Standardizing Project Management

Many organizations operate in a state of mild chaos because of poor project management processes. This summary will provide the business case for implementing a formalized project management policy, methodology, and toolset. Review the Action Plan to obtain 11 downloadable templates and tools to assist you with creating your own customized project management procedure.

Benefits of Structured Project Management:

• Increased Visibility - reporting project status, milestones, and deliverables are planned, documented, communications that can be viewed anytime.
• Reduced Risk - by implementing scheduled project checkpoints, quality is assured and failing projects are quickly identified and crashed. Additionally, the risk of key project team members leaving is mitigated through the use of formalized project communication documents.
• Better Allocation of Resources - scheduling work, prioritizing multiple projects, and managing costs and human resources become much simpler when all projects follow a consistent methodology for changes & approvals.
• Effective Scope & Time Management - every executive can relate to projects that 'creep' in scope as they progress. Documenting changes to project scope and deliverables, and adjusting budgets and timelines, cannot be done effectively without using proper project management tools.
• Clear Organizational Development - if you can effectively implement a standardized project management process, your successor will certainly thank you. Establish a baseline project management capability, and benchmark improvements to your maturity level by using industry standards like PMBOK.

Project Management Methodology & Tools:

1. Complete a Project Request Form - the Project Request Form documents the project overview; strategic goals & objectives; impact of non-completion; stakeholders; project timelines; anticipated resources required; and how results will be measured.
2. Achieve Approval from Project Sponsor - determine which senior executive will champion this initiative and be accountable for project results. Consult the Project Priority Index to determine the level of urgency.

1. Identify an Appropriate Project Manager - using our Job Description, select a project manager who will be responsible for gathering business requirements, managing communications, assuring quality, and reporting to the project sponsor.
2. Develop the Project Charter - Our Project Charter Template organizes the project by documenting the purpose of the project, scope, and project plan. The project plan includes: project title; start date; end date; project team; communication tools & plan; project deliverables; milestones; anticipated budget; and cost/benefit analysis. Obtain sign-off before proceeding.
3. Complete Work Breakdown Structure - Using our Project Work Breakdown Structure template, organize project tasks and deliverables into the 5 project stages: Initiation, Planning, Execution, Control, and Closure. Estimate costs, effort (hours), and identify internal/external resources that will be required for each task.
4. Produce a Project Schedule - determine start/end dates to create a master schedule for delivery of each task. Ensure your resources will be available for your project and obtain sign-off by the project manager and project sponsor.
5. Kick-off the Project - assemble the project team and hold a project kick-off meeting to communicate the Project Charter Template, Project Schedule and Project Work Breakdown Structure. Ensure that team members understand their role.
6. Manage Scope Changes - Use the Project Change Request Form to ensure that all changes to project scope are documented and approved.
7. Communicate at Regular Intervals - draw from the Communications Plan in the Project Charter Template to develop a schedule for reporting on project progress.
8. Finish the Project - complete final deliverables and have stakeholders approve quality. Determine if there are any outstanding items to resolve.
9. Conduct a Post-Project Evaluation - use the Post-Project Evaluation template to assess: overall project success; scope management; quality of deliverables, key accomplishments; opportunities for improvement; future considerations; and develop and formalize business process best practices.
10. Complete Project Closure Checklist - Use our Project Closure Checklist to ensure that all tasks were completed results have been measured and communicated.

Action Plan:

1. Discuss Project Management with Senior Management - communicate the value of standardized project management. Get commitment for formal project management within your department and share your toolset.
2. Establish a Policy & Methodology - use Demand Metric's downloadable Project Management Policy template as a starting point.
3. Identify Project Managers - formalize the project manager role in your organization by creating a Project Manager Job Description. Make this template available to other departments who may wish to use it.
4. Learn Best Practices - consider certification from the Project Management Institute, or at the very least, start researching their Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) to learn how to improve your maturity level.
5. Customize your Toolset - use Demand Metric's core project management toolset to get started with the creation of standard department tools:
   Project Request Form; Project Priority Index; Project Portfolio; Project Priority & Status Report; Project Charter Template; Project Schedule; Project Work Breakdown Structure; Project Change Request Form; Project Closure Checklist; Post-Project Evaluation
6. Start Managing Projects - now that you have a standardized methodology and toolset, analyze each project using the Project Priority Index and re-prioritize as necessary. Communicate this new strategy to your team and post your tools to a portal or intranet for easy access.
7. Evaluate the Process - once you have completed a few projects using this methodology, re-evaluate the process and make any tweaks to your toolset to increase efficiency or fine-tune the procedure.

Bottom-Line:

Organizations that do not take a structured approach to project management are asking for trouble. Get your team on-board and establish a formal project management policy, methodology, and toolset.