1. Determine stakeholders and their influence/interests

Stakeholder management strategy • Identify

• Analyse

• Map/prioritise

• Communication Plan

• Review Effectiveness of communication

They may: • Support or oppose

• Gain or lose from project

• See project as a threat or enhancement to their position

May be from: • Inside project

• Outside of project

• Outside project organisation, i.e. regulator, local authority

Include business, user and supplier stakeholders

Do they have influence and no interest or interest and no influence?

Can produce stakeholder influence and interests matrix

Drive communication and stakeholder management strategies

Consider risk management strategies

Identify project success criteria

2. Optimal project organisation Include the following:

• Senior user • Executive • Senior supplier • Business user and project assurance • Change authority (if applicable) • Project team

May be: • Matrix (functional and project line management in parallel • Functional (limited influence of project manager over other function) • Project types (hired for duration of project only, no functional line manager)

Can be divided into: • Directing (project board) • Managing (project manager) • Delivering (team manager) • Managing and delivering may be combined on smaller projects

Produce RACI to define and communicate roles and responsibilities • Responsible • Accountable • Consulted • Informed

Produce OBS/organogram Undertake gap analysis and map required competencies against team Identify required roles and responsibilities Identify resource requirements (skill and size of resource)

3. Project success criteria and business benefits

Success criteria • Determines what the project will be judged against – may be schedule, cost, scope or quality

or a combination of 2 or more.

• Determine from who's viewpoint the important success criteria will be seen from

Business benefits • A perceived improvement brought about by a project outcome

• Likely to be realised after project completion

• Reviewed throughout project

• Need to be aligned to corporate strategy

• Quantified and measureable

• Assigned

Business benefits are: • Clearly identified

• Focus for delivering change

• Committed and ownership assigned

• Proactive business realisation – likely outside project lifecycle

• Record benefit realisation to justify investment

Can be tangible or intangible

4. Project constraints and dependencies

Assumptions and constraints characteristics - condition, circumstance or event. • Assumption allows the project to proceed.

• Constraint restricts and limit project execution.

• Assumptions must be analysed and monitored to ensure validity and relevancy as the project proceeds.

• Constraints must be identified and incorporated into the project plan to ensure that the plan is realistic.

Therefore an assumption may be the required project budget (based on planning) and the constraint may be funding curve limiting availability of budget.

Dependencies: • Internal - between project activities and products

• External – products or activities from other projects, sign-off by external body

External dependencies are a project risk

Both constraints and dependencies should feature in project plans

Periodic assessments and at Stage gates

5. Project risks

Include threats and opportunities

Risk description terminology – cause, risk, effect

Risk register will include • Who raised risk and when

• Category and description

• Probability and impact

• Proximity

• Risk response (Avoid/Exploit, Reduce Fallback Transfer/Enhance, Share, Accept/Reject)

• Risk response actions

• Risk status, owner and actionee

Methods to identify: • Use of risk breakdown structure , PESTLE, PBS

• Lessons learned and in-house checklists

• Brainstorming, risk review sessions etc

Periodic assessments and at stage gates

6. Project issues

‘Issue’ – an unplanned event requiring management action

Can be raised by any member of team and put in issue register

May relate to change control

Issues can be: • Resolved within project (problem/concern)

• Request for change

• Off-specification

• May need to be elevated to project board if either of latter two

Method of categorising, prioritising and determining management level of response to be included in Configuration Management Strategy, for example:- must have, should have, could have, won’t have (for now).

Issue procedure: • Capture – mitigate informally / formally

• Examine – impact on outputs, benefits and overall risk

• Propose mitigation

• Decide on mitigation and level of escalation

• Implement mitigation

7. Project context and overall business case Develop at beginning of project

• Senior user specifies benefits • Executive ensures benefits are delivered • PESTLE or similar

Outline BC before project initiation from project mandate Contains:

• Executive summary • Reasons for project and objective – drivers for change • Project plan (approximate cost, timescales, scope) – timescales to include benefit realisation • Risks • Options (inc do nothing, do minimum, do something) • Benefits (and dis-benefits) – how will these be measured? • Success criteria • Constraints, assumptions • Dependencies • Impact on BAU • Investment appraisal based on all above – use through life costs, ROI, net benefits, payback period,

discounted cash flow, net present value, sensitivity analysis

Business justification – continue throughout project To drive decision making (cost /benefit / risk balance) Output → outcome (derived change) → benefit (improvement from outcome) Benefits often after project complete To be reviewed at:

