Project Management Framework

What Do You Mean ‘Framework’? I am sure you have heard some of the following terms:

PMI, Agile, Prince2, TenStep, Waterfall, SDLC

While different, they all share the concept of a Framework A step-by-step, organized approach to project management Each has been developed over time, best practices

All are repeatable ‘shells’ of a project approach (details/processes differ)

The following is the definition of ‘Framework ’ a skeletal structure designed to support or enclose something. a frame or structure composed of parts fitted and joined together.

Why Bother With A Framework?

It provides a set of scalable best practices for your PMs

Enables standardized project delivery across functions Reduces wasted cycles needed to analyze, decide, and train Corporate understanding, business unit/initiative enhanced Sets expectations & builds trust throughout your organization

A standard approach allows for streamlined continuous improvement Best practices maximize resource utilization & increases odds of success Lessons learned from individual projects can enhance overall approach

Documents, templates, & tools are easily propogated & adopted across the organization

Project Management Framework Phases PMF leverages a series of ‘stage gate’ approvals for several reasons:

Breaks large initiatives into smaller, more manageable pieces Ensures executive engagement & approval at key points in the project Enables project cancellation earlier in the process, reducing risk/waste

Initiation Planning Execution Closure

PMF Phases - Initiation Identify the customer need or opportunity the project will solve for Invesitigate and identify/rule-out alternative solutions Develop & present the business case supporting the initiative Analyze the internal/external impacts & dependencies

Does it fit into the corporate strategy? Another project this one relies on or vice versa External pushes/pulls – government regulations, industry trends, etc

Develop a high-level concept of the project goals When does it need to be completed (i.e. – 2Q of FY09/10) What are the key requirements/deliverables Identify key milestones, measurements for success, & assumptions

Gain Executive Approval and move on to Planning

PMF Phases - Planning It is crucial to get a detailed, agreed upon, final set of requirements

Not being thorough at this point is gauranteed to cause problems later There are multiple techniques to interviewing and gathering req’s

Develop a WBS and the project schedule Duration estimates are crucial as well, work closely with you team There are a number of tools for the project schedule (i.e. – MS Project)

Develop the budget for approval Duration estimates are crucial for this Think about people, equipment, travel, development, licenses, etc Work closely with your teams and vendors on this, do not rush it

Identify your risks, prioritize them and develop mitigation plans Understand what the triggers are, how to reduce the likelihood

Develop & distribute a communications plan How will you communicate…email, meetings, project dashboard? Who will get what information and when?

PMF Phases - Executing Develop

Execute according to the plan Build, code, write, etc your deliverables

Monitor & Control Track & report on the progress

Building relationship with your team will allow for honest feedback How is the actual progress lining up with the proposed plan?

Manage Change If it isn’t in the Scope Document or WBS, it is a change Don’t say no…analyze the impact on your triple constraints (nowadays it is

more of a hexagonal constraint) If approved…assign owner, build into plan, and start tracking

Validate Qaulity & Readiness You are the PM, make sure the deliverbales meet customer expectations

PMF Phases - Closure Complete a Project Close-Out Report

List the requirement, final spend, final date Gain signature of acceptance from your customer and/or sponsor

Gain final acceptance from the Executive Team Host a Lessons Learned with the stakeholders

What worked welland what need improvements? Did the PMF provide value and what was waste? Etc.

Conduct a survey with your team Great opportunity for anonymous feedback, great for personal growth

Archive the Project Artifacts Let others learn from your experience Another similar project can leverage your durations, resource plan, etc

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