1. Project Management for the Curious
21st January 2009
1.10
“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.”
Friedrich Engels

2. 2

3. Introduction
• Me – David Whelbourn
– Chose the career of PM (since 1989)
• Certified PMP and PRINCE2 Practitioner
– Ex-soldier, Ex-rugby player, Ex Field Hockey Goalkeeper
– Ex-living in the UK, Moved to NB 5th November 2005
– xwave since 21st November 2005
• Agenda
1. Theory Bits
2. Practical Bit
• References / Acknowledgements
– Much of the lifecycle ideas have been taken from a book “Project Workout” Robert Butterick
(good book and well worth the time to read it)
– The PMI Processes are used to illustrate management control
– PRINCE2 templates and techniques are used to control product delivery process
– Greg Githens “Planning as a Vaccination Against Failure”
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4. THEORY BITS
Definitions
Project Lifecycle
PM Processes
Project Planning

5. Definitions
• What is a Project?
– A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to accomplish a unique
purpose
– Attributes of projects
• unique purpose, has start and end dates, require resources, often from various
areas
• should have a primary sponsor and/or customer
• Specific budget, and involves uncertainty
• What is Project Management?
– The application of skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in
order to meet or exceed stakeholders needs or expectations.
(These needs should match the project requirements)
– A systematic approach to managing projects
– A way to generate consistent results when you undertake new
initiatives
• What does a Project Manager do?
– Has overall responsibility for project
– Communicates expectations to stakeholders
– Controls planning, activities and resources to meet established costs,
timetables and quality or deliverable goals
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6. Project Lifecycles
 They define an effective way to deliver products
 They are designed to ensure consistency (learning approach)
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Business
Case
Requirements and initial
Design/Test planning
Iteration
Design/
Test Plan
Iteration
Build/
Test
Final Verification
and Validation
Project
Management
Checkpoint
Checkpoint Checkpoint Checkpoint
Delivery Iterations
Ideas Benefits

7. Staffing across the Project Lifecycle
Resource Use
0.0
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4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Month
FTE's
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8. Project Management Processes

9. Initiating Process Group
• When:
– At Project Start (or even before the start)
• Some sort of Stimulus
– RFP arriving or being discovered
– Problem given at the coffee machine “Dave can you …. “
• Understand Why the project is being done
• Plan the initiation stage / bid response
• Create a Project Charter / Terms of Reference / Brief
• Hold Kick off meeting (s)
– At Stage or Phase Start
• Trigger Stage Plan
• Stage Kick off meeting
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Chances for the project’s success are largely set in
the first 20% of its time line

10. Hints & Tips on Initiating
– Write down what you are going to do
• Terms of Reference, Project Brief, Project Initiation Document
– Has it been done before (Lessons Learned Reports
available?)
– Hold a Kick Off Meeting
– Run first, gain some ground you can walk later
– Set expectations – no delays
• Do not allow diary shuffling or try to minimise it
• Communications etiquette
– Expected response times for communications
– Broadcast emails, Attachments ?
– Inaction is the most dangerous enemy of the PM
• Most late projects cannot point to a single catastrophic event
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11. Hints & Tips on Initiating
– Write down what you are going to do
• Terms of Reference, Project Brief, Project Initiation Document
– Has it been done before (Lessons Learned Reports
available?)
– Hold a Kick Off Meeting
– Run first, gain some ground you can walk later
– Set expectations – no delays
• Do not allow diary shuffling or try to minimise it
• Communications etiquette
– Expected response times for communications
– Broadcast emails, Attachments ?
– Inaction is the most dangerous enemy of the PM
• Most late projects cannot point to a single catastrophic event
11

12. Hints & Tips on Initiating
– Write down what you are going to do
• Terms of Reference, Project Brief, Project Initiation Document
– Has it been done before (Lessons Learned Reports
available?)
– Hold a Kick Off Meeting
– Run first, gain some ground you can walk later
– Set expectations – no delays
• Do not allow diary shuffling or try to minimise it
• Communications etiquette
– Expected response times for communications
– Broadcast emails, Attachments ?
– Inaction is the most dangerous enemy of the PM
• Most late projects cannot point to a single catastrophic event
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A Controlled Project Initiation
Provides
A Firm Foundation
For Success