• End of project phase / start of next (inc at end of project) • Major changes (risk, exception plan) • As part of benefit review (benefit review plan)

8. Define scope of project

What the project delivers, i.e. deliverables

What the project does not deliver

Prevent scope creep and aid project handover

Provide a baseline against which change control can be assessed

Can be defined through PBS • Products numbered for configuration management

External products that are dependencies

Phased handover – early delivery of scope

Ensure effectively communicated to all stakeholders

9. Project management planning Project execution plan contains all aspects of project planning All project processes and procedures that impact on managing the project Includes:

• Time • Resources – cost, plant and labour • Scope • Quality • Team – organisation and resource and expertise requirements

Create product breakdown structure Time

• Gantt chart – Primavera, MS Project etc • PERT analysis such as activity on the node • Planning horizon, i.e. plan each stage in detail • Critical paths, resource smoothing or resource levelling, milestones

Cost • Estimating techniques such as top-down, bottom-up, comparative, parametric, three-point, delpi

techniques • Resource loading of schedule to give basis for EVM – produce S Curve

Resource • Histograms

Agree quality criteria Used to baseline project so that changes can be assessed against Governance RACI and OBS

10. Risk management process

As per slide 5 – take outline risks within business case risks develop

To manage risks the following are important: • Understanding of project context

• Organisation’s risk appetite

• Stakeholder involvement

• Establishment of clear project objectives

• Develop risk management approach

• Report on risks regularly

• Clear roles and responsibilities

• Support structure and supportive culture

• Monitor for early warning indicators

• Review cycle and continuous improvement

Establish risk management strategy – define process from identification to implementation

Record key decisions

Establish project board’s ‘risk appetite’

Risk management procedure • Identify

• Assess

• Control (plan, implement, communicate)

11. Quality management

Meet business expectations and enable desired benefits to be achieved

Quality assurance independent of project team is best practise

Project assurance from within project – independent of delivery function

Establish plan • Quality criteria including tolerances

• Quality methods for QC (in-process) and product acceptance (appraisal methods)

• Project Board Agreement - acceptance of quality criteria by key stakeholders

• Communicate – all are aware of what will be achieved

• Control – establish methods to achieve quality and QC

Establish a quality register and ensure complete quality records

Apply MoSCoW to conflicting quality criteria

Quality responsibilities divided into: • Producer

• Reviewer

• Approver

Planned audits by quality assurance including upon project assurance arrangements

11a Project execution plan Acronyms/Abbreviations

Project context - Introduction, Project Description, Purpose, Objectives

Approval and Revisions

Roles and responsibilities - Organisation

Project Interfaces and Dependencies

Resources

Sanction Process – Stage-gates etc

Product or Work Breakdown Structure

Procurement Strategy

Project Scope

Quality Management and Criteria

Project Schedule

Estimated Project and Lifetime Costs

Issue and Exception Management

Project Management Control and Reporting

Baseline Change Control Management

Risk Management – Risk Register

Environment, Safety and Health

Value Engineering

Configuration Management

Communications plan and Stakeholder management

Project Meetings and Reviews

Quality Assurance

Handover

Lessons Learned

Project Closeout

Benefits Review

12. Best Value

Optimise project schedule • Increasing resource

• Modify schedule calendar

• Parallel working

• Changing methods and logic

• Resource smoothing / levelling

Management requirements and scope • MoSCoW

• Stakeholder engagement

Apply appropriate quality criteria

Apply innovative methods of delivery – balance against risk

Procurement techniques – competitive tender, frameworks, negotiated contract

Continued business justification

Benefits realisation plan – realisation of benefits

13. Legal and contractual issues

Legal • Regulatory authorities such a HSE, EA, ONR etc

• Legislation and regulations such as Heath and Safety at Work Act, 1974

Contractual • Forms of contract such as NEC, GC Works JCT etc.

