EasyPM on Why Project Planning Is Important

At EasyPM we are often asked why project planning is so important. The answer is something we like to keep short and simple. This is it.

Would you spend any money at all, on any endeavour you can think of without having at least some idea of what you were hoping to achieve?

Considering the huge budget that some projects are granted then the importance of good, well thought-out and structured planning becomes so much clearer.

We at EasyPM, of course, recommend referring to and using the EasyPM advice, tools and content on this blog to help you out with your project planning. Anytime you need some advice just drop us an email using the link on our profile page and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

When you think it about it there is nothing much else to add really. Is there?

How to Use Project Planning for Best Effect

So how do you use project planning activity for best effect?

Here at EasyPM we have some simple thoughts to keep you on the right track and get more from your project planning activity.

First of all you need to create the plan. This is a skill in itself and often as a project manager, you will find yourself writing plans for activities you don't fully understand.

But before I talk about that, the key thing to remember is that you can use the plan as your key to execution. It is is your ticket to make it all happen. Just remember to get the ticket validated by the executives and project stakeholders. If you have the power to proceed on your own say-so then that is ok but most times on projects your "customers" are senior people in the organisation for whom you are running the project and you need them to agree that the plan is good and will deliver the required benefits.

So here are a few useful thoughts on how to use the project planning phase to your best advantage.

1. While building the plan, use it to educate yourself and understand what the project will deliver and how the promised business benefits will be delivered. The point here is that you will get to talk to experts and ask their advice on how activities should be structured, what they will deliver, who will do the work and the importance of the stages and dependent activities. Write it up and go back to them later to confirm your schedule of activities and resources.

2. Share the final plan with the team. Walk them through the whole thing and also their part. Make sure that the initial schedules are realistic and have some contingency for problems which will arise.

3. Use the plan to identify the cost of the project. Capture appropriate costs such as:

• Capital costs. For example computer hardware, buildings ... think of physical stuff.
• Revenue expenses. For example planned travel expenses.
• Run-rate costs. For example planned resource salary costs per day/week/month.
• On-going costs after completion. For example system maintenance

And so on. Depending on the project costing can be complex or simple. Either way, as project manager you must understand the cost variables and how costs will be accumulated through the project lifecycle.

4. Take time in the planning phase to think about risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies that will deflect the successful progress of the project as it proceeds under your strong project management skills. Make sure that you have these risks and issues captured somewhere, keep them under review and also add new ones to your list as they arise.

5. Use the plan to demonstrate to the project executives that the final product has been understood, broken down, resourced and scheduled and get them to sign off on your plan.

6. Review the plan regularly and update it with progress. The plan will change in some way through the project and there will be major issues to be resolved - guaranteed for most. Just don't assume that you have written it once, shared it and it all will happen as if by magic. It won't. Tasks will slip, people will let you down on delivery, some costs will soar for various reasons. Keep these changes in your sight. If you do, the plan will become your roadmap to successful completion.

The planning phase, as you can see, is more than just writing down the schedule of activities. There are great opportunities to achieve buy-in from the team and the project sponsors. Fundamentally, you (the project manager) can get to grips with the challenge you are facing, what it entails, who is doing it, how much it costs and issues that will prevent your success. With all of this in place, your armour is intact. Let battle commence!

What is Project Planning?

A simple question for you - What is project planning?

Before I answer that, remember this. Here at EasyPM we like to keep things simple. Our dearly held view is that there is enough complexity in the world without us adding to it with jargon and buzzwords. I will do my best to keep this one simple and informative.

However, at this point I must confide in you that it is a skill that needs to be learned. Some people are naturally good at it, others not so good, but it can still be learned. Ok so far? Here we go.

Project planning is a process. It does the following things:

1. project planning identifies clearly what will be produced (the products), the resources needed and when they will be delivered.
2. project planning confirms that the project has been thought through before it commences and offers assurance that there is some control of the resources.
3. project planning forms the basis of communication with customers and management to confirm the end products are understood.

The project planning process starts and runs in parallel with the project initiation process. It is necessary as part of project initiation to define a high-level project plan. However, and ideally, the detailed planning process should be taken as an activity separate and following on from the project initiation process.

