Introduction

Welcome to the world of Project Management. What follows is based on my experiences over the past 26 years, managing a wide range of projects from simple everyday schemes to complex £90 million hospital developments under the Private Finance Initiative.

This article will give you an insight into project management and the work of the project manager. It will help you understand the basic requirements for successful project management and the skills involved. I have included a few common sense tips and identify some of the pitfalls that await the unwary.

There are several commercial project management packages available, which provide a structured system within which projects are executed. These are very beneficial for large-scale projects, but can be overly complex for more routine situations. There is also a risk that these complex systems become too important, absorbing valuable resources eventually supplanting the original objectives of the project.

The commercial systems are all based on the same general principles as all-good project management. They combine a carefully structured organisation with detailed planning and a sound quality assurance system.

This may sound very complex and rather highbrow, but in reality things are somewhat different. It is time to demystify the whole subject. The fact is every one of us is a project manager, we do it every day of our lives. Project management is simply about managing change, and everything we do involves some form of change:

• the carpenter changes raw wood into furniture;



• the doctor changes the ill in to the well;



• the mother changes food into a meal;



• the painter changes colours and shapes into art;



• the computer programmer changes binary numbers into word processors and spreadsheets; and



• the teacher changes the illiterate into the literate.

Project management is one of the 'instruments of change' all of these people use to achieve their goals, whether at work or in the home.

As you read through the following sections you will discover project management is a skill all of us have and use, but rarely recognise.

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The Seven Stages of a Project

Before we delve into the world of project management, lets start with something which may, at first sight, appear to be just a humorous interlude. Do not believe it, the following definition of the seven stages of a project contains a great deal of truth.

I take no credit for the list, I found it some years ago. Read through it carefully and you will recognise many situations where one or more of the stages has occurred. In fact the last stage seems to occur with great regularity.

The Seven Stages of a Project

• Enthusiasm



• Disillusionment



• Panic



• Search for the guilty



• Leave with reputation in tact



• Punishment for the innocent



• Praise for the non-participants

Every project starts with a great rush of enthusiasm. The first project team meeting is always filled with confidence, eagerness and a desire to get on with the task. Relish the moment, you may not feel quite this good again.

At the second project meeting the seeds of doubt will be sown and by the third they would have germinated. Can we do this? Should we do this? Are we sure we have the right answer? These and many other questions will exercise the minds of those tasked with not just delivering the project, but delivering it on time and within budget.

Panic is the flower that grows from the seeds of doubt. The realisation that time is running out and the budget is about to break will send waves of fear through the project team.

When things start to go wrong, people start to plan their defences. The most popular method is to find someone else to blame. It does not matter how tenuous the link, any one who said anything about the project will become fair game for the kangaroo court now in session.

It's around this time that the more astute members of the team up and take their leave. Ducking the proverbial as it heads towards the fan, they move on the pastures new without a care and, more importantly, without a stain on their reputation.

The kangaroo court will complete its sitting and pass down judgement on some poor soul whose only crime was to mention that the original scheme looked a little innovative. It is only natural for those in the upper echelons to support the verdict, as they must also distance themselves from the imbroglio and prepare for the final stage of the project.

It is quite amazing just how many people manage to claim some connection with the project and wallow in the limelight of success and praise. If they had all turned up at a project meeting you would need to hire a football stadium to fit them in. The list of invitees bears more relationship to a cocktail party for the friends and family of the great and the good, than the doers who sweated blood to complete the project on time and in budget. But that is the way of things and the battle weary project team must move on to a new challenge.

Summary

If you should recognise even the most infinitesimal fragment of truth in these words it is purely accidental, a slip of the fingers on the keyboard. The world of project management is just not like that, honestly, it's not - some of the time.

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What is Project Management

Project management has be defined as: 'the change process required to deliver an outcome within a set of constraints'.

Like any process, project management can be broken down into a discrete set of elements:

• Objective



• Resources



• Activities



• Controls



• Outcome

The relationship between these elements is shown in the figure below.

The objective is the outcome, as described before the project starts. It is important to recognise these two (objective and outcome) are different. The objective is ethereal, a desire or aspiration. It can be difficult to describe and hard to define. The outcome is more tangible, solid, real.

The resources include anything that will be utilised to achieve the outcome, be it people, materials, money or time. And remember time is your most precious resource, unlike everything else time is finite, and once spent there is no way it can be regained.

