Project Planning
What you do...
Micro Planner's easy settings get new Project Managers started quickly. And, the rich set of features will delight the most demanding Planners and Schedulers. Visit www.microplanning.co.uk , go to the products page, then go to downloads. Simply "sign-in" by entering your email address and download the demo software for Windows or Macintosh, with the 28 page Tutorial pdf.
Or call John Cornish +44 (0) 1202 884 690, email john@microplanning.co.uk
Research carried out by Micro Planning international (MPI) shows that 90% of all projects fail through running late, or going over budget.
A five-step process that anticipates and prevents the most commonly made mistakes has been devised by MPI and is offered here:
1. Organise The Project.
This includes defining the objective, identifying all stakeholders and determining the reporting requirements.
2. Plan The Project.
The project team produces a plan of the project that defines all the tasks with their durations and then links those tasks in a logically sequenced order. The project is then analysed to identify the shortest possible time to complete the project and initially assumes unlimited people (resources) and budgets.
3. Optimise Resources.
The project team now add the people (resources) and material costs to each task. The project is re-analysed to show “resource-driven” completion dates. The project team must now decide whether these resource-driven dates are acceptable, or brainstorm how a shorter duration(s) might be achieved. This is an iterative process seeking the right balance between cost of extra resources and the need for timely completion.
4. Gain Commitment.
The project team must now sign-off the project plan once the following checks have been completed.
- All the project requirements can reasonably be achieved and sufficient resources (people and budget) are committed to deliver to the plan.
- All the assumptions that went into the plan have been tested and accepted.
- All the risks that were considered are listed and actions taken where necessary to ameliorate the risks to the project.
- If any participant is not comfortable signing off on the plan, their concerns are considered, discussed and the plan is altered to satisfy their concerns.
- Each participant has confirmed in writing, that they will meet their individual commitment to the plan.
5. Manage the Project
- The first step in the management cycle is to issue short term control information to everyone on the project.
- At the end of each reporting period, actual progress is recorded.
- The project model is updated with the progress data, "Time Now" is adjusted to the status date and the network re-analysed.the risks that were considered are listed and actions taken where necessary to ameliorate the risks to the project.
- Following each update, management information should be printed for early problem diagnosis.
Typical reports include trend and variance information to assist in the identification of possible problems as early as possible.
Once a problem is identified:
- Participants use a copy of process model to brainstorm solutions.
- Options are presented and agreed.
- Effected people "Sign-off" on the solution.
- The project plan is updated with the new control information.
- Short term control information is reissued, either at the next reporting period or sooner if necessary.
-The key to this stage is pro-active problem solving before significant delays occur.
Call our expert on this John Cornish on 01202 706 975 or email us on contact@oisolutions.co.uk