The output from the planning process is called the project plan and this is usually written down and distributed in an easy to read format for discussion. Discussing the project plan is a key part of the communication process with customers and management.

There are many ways to write a project plan but a Gannt chart (like the little graphic in this post) is a well known and easily understood format. Very simply, a Gannt Chart is a list of activities with start dates, end dates and the name of the person responsible for completing the activity. Here at EasyPM, we like Gannt charts and use them without hesitation. Why not take a look at the article where we walk through the Gannt chart and talk about tools for creating one?

So now we summarise. Project planning is a process whose output provides enough detail to management and customers to describe the following about the project:

• What it is that the customer needs done.
• How it will be delivered, using what resources (including money) and by whom.
• When it will be done.

Any questions, stay back after class!

How To Build A Business Aligned Project Portfolio

So how do you build an optimal project portfolio that is aligned with your business strategy?

In three easy steps, the EasyPM way ... I hear the chorus shout!

Here's how you do it.

1. List and categorise all projects that are currently open and funded.
1a. If they are not funded add them to the "On Hold" list and pull all resources because they are not a projects.
1b. Categories on the list could be as follows:
- - - Revenue Generating
- - - Cost Reducing
- - - Process Improving
- - - Compliance / Regulatory
- - - Security
- - - Other
2. Identify the projects that deliver real business objectives.
3. List the value in Pounds/Dollars/Euros/Yen ... that each project will deliver to the business.

Once you have completed this relatively simple process, which may include a review of each project's business case, you will find that business alignment of the project portfolio will be easy to achieve.

Why Is Project Initiation So Important?

Why Is Project Initiation So Important? Well it's simple really when you think about it.

Let me explain. In earlier posts, I mentioned that project initiation information can be captured in a single document. This project initiation document, or PID as it is known, allows you to complete some important steps in building a good foundation for your project.

When you complete a PID you will have gathered a lot of information about the project to explain what it is, how it will be delivered, when and by whom. So it sounds like a great document to have right?

Of course once you have this information captured in a single document it becomes so much easier to communicate. At the simplest level, all you have to do is send it out and ask the person who is demanding answers to their questions to read it. We all know we would NEVER do that, but hey, what a great reference point it will prove to be. And guess what, it actually becomes that proverbial hymn-sheet that everyone wants to sing from.

So let me summarise the importance of project initiation:

1. A project properly initiated is built on a solid foundation.
2. Every stakeholder will know what the project is about and who is involved in making it happen.
3. Finally it represents an agreement. Project initiation allows a project manager to set the contract for delivery and agree with the task-masters (sorry stakeholders) what the project will end up delivering.

Ok you get the drift now? Don't skip it and don't believe the experts who tell you to just get on with the delivery. Invariably those are the guys who are not around when the ess-aitch-one-tee hits the fan due to lack of proper controls. Have you heard enough drum beating on project initiaion? Any comments, let me know.

Useful links
Project Initiation document
Easy Introduction To Project Management
How To Use Project Initiation the EasyPM Way

Is Your Project Missing A Management Stage?

What happens when you find a stage of the project management process has been missed? Here is some useful advice from EasyPM.

The scenario is the "project from hell". The one that everyone in the organisation knows and talks about. It has not been going well and you have been asked (let's say told) to take over the running of it.

Dark days indeed, as you see your annual appraisal and bonus slipping down the drain! No-one can turn that one around, right? So what do you do?

Here are three little things to consider that might help.

1. Ask yourself - Have the right questions been asked and answered?
2. Do you know if there are there techniques that can be applied?
3. What communications and follow up will be required?

Let's put some more detail around this using an example where the "project from hell" had a poorly managed start-up.

Questions you can ask:

• What is this project meant to deliver and can I see the documentation please?
• Have the project objectives document been agreed by senior management in the organisation?
• Is there a stakeholder group?
• Do the stakeholders all have the same expectations of the project?
• Are there inter-dependencies on another project that is causing constraints?
• What investment has been committed to the project?
• Are all the project issues documented, understood and prioritised - can I see that please?
• Who is responsible for starting the project without completing a proper start-up? (Useful to know!).

Techniques you can apply:

• Get the answers to the above questions and any others that help to fill out the project start up information. Do this quickly.
  
