It might seem daunting when you realize that, as a project manager, you’re responsible for such a tremendous balancing act throughout the life of the project. However, this responsibility can be broken down into the following four manageable processes:
Most of the chapters in this book are structured with these four processes in mind. For each process, you use Microsoft Project in specific ways. Standard project management practices are also related to planning, executing, controlling, and closing the project. Throughout this book, the Microsoft Project procedures as well as the project management practices are described in the context of the relevant project process.
The following sections detail the key elements of each of the four project management processes.
You’re ready to begin the planning process after an authoritative stakeholder has decided to implement this project with you as the project manager. The outcome of this planning process will be a workable project plan and a team ready to start working the project. When planning the project, do the following:
Look at the big picture. Before you get too far into the nuts and bolts of planning, you need a comprehensive vision of where you’re going with your project. You shape this vision by first identifying the project goals and objectives. This practice helps you set the scope of the project. You learn the expectations, limitations, and assumptions for this project, and they all go into the mix. You also identify possible risks and contingency plans for the project.
Identify the project’s milestones, deliverables, and tasks. Subdivide the project into its component tasks and then organize and sequence the tasks to accurately reflect the project scope.
Develop and refine the project schedule. To turn the task list into a workable project schedule, specify task durations and relate tasks to each other. You can create task dependencies, that is, a model of how the start of one task depends on the completion of another task, for example. If you have any specific dates for deliverables, you can enter them as deadlines, or, if really necessary, task constraints. At that point, Microsoft Project can start to calculate a realistic schedule for tasks in particular and the project as a whole. With this plan, you can accurately forecast the scope, schedule, and budget for the project. You can also determine which resources are needed, how many, and at what time.
Identify skills, equipment, materials, supplies, and services needed. After the tasks are identified, you can determine the skills, equipment, and materials needed to carry out the work for those tasks. You obtain the needed human, equipment, and material resources and assign them to the appropriate tasks. You also factor in supplies, services, and other cost items that will be incurred, and assign those cost resources to tasks as well. You can now calculate when the project can be completed and how much it will cost. If it looks like you’re exceeding the allowable deadline or budget, you can make the necessary adjustments.
Note
Some project managers refer to the "project plan" as the text-based document in which the broad goals and methodologies of the project are defined. Throughout this book, however, we refer to the Microsoft Project file as the project plan. Although some refer to this file as the project schedule, there’s more going on in that file than the schedule. For example, it can include resource definitions, cost information, reports, and attached documents.
The second project management process is execution. At this point, you have your project plan in hand. The tasks are scheduled and the resources are assigned. Everyone’s at the starting gate waiting for you to say "Go!"
You give the word, and the project moves from planning to the execution and controlling process. In the course of executing the project, you do the following:
Save a baseline plan for comparison. To get good tracking information, keep a copy of certain project plan information on hand so you can compare your plan to actual progress as the project moves along.
Monitor the resources as they carry out their assigned tasks. As the project manager, you keep an eye on their progress in completing their tasks.
Track task progress. You can track progress in terms of percentage complete, how long a task takes from beginning to end, or how many hours a resource spends on a task. As you gather this information, you can see whether tasks and milestones will finish on time. You can also gather information about costs of resources, tasks, and the project as a whole.
While your project team is executing the tasks, you’re making sure that the project stays within the prescribed deadline and budget while maintaining the scope outlined in the project goals. In project management, this process is referred to as Controlling the Project. In the controlling process, you monitor all task activities, compare the plan to actual progress, and make adjustments as needed. To control the project, you do the following:
Analyze project information. Analyze the information you’re gathering and use this analysis to solve problems and make decisions. Often, you need to decide how to recover a slipped schedule or a budget overrun. Sometimes, you’re in the happy position of deciding what to do with extra time or money.
Communicate and report. Throughout the execution of the project, you will be in constant communication with your team members and other stakeholders. You need to keep upper management, customers, and other stakeholders informed of any potential problems, new decisions, and your overall progress.
In the final process of the project, you have successfully fulfilled the goals of the project, and it’s now complete. Before you move on to the next project, you want to capture the knowledge you gained from this one. When closing the project, you do the following:
Identify lessons learned. Work with your project team and conduct a "postmortem" meeting to learn what went well and what could be improved. You can therefore articulate potential problems to avoid in future projects and also capture details of efficiencies gained.
Create a project template. Save the project plan along with tasks, duration metrics, task relationships, resource skills, and the like, so the next time you or one of your colleagues manages a similar project, your wheel will not need to be reinvented.