The activities will be used to convert the resources into the outcome. They may be very varied, and some so complex they become sub-projects in their own right.

The controls cover a range of functions, from ensuring the quality of the outcome to specifying communication routes and keeping everyone's focus on the objective.

The outcome is the final goal of the project. It may be animate or inanimate. Depending on what happened during the project, it may be different from the original objective, perhaps even be better than originally planned.

In my introduction I said: 'Project management is simply about managing change, and everything we do involves some form of change'.

Take another look at the figure above and apply it to any situation you choose. It does not matter whether it's a work or leisure activity, they all fit into the change process.

Yes, project management really is something we all do every day of our lives.

Of course most of what we do does not need the complexities of project management, we do it without thinking, instinctively or through familiarity. Everyone can boil an egg. But not everyone can boil an egg until it is just right. A firm but soft white and warm but runny yoke. That requires an understanding of what is happening, the careful control of the process required to boil an egg.

That is project management.

Project management is:

The control system we apply to the activity and resources required to achieve the outcome which meets the original objective.

An unfortunately tortuous statement, but, none the less a precise one.

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Qualities and Skills of a Project Manager

Before continuing our journey into the world of project management let us take a look at the individual who is responsible for managing the control process, the Project Manager.

If, as I have previously stated, we all manage projects, why can't we all be Project Managers?

Well here is where we can draw the first of several dividing lines between project managers and everyone else. A project manager will know what particular management skills need to be applied to a particular situation.

For example, formal project management processes are generally reserved for tasks that are:

• complex;



• of a long duration;



• involve significant investment;



• only occur irregularly; or



• involve significant change.

These are the situations where project management is necessary and beneficial. Project Management comes at a price and it is not economic to use it for simple, low cost, repetitive processes and situations.

Project managers know and understand this. They adjust the degree of control to suit the situation, apply the appropriate skills and monitor progress. At this point we can draw our second dividing line. To be able to apply the appropriate skills means a project manager must have a full understanding of the myriad management techniques available to them.

Some of these skills and techniques can be acquired through education. Team building, quality assurance systems, statistical analysis, problem solving and presentation skills often form a part of our management training. However there are many skills which we only acquire through practice or because of our innate abilities. You can be taught the basics of negotiation, but you will only become a good negotiator through practice. Even then some people never manage to master the art of bluff and counter bluff.

Now we can draw the final line that divides project managers from everyone else. A project manager is able to skilfully deal will the human factors, get everyone around them to pull together, deal efficiently with the obstinate, motivate the laggards and skilfully debate with opponents.

Some say you have to be a 'people person' to be good at this. It's a case of having the right personality and attributes and being comfortable dealing with the vagaries of your colleagues without alienating yourself from the crowd.

Summary

A successful project manager:

• knows and understands general management skills and techniques;



• knows when and how to apply them to a specific project/situation; and



• has the character and tenacity to deal with the human factors.

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The Role of a Project Manager

Now we know what project managers look like, what do they do?

The precise nature of the project manager's role tends to vary from the purest position of plan, control and monitor, to having a major involvement in the activities taking place to achieve the objective. Its a matter of individual choice as to whether the latter is seen as a benefit and more rewarding role, or as a miss-use of the project managers skills.

For the purposes of clarity I shall confine this article to the more purest position (although the majority of my experience has involved a much more active input to the project). The role and responsibilities of a project manager can be divided into five elements:

• To plan



• To organise



• To co-ordinate



• To control



• To monitor

I will deal with these in detail when we go through the project management process. For the moment let us consider the preparatory work the project manager must undertake to get ready for the task ahead.

To successfully plan and execute a project, the project manager must understand:

• The background to the project (why it is needed and who does it benefit)



• The project objectives (what is to be achieved and how will success be measured)



• The local environment (the sensitivities, political and human factors)

Gaining clarity on these issues allows the project manager to ensure the project framework and organisation fully meet the needs of the project, are sympathetic to local issues and potential conflicts can be avoided.

Summary

At its most basic level the project manager must become familiar with the task and take on responsibility for planning the project, controlling the activities and monitoring progress towards the outcome.

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The Project Management Process

Most projects stem from a board or management level decision to invest. In many respects this is what separates the change processes we experience every day of our lives from those that require the skills of the project manager. Projects tend to deal with much larger issues, involve significant change or investments.

