1. Stephen
Hightower
“Leveraging
Checklists
to
deliver
your
projects
on
time”
Stephen@Hightower-­‐Consulting.com
407-­‐810-­‐2746
Leveraging
Checklists
to
deliver
your
projects
on
time
Project
management
is
a
complex
task
with
many
moving
parts.
How
do
you
manage
that
complexity
and
deliver
projects
on
time
and
within
budget?
The
use
of
checklists
and
the
significant
quality
improvements
they
yield
are
far-­‐
reaching
and
not
tied
to
any
one
field
or
discipline.
As
Atul
Gawande
makes
a
compelling
argument,
“We
can
find
a
solution
in
the
most
humble
of
places,
the
lowly
checklist.”
Dr.
Gawande
is
both
a
general
and
endocrine
surgeon
at
the
Brigham
and
Women’s
hospital
in
Boston,
a
staff
writer
for
the
The
New
Yorker,
and
an
associate
professor
at
Harvard
Medical
School.
In
his
book,
“The
Checklist
Manifesto”,
he
explains
how
checklists
have
been
used
to
fly
airplanes
and
build
skyscrapers.
Not
only
are
checklists
applicable
to
project
management,
but
they
also
help
structure
the
delivery
of
the
project
in
a
repeatable
way
that
can
be
used
within
any
organization.
Managing
projects
effectively
is
one
of
the
most
critical
tasks
in
any
organization.
Doing
it
well
brings
greater
responsibilities,
while
not
managing
projects
well
is
a
sure
path
for
disaster.
There
is
a
clear
discipline
in
project/program
management
that
must
be
followed,
but
there
are
some
unique
challenges
when
you
manage
projects
with
shared
resources
that
will
be
critical
to
your
success.
Learn
how
you
can
utilize
checklists
to
ensure
rewarding
management
of
your
projects.

2. 2
The
seeds
of
failure
are
sown
in
the
first
30
days
I
worked
for
a
large
company
that
made
significant
investments
in
the
development,
talent
and
tools
necessary
to
manage
programs
effectively.
In
several
studies
conducted
that
encompassed
over
400
different
programs,
the
data
always
pointed
to
the
first
30
days
as
being
critical
to
the
success
of
the
program.
What
happens
in
that
time
period
that
is
so
crucial?
Having
a
sound
plan
and
applying
a
process
that
is
repeatable
and
applicable
to
any
program,
no
matter
the
complexity
or
type.
Therein,
lay
the
keys
to
a
favorable
outcome.
Guess
what,
you’re
given
a
once
in
lifetime
opportunity
You’ve
gotten
that
high
visibility,
high
priority
project
that
you’ve
always
wanted.
The
business
has
placed
their
trust
in
you
but
they
want
it
yesterday.
There
is
a
lot
of
pressure
to
get
started
and
show
progress,
but
how
do
you
manage
the
project?
If
you
don’t
deliver
your
career
is
damaged
and
if
you
don’t
get
started
quickly,
you’re
seen
as
maybe
not
ready
for
this
opportunity.
Either
way,
it
can
be
an
uncomfortable
position
to
be
in
for
anyone,
whether
you
are
a
seasoned
program
manager
or
you’ve
just
been
given
your
first
big
opportunity.
Typically,
I
see
two
approaches
that
are
both
destined
for
a
less
than
satisfactory
outcome.
One,
the
project
leader
pushes
back
because
they
don’t
have
the
specifics
clearly
defined.
This
can
lead
to
frustration,
as
well
as
a
continued
“black
eye”
for
the
IT
group
because
“everything
you
do
takes
so
long.”
After
all,
my
daughter
installed
a
wireless
network
last
night
and
you
took
a
week
to
do
it.