13. Planning Process Group
• Old Saying: “Fail to Plan --- Plan to Fail”
• * If project failure were a disease then Planning is a
vaccination against project failure *
Gregory D. Githens in his paper “Planning as a Vaccination Against Failure”
– How much Planning
• Research by Greg Githens highlighted that investment in planning
above 10% of the project’s budget is where the law of diminishing
returns kick in.
• How do I plan?
– Use Stages (Management Control) they enable Review and
decision points, and planning horizons
– Product Base Planning
– Product Descriptions
– Work Packages
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14. Project Scope & Product Based Planning
• Project Scope = All the products to be delivered
• Work Breakdown Structure?
• Better way is Product Breakdown Structure: Plan around the products your
project has to produce
– Management Products
• Charter
• Progress reports, …Implementation report
– Technical Products
• Implemented System
• Accepted Solution / Product
– Together they represent total amount of necessary work
– Write Product Descriptions
• Moved from “Process drives deliverables” to “Deliverables driving
Process”.
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15. Product Descriptions
• Define what is to be delivered
• In sufficient detail to ensure
producer understands what has to
be done
• Includes quality criteria and how it
will be checked for acceptance
• Build templates for standard
products plus generic technical
products
• Reuse them to speed up future
projects
• Tuned them to suit the project
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16. Planning Process Hints & Tips
•Planning Sequence
– Product Breakdown Structure
• Management Products & Technical Products
– Define products
• Write their descriptions use previous standard templates
– Define dependencies & produce a flow diagram (network)
• Use Post IT Notes to figure out the sequence products have to be built in
– Generate Activities to deliver products
• use verb noun style
– Estimate Effort
• Size, effort in hours / days / months
• Modifiers
– Consider the Complexity & Staff capabilities
– Environmental factors
– Create Schedule
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State your planning
Assumptions
No one in IT can be productive for 5
days a week remember
3.5 – 4 days per week
“Establish Requirements”

17. Executing Processes
• Execute the PLAN!
– Work Gets Given Out
• Pass out the work packages / product descriptions
– Work Gets Done (only on the stuff you have passed out!)
• Chase, harass, hassle, plague and even harry
• Remind them of quality criteria
– Work Gets Accepted (hopefully)
• Quality check (How Do You Know It Has Been Done Satisfactory)
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Thinking is easy, Action is difficult

18. Work Packages
•A Work Package is a set of information about one or more required
Products, collated by the Project Manager and passed formally to the
Team Manager (or Team Resource) via the Work Package Authorisation
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19. Hints & Tips on Executing
– Parkinson’s Law – The amount of time applied to perform work,
expands to meet the estimate. Prove it wrong remember harry if you
have too.
– Use work packages to manage external contractors
– Use Quality Reviews as part of acceptance
– Only work that has been authorised should be what is being done.
Make the point to the team not to accept work from anyone else but
you.
– Project Teams are not looking for delivery acceleration opportunities.
Delivery date slips result from internal project team delays.
– Find ways to save work time, as saving time is usually saving money.
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20. Hints & Tips on Executing
– Parkinson’s Law – The amount of time applied to perform work,
expands to meet the estimate. Prove it wrong remember harry if you
have too.
– Use work packages to manage external contractors
– Use Quality Reviews as part of acceptance
– Only work that has been authorised should be what is being done.
Make the point to the team not to accept work from anyone else but
you.
– Project Teams are not looking for delivery acceleration opportunities.
Delivery date slips result from internal project team delays.
– Find ways to save work time, as saving time is usually saving money.
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Controlled Progress
Improves Chances of
Project Success

21. Closing Processes
– Stage Closure
• Gates between stages / phases?
– Lessons Learned
– Acceptance of the delivered product
– Financial Closure
• Budget
• Procurement , purchase orders etc…
• Contract
– Future Life (opportunity spotting)
• What has changed while the project has been running
• Opportunities identified during the project but out of scope
• Plan Post Project Review?
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22. Hints & Tips on Closing
– Check if the project met the original objectives
– Confirm the customer acceptance of all the products
– Check all documentation has been completed and handed
over, archived, destroyed?
– Check there are no outstanding invoices / payments
– Notify the customer that you intend to close the project
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23. Hints & Tips on Closing
– Check if the project met the original objectives
– Confirm the customer acceptance of all the products
– Check all documentation has been completed and handed
over, archived, destroyed?
– Check there are no outstanding invoices / payments
– Notify the customer that you intend to close the project
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A Controlled Project Closure
Completes the Project and
enhances your reputation

