Posts Tagged ‘Project Management’

Happy new year to all of you!

In: Personal Waves

1 Jan 2010

Hey guys!

Happy new year to all of you, including my followers, subscribers and fans. Hope this new year comes to us with lot of happiness and peace!

My new approach for this particular blog will be change also! Since today, I am going to cover only my Project management contents in this blog!

So be prepeare and follow me on twitter and facebook for further information regarding project management!

How to implement a Change Management Process

In: Project Management

24 Dec 2009

Projects are typically undertaken within changing business environments, so it’s inevitable that during the life of your project, there will be some element of change required. Whether a customer requests a change to their requirements, management request a change in priority or team members request a change in roles, you will need an effective Change Management Process to minimize the resulting impact on your project. So here, we have described:

Change Management is the process of monitoring and controlling changes within a project. By managing the implementation of change, you can:

  • Reduce the impact of changes to the project
  • Identify new issues and risks as a result of changes raised
  • Ensure that changes do not affect the project’s ability to achieve its desired objectives
  • Control the cost of change within the project

Change Management is comprised of the following processes:

Step 1: Identify Change:

The first step in the change process is to identify the need for change. Any team member can suggest a change to the project, if he or she believes it is needed to keep the project producing deliverables to the customer’s specified requirements. After identifying a need for change, the team member records relevant information on a Change Request Form (commonly called a CRF), describing the change, and identifying drivers, benefits, costs and likely impact of the change on the project. The CRF is forwarded to the Project Manager for review and approval.

Step 2: Review Change:

The Project Manager investigates the change to identify the reason for it and its impact. Then he or she decides whether it is critical to the successful delivery of the project. Changes which are not critical to project delivery should be avoided whenever possible to prevent “scope creep” (i.e. the gradual increase in scope throughout the Project Lifecycle).

If the change is deemed critical to success, the Project Manager either approves the request or seeks approval for the CRF raised. In some cases, the Project Manager has the direct authority to approval minor change requests; however, in most cases the Project Manager needs to seek CRF approval from the Project Board.

Step 3: Approve Change:

The Project Board reviews the details in the CRF to determine whether or not the change should be implemented. Based on the level of risk, impact, benefits and cost to the project, it may decide to decline, delay or approve the change request.

Step 4: Implement Change:

The Project Manager approves all changes, which are then are scheduled and implemented accordingly. After implementation, the Project Manager reviews the effects of the change on the project to ensure that it achieved the desired outcome, when the change is then closed in the Change Register.

Throughout the Change Management Process, the Project Manager can monitor and control changes to the project by keeping this Change Register up-to-date.

There you have it. By completing these 4 steps, you can carefully monitor and control project changes, to increase your likelihood of success.

By following above rules you can deliver your project successfully. These are the basic but Golden rules in Project Management. You can contact me on my facebook page or on twitter for further information.

How to Document Your Projects

In: Project Management

14 Oct 2009

As a Project Manager, you have to document your projects quickly and efficiently to ensure success. In this newsletter, we’ll tell you which documents you need to complete to deliver your projects on time.

How to Document your Projects

Here are the essential documents you need to complete…

Initiation

  • Business Case: To justify the financial investment in your project, you need to write a Business Case. It lists the costs and benefits, so everyone knows what the return on investment will be.
  • Feasibility Study: Before you kick-off your project, you need to determine whether your project is feasible, using a Feasibility Study.
  • Project Charter: You then need to document the objectives, scope, team, time frames and deliverable in a Project Charter.

Planning

  • Project Plan: You need to create a Project Plan listing all of the tasks required to undertake your project from start to finish. Every task must be scheduled, so you know what needs to be done and when.
  • Resource Plan: Next, you need to plan your resources by documenting the money, equipment and materials needed for your project.
  • Quality Plan: You then need to set quality targets, so that the project deliverables meet the expectations of your customer.
  • Risk Plan: All of the risks need to be documented and their likelihood and impact on the project identified.
  • Communication Plan: You need to plan your communications, so that you send the right messages to the right people, at the right time.

Execution

  • Time Management: You need to use Timesheets to track time spent on your project. Then update your Project Plan with your Timesheet data to see whether your project is still within schedule.
  • Cost Management: Track your costs using Expense Forms. Every expense is formally logged and approved, so that you can confirm at any time that you are currently under budget.
  • Change Management: Document each change to the project scope, using Change Forms. You can then control change to ensure your project is always on track.
  • Risk Management: Use Risk Forms to document each risk to the project. You can then manage project risk carefully to ensure that nothing happens that will affect the project schedule or budget.
  • Issue Management: As each issue occurs on the project, you need to investigate its impact on the project and then write it up on an Issue Form. You can then kick off the tasks needed to resolve it quickly.

Closure

  • Project Closure Report: When your project is complete, document all of the actions needed to close the project properly. This includes releasing teams and suppliers, equipment and materials.
  • Post Project Review: And after your project has been closed, you can review its success and document the results for your sponsor. That way, you can show that all of the objectives were met and that the project was delivered on time and within budget.

And there you have it. By completing each of these documents for your project, you can boost your chances of success.

Tips to write project documentation

In: Project Management

28 Aug 2009

As a Project Manager, you often have to write lengthy documents that are critical to the success of the project. So it’s important that you do a good job.

Take these top tips to improve your writing skills:

Keep it simple

Great writers can cover whole topics in just a few short paragraphs. To do this, you need to remove any surplus content, clutter and jargon and write in simple, plain terms that everyone understands. That way, your documents will be quick and easy to read.

Make it focused

To create a powerful project document, you need to focus purely on the topic. This will make your document more persuasive and inspiring to read. So think carefully about the content that your readers expect you to cover. Then list your topics and stick to them. Never write off the topic. If you need to go off topic, then put the content in an Appendix at the end and refer to it.

Have a clear structure

You also need to think carefully about your Table of Contents. Your readers need to be able to scan the Table of Contents to get a quick feel for what your document contains. The Table of Contents should be simple and easy to understand. In your document, you should also:

  • Use tables to make it easier to read.
  • Insert diagrams to explain difficult topics.
  • Use short paragraphs to accentuate points.
  • Make use of bolding, italics and underlining.
  • Use bullets, as they are easily scanned.

Always tell a story

Everyone loves a good story. So write each document as though it was the best story in town. Start with the beginning by introducing your topic and telling them what they are going to learn by reading your document. Then write the main body of the document and end with a conclusion.

Make it flow

Write your document so that each of the sections flow from one topic to the next. This way, the user never has to pause to work out where they are. So before you finish each section, introduce the next section.

Just the right amount

Give your readers “just the right amount of information” needed. Keep it short, but informative and helpful.

Be inspiring

Great writers are passionate about what they are writing. If you are positive and inspirational about your documents, then your reader will catch the excitement and your document will be enjoyable to read.

I will say welcome if you want me to help you in your project documentation. So please contact me.


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