3. 3
The
second
approach
is
to
start
work
on
the
project,
trying
to
show
some
progress,
yet
operating
with
a
loosely
defined
task
and
team.
Both
of
these
approaches
are
destined
for
failure.
How
do
you
balance
the
need
to
show
progress
and
the
need
to
have
proper
definition
so
that
you
know
where
you’re
going?
Most
projects
fail
when
they
don’t
have
the
basics.
The
basics
are
to
have
the
budget,
the
project
deliverables
and
a
well-­‐
defined
schedule.
Failure
means
the
project
costs
more
than
was
estimated,
doesn’t
meet
schedule
or
doesn’t
meet
the
requirements
when
it’s
delivered.
The
failure
is
sown
in
the
first
30
days
of
the
program’s
development
due
to
the
lack
of
a
disciplined,
repeatable
process
that
can
be
used
by
the
program
manager
to
ensure
success.
Leverage
checklists
to
manage
your
program/project
In
program
management,
there
is
the
Triple
Constraint;
the
Triple
Constraint
being
quality
(scope),
cost
(resources)
and
schedule
(time).
These
three
elements
of
a
project
are
essential
and
must
work
in
harmony
with
each
other.
When
one
of
these
elements
is
restricted
or
extended,
the
other
two
elements
will
also
need
to
be
either
restricted/reduced
in
some
way
or
extended/increased
in
some
way.
The
balancing
of
these
three
elements,
when
fully
understood
by
the
Project
Manager,
allows
for
the
precise
planning,
resourcing
and
execution
of
a
project.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
these
are
the
key
elements
of
a
profitable
project
and
will
determine
whether
or
not
you
have
successfully
managed
a
project.
The
first
thing
a
project
manager
must
do
is
verify
that
the
project
is
well
understand
so
that
the
complete
task
being
assigned
to
them
can
be
accomplished.

4. 4
The
following
checklist
will
start
the
process
to
ensure
you
have
the
right
scope
defined:
Program
Definition
No
matter
how
many
times
you’ve
talked
about
what
is
required,
you
need
to
write
it
down.
There’s
something
amazing
about
the
written
word
that
brings
clarity
that
the
spoken
word
doesn't
always
convey.
Once
this
has
been
captured,
you’ll
have
a
basis
of
work
to
further
define
your
program.
Stakeholder
Identified
A
significant
piece
of
your
effort
on
a
program
will
be
to
communicate
and
support
your
program
throughout
its
lifecycle.
All
programs
don’t
go
as
smoothly
as
you
would
like
and
you
need
to
have
stakeholders
that
are
invested
to
support
and
help
you
prosper.
If
you
need
advice
with
budget,
requirements
or
working
alternatives,
stakeholders
are
the
folks
you
will
depend
on
to
guide
your
program
to
success.
It’s
Scope&Checklist
!
Steps&for&Checklist Status(Y/N) Complete
Program&Definition Y
Stakeholder&Identified N
Scope&documented N
30&day&deliverables&defined N
60&day&deliverables&defined N
Defined&all&deliverables N
Communication&requirements&defined N
Cost&Model&Developed&for&program N
Program&Scope&and&Costs&reviewed&by&stakeholders N
Funding&allocated N
Executive&Support N
Kick&off&meeting N

5. 5
important
to
identify
them
early
and
cultivate
the
relationship
because
you
will
need
their
assistance.
Scope
Documented
One
of
the
triple
constraints
that
will
be
a
challenge
to
manage
throughout
the
program’s
lifecycle
is
the
scope
of
the
program.
I’ve
always
found
the
scope
requires
a
focused
effort
up
front
and
a
strong
change
management
process
to
keep
it
on
track
as
you
move
from
development
to
execution.
Within
the
parameters
of
documenting
the
scope
you
will
find
deliverables
defined
for
the
first
30
days,
60
days
and
all
deliverables
defined
as
tasks
to
complete.
This
shows
the
importance
of
scoping
your
program
early
with
on-­‐going
deliverables
so
they
can
be
used
to
confirm
the
concept
and
the
approach
is
correct.
This
is
essential
because
in
the
first
30
days
you
want
to
show
progress
and
verify
you
are
on
the
right
track.
I
can’t
tell
you
how
many
programs
I’ve
seen
that
put
significant
effort
into
the
program
without
having
regularly
scheduled
deliverables.
The
risk
with
that
approach
is
you
expend
so
much
money
without
being
sure
you
are
meeting
the
target
outlined
by
your
program.
This
almost
always
ensures
blowing
your
budget
while
putting
the
program
at
risk
to
fail.
How
many
times
have
you
been
on
status
calls/meetings
and
everything
is
fine
until
the
first
deliverable
is
due?
The
next
step
is
to
define
the
deliverables
for
the
first
60
days.
This
validates
your
assumptions
on
the
scope
as
well
as
forcing
you
to
break
down
the
project
in
a
logical
order
for
completion.
The
other
benefit
is
that
is
helps
you
with
your
resource
allocations
and
plans.
If
your
program
requires
more
than
60
days
in
duration,
then
you
will
need
to
ensure
you
have
a