24. Hints and Tips on Monitoring & Controlling
 Keeping an eye on everything and spinning all the plates!
 Managing the boundaries between the stages (close & planning)
 Project Status Meetings
1. Regularly – weekly / fortnightly
2. Cover:
• Progress, Problems in progress i.e Things not delivered as planned
• Issues & Risks (coming up in the next step/stage etc)
• Next Steps and Deliverables
3. This is about communication with the stakeholders / sponsor
4. No surprises is the best policy – try to forewarn if there is a problem
 Being Obsessed with the Quality Aspects
1. Quality of having recorded decisions (VERY IMPORTANT FOR PM)
2. Quality checks on work produced use a Work Package Definition!
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25. Summary of Theory
 Projects are temporary and are used to produce a unique
solution to an opportunity or problem.
 There should be some sort of business case for any project
highlighting the expected benefits from the project.
 Project Management involves exploring problems /
opportunities, facilitating the development of a solution, tasking
it, bring the plan into action and making things happen when
the events threaten to blow your ship off course.
 Projects Have Lifecycles
 5 PM processes (used to be IPECC now it’s I,P,E,MC,C) these
processes run within the lifecycle and across the lifecycle
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26. Keys to Success
 Plan - a Detailed Realistic Project Plan In Place
 Resources Are Identified And Available
 Ownership of The Project By The Stakeholders is clear
 Justifiable Case has been Confirmed
 Expertise Exists Within The Team And The Stakeholders
 Clear Specification Of Requirements Exist
 Top Level Support For The Project
Project Workout – Robert Butterick
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27. Keys to Success
 A Detailed Realistic Project Plan In Place
 Resources Are Identified And Available
 There is Ownership Of The Project By The Stakeholders
 Justifiable Case Confirmed
 Expertise Exists Within The Team And The Stakeholders
 Clear Specification Of Requirements Exist
 Top Level Support For The Project
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28. THE PRACTICAL BIT
A Project Lifecycle For ANY Project
The Five Step Model
Acknowledgement of the Author
“Project Workout – Robert Butterick”
Great book and worth a read

29. The Project Lifecycle
A Structured Approach
Five Step Method
Proposal
1. Initial Investigation
2. Detailed Investigation
3. Develop & Test
4. Trial
5. Release
Post Project Evaluation
(this hardly ever happens)

30. Five Step Model
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Detailed
Investigation
Build
&
Test
Trial Release
Initial
Investigation
Proposal PIR
Initial
Investigation
Gate
Detailed
Investigation
Gate
Build &
Test
Gate
Trial
Gate
Release
Gate

31. The Trigger for your Project - Proposal
 Request for Action
• Document or email
• could be verbal (write it down)
 Describes what you want to do and why
 Document it formally
 Get it reviewed by the potential stakeholders
 Go / No Go (Gate)
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32. Initial Investigation Stage (Business Study)
• Have a Quick Look
– Project Initiation
• Update or Create the Terms of Reference / Project Charter
– Outline the Project Scope
– Assessment
• people
• needs
• Expected benefits
• Costs / time
– Be sure of "Why we are doing it"
32
Chances for the project’s success are largely set in
the first 20% of its time line

33. First Things First
Terms of Reference – BOSCARI
• Background
• Objectives
– SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely)
• Scope
– Products / Business Areas Included
– Products / Business Areas Excluded
• Constraints
– Time
– Money
– People
• Assumptions
• Reporting
• Issues & Risks
33
Chances for the project’s success are largely set in
the first 20% of its time line

34. Detailed Investigation Stage
• Have a Closer Look
– Definition of requirements
– Feasible Solutions
• Technically Feasible (Can you)
• Economically Feasible (Could you)
• Strategically / Ethically Feasible (Should You)
– Recommend a Solution
– How will you/they know that it has been delivered?
– Go / No Go Decision Point
– Produce a Detailed Project Plan
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35. Develop & Test Stage
– Do It!
– Use work authorisation and work packages/ product
descriptions to create action to deliver the products
– Monitor and control the project
• Deliveries, internal and external communications
– The project uses the most resources during this stage
– The Work to deliver the products that will deliver the
benefits
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I never worry about action, but only about inaction
Winston Churchill

36. Trial Stage
– Try it in a customer free zone
• Model Office / Conference Room Pilot
– Acceptance testing
• Validate the solution / products are acceptable to the clients
and functionally correct
• Verify that the capabilities work in a live environment including
all the business processes and supporting infrastructure
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37. Release Stage
– Use It!
• The rubber hits the road!
– Project Closure
• Lessons Learned
• Future Life Planning
• Contract Closure
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38. Post Project Evaluation
– Very Rare
– Checking to see if the expected benefits from the project
have been delivered
– Requires identified metrics that will show the benefits
– Requires baseline of current metrics before your project
starts
– Depends on BENEFITS being defined and tracked (Benefit
Management)
– Only just happening in the UK who are probably one the
world leaders in Project & Programme Management
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39. Summary
• Definitions of PM and Project
• 5 Step Model
1. Initial Investigation
2. Detailed Investigation
3. Develop and Test
4. Trial
5. Release
• Remember the KISS Principle
– Keep It Simple Stupid (A brutal army principle)
• Did We Achieve the Objectives?
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