contain the following data, for an individual, a team, or an entire project • Status Date • Reporting Period • Overall status • Assessment of whether project is on schedule (in text) • Other statistics that could indicate status, such as open issues • High level status narrative • List of tasks or deliverables completed since last status report • Status changes on high priority issues logged in previous reporting periods • Tasks or deliverables planned for the next period The amount of detail depends on the audience!
Status Reporting Status Report Examples