6. 6
complete
Work
Breakdown
Structure
(WBS)
that
is
signed
off
by
your
stakeholders
that
documents
the
complete
set
of
deliverables
for
the
program.
Communications
requirements
defined
Don't
overlook
this
task,
as
it
can
be
the
key
to
your
success.
How
you
communicate,
how
often
you
communicate
and
to
whom
you
communicate
is
so
critical
for
the
success
of
your
program.
Live
by
Murphy’s
Law,
because
whatever
can
go
wrong
will
go
wrong
in
many
cases.
So,
the
better
the
communication
and
the
more
frequent,
the
better
off
you
will
be.
Do
not
depend
upon
your
team
members
to
communicate
to
their
management
for
you.
It
will
not
work.
Always
make
the
effort
to
communicate
to
all
parties
involved.
Cost
Model
Developed
for
the
program
This
is
the
roll
up
of
your
costs
for
the
total
effort.
It
includes
any
hardware,
software,
outside
vendor
costs
and
labor
that
will
be
needed
to
complete
your
program.
You
should
develop
a
contingency
of
10
to
15
percent
of
the
total
cost
that
you
hold
in
reserve
for
unplanned
costs
that
will
occur.
You
can
return
that
at
the
end
of
the
program
if
you’ve
done
your
job.
Program
scope
and
costs
reviewed
by
stakeholders
I
know
this
sounds
obvious,
but
it
doesn’t
always
happen.
This
should
be
a
formal
event
where
the
scope
and
costs
are
reviewed
and
all
stakeholders
get
to
weigh
in
with
a
vote
on
whether
to
proceed.
It
creates
buy-­‐in
and
support
for
the
effort.
If
someone
doesn’t
agree
with
what’s
being
done
it
provides
an
opportunity
to
have
the
discussion
rather
than
having
someone
drag
their
feet
or
undermine
the
effort
because
they
didn’t
agree
with
it.

7. 7
Funding
allocated
Based
on
the
review
by
the
stakeholders
this
should
be
the
next
decision.
If
the
budget
doesn’t
exist,
then
work
with
your
CFO
or
controller
to
identify
the
potential
source
where
funds
would
be
allocated
from
to
fuel
the
project.
You
don’t
want
to
go
into
the
executive
review
without
knowing
where
the
money
is
coming
from
to
support
the
program.
Executive
Support
This
is
a
formal
checkpoint
with
the
sponsoring
executive
team.
Usually,
they
have
a
stakeholder
assigned
to
the
program
to
represent
their
organization.
Depending
upon
your
company’s
culture
and
size,
it
can
take
different
paths.
Regardless,
it
should
be
reviewed
and
voted
on
by
the
executive
team
so
there
is
awareness
and
recognition
of
the
effort.
Kick
off
meeting
This
is
the
formal
kickoff
that
signals
to
all
the
team
members
and
stakeholders
that
the
project
has
importance
and
is
funded
to
move
forward.
While
there
are
steps
that
can
be
taken
prior
to
this,
the
formal
kick
off
meeting
is
where
the
stakeholders
review
the
scope,
the
funding
and
the
effort
to
complete
the
program.
Managing
shared
resources
on
programs
In
my
experience
this
is
a
critical
risk
factor
that
must
be
managed
with
a
“laser-­‐like”
focus.
How
many
times
have
you
put
together
a
program
and
had
dedicated
resources
that
didn’t
have
another
job
to
do?
Not
in
this
day
and
age.
Many
times
the
individuals
assigned
to
the
program
have
a
full
time
job
and
are
told
to
support
the
program
to
their
best
ability.
These
resources
may
be
assigned
to
production
type
tasks
that

