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Questions and Answers
What are characteristics of a project?
A project manager needs to be able to strike a balance between being risk averse and willing to take the right risks.
True
What is the key skill emphasized for a project manager in the provided content?
Time management
Planning a project involves setting ____, defining tasks, and establishing milestones.
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What are some characteristics of good project plans?
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What should every meeting with your team have?
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Scope creep refers to expanding or changing a project's scope after the project has started.
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_______ creep is a term used when work expands beyond the original project scope.
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What is scope creep in project management?
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What is the importance of regular communication in project management?
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______ management involves identifying and discussing risks early on in the project.
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Lack of communication is a common reason why projects fail.
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What document should you create to address and dissect the problems that arose during your project?
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What are some tasks involved in closing out a project? (Select all that apply)
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A thorough and honest performance review shows weakness in a project manager.
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To ensure you are ending your project neatly and thoroughly, work your way through a closing-out _ list.
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What are the 5 characteristics of S.M.A.R.T. goals?
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What are the 3 big kinds of restraints to be worried about in a project?
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Having a project plan is essential for managing the risks in starting a new project.
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The Work Breakdown Structure is a ___________ of tasks to be executed by the project team.
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Match the following communication aspects to their descriptions:
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Study Notes
What is Project Management?
- Project management is not limited to a specific job title; anyone who organizes a team, creates timelines and budgets, and oversees a project's completion is a project manager.
- A project manager leads a team towards a specific goal, is accountable to stakeholders, and oversees budgets and resources.
What is a Project?
- A project is a set of tasks grouped together with a common goal in mind.
- It has a clear start and finish, creates something new, and has someone in charge or personally invested in the outcome.
- It has boundaries, such as a scope, deadlines, and specific deliverables.
Skills Required to Succeed as a Project Manager
- Time management: create a schedule and stick to it.
- Delegation: prioritize tasks and delegate them to team members.
- Organization: use a project management tool to keep track of information.
- Risk management: balance risk aversion with taking calculated risks.
- Leadership: lead and facilitate team members, manage meetings, and handle conflicts.
- Budgeting: negotiate and manage resources to avoid going over budget.
- Flexibility: make quick and confident decisions, and adapt to changes.
- Critical thinking: think objectively and make informed decisions.
- Communication: communicate effectively with the team, stakeholders, and clients.
- Technology: use technology to communicate, lead, and manage projects efficiently.
The Phases of a Project
- Phase 1: Start (Initiation) - define the project's purpose, goals, and scope.
- Phase 2: Create a Project Plan - detail the project's scope, tasks, budget, and timeline.
- Phase 3: Execute the Plan - assign tasks, track progress, and manage the project's execution.
- Phase 4: Watch the Plan - monitor and adjust the project's progress, and handle challenges.
- Phase 5: Close the Project - complete the project, review performance, and document lessons learned.
Starting a Project
- State the project's purpose and goals (the "big why").
- Gather materials and information from stakeholders.
- Set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely) goals.
- Address budget, resource, and time constraints.
- Ensure the project's goals are attainable with the given constraints.
Creating a Project Plan
- Encourage team members to take ownership of the project.
- Delegating tasks clearly and specifically.
- Facilitate discussion and understanding between departments.
- Make support processes clear.
- Be adaptable and provide necessary tools and resources.
- A project plan should answer questions about the project's goals, budget, tasks, timeline, and evaluation process.
- A good project plan is results-oriented, measurable, and adaptable.### Project Management Essentials
- A good project plan should be vertical, allowing multiple people to work on different tasks simultaneously.
- Project plans should last no longer than a year, or ideally 100 days or less to maintain motivation and avoid morale issues.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
- A WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of work to be executed by the project team.
- It's a list of tasks, including team member assignments, dependencies, and deliverables.
- Project management software can make creating a WBS easier.
Meetings and Communication
- Schedule all meetings at the beginning of the project, including kick-off, performance review, and check-in meetings.
- Establish open communication channels and processes for handling concerns, complaints, and new ideas.
- Ensure team members know who to contact and through which channel.
Scheduling and Resource Management
- Group tasks into milestones and set deadlines for each.
- Budget labor hours and ensure they match task duration.
- Allocate resources, including labor, time, and funds.
- Identify potential expenses and resources needed to complete the project.
Executing the Plan
- Managing a project is about managing people and leading a team.
- Set expectations and communicate regularly with the team.
- Listen to new ideas and be open to changes.
- Care about team members as humans, not just teammates.
Reporting and Meetings
- Meetings should have clear objectives, agendas, and end times.
- Use reporting to track progress and identify issues.
- Encourage open communication and address concerns promptly.
Dealing with Changes and Scope Creep
- Scope creep occurs when a project's scope expands or changes, requiring more resources.
- Avoid scope creep by having a detailed plan and contingency planning.
- Identify and address scope creep promptly to mitigate damage.
Managing the Project
- Use project management software to track progress, resource allocation, and budgets.
- Regularly communicate with the team and stakeholders.
- Watch for risks and manage them proactively.
- Manage budgets, timelines, and stakeholder expectations.
Risk Management
- Identify and discuss risks early on in the project.
- Explore pros and cons of taking risks and track outcomes.
- Use both objective and subjective thinking to evaluate risks.
- Use project management software to track risks and outcomes.
Budgets and Timelines
- Manage budgets and timelines proactively.
- Identify problems early and use objective and subjective thinking to correct course.
- Use project management software to track and adjust budgets and timelines.
Personnel and Stakeholders
- Manage stakeholder expectations and communicate regularly.
- Watch, communicate, and correct course to ensure project success.### Managing Stakeholder Expectations
- Engage stakeholders by staying in touch about project progress and listening to their concerns
- Be transparent by making the Statement of Work (SOW) and project plan easily accessible
- Address concerns politely and promptly to ensure the project aligns with stakeholders' expectations
- Avoid overhyping deliverables by under-promising and over-delivering
Team & Role Management
- Manage team members on a task-by-task scale
- Identify the project leader and executive sponsor to ensure clear decision-making authority
- Define roles and task scope to avoid confusion
- Use ongoing communication to manage risk, budget, and timeline
Closing the Project
- Close out tasks by completing deliverables, installing and testing, preparing manuals, and agreeing on follow-up support
- Address customer issues, organizational issues, personnel issues, and administrative issues
- Reflect on the project by evaluating what went right, what went wrong, and what can be improved
Creating a Review Document
- Record and track feedback to learn from the project
- Create a Project Review Document that addresses successes, challenges, and areas for improvement
- Include a review of project goals, challenges, and lessons learned
Project Management Overview
- A project has a clear goal, boundaries, and someone in charge
- A project manager needs leadership, communication, risk-savviness, organization, collaboration, and negotiation skills
- The five phases of a project are initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closure
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Description
Discover if you're a project manager at heart with this quick survey. Learn what project management is and how it applies to your job.
