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Project Initiation

Starting Up

  • Business Case
  • Feasability Study
  • Terms of Reference
  • Team Job Descriptions

Project Definiition

  • Defining the project - G. Horine, "Absolute Beginner's Guide to Project Management", 3rd edition, page 47
  • Project Defniition Document ( aka Project CHarter )
  • Required Elements
  • Optional ELements

Project Execution

  • Build Deliverables
  • Monitor and Control
    • Time
    • Cost
    • Change
    • Risk
    • Procurement
    • Communications
    • Acceptance

Project Closure

  • Project Closure Report
  • Acceptance by the customer
  • Review project completion - lessons learned

The Request For Proposal (RPF)

  • Produced after current system is understood and requirements have been gathered
  • Sent to vendors
  • Describes situation, expectations, problem to be solved, details of what the vendor is expected to provide
  • Sets guidelines for proposal structure
  • Vendor prepares a proposal foloowing guidelines in RFP

Proposal Matrix

Feature 1 Feature 2
Vendor 1 2 9
Vendor 2 4 7

Importance Matrix

Feature 1 4
Feature 2 9

Vendor - feature score x feature importance = total score

Vendor 1 - 2 x 4 + 9 x 9 = 89

Vendor 2 - 4 x 4 + 7 x 9 = 79

The Proposal

Response to an RFP

Must follow the RFP guidelines for format - Makes evaluation of proposals easier if they are consistent in format

May be written asa speculative proposal witout an RFP

Internet search "IT project Proposal"

  • Writing tips
  • Sample templates
  • ... take with a grain of salt, customize

Project Name, identification codes, date, etc.

Executive overview

Start and finish dates

Goals / Objectives

Scope

Cost estimates

Business justification ( your sales pitch - why they shouold give the project to you )

Information about your company

Team members - biography, or resume

Project Definition

Required Elements

Purpose - why? (organizational objective, problem bing solved, priority level)

Goals and Objectives

Success Criteria

Project Context - relation to the organization, relation to other projects

Scope Specification - defines boundaries

Out-Of_Scope Specifications

Assumptions

Constraints - any business event, scehdule, budget, resource, technology constraints

Risks - any uncertain event or condition (risk) that, if occurs, could have a negative effect on the project

Stakeholders - all individuals, business unites and organizations involved in the project, their roles, and mutual relationships

  • All stakeholders must be identified
  • All major stakeholders must approve the Project Definition document

Recommeded Project Approach - recommended approach to getting the work done and why it was selected over an other options (key strategies, methodologies and technologies to be used)

Optional Elements

Alternative Project Approaches - lists alternatives that were considere

Organizational Change Issues - p[lanning for the change impact (customers, business processes, poersonel)

Policies and Standards

Preliminary Cost, Schedule, and Resource Estimates

Supporting DOcuments

7 Key Questions

  1. Why are we doing this?
  2. What organizational level goals does this project support?
  3. How does this project fit with other projects that are going on?
  4. What is the expected benefit from this project?
  5. Who is impacted, and who must be involved?
  6. How will we know when we are done or if the project was successful?

Visual Communication

Project Overview Map

Project Organization Chart

Work Breakdown Structure

Changes to Project Definition

It's a living document

Any changes must be approved by the same set of original stakeholders

Project Planning

Purpose: to develop a plan that enables the project to be executed and controlled

The Project Plan

Blueprint for the project

Starts to take form early in the project

Is updated and revised throughout the project

Initial Project Plan defines:

  • Goals
    • General objectives
    • Vision for the project
    • "Where we want to go"
  • Objectives
    • Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Bound
    • "How we will get where we want to go"

Initial Project Plan

Assumptions - Must be documented to avoid problems later

Contingency plans

  • One for each assumption
  • Plan for possible problems - probability and impact

Scope - based on all of the above

Define Phases, Milestones and End Products

Define the Tasks

Establish the Task Relationships

Assign Resources and Costs

Establish the Initial Plan as Your Project Baseline