8. 8
require
them
to
jump
on
the
production
issue
when
there
is
a
problem.
Production
always
trumps
programs
in
terms
of
priority.
It’s
important
to
recognize
that
fact
and
manage
the
risk
appropriately.
Another
complicating
factor
is
that
you
may
have
multiple
locations
where
your
program
resources
are
located
and/or
they
may
work
from
home.
Regardless,
you
need
to
have
the
appropriate
risk
mitigation
plans
in
place
to
deal
with
the
realities
of
the
work
place
when
the
resources
are
not
dedicated
to
the
program.
Use
this
checklist
to
help
manage
those
risks:
Skill
sets
identified
Based
on
your
scope
checklist
you
should
already
have
a
good
idea
of
the
types
of
resources
you’ll
need
to
support
your
program.
Resource(Checklist
Steps(for(Checklist Status(Y/N) Complete
Skill(sets(identified( N
Project(management N
Financial(support N
Scheduling(support N
Vendor(support N
Technical(skills N
Engineering N
Software N
Infrastructure N
Resource(Plan(development N
Budget(estimate(for(resource(plan N
Operational(Support(plan(supports(program(efforts N
Mitigation(plans(for(shared(resources N

9. 9
Do
you
have
trained
project
managers
in
your
company?
Do
they
have
the
experience
to
manage
your
program
or
will
you
need
to
bring
a
short-­‐term
resource
in
who
has
the
skills
to
perform
the
job.
Program
managers
need
to
be
skilled
in
the
technical
management
of
the
program,
but
they
also
need
to
be
able
to
think
strategically
about
the
program
and
know
how
to
solve
short-­‐term
problems
creatively.
You’ll
need
a
resource
that
can
manage
the
financials
on
the
program.
Will
you
be
using
Earned
Value
to
capture
your
costs?
In
most
cases,
the
program
manager
will
perform
the
financial
management,
but
in
some
cases
additional
support
may
be
required.
You
don’t
want
to
get
to
the
end
of
the
program
and
not
know
what
it
cost
or
what
the
value
of
the
effort
was
to
complete.
Scheduling
support
is
critical
and
may
be
performed
by
the
program
manager.
It’s
something
that
the
resource
assigned
needs
to
understand
so
that
the
program
can
be
structured
at
the
right
level
with
the
right
level
of
granularity.
I’ve
seen
schedules
developed
that
are
so
detailed
that
there
is
more
work
than
value
provided
based
on
the
amount
of
time
spent
providing
status.
Scheduling
is
as
much
an
art
as
it
is
a
science,
so
finding
the
right
resource
to
perform
this
task
will
be
critical
to
the
success
and
flexibility
of
the
schedule.
Does
your
program
require
outside
vendor
support
to
complete
the
schedule?
How
do
you
manage
those
resources
and
how
do
they
support
the
program.
You
need
a
well-­‐
defined
plan
if
your
program
requires
those
resources.
On
many
programs
I
used
outside
vendors
to
provide
resources
to
support
the
program.
Whether
it
was
technical
talent
or
hardware/software
resources,
you
should
identify
those
requirements
and
treat
them
as
partners.

10. 10
Technical
skills
Technical
skills
are
usually
required
on
most
information
technology
programs.
Whether
it’s
engineering,
software
or
infrastructure
resources,
you’ll
need
to
identify
the
type
and
skill
level
(junior,
senior)
needed
on
your
program.
These
resources
are
usually
gainfully
employed
on
another
full
time
job,
but
have
been
identified
as
the
resources
that
you
can
use
to
support
your
efforts.
There
are
tools
and
metrics
that
can
help
you
with
as
you
proceed
with
the
program,
but
it’s
critical
to
be
on
top
of
this
issue
from
day
one.
Resource
Plan
Development
You
will
need
to
develop
a
resource
plan
in
conjunction
with
the
resources
assigned
to
the
program
and
their
management.
It
should
specify
a
commitment
in
hours
each
week
they
will
support
the
program.
If
you
can’t
meet
your
requirements
with
the
commitment
provided,
then
you
will
need
to
go
back
to
your
stakeholders
and
obtain
more
resources
(increase
in
budget),
move
your
schedule
(triple
constraint)
or
get
a
commitment
for
those
resources
to
be
more
creative
(cross
train,
balance
resources,
short
term
contractors,
overtime,
etc.).
You
will
need
to
incorporate
vacation
time
into
the
plan
as
well.
Budget
Estimate
for
resource
plan
Once
your
resource
plan
is
completed
and
agreed
upon,
you
will
have
the
labor
cost
component
identified.
It’s
important
that
you
manage
this
cost
since
it’s
one
of
your
largest
variable
costs
on
the
program.
Productivity
is
a
primary
driver
for
your
costs
on
technical
work.
Since
people
tend
to
be
so
“interrupt-­‐
driven”,
you
will
notice
an
impact
on
your
work
being