• Analyse the information gathered and be clear about the facts your answers present.
  
• Create a presentation that summarises the project status. The presentation should take the form of a simple highlight report that emphasises the difference in where the project thinks it is compared to where it actually is. I have a sample project status summary structure for this on my EasyPM google group - you are welcome to use it.
• Invite the senior managers and stakeholder to a meeting to present your findings.
• Leave the meeting with an agreed plan of action for go forward that provides you with the scope and time to remedy the situation that has caused the stage to be missed. In short ... ask permission to go back to that stage and do it properly ... including creating any missing control documents and getting them signed off! This may of course, lead to discussions on the viability of the project or required contingency planning but that is another story.

Communications you can ... communicate:

• Create a document that summarises the meeting and the next actions.
• Circulate the summary document to an agreed reader list that includes senior mangement, stakeholders, key users, suppliers (if there are any) and the project team.

What about follow up? It is a great idea to create a meeting no more than two weeks in advance to review progress on the agreed project actions. Then repeat the cycle on a weekly basis to get the missing stage back under control.

So what is the lesson here? Well, you wouldn't have a rock band without base or drums would you? You wouldn't build a house without foundations would you? No, of course not. So don't let anyone tell you ... ever ... that a particular project stage is not important or required.

Make sure as a project manager that you have the foundations in place to allow you to build to successful project delivery. Remember - projects are all so much easier to keep control of when everything is in the right place. Gimme a high five!

EasyPM Server Virtualisation Project Template

Project templates save time when you are planning a project. Getting up and running quickly is often key to demonstrating your project management crediblity to the masses.

There is nothing wrong in using templates to give a kick start to a project plan. I can assure you that 99.99% of the time a template is not going to be the finished project plan ... but it does help to layout your thinking and get you focused on the task in hand.

Being interested in, and having worked on, server virtualisation projects I picked up an article in the "Business Technology Roundtable" blog on key points for server virtualisation projects. It is an excellent article and draws the reader's attention to areas where there can be difficulties in this type of project.

I thought it worthwhile to post this example of a simple template I use for stepping through a server virtualisation feasibility study and add my own thoughts.

1. Complete a detailed assessment of the current IT environment by producing a document which summarises all of the servers you would wish to virtualise and the applications or services running on them.
   
2. For each application or service, produce a vendor response to capture any technical or support issues related to virtualising. If there are too many issues to handle within your project - remove them from the virtualisation list.
   
3. Confirm vendor support of the new configuration. You will need to get this in writing and you will want to make sure, or consider, that there is budget to engage the vendors for the migration.
4. Make a list of the licence costs for applications or services running on a virtual server. Note that costs may actually go up if the vendor charges on a model of available physical hardware!
5. Complete all negotiation with vendors to drive a new licencing model if necessary.
6. Produce a technical design of the new virtualised infrastructure - include hardware specification, memory allocation, storage requirement. Remember, initially, to keep within 75% of total computing resource available to cope with application growth or addition of users to a newly virtualised service.
7. Produce a forecast for expected upgrades required to each of the new virtual environments. If you don't expect at least 12 months shelf life on each, ask yourself why you are building in problems so early!
   
8. Complete a security review of the new virtualised infrastructures. Make sure that all user access and data management issues are understood and under control.
9. Complete and document an analysis of this study to identify which servers, applications or services may be virtualised.
10. Update the issues and risk logs.
    

This would complete the first stage of a virtualisation project where the information gathering would be done.

Then, just by adding these tasks to a plan and putting an estimate on the time it will take to complete them, you will already be up and running with the infrastructure virtualisation project plan. The complexity of the deployment would, of course, also need to be planned out and it would vary with the number of servers being virtualised. What this stage will get you though, is a picture of what infrastructure you currently have, where you want to take it and a good idea of the issues and risks you are already facing.

Before planning out the deployment itself, you could use the feasibility analysis produced to talk the virtualisation project through with senior stakeholders. Oh, and before you go in there ... make sure you have an answer to the big picture questions:

- What direct business benefits or quality improvements will server virtualisation bring?
- What will it cost?
- What are the risks?
- When can we get it?

But you had all of that already ... right?

