2. Introductions
• Name
• Where you work
• A recent project you
were involved in:
– 1 thing that went well
– 1 thing that could
have been better
3. Objectives
• Apply concepts of
project management
to:
– Write a basic project
charter
– Implement projects
– Harvest learning
from past projects
through after action
review.
5. Program Outline
• Planning
– Project mission
– Goals
– Constraints
– Risks
– Stakeholder analysis
• Implementation
– Milestones
– The Planning Fallacy
– Work breakdown and dependencies
– Project team meetings
• Completion
– After Action Review
– Celebration
6. Definitions
• Project:
a temporary group activity designed to
produce a unique product, service or result.
• Project Management:
the application of knowledge, skills and
techniques to execute projects effectively and
efficiently.
9. Project Charter
a statement of the scope,
objectives, and
participants in a project.
It provides a preliminary delineation
of roles and responsibilities,
outlines the project objectives,
identifies the main stakeholders,
and defines the authority of the
project manager.
10. Project Mission
• Describes why the project is being
undertaken, and the benefits it hopes to
achieve.
"If you don't know where you are
going, you might wind up
someplace else." - Yogi Berra
11. Example
• By developing a robust program of HR Analytics,
we can:
– Fulfill our role as strategic partners to Harvard Library
Leadership by identifying strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats with regard to the
development of the Harvard Library workforce.
– Prioritize and customize HR Programs and services to
maximize their value to the organization.
– Make powerful impact statements about the nature,
volume, and value of our work.
12. Your Turn!
• Write a mission statement for your project.
• Pair up and share your statement with your
partner.
• Get feedback on your mission statement from
your partner (strengths, opportunities for
improvement)
13. Project Goals
• Goals are the concrete
accomplishments that will
fulfill the project’s mission.
14. Project Goal Example
• "upgrade the helpdesk telephone system by
December 31 to achieve average client wait
times of no more than two minutes"
15. Your Turn!
• Write one of the goals for your project. Make
sure it meets all of the SMART criteria.
• Pair up with someone else, and share the goal
you’ve written.
• Get feedback from your partner.
16. Constraints
• Describe known limitations on the project, especially in
terms of:
– Time
“We’ve committed to key stakeholders that the new
admissions processing software will be online by DATE.”
– Money
“Aside from already funded positions, there is no budget
for additional manpower on this project. $X has been
budgeted for materials; it may be possible to obtain
additional funding if necessary.”
– Scope / Quality
“By 2019, 32 million will gain health insurance.”
17. Triple Constraint
"Project-triangle" by Cosmocatalano - Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Project-
triangle.svg#/media/File:Project-triangle.svg
19. Risks
• Risk: An event that would have significant
consequences for the project if it were to
occur.
• Risk Analysis: The identification, assessment,
and prioritization of risks that may impact the
project, in order to inform action planning.
21. Risks: Example
• Obamacare
– States may not accept the subsidized expansion of
Medicaid that is a key component of guaranteeing
universal insurance for all Americans.
– States may not create their own health insurance
exchanges, greatly increasing the load on the
national exchange website.
23. Project Stakeholders
• Stakeholder: anyone that
has an interest in or will be
impacted by the project.
• Includes the project team,
customers, and others
• Stakeholders have various
degrees of power and
influence, attitudes towards
the project, hopes and fears,
strengths and limitations,
etc.
• Communication is the key to
stakeholder management
24. Project Team Roles: The Project
Sponsor
• Project sponsor
– Wants to see the project succeed
– Has formal authority
• Can add additional resources to a project or
influence those that aren’t doing their part.
• Many projects fail because sponsor is not
deeply invested or committed to project
success
25. Project Team Roles: RACI Chart
• For each significant piece of work, defines which
team members are:
– Responsible: The doers of the project, and especially
the project lead.
– Accountable: The buck stops here. Often the project
sponsor.
– Consulted: Stakeholders whose expertise is required
or whose needs must be understood.
– Informed: Stakeholders who are not directly involved
in the project activity, but need to know what is going
on.
27. RACI Chart: Your Turn
• In the left column, fill in the main phases of
your project.
