Thursday, December 12, 2013

Monday, October 14, 2013

Project life cycle


From idea to project :
In order to qualify as a potential project, the idea should at least :

  1. correspond to a need identified by the company, for its customers or for itself
  2. be consistent with its strategy
  3. be workable in principle
  4. be economically viable

• Initiation

  1. Advisability studyFactors to be taken into account : the market, competition, the company’s needs and strategy, other projects under way etc.
  2. Feasibility study / Factors to be taken into account : the objectives of the project, technical, financial and timing constraints, possible risks
 / Requires : imagining what the product would be and how to get there, a summary project description, a summary project plan
  3. Business case /  Information package for decision-makers describing the project’s purpose, benefits, summary plan, risks, profit & loss (P&L), evaluation

• Preparation

  1. Charter = Reference document, also called project mandate, project definition, project initiation document (PID), project overview statement (POS), terms of reference (TOR) of the project describing in particular the project’s scope, budget and schedule, the outcome of the project (summary requirements), the PM’s responsibilities and level of authority
  2. Planning
• Execution / Creation of the resulting product : implementation, development, project documentation, product documentation...

• Closure / Launch of the product (usually), resource release, contracts termination, “post-mortem” analysis...

Project manager


A project needs to be managed !

The project owner / sponsor and the project executor
Maîtrise d'ouvrage (MOA), maîtrise d'œuvre (MOE)

Project manager’s role :
• Successful completion of the project in compliance with its scope, schedule, budget and quality requirements,
• Satisfaction of customer expectations
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Set SMART objectives :
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time-bound

The project manager :
• Should be involved at the earliest possible stage
• Take full responsibility until completion
• Is not necessarily the initiator of the project BUT should actively participate in the design phase of the project
• Is not an expert (editing or developing or marketing or...) BUT
• Should be familiar with the functions of the various contributors to the project
• Should speak their specialist languages

Keywords : 
imagine, evaluate, anticipate, devise, plan, write, organize, coordinate, mobilize, motivate, supervise, monitor, control, measure, react, arbitrate, resolve, participate, ensure, negotiate, decide, interface, communicate, manage, direct, head, lead.

Project management diamond


Project management triangle

Project management / definition


Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.

Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to achieve the specific project objectives.