11. 11
completed
in
the
hours
estimated
based
on
the
events
that
are
consuming
the
resources
such
as
production
outages,
audits,
etc.
It’s
a
good
idea
to
develop
productivity
factors
that
can
be
used
when
you
develop
future
programs
so
that
you’ll
be
more
accurate
in
your
estimates.
Operational
support
plan
that
supports
the
program
efforts
This
effort
is
important
since
it
will
identify
any
major
operational
impacts
that
might
affect
your
program.
If
there
is
a
major
software
release
planned
and
your
program
is
focused
on
completing
an
infrastructure
upgrade,
then
having
it
identified
up
front
will
help
you
plan
to
mitigate
any
fallout.
Incorporate
vacation
schedules
and
any
other
office
events
that
can
impact
your
efforts.
Mitigation
plan
for
shared
resources
Document
the
resource
plan
and
identify
the
process
that
will
be
used
to
resolve
issues
with
those
resources.
This
identifies
the
person
responsible
and
the
appropriate
escalation
path
that
all
parties
agree
on
when
there
are
problems.
Trust
me,
this
document
will
be
used
to
resolve
issues
and
will
save
you
the
headaches
of
trying
to
resolve
it
on
the
fly.
Communication
One
area
that
is
often
overlooked
is
a
comprehensive
approach
for
communication
that
supports
program
management.
We
touched
on
it
earlier
in
the
scope
checklist
and
by
exploring
a
more
detailed
version
of
a
checklist
on
communication;
you’ll

12. 12
be
on
your
way
to
keeping
everyone
informed
and
on
the
same
page.
Communication
covers
many
aspects
of
the
program
and
the
lifecycle
of
program
management.
I
once
worked
on
a
program
where
we
were
behind
schedule,
over
cost
and
under
so
much
pressure;
I
thought
everyone
would
be
fired.
Instead,
we
had
a
program
manager
that
was
up
front
and
made
sure
to
over
communicate
to
all
the
stakeholders
on
a
regular
and
frequent
basis.
No
one
ever
had
to
wonder
or
ask
about
status
because
he
made
sure
everyone
knew
the
most
current
status.
Rather
than
being
punished
for
the
program
being
behind
schedule
and
over
cost
he
was
given
an
award
for
how
well
he
communicated
and
eventually
completed
the
program.
This
goes
against
many
program
managers’
instincts
when
they
find
themselves
in
this
situation,
which
is
why
it’s
so
important
to
have
this
outlined
from
the
beginning.
Having
a
checklist
that
covers
your
plan
and
the
frequency
of
communication
will
keep
your
program
running
smoothly.
I’ve
worked
on
programs
where
the
team
members
didn’t
know
the
status,
so
when
they
are
asked
and
can’t
articulate
it,
the
credibility
of
the
program
is
questioned.
As
a
manager,
I
would
ask
myself,
if
the
team
members
don’t
know
the
current
status,
then
how
could
I
expect
the
program
to
be
successful?
Use
the
following
checklist
to
keep
your
team
members
informed
and
develop
your
plans
so
that
your
program
runs
smoothly.

