Project Management Essentials with Sophie Mas

Following are my notes from Sophie Mas' presentation at the JIBC's Knowledge and Beyond Conference.

Choose the tools and templates that suit your needs, as there are many to choose from.

1. Project charter
2. Scope statement
3. Stakeholder analysis
4. Risk analysis

Project definition: 

A temporary endeavour undertaken to create unique product, service or result

Temporariness:

planned termination and transition

Uniquiness: 

Not done before

Not done like this before - customized

Not done here before - localized

Project Life Cycles

Project charter
Project management plan
Accepted deliverable
Project ends

Process Groups

Initialzing
Planning
Executing
Monitoring (Report to sponsor when things are not going according to plan)
Closing

Project Charter

Problem Statement
Goal and Objectives
Scope Statement
Product/service Description
Assumptions and Constraints
Roles and Responsibilities
Resources
Key Milestones and Deliverables
Stakeholder Analysis
Risk Analysis

SMART Objectives

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound
See action mapping

Defining Scope

Project scope statement

• What will we deliver?
• What we will not deliver
• How will know we have delivered (exit/acceptance criteria)
• How will we deliver (organization capability assessment and development)
• Constraints (NFPA standard and schedule)
• Assumptions

Stakeholders

Anyone that perceives that they will be effected by your project.

• Project Sponsor
• Team/Unit
• Other units
• Clients/customers
• External agencies
• Contractors and vendors
• The public
• The media

Stakeholder Analysis

1. Identify individuals
2. Rate there influence and impact 
3. Develop engagement strategies

Project Risk

• projects are inherently risky
• risk can be positive and negative
• there is an upside and downside to future uncertain activities

Risk Analysis and Prioritization

analysis =  probability x impact

Risk Register

Project Success Factors

• have a plan in place
• for big projects, use rolling wave planning
• goals and objective set for overall project
• progressive elaboration based on iterative planning technique
• quarterly planning cycles
• detailed scope elaborated in each subsequent iteration

Monitoring project progress

Effective reporting

What have you completed

what do you plan to complete

what is getting in the way

Dashboard reporting to senior management

• focus on milestones
• flag issues that require attention
• highlight risks to schedule, budget, scope, quality or stakeholder

Be truthful