Project Initiation
Possibly one of the most important phases of the project, this stage captures:
- the early understandings of the rationale,
- the business drivers
- initial statements of the project objectives
- high level view of the project outputs required
- who the project sponsor or business owner will be?
The reasons we work through a process to begin the right project are:
- There are outcomes that we want to satisfy.
- The outcomes should be aligned with the strategic objectives of the organisation
It is important that projects produce outcomes that are aligned with the strategic objectives of the organisation. This alignment can be refined by applying tests to the many project opportunities that are available to the organisation.
After we have established the outcomes we want to satisfy then we begin to reflect on the options we have. There will be many!
The opportunities are refined by applying a level of rigour to them which includes feasibility tests, project proposals and project business cases. These documents should:
- explore the underlying business drivers
- explain the alignment of the project outcomes with the strategic objectives of the organisation
- define what priority is assigned to the project
- analyse the capability and capacity of the organisation to absorb change
- identify critical success factors that will affect the quality of the project including time, cost and scope.
There are many ways to flesh out project opportunities including mind mapping, brainstorming and researching. Bringing stakeholders into the conversation is very important as well because they will bring a different lens or angle to the problem at hand.
The business case is an important document as it is the only document in the project life cycle that focuses on the right project. All other documents focus on doing the project right. The business case is also important as it compares the option of doing nothing. The null option is an important comparison as it may mean that the organisation is best served by not wasting valuable resources.
Once the one recommended project has been forwarded through to management then it needs to be authorised to go through to the planning stage.
It should be noted that the cost of change is at its lowest at the start of the project. For example, making changes to a house build will only require changes to the plans at the beginning of the project. This changes through the life of the project and wanting a change to a house build mid-way through the project could be very costly.
Planning Phase
The next phase is when we look to plan out the project. Specifically we are looking at mapping out the three constraints of the project. These being time, cost and scope. We also look around the corner and think about what risks there are and what mitigation and contingency strategies we can put in place in case those risks become issues.
Mapping out the scope begins with outlining the tasks, dependencies, timeframes and ownership.
At the planning stage you will want to identify all the tasks that will be required to bring your project to life. As you can imagine realizing you missed a task can be costly and even kill the project if it appears during the delivery of the project. When you have identified all the tasks you bring them into a document called a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
After you have listed all the tasks then it is time to allocate them to a schedule. The Gantt chart is the most famous way of scheduling your tasks which can incorporate timelines and milestones. There are other methods of visualising your tasks which include charts, timelines and Kanban boards.
Costing out the resources is also an important part of the planning process. The project manager will identify the resources required for the project and develop a budget by providing the costings for labour, materials and equipment.
Implementation
The implementation or delivery phase is when all the hard work of planning is brought to life. Control, communication and monitoring are all important during this phase. The soft skills of the project manager are also used here as conflict is most likely to occur.
Frequent status reporting and identifying any potential change to the project will also be necessary during this stage. Early detection of change that is outside the tolerance levels of the project should be identified early and brought to the attention of the project sponsor. They will then make the decision on whether further resources should be applied in order to get the project back on track.
The increase in the deliverables or scope of the project is also known as scope creep. One way to prevent scope creep is to identify in the initiation phase what is in scope and what is out of scope in the project. Then get management to sign off on it! If requests to add to the project are made then you can go back to your managers and highlight the signed documents!
Another example of scope creep may present itself. Lets say your management requests an increase in the scope. As Project Manager are you in a position to say no? Why not say yes, and then also ask for more time and money? Lets see how desperately management wants the extra deliverables!
Closing Phase
During the completion phase of the project the focus will be on completing tasks such as releasing the final deliverables to the client, terminating supplier contracts, ensuring that all invoices have been paid, archiving documents and communicating the closure of the project to the stakeholders.
Finally, a reflection of the project where the things that went right and wrong can be collated into a lessons learned document. Having the lessons learned in an easily accessible place so that project practitioners of future projects can use those lessons learned is important. Do not leave the lessons learned collecting dust in someone’s draw or sitting on someone’s hard drive!