The decision to undertake the project should be based on sound business practice and include the cost, time and quality requirements of the investment. There are many processes by which a board or manager can come to the point where an investment decision is made. One of the simplest is to answer the following five questions:

• Where are we now?



• Where do we want to be?



• How do we get there?



• How do we know when we have arrived?



• Will it be worth it?

Having decided to undertake the project the next step is to define the requirements of the project and the key responsibilities.

Stage 1 - Objective and definition

Every project must have a defined structure that includes:

• An objective, a clear statement defining the aims and objectives of the project, including:

• scope of the project;



• cost;



• duration;



• reporting arrangements;



• the resources available;



• the quality of the output;



• risk assessment and management; and



• any other important factors or constraints which may have a bearing on the work required to complete the project.

• A sponsor, either an individual or group of people, who have made the decision to invest in the outcome. These are the customers.

• An owner, either a project director, or project board, who will be responsible for ensuring the output meets the objective and the intended benefits of the investment are achieved. This is the supplier.

• A project manager who is responsible for ensuring the objective is achieved within the criteria of cost, time and quality.

• A project organisation, which defines:

• the organisational structure, including the project team;



• the terms of reference for each team;



• the lines of communications;



• roles and responsibilities;



• levels of delegated authority; and



• a disputes resolution processes.

All this information is combined into a single document often called the project execution plan. This is widely circulated for comment, before the project sponsor approves the plan. The project execution plan is used, and up-dated, throughout the project. It provides the framework within which the project will be completed and success measured. It also provides a valuable audit trail.

Stage 2 - Planning and resources

This is the stage when the project execution plan is expanded into the level of detail required to implement the project. Up to now most of the estimating of cost, time and resources will have been on a top down basis by dividing the overall workload into a small number of phases. From now on a bottom up approach should be used. Each individual task and activity is evaluated based on the materials and resources required, the time needed to complete the task and its relationship to all the other tasks and activities.

A detailed schedule of work is compiled with all the individual relationships clearly identified. There are several computer programmes available that can do much of this work for you and provide graphical outputs in the form of Gantt or pert charts.

At this point a final check can be made to ensure the project can be completed on time and within budget.

Stage 3 - Execute and control

This is the moment when the project manager must become supreme master of all they survey. There is no point in being half hearted about things, the project manager's role is to control monitor and adjust. If you do not take charge, it is impossible to do any of these successfully.

The project execution plan set out the framework within which everyone must work, and the stage 2 planning work set out what must happen and when. It is the project manager's role to:

• control by monitoring progress against the original plan;



• control changes instructions from the project owner, identifying errors in the original plans, and the watching for the unexpected;



• control quality by checking the outputs against the requirements;



• report progress to the project owners and sponsors; and



• adjust and refine the project execution plan based on any agreed changes to the project or new information gained while the project progresses.

Stage 4 - Completion and sign-off

This stage may seem obvious, but can get overlooked. It is important to have a clear definition of the indicators which show the project is complete and the project team can be formally stood down. The indicators can be quite varied, including:

• successful completion of all performance tests;



• successful completion of all commissioning procedures and readiness to enter service;



• production of the technical documentation required for the operation and maintenance of the product or facility;



• provision of all technical and safety information;



• reconciling all changes to ensure the outcome meets the adjusted objective;



• production of final budget statements and cost reports; and



• sign off by the project owners and sponsors.

Stage 5 - Evaluation and appraisal

For many project managers their involvement will end with project completion. However in terms of the wider context of project management, it is essential that an objective evaluation of the project management process is carried out. This will help in the execution of future projects by:

• Identifying what worked well and why; and



• Identifying what did not work well and why.

Using this knowledge and experience on future projects will increase your chances of success and avoid repeating the same mistakes time and again.

Summary

• Produce a project execution plan which defines the objective of the project, the resources to be used and the method by which it is to be achieved;



• Schedule all the activities and resources required throughout the duration of the project;



• Control the activity and resources, checking against the project execution plan;



• Sign-off when all the completion indicators have been met; and



• Evaluate the project management process and apply the lessons to future projects.

