Effective and Efficient Project Management

1 Effective & Efficient Project ManagementA simple approach to structuring, running and making projects successful An article by Dr. Mike Bell Simple Improvement Ltd.!!!!! !!!!! 1 of 17 Effective and Efficient Project ManagementA simple approach to structuring, running and making projects successful1. Introduc,onMy experience in Project Management spans several decades and includes multi- million pound pharmaceutical facility construction projects, running drug scale- up programmes and a myriad of other things, such as IT system implementation, organisational re- design and negotiating terms and conditions changes with unions. But I have also arranged my own wedding, booked one or two holidays and cooked Christmas dinner for the extended family.

2 These are projects too. My current focus is teaching and coaching people how to run improvement projects. This has given me a great insight into how to structure a Project , manage it and deliver it successfully. The key is to keep things simple. Too many Project managers get lost in the detail and lose sight of their objective. And they get lost in their plans, milestones and budgets, forgetting that Project Management is mainly about relationships. If you cannot get everyone on board and get them involved and participating, no amount of Gantt charts will help aim in writing this article is an overview of Effective and EfLicient Project Managementexplore the key role of the Project Manager (Resources, Relationships, Requirements and Risks)promote the use of process and structure to achieve the best Project outcomesThis article supports a 2 day training course.

3 Day 1 covers Effective Project Management ; doing the right things. Day 2 covers efLicient Project Management ; doing things you are new to Project Management or have been working in this Lield for years, I hope that there will be something here that help you to make your projects more What is a Project ?It is important to make the distinction between a Project , something with a deLined start and end point, and normal work that recurs. I often hear people talk about maintenance projects or annual appraisal projects etc. These are not projects and the difference is linked to risk. A Project is something new, therefore, it carries a higher level of risk; you cannot be sure of the outcome.

4 Regular maintenance or other routine work activities have been done before, so you can be more conLident of the outcome. This is a key point - projects are risky and it is the job of the Project manager to identify, communicate and manage that Project Management Institute (PMI) deLine Project Management the application of knowledge, skills and techniquesto execute projects effectively and efficiently This is good but I prefer Barker and Cole s A Project is a unique piece of work, with a defined beginning and at least one major crisis We tend to associate projects with work and, more speciLically, with things that Project managers do. But we are involved in projects, all of the time, both in work and in our personal lives.

5 And the simple things that we do to decide which new TV to buy or learn a new hobby will serve us well in all types of Project , regardless of 2 of 17 1 Brilliant Project Management by Barker and Types of ProjectThe tendency is think that projects differ mainly in size and scope; how much has to be done, how much it will cost and how long it will take. However, projects differ widely in type and, therefore, require a different approach to Project Management . The most useful way of deLining a Project comes from J. Rodney Turner2, who considers whether the goals are well deLined and whether the methods of achieving these goals are well deLined. This results in the following 4- box When both goals and methods are well deLined, the projects are lowest in risk and might include engineering projects, such as building a bridge.

6 When the reverse is the case, goals and methods are ill deLined, indicates that you have a research Project , which will be higher in classiLication of Earth, Water, Air and Fire projects is particularly Projects - includes engineering and construction projects (hence the Earth label), these are still projects in that they carry risk, but this is lower because both goals and methods are well deLinedWater Projects - have clear goals but you need to develop the methods, so this is the realm of product or process developmentAir Projects - these are the highest risk as you are developing both the goals and the methods as the Project progresses. Think blue sky research to remember this categoryFire Projects - these are the ones that burn you.

7 A typical example would be an IT Project , where a software vendor sells you the beneLits of a new package, but you are not really sure how you will use it or even what you will use it for (or if you need it at all) 3 of 17 2 The Handbook of Project Based Management by J. Rodney Turner At the start of any Project , it can be helpful to think about which category your new Project belongs to. This will change your perspective and make you more aware of the type of risks that might be encountered. And try to Lind someone who has run a similar Project and learn from their Output and OutcomeStart with the end in mind and keep it in view all the way through.

8 Many things will happen during the course of a Project to deLlect you from your course, so it is vital to develop a clear picture of what success looks like to help you get back on track. I Lind it helpful to think about both the Output and the is what you get at the end of the Project , what you pay forOutcome encompasses the overall beneLits realised by having the outputHere is an example to explain the difference3. The local government of Shanghai in China were concerned that the north shore of the Yangtze River was not developing as fast as the main city. So they sanctioned a Project to build a bridge across the river to improve communication links. The output of the Project was the bridge; that is what they paid for.

9 The outcome was the economic development of the north side of the river; this is the beneLit, the real value of the Five Dimensions of Project SuccessIt has been estimated that 30% of the world economy is based on projects, yet 70% of projects fail. This is a worrying statistic, so we need to deLine what success means for Project delivery. Project managers are under constant pressure to deliver on time and on budget. These things are easy to track and seem the most important elements (particularly to Management ). However, there are other dimensions to take into delight of moving into your newly built house on time and on budget quickly fades when you realise that the builder has cut corners.

10 The roof leaks, the heating does not work, the doors will not close properly. Would you prefer a quality job that was delayed by a couple of months and cost a few thousand pounds more? Impressions of quality last for a lifetime of 4 of 17 3 The Handbook of Project Based Management by J. Rodney TurnerThere are many famous examples of failed projects, such as the Millennium Dome. However, the one that I know a little bit about, simply because I followed the news as it unfolded, was the Scottish Parliament. This was pilloried in the national press as a disaster and the bare facts make it easy to understand why. In 1997, the initial estimate for the new Scottish Parliament Building was 40M, with completion scheduled for 2001.