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QUICK BRIEF
Starting a Project
 When starting, or initiating, a
project it is essential to have a number of key elements in place, when
needed. Unless these key elements are in place, the project will be
difficult to control and may not succeed.
These key elements are needed in addition to the specific work load of the project . These
elements are briefly described below.
Scope - A project Brief, Charter or
Mandate, will provide the authority to start the project and an outline of
what is required. Scope is defined early in the project detailing the
boundary and content of the project and includes:
 | The
overall boundaries for the project |
| What
is part of the project, what is not |
| Processes
for managing scope should be defined |
|
Critical areas and key success factors must be
identified |
| Detailed
requirements must be agreed |
Plans - A variety of plans need to produced,
these provide the detail of 'who is doing what, and when' in the project.
Plans also describe the main working and administration processes to be
used.
The key plans include:
| Schedule
– Timescales, Sequences, Priorities, Stages |
| Resources
– Specialists, Usage levels, Availability |
| Budget
– Materials & resources, Cash Flow, Commitment levels,
Contingencies |
| Stakeholder
management – Communications, Approvals, Publicity, Expectations |
| Configuration
management –Libraries, Processes, Documentation, Ownership |
| Quality
– Standards, Reviews, Processes, Organisation, Audit |
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Change Management – Processes, Standards,
Organisation |
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Risk
Management - Assessment, Mitigation, Contingency |
Organisation - People are usually assigned to work in projects
in logical groups, or teams. These teams must have a reporting structure
and hierarchy, in order to ensure the work is achieved effectively,
without unnecessary overlaps.
|
The
management structure, including Project Manager and project Board |
|
The
Project Core Team will include all the team leaders |
|
Project
Teams are specialist teams undertaking detailed work |
|
Administration
Teams will help to ensure work progresses smoothly |
|
Authority
and empowerment is provided to teams and leaders to control the work |
Administration
- This helps to ensure the work progresses smoothly and appropriate
records are kept. Administration can also be responsible for providing
checks and controls in the project:
| Progress
reporting including format, meetings and reporting cycles |
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Work allocation and time control |
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Conformance
to standards and procedures |
|
Record
keeping and document management |
The amount of time and resources required to undertake the work will
vary from project to project. For small projects the organisation and
administration will take very little time, whilst plans may be only a page
or two. Whereas large, or complex, projects will require
more time and resource effort than smaller projects, with much more
detailed plans.
If you need
help with starting, establishing or initiating projects, or wish to find out how Migrators
can help you improve the existing ways of managing projects, within your organisation please contact our specialist
consultants, by
email at
info@migrators.co.uk,
or by telephone on + 44 79 73 167 005.
Related Links
Project
Management Workshops
Project Management
Staff
development
Business Culture
Change management
Return to Quick
Brief Introduction |