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Types of Projects

There are many types of project, but most can be placed in one of two categories, hard or soft projects. Each has a number of defining characteristics:

Hard projects tend to be a combination of:

• Simple, of short or medium duration



• Have well defined objectives



• Use activities which are well understood and tested



• Involve a product or specific measurable outcome



• Have been done before in the same or similar form

Soft projects tend to be a combination of:

• Complex and long duration (maybe years)



• Have unclear objectives



• Use unclear or untested activities



• Involve a system or subjective outcome



• Cover new territory

Each type of project will make its own demands on the project manager. Hard projects can be easier to manage, but may still need complex project frameworks and structures simply because of their size and scope. Soft projects may be harder to manage because of the unknown factors, but often benefit from simple project frameworks and structures which are more flexible and can respond quicker to change.

Soft projects tend to develop into hard projects as the unknown's become known and the final objective is refined through iteration, study and research. Because of the special nature of soft projects the next section offers one way in which they can be managed.

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Project Horizons

Project Horizons is a methodology of my own making. In the early days of the private finance initiative we knew where we had to get to (a public service in a privately funded facility), but, like everyone else, did not know how to get there. Mapping out the project from start to finish was impossible. Some stages in the process were ill defined and many of the activities to be undertaken were completely new.

We were clearly dealing with a soft type of project.

• It incorporated a strategic planning and option appraisal phase; It involved a long time-scale with the risk the outcome would be out-of-date;



• It covered much uncharted territory with only rudimentary guidance;



• It was an untried process; and



• Some elements were purely subjective.

Having decided there was little to gain from looking too far ahead, we confined our planning to the short term, mapping out in detail what was required to get to the end of the current and next stage. At the same time we also started to explore the next two stages but only at a strategic level. Beyond that we just had the broad project framework covering a further five stages.

In effect we were dividing the project into manageable chunks within a known framework and time-scale. This allowed us to:

• Manage the short-term goals in detail;



• While exploring the long-term goals and the final outcome in order to define the process to achieve them.

Eventually a point is reached where the uncertainties and unknowns were removed and a detailed planning through to the end of the project can be developed. At this point you also gain a firm view on the overall cost and time required to complete the project.

Embarking on a soft project is very risky. They require continual vigilance on behalf of the project owners and sponsors, a careful check on progress (with the particular aim of avoiding abortive work and activities) and a continuous assessment of the cost benefits. If you plan too far ahead in too much detail, change will become common and have a negative impact on the project.

Summary

Project horizons can be used for soft projects with many unknowns:

• adopt an overall plan based on a helicopter view of the project;



• undertake detailed short term planning covering the next two or three stages;



• undertake less detailed planning covering the next two or three stages; and



• roll the whole process forward as each stage is complete.

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Project Management Tips

A quick checklist of things every project manager should know and do:

• Understand the product/outcome, the customer and the political environment;



• Ensure the project objectives and success criteria are

• Clarify and understand your role;



• Recognise the type of project and plan accordingly;



• Keep the project structure simple;



• Get people off the critical path, including the CEO, if they may become a restraint to progress;



• Ensure you have a robust scheme of delegation and deputies;



• Control information flows and keep tidy records;



• Get the right resources at the right time;



• Ensure the change control mechanisms are defined and use them;



• Do not assume anything;



• Communicate;



• Only do things on a regular basis for a purpose (many meetings are held too frequently);



• Look ahead all the time;



• Finally, do not take your eye off the ball.

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Project Management Risks

A shorter list of potential problems and pitfalls:

• Time - it's worth repeating that time is finite. Once gone it can never be recovered. Consider it your most precious resource and spend it wisely;



• Changes - will happen, particularly on long projects. Before making them ensure everyone fully understands the consequences;



• People - can be your biggest asset and greatest obstacle. Work with them, not against them;



• Cost - minor over-runs at the start can become major problems at the finish; and



• Watch out for the unexpected - Pliny the Elder said, 'the only certainty is that nothing is certain'. It is as true today as it was 2000 years ago. It is better to be prepared rather than surprised when the unexpected happens.

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Summary

To those who persevered and read all the way through to this summary I give my congratulations and thanks. To those who have skipped straight to the end the following will make little sense, so give up now.

Project managers fulfil a unique role. They may not always be the original thinkers that create the objective of the project, but they are the people who take the visions of others and turn them into reality. In doing so, the mark of a good project manager will be indelibly stamped on the outcome. It is a quiet, personal reward that compensates for the lack of recognition the profession often receives.

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