Project Management in a Nutshell

Tips to Keep Your Project on Track

Ceilyn Boyd & Cathy ConroyPrograms, Projects & Operational Planning

December 2015

Overview

• Project Management in a Nutshell– 1) Plan, 2) Manage, 3) Deliver– Project Management:• Principles• Tools• Strategies• Utilities

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Project Management in a Nutshell

• Project Management Goals1. Plan2. Manage3. Deliver

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Project Management Principles

• Planning helps to minimize risk and ensure good outcomes

• Plans always change, but change can be managed

• Good lines of communication help to:– manage stakeholder expectations, and– ensure that team members stay engaged

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Project Management Tools

1. Project charter– Goals and deliverables– Benefits and/or impact statement– Workplan

• To-do list• Timeline

– Budget– Resources

• Roles and responsibilities

– Communications plan*

2. Status Reports3. Lessons Learned

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Project Management Strategies

• Project scope management– Avoid scope creep

• Resource management– Document roles and responsibilities– Identify members of the ‘critical path’

• Risk management– Identify risks to project in advance– Create risk mitigation plans

• Change management– Document changes to goals, scope, and, deliverables

• Communications*

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Project Communications

• Audience– Internal: project team, stakeholders

• Charter, Status Reports, Lessons Learned

– External: other members of the community• Charter, Status Summaries, Deliverables

• Modes– Written

• Project documents: charter, workplan, schedule, meeting notes, status reports.

• Reports: formal reports to funders, etc.

– Other• Informal• Formal

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Common Project Management Utilities

• Goal: Use the simplest tool possible – spend time executing and managing your project, not wrangling with your tool

• Microsoft – MS Project

• Most projects do not need the advanced functionality of MS Project

– MS Excel• Most projects can be managed easily using a tool like Excel

– MS OneNote• Good support for collaboration

• Online Project Management and Collaborative Utilities/Apps– Collaboration

• Google Docs: https://www.google.com/docs/about/ • Evernote: https://evernote.com/ • TeamSnap: https://www.teamsnap.com/

– Project Management• Asana: https://asana.com/ • TeamSnap: https://www.teamsnap.com/ • Smart Sheet: https://www.smartsheet.com/

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Contact Us

• Ceilyn Boyd– ceilyn_boyd@harvard.edu– 617-733-0730

• Cathy Conroy– conroy@law.harvard.edu– 617-496-2114

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