Project Management Super Guide: A practical guide to effective policies, techniques and processes

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Contents (this page)

Part 1 The program and project environment

1 Introduction

• What is special about programs and projects?



• Who is this guide for?

2 Change: programs and projects

• Change and the program and project manager



• What is a project?



• Projects and sub-projects



• What is a program?



• An example program



• Why program management?



• What is program management?



• What is project management?



• Why is program management different from project management?



• What is different about program and project management?



• How are programs and projects derived?



• The dynamic life cycle



• The dynamic action cycle



• The program and project process phase gates



• Is the phase gate a constraint?



• Is this control necessary?



• Summary

3 Organizing for program management

• Organizing for ownership



• Establishing the program steering team



• Continuous improvement and problem solving: are they projects?



• The program register



• Operating a program register



• The key responsibilities of the program steering team



• Meetings of the program steering team



• Managing the portfolio: selection of programs and projects



• The inputs to effective selection



• The secondary screening



• The result of effective selection



• Summary

4 The key roles

• The project steering team administrator



• The sponsor



• The program manager



• The project manager



• The functional manager



• The stakeholders



• Frequently used terms



• The program and project manager as a leader



• The dimensions of leadership in the program and project environment



• Dimension 1: Managing stakeholders



• Dimension 2: Managing the dynamic life cycle



• Dimension 3: Managing performance



• Programs, projects and teamwork



• Building your team



• Customer satisfaction



• Summary

Part 2 The program and project processes and techniques

5 Starting up: ideas and opportunities for projects

• The fundamental data needs



• What are the constraints?



• What data does the program steering team require?



• Preparing the initial business case



• Through Gate Zero to Gate One



• Presenting the business case to the program steering team



• The kick-off meeting



• Project documentation



• The project brief and specification



• Summary

6 Defining the project

• What is necessary to define a project?



• The stakeholder list



• The project brief



• The scope of work statement



• Risk management



• Risk assessment



• Quantifying identified risks



• Risk monitoring



• Getting your project definition approved



• Summary

7 Planning your project

• What is not going to be done?



• Who needs to be involved?



• Where does planning start?



• Identifying the key stages



• The project work breakdown structure



• Allocating responsibility



• What is an estimate?



• Avoid some classic pitfalls



• The golden rules



• Effort and duration



• Estimating the durations



• Contingencies



• Time-limited scheduling and estimates



• Identifying the critical path of your project



• The program evaluation and review technique



• Analyzing the logic diagram



• Using the PERT analysis data



• Analyzing your resource requirements



• Optimizing your schedule



• Reviewing your project risk log



• Reviewing your project budget



• Intermediate phase gates



• Seeking approval to launch your project



• Summary

8 Launching your project

• Establishing key stage work plans



• Deriving a milestone schedule



• Critical success factors



• Ensuring effective communication



• Project status reports



• Deriving a meetings schedule for your project



• Managing project changes



• Holding a launch meeting



• Summary

9 Executing the project work

• The project control system



• Monitoring progress



• Managing issues



• Reviewing project issues



• Tracking your project



• Taking corrective action



• Problem solving



• Progress meetings



• Progress reporting



• Encouraging good time management



• Controlling the project costs



• Balancing the project



• Approaching the closure phase



• Summary

10 Closing your project

• Why have a closure phase?



• Establishing completion criteria



• The acceptance process



• The close-out meeting



• Evaluating your project



• Closing down the project



• Post-project evaluation



• Post-project appraisals



• What next?



• Summary

11 Using a computer

• What can software do?



• Using a software program



• What software does not do



• Selecting project software



• The program management office

12 Common project problems

• Problem analysis



• How projects succeed

Postscript

After-section 1: Glossary of terms