• In the top row, fill in at least 3 key
stakeholders of your project.
• Complete the RACI chart.
28. Stakeholder Analysis
• Stakeholder analysis is a process of
systematically gathering and analyzing
qualitative information to determine whose
interests should be taken into account when
planning or implementing a project.
29. Your Turn
• Complete the stakeholder analysis worksheet.
• What did you learn? How will you
communicate with this stakeholder based on
your analysis?
32. Milestones
• Mark the completion of key
phases of the project.
• Aid in gauging the timeliness
of project completion.
• Create an occasion for mini-
celebrations
35. Your Turn!
• What are the key milestones of your project,
and the deadlines associated with them?
36. Beware the Planning Fallacy
• The first edition of the
Oxford English Dictionary
was scheduled to take
two years to complete...
• Five years later they had
only reached the word
“ant.”
• Psych. research has
shown we systematically
underestimate how long
it will take to achieve
goals.
37. Addressing the Planning Fallacy
• Others are more accurate at predicting than
we are ourselves, so ask a colleague for a time
estimate.
• Or:
– Make a prediction now, later see how accurate it
was.
– In the future, multiply your time estimate by your
personal planning fallacy multiple.
38. Work Breakdown and Dependencies
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Dependencies: tasks that cannot be started
until other tasks are complete.
• Track the task, dependencies, who is assigned,
due date, and current status.
39. Work Breakdown Structure: Your Turn
• Identify the top headings of your work
breakdown structure.
• For at least one of them, create a detailed
analysis.
40. Project Team Meetings
• With some regularity (daily, weekly, monthly),
all team members gather to talk about:
– What they have done since the last meeting
– What obstacles they may have encountered
– What they plan to do by the next meeting
• Choose someone to take notes and review
action commitments at the end of the
meeting.
41. When They Don’t Do What They’re
Supposed To …
• People are complicated.
• All projects mean change.
• “Yes” does not always mean “Yes”.
42. Your Turn
• Think of a time (present or past) when
someone didn’t do something they were
supposed to do.
• Complete the worksheet.
• If you answered “Don’t Know”, how could you
find out?
• If you answered “Yes”, what could you do to
influence this factor?
46. Post Project Review
• Most neglected part of projects.
• Meet with project team, discuss and record:
– What went well
– What you might have done differently
47. Your Turn
• Pair Up
– Talk about a past project
• What went well?
• What could have been improved?
• If your project team will work on similar projects in the
future, how can you help the team learn and improve?
48. Celebration
• Keep the team motivated and looking forward to completion
• Leave people with a positive feeling about being on your
project team
• Plan and budget your celebration like any other part of the
project.
• Ideally, go to your celebration right after your post project
review.
49. Conclusion
• Project Manager is:
– Cheerleader
– Team Builder
– Nudge
– Politician
– Time and Resource Engineer
– Troubleshooter
• Every project you manage is an opportunity for you to
develop and communicate values:
– Accountability
– Cooperation
– Communication
– Resilience
51. Resources and Next Steps
• Course pages for
project management
• Lynda.com video
training library
52. Kevin R. Thomas
Manager, Training & Development
x3542
Kevin.R.Thomas@williams.edu
• Program evaluation link will be sent by email.
• You’ll get a link to a course page with all the materials.
Editor's Notes
For our agenda, we’ll discuss the basics of the new law, changes that have been made in policy and procedure at Williams as a result of the new law, strategies for dealing with problem absences, and where to go with questions and for more information.
A strong project mission statement will help you communicate effectively about your project, hopefully inspiring and engaging stakeholders whose cooperation you will need.
For our agenda, we’ll discuss the basics of the new law, changes that have been made in policy and procedure at Williams as a result of the new law, strategies for dealing with problem absences, and where to go with questions and for more information.
For our agenda, we’ll discuss the basics of the new law, changes that have been made in policy and procedure at Williams as a result of the new law, strategies for dealing with problem absences, and where to go with questions and for more information.
For our agenda, we’ll discuss the basics of the new law, changes that have been made in policy and procedure at Williams as a result of the new law, strategies for dealing with problem absences, and where to go with questions and for more information.