Reference: How To Unlock the Power of Virtualisation
Useful links: Download a Free Copy of "Virtualization for Dummies" from Sun and AMD.

How to Use Project Initiation the EasyPM way!

To keep it simple - the purpose of project initiation is to draw up and agree a contract for the project. It is that easy!

The way to do this is to capture all of the known information about the project in a single document and get those who will benefit from, or are have the most invested in, its success to agree that document.

The document I suggest using is known as Project Initiation Document. Initially, all that you would be required to do is to work through the sections in this document and complete the information required.

Filling in a Project Initiation Document, or PID as it is sometimes known, will answer key questions such as what the project will deliver, how it will be done and at what cost, scope and constraints, risks, quality and controls.

By the time that you have completed the project initiation document, you will have achieved a good understanding of what it will take to deliver the project successfully. More importantly the areas that need to be managed and controlled more carefully to prevent completion of the project will also be clear.

If you would like a sample of the Project Initiation document that I use, it is stored in my EasyPM Google group. Take a look at it and you will get a good idea of the key information areas that must be understood as part of Project Initiation.

In summary, to initiate a project requires the following easy steps:

1. Gather all the known project information
2. Document it and communicate with project stakeholders
3. Agree what the project will deliver, when and at what cost

After shaking hands on all of that, you will be well set up to go off and create a detailed plan!

Easy Stages of the Project Management Process

So when starting out on a new project as the project manager, what should you be thinking about?

It is always a good idea, as in most planned activities, to keep the end in mind and to think through the high level structure the project will take.

Many project management methods describe the procedures they will use to deliver the end result using in the following high level definition:

1. Initiation
2. Planning
3. Execution
4. Control
5. Closure

Make note the neat loop between planning, execution and control. This is a feedback loop that allows all projects to remain on track or identify and make modifications to the planned delivery based on actual outcomes within the execution processes.

Phew getting a bit technical there ... sorry! At this point, and for the purposes of this post, these processes are fairly self explanatory. So let's for now keep it simple and say only that every project should have them.

For each of these processes there are documents and techniques to ensure that the project is delivered how it was meant to be delivered. We can, and shall, cover some of that detail in other articles.

Should Project Managers Lead Business Change?

An interesting thought occurred to me while reading an article posted on Relationship Economy dot com.

It asks the question about whether social media users gathering followers are leaders themselves or just followers and are those gatherers really extraordinary people?

It made me think about how this applies to project managers. Good project managers will gather followers and, of course, they will lead the good fight to create "a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen".

And is that not what projects are all about? A project should be managed by a leader, someone who will set the course and chart the path to success. The final quote that struck me in that article was "followers will take you where they’ve been while leaders will take you where they are going". How apt for project managers.

The whole article can be read here at this link : Relationship Economy

Easy Project Management Journal Day2

Day2:

Created a draft post, yet to be published, on the key areas of learning for use of Microsoft Project.

Modified the html in http://easypm.blogspot.com to feed information into Google's Webmaster analysis tools.

How did I do this?

1. Signed into Google (you need an account to do this, easy enough right?).
2. Click on Google Webmaster Tools.
3. Click the little "Add a site..." button.
4. Enter the full URL of your site.
5. A page is displayed with "NOT VERIFIED" fairly prominent. This means you need to copy the meta tag they have provided into your site's html code. Follow the instructions provided by Google and it is fairly easy, making sure that you copy and paste their code in the Head section of your site.
6. Once you do this, and have saved the new source code into your pages, go back to the Webmaster verification page (you kept that open right?) and click on the "Verify" button.
7. That's it, your site will now be crawled by Google bots.
   

Completed Day2 journal

What is a Project Initiation Document?

A good document for managing the start of a project is called the Project Initiation Document - shortened to PID for those in the know :)

What is this project initiation document then? Very simply it is a definition of what has to be done, how it will be managed and how you will know when you have completed the project.

It is used to ensure that the project sponsor's requirements have all been captured and delivery is agreed BEFORE launching the project. Once the project is running it is a great reference document against which progress can be measured and overall status communicated.

For example, the Project Initiation Document can be started before the project has even been signed off. When you as the "project manager to be" have been asked to asssess the feasibility of solving world hunger and maybe have it done in the next two months, you can:

• open up a project initiation file and
• as you define the key deliverables, you can capture them in the PID and also
• lay out the schedule in report format that is easy for your project sponsors to read.

