Project Management Overview Enumclaw Leadership Project Managers Managers

Project Management Overview Enumclaw Leadership

Project Managers �Managers are not hired to contribute a linear amount of work like a worker. Instead, leaders and managers are hired to amplify the value of everyone around them.

Project Planning �What is it we need to do? This is usually called requirements gathering. �Project planners must fully understand the problem not the symptom of the problem. �How will we do it? Designing or specifying. �Go slow to go fast �Abe Lincoln said, if I had six hours to cut down a tree, I’d spend four hours sharpening the axe and two hours cutting down the tree.

Asking the Right Questions �What does the Enumclaw community want in an assembly? �Do we have the technology to satisfy the needs of our customers? Screens, cordless mics. Computers. �How do we prepare and practice without missing classes?

Project Charter �Project Team Members and Stakeholders �Primary SMART Objectives �Scope Statement: what the project will and won’t do �List milestones and deliverables �Work breakdown structure �Timeline �Budget

Requirements Document Describes the problem. What is the impact of the problem on the organization? What is the desired outcome? What limitations will the team be facing: budget, time, technology?

Scope Management �List tasks needed. �Organizational Chart �WBS Work Breakdown Structure

Milestones and Gates �Is a specific outcome that will happen. �Decorations are purchased and assembled. �Royalty is selected, notified, and fitted for tuxes. Make these very specific with quality statements attached.

Office BBQ

Rule of Thirds �Design – figuring out what should be done. Planning the assembly or dance. �Implementing – actually doing it. �Testing – analyzing.

Work Breakdown Structure Build Skyscraper Foundation Structure Survey Dig Floors Pullars Wall Foundation

Work Packages �Homecoming decorations �Plan �Research �Order �Assemble �Put up

Divide and Conquer �One big project means many little schedules. Phase One Phase Two Phase Three Design Implementation Testing

Plans and Perspectives �Business perspective includes profit, sales, expenses, competition and costs. Who is the customer and what do they want? �Technology perspective focuses on how things are built and how they will work. �Customer perspective is the most important of the three. What do the students want in an assembly?

Schedule Model �Using past experience to determine how long something will take. �End of the Year Assembly �Think about what it looks like when we are not ready to perform an assembly.

Scheduling Tools �Expert Judgement �Analytical Techniques �Meetings

Scheduling Outputs �Schedule Management Plan �Project schedule model �Level of accuracy �Units of measure staff hours, staff days Three point estimating: t. M=most likely t. O=best case t. P=worst case

Estimates �All estimates are probabilities. �A detailed and thorough analysis can yield 90% �Press people on estimating with confidence. �Estimates depend on the understanding of the projects goals. �Previous performance

PDM Precedence Diagramming Activity SERIES Activity PARALLEL

Critical Path It is referred to longest path through the schedule. There is no margin for error.

Figuring Time �Estimate each work activity. �Combine all activities using logic. �When will each activity be done.

Some Words to Know �Critical activity: if this is late, the entire project is late. �Critical Path: longest path. �Duration: number of hours. �Float: slack/Slack: latitude as to when an activity must be worked on. �Milestone: Point in time. �Network Diagram: graphic �Predecessor Activity: what must happen first.

Making Schedules

The Daily Work �The most important part of the process is the roles that people are expected to play �Everyone should know what the milestones reports, presentations, documents are. �There should be frequent meetings where each perspective is discussed.

What Must Happen for Schedules to Work? �Milestone length should match project volatility. �Be optimistic in the vision and skeptical in the schedule. (Murphy's Law when the computer locks up) �Plan checkpoints for add/cut discussions. �Gauge the team’s experience with the problem space. Sam’s experience planning assemblies.

Sticky Note Project �List all activity titles on individual post-it notes �The group places them on a large whiteboard. �Put series activities side by side �Stack parallel activities �Once all have been placed, connect with arrows

Weighted Decision Making COST. 15 CADILLAC FORD CHEV TOYOTA VW COMFO RT. 25 STYLE. 10 HANDLE RELIABL TOTAL. 15 E. 20

Common Bad Ways to Decide Bad Way Example Why Problem Do it like last time This assembly will be like last years Not the desire to go back and do new research School expects more. People get excited about trends b/c they are fun to follow. Customer requirement should trump fads. We will build what We will use the is hot and trendy newest Disney Movie If we build it, they will come. Assembly X will be By distracting the best everyone to the building, they forget the reason for building. Does the world need a better mousetrap? Kids will come b/c it was cool.

Forcing Function �Psychological or pressure shift. �Naturally forces a change in perspective, attitude, or behavior.

Creating a Vision

Vision �The value of writing things down like to recipe for that cake. What all are doing What some are doing What I’m doing

Vision, goals �A strong vision statement of the assembly: The spring sports pep assembly will recognize all athletes while entertaining the student-body and faculty. �Can the vision be drawn? �Goals: students would still attend if they were not required to go.

Where Ideas Come From �Outside the box thinking.

Tools for Ideas T Chart affinity Pareto Venn

Using a Pareto Chart in Planning �Suggestions to improve assemblies from BOC meetings. �Rank them in order �Place on a bar chart from most to least

Ideas �Following brainstorming look for ways to group ideas into like categories. �Three to five alternatives. �Two choices investigate, research, prototype, and question. �One design investigate, research, prototype, and question the final choice.

Specifications �Requirements we must live up to. �Feature. A feature specification describes the what the customer receives from our product. �Work breakdown structure which is all the small details. Ex. Write the request to purchase, Natasha types up PO, Natasha sends to Tim at district, Tim assigns a # and returns, we can order.

ASB Processes �Purchase Order Process �Facilities Process �Promotion Process �Security Process �Staff Communication Process

Quality Management Plan �Process improvement plan �Quality metrics �Quality checklists �Project documents updates

Know the Critical Path �The shortest sequence of work that can complete the project. Diagram or flow chart. �Show where bottlenecks will be �If features A, B, and C are can’t be completed until D is done, D must be on the critical path.

Risk, Uncertainty, Threats �Uncertainty is the absence of information. �Risk is the amount of uncertainty �Threat is the effect of risk which can be good or bad. Use a SWOT Analysis.

PERT Program Evaluation and Review Technique �Pessimistic: things go poorly �Optimistic: things go smoothly �Most Likely: our best guess �O+4 M+P � 6 �Anytime you need to give estimates in Project Management its best to use a range of possible outcomes.

End Game Strategy �Big deadlines are a set of small deadlines. �Define exit criteria at the beginning. �The end-of-game is a slow, mind-numbing process. The challenge is to narrow the scope of changes until a satisfactory release remains. �Evaluate what worked, what didn’t and what to change.