|
Timing
is everything, even in project management. The key to a
successful project is to Define, Open, Track, Execute and
Conclude it in the right way. A full life cycle project
management process is the essential connective issue that
holds every subproject together. It's the disciplined
prescription for defining the project plan, schedule, budget,
resources, risks, scope; for securing the resources,
motivating the players and launching the project; for
monitoring all project activities and deliverables against
plan, tracking issues and communicating progress; and for
capturing the successes and experience for the next time
around.
Therefore,
teg solutions will manage each project according the
following stages:
The Definition stage
forecasts the requirements for performing the project. Project
Definition defines the project; produces the detailed project
plan, project schedule, project organization, and resources.
It identifies the project risks and ways to manage and
mitigate them. It also obtains approval for the project and
authorization to proceed with the project activities.
The approved Project
Definition, including the budget and schedule, serves as a
contract between the project manager and the project sponsor.
This contract defines the scope of the project and what is
required, the anticipated benefits and the resources required.
The purpose of the contract is to commit the project manager,
the project team, and the project sponsor to the terms of the
Project Definition. This includes understanding the potential
risks and the actions that are necessary to manage them.
A concept or idea triggers the Project Definition stage. This
concept may be the result of a project definition conceived in
an earlier stage, or it may be the impetus to build a solution
or start a new implementation sequence.
Objectives
The
objectives of Project Definition are to:
·
Determine
the project goals and objectives
·
Define
the project scope and approach
·
Define
the major products and results
·
Understand
the project risks, assumptions and constraints
·
Produce
a realistic project plan
·
Gain
consensus for the project plan
Process
Flow
The
following diagram illustrates the sequence in which steps in
the Project Management Project Definition stage will be
conducted.
The
Project Opening stage acquires and develops the project
resources. This includes the human resources, the skills,
facilities, equipment, and support for the project.
Project
Opening launches the project, trains the project participants,
establishes the physical environment in which the project is
conducted, and builds and maintains support for the project.
Project support includes commitment of budget and finances,
public relations and buy-in to the project and its anticipated
results.
Project
Opening requires an approved project definition as a
prerequisite. Once the project definition is approved, any of
the following events can trigger the Project Opening stage:
·
A
project kick-off meeting and other briefings
·
Completion
of a major milestone in another project with which there is a
relationship or dependency
·
A
scheduled date or pre-defined timeframe
Objectives
The
objectives of the Project Opening stage are to:
·
Initiate
the project
·
Ensure
timely availability of resources (e.g., people, skills,
facilities, equipment, hardware, software, etc.)
·
Maintain
support for the project throughout its lifetime
·
Manage
expectations when a deliverable has reached a significant
state (either completed or not completed by the expected date)
Process
Flow
The
following diagram illustrates the sequence in which steps in
the Project Management Project Opening stage will be conducted. Steps that may be
conducted in parallel appear on the same horizontal row.
The
Tracking stage manages the development of the project results.
Project Tracking monitors and reviews the project’s progress
against the plan. It manages iteration, identifies when the
project is off track and takes corrective actions, making
changes to the approved project definition, as required.
The
goal of every project is to drive it to a successful and
appropriate conclusion. If not controlled, the iterative
nature of project work can lead to a false sense of progress
and ever increasing levels of unnecessary detail. Project
control must be imposed not to create a bureaucratic layer,
but to ensure that the project proceeds to its planned and
scheduled ending.
Full
responsibility for the day to day activities of the project
rests with the project manager. The project manager controls
the project, monitoring activities, making decisions, ensuring
that the project is proceeding as planned and progress is
being made, and taking corrective actions when they are
necessary. If corrective actions cannot be made within the
scope and terms of the existing project definition, then the
project manager negotiates with the project sponsor and other
management to revise the project definition as necessary.
Project
Tracking requires an approved project definition as a
prerequisite. Any of the following events can trigger an
instance of tasks in the Project Tracking stage:
·
The
project kick-off and other briefings
·
Completion
of a major task
·
Completion
of a major milestone in another project with which there is a
relationship or dependency
·
Scheduled
status meetings or status reports
·
The
need to assess progress when a deliverable has reached a
significant state (either completed or not completed by the
expected date)
·
Resolution
of resource contention and conflict
·
When
a change to the project definition has been proposed
Objectives
The
objectives of the Project Tracking stage are to:
·
Ensure
that project activities are monitored and problems and issues
are identified and resolved quickly
·
Ensure
that high quality products and results are produced on time
and within budget
·
Ensure
that all project activities are coordinated internally and
externally.
Process
Flow
The
following diagram illustrates the sequence in which steps in
the Project Management Project
Tracking stage will be conducted. Steps that may be conducted
in parallel appear on the same horizontal row.
Execution
addresses the issues of getting the system into production at
each site. There is a saying that "the job is not over
until the paperwork is done." In Information Technology,
the job is not over until the system is up and running in the
user environment. This stage is Execution, and it is
essential. For today's systems and applications the following
issues need to receive increased attention:
·
Establishing
support services
·
Operating
in diverse client configurations
·
Software
distribution and upgrades
·
Frequency
of upgrades
·
Continuous
training
The
substages contained in this step depends on every project
definition. Every substage must fulfill a Sign-off, this mean,
an approval to execute the next dependent substage.
Objectives
The
objectives of the Execution stage are to:
·
Render
the new system fully operational and distribute it to users in
the production environment while minimizing disruption of
normal business activities
·
Load
the databases with the data required for system operation
·
Institute
safeguards for recovery from conversion failure or failure of
the new system
·
Train
users of the new system in its operation
·
Train
system support personnel in both the system operation and
activities related to its installation, removal, adjustment
and interaction with other systems
·
Pass
the baton of responsibility for maintenance of the system from
the implementation group to operations support
Process
Flow
The
following diagram illustrates the sequence in which steps in
the Execution stage will be conducted. Steps that may be
conducted in parallel appear on the same horizontal row.
The Conclusion stage
brings the project to an orderly conclusion and retains its
history for the benefit of subsequent projects. Project
Conclusion tasks archive the project materials, report on the
project’s performance, turn over the project results to the
owners, and release the project resources for use on other
projects.
The production of a deliverable or a result is the
prerequisite of Project Conclusion. Any of the following
events can trigger an instance of tasks in the Project
Conclusion stage:
·
The
technical tasks have been completed and the project products
and results have been produced
·
The
project has been canceled or postponed indefinitely, with or
without completing anticipated products or results
·
The
project definition is not approved
·
The
project resources have been consumed
Even
if the project definition is not approved and the project is
activated only in the Definition stage, it is useful to
collect and retain the project history. This will enable a
determination of why the project plan was not adopted, and to
collect the metrics of the planning tasks.
Objectives
The
objectives of Project Conclusion are to:
·
Formally
end the project in a controlled manner
·
Retain
project history in the form of metrics, experiences, and
lessons learned as input for future efforts
·
Gain
acceptance of the project results
Process
Flow
The
following diagram illustrates the sequence in which steps in
the Project Management Project Conclusion stage will be
conducted. Steps that may be conducted in parallel appear on
the same horizontal row.
Back to
Professional Services
|