Once the project is understood, everything that helps to define it should be in the PID. This is important as the PID becomes the equivalent of the referee later in the project when you are arguing about - sorry discussing - what has still to be achieved.

If you want a look at the type of things that should be in a PID document, drop me an email and I will send you a template. Alternatively, you cna download a PID template from my Easy Project Management Google Groups site.

What is the point of Project Management?

Well - ask yourself the question - What is the point of project management?

I like to think it is a simple question of economics.

Imagine you owned a small shop selling confectionery to local kids. You decide that as you you have some extra space in the back of the shop that you can install a couple of tables and start selling ice creams too.

The benefits are obvious in that you expect to make additional revenue. The costs are easily identified because you have a quote for the re-decorating that must be done and also the costs of the tables and ice cream maker. You may need more staff but that will come from an expansion in sales and you can make do with current staffing levels for now.

Do you see where this is going yet?

So imagine you kick off this new endeavour and before you know it the decorator calls off, just after you accepted a delivery date for the new tables and chairs.

The question now is do you still feel in control?

Are you wondering if the delivery can be postponed? What if it cannot and the tables need to be put outside to allow the decorator to complete his job?

Will the tables be safe out on the street? Is there space to store them there? Will this impact the existing confectionery sales in a bad way?

Too many questions begin piling up and not many answers are available to reduce your stress levels. And that is just a simple little example with minimal complexity.

The point of project management is to keep control of changes.

As all change usually involved a cost of some sort, a managed project will ensure that:
- spending is done in the right sequence and
- jobs are completed correctly and
- on time to a given schedule
- that doesn't prevent the existing business from being carried out.

Simple isn't it?

Easy Project Management Journal Day1

Day1:
Created http://easypm.blogspot.com.

Imported some previously existing content from other project management blogs I have started.

Posted content on the purpose of the easypm.blogspot.com blog.

Added Google Analytics to easypm blog.
How did I do this?

1. I already have a Google Analytics account but you need to create this if you don't have one.
2. Click on "Add a web-site profile"and fill in the form to add your blog
3. A script appears which you will need to copy and paste into your blog's html section.
4. To do this go into the "Layout" tab for your blog on the Blogger management panel.
5. Click on the "Edit HTML" tab and your blog's HTML code will be displayed.
6. Scroll down until you find the /body tag.
7. Paste your copied script in just before the /body tag, add some comments to enable you to find it later.
8. Save it.

Completed Day1 journal

Purpose Statement for Easy Project Management Blog

Hi and welcome to my free and easy project management blog.

The purpose of this blog is simple. To be a reference point for easy to use project management tools and best practices.

Project management is thought to be difficult and fraught with dangers - which is why I enjoy it! I want to demystify it, expose it for what it is and to help you become confident in the use of some simple tools that will help to ease the journey of delivering a project.

Benefits of a Project Methodology

Be Better Organised

- Defines standard outputs and reduces the possibility of inconsistent project delivery.

- The methodology helps to provide a point of reference framework for project members and stakeholders.

- The methodology is repeatable across the organisation and can be easily taught and learned.

Resources used by projects can be standardised and made easily available at project launch.

Know The Outputs

- Defines key documents that must be provided for project tracking and reporting.

- Expectations of stakeholders can be set at the outset and managed through the project lifecycle.

- Key documentation delivered as standard output improves project visibility and helps to make the current status more transparent.

Improve Management Information

- Management Information such as project progress tracking and delivered benefits tracking are easier to provide.

Improve Quality of Delivery

- Quality expectations can be defined and tracked and are not carried solely by the skill of the project manager.

Improve Cost Control

- Current business challenges can be passed into a known “solution pool” where cost of resolution can be easily managed.

Easy Project Management

Easy Project Management is the new site which will bring a new dimension to project management sites on the web. Bringing many years of experience in a variety of projects, I will be writing about all aspects of project management and showing you some great tools to make it more simple to manage and control your project.

Life will never be the same when this site gets going. Mark my words this will become THE project management resource on the world wide web. Stick with this programme as the project management tools I demonstrate will bring only successful conclusions to your projects.