• Contract tenders – deliverables, contract schedule, fixed price, target cost, cost reimbursable

• Payment terms

• Intellectual property rights (IPR)

14. Negotiation with supplier of critical services

Understand bargaining position (yours and theirs)

May include: • Resources

• Schedule

• Priorities

• Quality

• Procedures

• Costs

• People

Process is: • Planning – understand issues, research and understand opponents objectives, anticipate strategies and define own (i.e.

fallback plan etc), allocate roles and responsibilities (lead negotiator, minute taker, observer etc)

• Discussing

• Proposing

• Trade-offs

• Bargaining

• Agreeing

Linked to interests/influence of stakeholders

Need to understand could have, should have, must have

Dual Concern Model

Identify

Understand from both sides

Consider method for dealing with conflict

All agree

Monitor

Reinforce agreement

Linked to interests and influences of stakeholders

Conflict may be about: • Resources

• Schedule

• Priorities

• Quality

• Procedures

• Costs

• People

15. Analyse conflict situation and apply approprate style

Change Control process

All links to Project Execution Plan and Business Case

Continued business justification

Update risk register

May also have contractual impact leading to variations

Exception plan will need approval from project board or beyond

Will need to understand Project Success Criteria as there will be conflicts • Cost versus time versus scope / quality

Will be interdependencies between plans which will need assessing

Review scope – MoSCoW

Assess issue as per slide 6

Schedules can be optimised by: • Increasing resource

• Modify schedule calendar

• Parallel working

• Changing methods and logic

Communicate and manage expectations

Ensure buy-in from stakeholders

19. Optimise project plans to respond to a major change

Roles and responsibilities clearly understood

Change Control process will identify • Tolerances and bands within which category of change falls within

• Authorities to which application foe change control is to be made

Ensure project baseline is set • Scope

• Cost

• Schedule

• Quality

Issue register to identify potential changes

Tools and processes for capturing, examining, proposing, decision making, implementing changes.

Change control decisions – approve, reject, defer, RFI, request exception plan

Config management decisions - concession, resolve, defer, RFI, exception plan

PBS will be numbered to identify all elements for configuration control

Configuration management procedures (planning, identification, control, status accounting, verification and audit)

Records and reporting established and timing of activities

20. Apply effective change control and configuration management

Relating to change

Assess as per interest / influence matrix

Assess scope as per MoSCoW

Conflict and negotiation management techniques

Consider Project Success Criteria in decision making

Early engagement and as per communication plan

Ensure communication is to appropriate level

Make stakeholders aware of project risks

21. Balancing stakeholder expectations

Against all project data including risk, scope quality. Form plan

• Determine method of gathering data

Gather data • Percentage complete or other pre-determined method, eg. 0, 50%, 100% • Actual costs from Contractors • Determine who gathers this information • Could be quality logs, scope delivery, benefit realisation • Timesheets

Review data against plan • EVM • Milestone slippage chart

Action levels pre-agreed Take action

• Increasing resource • Modify schedule calendar • Parallel working • Changing methods and logic • Resource smoothing / levelling

Change control if required Audit methods of reported progress – contractor supplied data may be optimistic

22. Monitor progress and take suitable controlling action

22a. Earned Value Management

• CPI – Cost Performance Index • CPI = BCWP / ACWP • SPI – Schedule Performance Index • SPI = BCWP / BCWS • BAC – Budget at Completion • EAC – Estimate at Completion

ACWP

BCWP

BCWS

Schedule as project deliverable Identify attendees and ensure well attended Identify objectives - agenda Project description Evaluate project success factors Evaluate project success criteria Benefits against Benefits Realisation Plan (slide 3) Review against plan and business case, i.e. re-evaluate business case

• Cost • Scope • Schedule • Quality

Quality management strategy, errors in strategy and statistics for defects What went well and what went badly Was the project a success? Identify follow-on actions Agree closing date for costs to be charged against the project Evaluate team performance Contact details for project personnel Contain recommendations Ensure it is adequately communicated Needs attendees to be candid Ensure findings are communicated Arrangements for archiving

