At
the start of any project, there will be a variety of ideas and opinions about
the purpose and scope of the project, what the final product of the project
will be, and how the project will be carried out. The Project
Initiation Stage is concerned with taking these ideas and intentions and
developing them into a formal, planned, resourced and funded project.
It is also necessary to
develop a process by which the project objectives can be achieved. This process
will typically involve carrying out a number of tasks and producing a number of
products during the course of the project. The tasks produce the products. For
clarity of purpose and for control reasons it is useful to arrange these tasks
in a top down structure, which progressively specify the required work in more
detail.
As a first step, it is important to identify the stakeholders in your
project. It is not always easy to identify the stakeholders of a project,
particularly those impacted indirectly. Examples of stakeholders are:
- The project sponsor.
- The customer who receives the deliverables.
- The users of the project outputs.
- The project manager and project team.
Once you understand who the stakeholders are, the next step is to find out
their needs. The best way to do this is by conducting stakeholder interviews.
Take time during the interviews to draw out the true needs that create real
benefits. Often stakeholders will talk about needs that aren't relevant and
don't deliver benefits. These can be recorded and set as a low priority.
The Project management will run as per following diag-
The main aim of project kick off
is to produce a plan which defines how to perform the Project Initiation Stage
itself. Project Kick Off is therefore concerned with producing a plan of the
work required to produce a plan for the whole project.
So, after finishing Project Kick
off meetings, we should have Project Initiation Kick Off Plan listing
deliverables, techniques, committed resources and timescales for the Project
Initiation Stage.
So simply Project
Kick off is nothing but the successful discussion with BA (Business Analyst)
who representing the client.
You should be more
flexible here, because as you know, lot many compotators are there, offering
the same service. So this is your main exam, where you have to stand.
Step 2: Project Goals
After getting deal from client, you should have to be very happy, but also
have to work lot. Now your project kickoff meetings will start in order to
discuss on following tasks-
ü
Business
Requirement
ü
Timeline
ü
Cost
ü
Buffer
management & few more
Once this discussion gone over,
Project manager & BA (Who is
representing the client here) will seat together & they will work on
Business requirement Document (BRD).
Then This BRD will get finalized once got final
approval from client, normally lot many changes will be their in
the drafted version. Make sure that all this changes should be tracked by using
word tracker & should be saved with different version names so that in
feature we may use those if any requirement got cancel.
A project is successful when
the needs of the stakeholders have been met. A stakeholder is anybody directly
or indirectly impacted by the project.
This is the most difficult part of the planning process completed. It's time
to move on and look at the project deliverables.
Step 3: Project Deliverables
Now the hectic work for project manger will start, that is to design SRS
along with BA.
Usually BRD is the reference for
SRS
(System Requirements Specification). Again
same as BRD, project manager & BA have to work together for getting done
with requirements. Once all requirements are documented, it should be first got
signed off by BA, then few managers from client side. After getting final
approval on SRS, have to start this step No: 2 that is WHAT WOULD BE OUR
PROJECT DELIEVERABLES?
Using the goals you have defined
in step 2, create a list of things the project needs to deliver in order to
meet those goals. Specify when and how each item must be delivered.
Add the deliverables to the project plan
with an estimated delivery date. More accurate delivery dates will be
established during the scheduling phase, which is next.
Step 4: Project Schedule
Create a list of tasks that need to be carried out for each deliverable
identified in step 2. For each task identify the following:
- The amount of effort (hours
or days) required to complete the task.
- The resource who will
carryout the task.
Once you have established the amount of effort for each task, you can
workout the effort required for each deliverable, and an accurate delivery
date. Update your deliverables section with the more accurate delivery dates.
At this point in the planning,
you could choose to use a software package such as
Microsoft Project to create your
project schedule. Alternatively, use one of the many free templates
available. Input all of the deliverables, tasks, durations and the resources
who will complete each task.
A common problem discovered at
this point, is when a project has an imposed delivery deadline from the sponsor
that is not realistic based on your estimates. If you discover this is the
case, you must contact the sponsor immediately. The options you have in this
situation are:
- Renegotiate the deadline (project delay).
- Employ additional resources (increased cost).
- Reduce the scope of the project (less delivered).
Use the project schedule to justify pursuing one of these options.
Step 5: Supporting Plans
This section deals with plans you should create as part of the planning
process. These can be included directly in the plan.
Human
Resource Plan
Identify by name, the individuals and organizations with a leading role in
the project. For each, describe their roles and responsibilities on the
project.
Next, describe the number and type of people needed to carryout the project.
For each resource detail start dates, estimated duration and the method you
will use for obtaining them.
Create a single sheet containing this information.
Communications Plan
Create a document showing who needs to be kept informed about the project
and how they will receive the information. The most common mechanism is a
weekly or monthly progress report, describing how the project is performing,
milestones achieved and work planned for the next period.
Risk Management Plan
Risk management is an important part of project management. Although often
overlooked, it is important to identify as many risks to your project as
possible, and be prepared if something bad happens.
Here are some examples of common project risks:
- Time and cost estimates too
optimistic.
- Customer review and feedback
cycle too slow.
- Unexpected budget cuts.
- Unclear roles and
responsibilities.
- Stakeholder input is not
sought, or their needs are not properly understood.
- Stakeholders changing
requirements after the project has started.
- Stakeholders adding new
requirements after the project has started.
- Poor communication resulting
in misunderstandings, quality problems and rework.
- Lack of resource commitment.
Risks can be tracked using a simple risk log. Add each risk you have
identified to your risk log; write down what you will do in the event it
occurs, and what you will do to prevent it from occurring. Review your risk log
on a regular basis, adding new risks as they occur during the life of the
project. Remember, when risks are ignored they don't go away.
All above
discussion, can be simply summarized by using following process –
Please Share your views about project management with us via comments below.