23. Post Project Evaluation Review

Practitioner Qualification will not be awarded to candidates who do not demonstrate at least a basic/partial capability in the assessment criteria shown in bold. 1. Determine stakeholders and their influence and interests 2. Design the optimal project organisation 3. Analyse and understand project success criteria and business benefits 4. Analyse and understand project constraints and dependences 5. Identify project risks and assumptions 6. Identify project issues 7. Demonstrate an understanding of project context and the overall business case 8. Define the scope of the project 9. Demonstrate a comprehensive application of project management planning 10. Apply a risk management process competently to the project 11. Apply a quality management process competently to the project 12. Demonstrate an ability to incorporate best value approaches 13. Demonstrate an awareness of generic legal and contractual issues 14. Prepare for a negotiation with a supplier of critical services for the project 15. Analyse conflict situations and apply an appropriate style to resolve the issue 16. Objectively reflect on the performance of self and other team members 17. Present information clearly and factually 18. Answer questions relevantly and succinctly 19. Optimise project plans to respond to a major change 20. Apply effective change control and configuration management 21. Balance conflicting stakeholder expectations 22. Demonstrate an ability to monitor project progress and take suitable controlling action 23. Plan and conduct a suitable post project evaluation review 24. Objectively identify lessons to be learned separating causes from effects 25. Communicate succinctly in writing 26. Lead and influence a small team 27. Work effectively as a team member 28. Communicate verbally in an appropriate way (including listening) 29. Obtain information through use of appropriate questions 30. Present compelling recommendations to project sponsor (board/steering group)

A - Practitioner Qualification Assessment Criteria

Business case 1 – 7 (90min written)

Planning 8 -11 ( 210min group)

Value 12 & 13 (60min written)

Negotiation and conflict 14 – 16 (90min group)

Presentation and Interview 17 & 18 (30min)

Change 19 – 21 (group 210min)

Post-project review 23 & 24 (60min group)

Monitor and control 22 (90min written)

25 to 30 (throughout)

Course timings and content

• Start at mid-day on day one. Try to arrive fresh and in plenty of time. Get to know other candidates as full cooperation will be needed for everyones benefit.

• Try to be prepared for first day especially - business cases and planning. It will be tough to catch up if you do not get a reasonable score on criteria 1 to 11.

• Day two is a little less frantic. Criteria 14 to 16 will be completed just before dinner.

• The afternoon of day 2 is criteria 19 to 21 with the interview (17 & 18) late afternoon or early evening. This will consist of a 5 to 10 minute presentation about a subject, broadly related to a project you have undertaken (home or work) or your CV. Prepare for this in advance to take some of the pressure off yourself.

• Day 3 begins with a written question on monitoring and controlling.

• The group presentation will rely heavily on time management. Plan the presentation as you go and the handover between presented sections.

• An essay aimed at your weak area is the last task. It will only be used for those on the borderline so strong passes and bad failures will likely not get theirs marked.

• Completion is mid-day on the third day on the dot. The course staff need to agree passes and fails before they go home and will not want to hang around.

• Breaks are planned into the day.

• Timings are approximate based on memory.

B – Tips 1

General • All but the last group session require preparation of project information from the

project scenario. Questions will be asked by the assessor acting as a project sponsor. The last group session will require a group presentation.

• Keep track of time and break your group sessions down, including breaks, to ensure they are completed fully.

• Cooperation with your team mates is key. There will be disagreements but do not waste too much time on them. Make your point and move on.

• Map the group task against the 30 criteria and ensure you cover them. • Assumptions will have to be made with regards gaps within the scenarios. If you

exclude key calculations because of lack of information you will be questioned at the end of the session.

• Prepare for individual presentation in advance. It consists of a 5 to 10 minute presentation followed by questions. The entire session lasts 30 minutes.

• The negotiation / conflict group session only requires negotiation planning but will require conflict resolution with very little planning. Ask the disgruntled stakeholder to take a chair to calm the situation down and do not be afraid to compromise.

• The assessment asks that attendees behave as if they are undertaking a project at their work. However if you organisation does not use APM best practise or you are in a PM role you will need to adopt APM behaviours and work practices to succeed.

B – Tips 2

APMPQ Candidate Guidance Notes (APM) - http://www.apm.org.uk/sites/default/files/3-1-3%20PQ%20guidance%20notes_.pdf

Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2, 2009.

APMP Course Notes – February 2012, based on APM BoK 5.

APMPQ assessed against APM BoK 5.

References