13. 13
Communication
Plans
Communication
is
the
“life
blood”
of
any
program.
Perform
and
do
everything
right,
yet,
neglect
to
keep
everyone
in
the
communication
loop,
and
your
program
most
likely
will
fail.
It’s
more
than
just
the
myopic
results
that
are
achieved;
it’s
how
well
everyone
was
informed
and
kept
up
to
speed
on
the
program
that
matters.
Did
they
understand
the
issues
as
well
as
the
results?
Did
they
participate
and
contribute
or
did
they
sit
on
the
sidelines?
Communication
should
blend
into
your
company’s
culture.
There
are
some
norms
that
surround
communication
and
as
the
program
manager
you
should
be
aware
of
what
they
are
so
Communication*Checklist
Steps*for*Checklist Status(Y/N) Complete
Communication*Plans N
Culture*assessement N
Stakeholder*management N
Team*communications N
Recurring*Meetings N
Self*audit*reviews N
Stakeholder*management N
Team*Meetings N
Change*review*board N
Executive*reviews N
Project*artifacts N
Weekly*Project*status N
Scope*change*log N
Schedule*impacts N
Resource*Changes N

14. 14
that
you
communicate
effectively.
Develop
a
plan
for
communication
that
addresses
the
cultural
norms
of
the
organization.
Develop
your
plans
for
how
to
communicate
with
your
stakeholders.
Plan
your
meetings
well
in
advance
so
that
everyone
can
work
the
calendar
to
attend.
Determine
the
topics
and
agenda
that
you
will
present
to
this
group.
Develop
a
plan
that
will
be
used
throughout
the
program
lifecycle
for
communicating
with
your
team.
It
should
specify
the
frequency
of
the
meetings,
the
artifacts
that
support
the
meetings
and
tracking
the
action
items.
There
are
points
in
the
program
where
you
will
want
to
seek
outside
help
in
terms
of
a
review
or
an
audit.
It
should
identify
best
practices
and
compare
the
results
with
a
gap
analysis
so
that
continuous
improvement
will
be
built
into
your
program
management.
Recurring
Meetings
Self-­‐audits
are
an
excellent
way
to
measure
how
well
your
processes
are
being
applied
in
the
day-­‐to-­‐day
management
of
the
program.
Again,
the
simple
checklist
can
be
the
perfect
tool
for
you
to
perform
the
assessment
and
identify
risks.
Team
members
can
use
customized
checklists
that
can
be
used
to
help
guide
them
as
they
support
the
program
and
provide
artifacts
that
will
be
used
to
identify
improvements
and
best
practices.
Focus
on
keeping
stakeholders
in
tune
with
the
program
and
try
to
exceed
their
expectations.
Leverage
their
participation
and
depending
on
the
size
and
complexity
of
the
program,
you
may
want
to
select
several
members
from
this
group
to
form

15. 15
an
advisory
group
that
can
help
you
work
through
the
more
difficult
areas
of
the
program.
It’s
critical
that
your
team
has
the
current
program
status
and
understands
the
plan
at
any
point
in
time.
This
requires
a
structure
and
the
right
tools
to
enable
them
to
participate
at
the
right
level.
Depending
upon
the
project
management
tool
you
select,
you
may
have
a
client
for
their
smart
phone
so
you
can
obtain
status
as
well
as
push
information
to
them
when
needed.
At
a
minimum,
a
weekly
meeting
and
actions
from
that
meeting
are
communicated
to
the
team.
As
we’ll
discuss
later,
the
focus
on
the
milestone
plan
and
the
applied
hours
for
team
members
is
critical
to
help
you
remain
on
schedule.
Change
management
is
often
overlooked
or
seen
as
a
distraction
for
program
managers.
The
key
to
managing
change
is
to
document
the
baseline
and
identify
changes
to
the
baseline.
A
log
for
all
changes
needs
to
be
managed
for
the
duration
of
the
program.
As
changes
are
identified
they
should
be
reviewed
by
the
stakeholders
at
a
regular
scheduled
meeting
or
if
needed
an
ad-­‐hoc
meeting
to
address
urgent
requests.
Each
change
must
be
considered
against
the
original
scope
and
the
impact
for
costs
and
schedule
quantified.
Managing
your
executive’s
expectations
is
an
important
part
of
any
program.
Depending
upon
the
scope
and
size
of
the
program,
consideration
should
be
given
to
only
the
ones
that
would
require
executive
visibility.
This
meeting
is
to
inform
and
provide
updates.
It’s
not
a
decision-­‐making
meeting
in
most
forums,
although
there
are
exceptions
that
will
have
to
be
considered.
The
meetings
typically
are
scheduled
for
an
initial
review,
a
mid-­‐point
review
and
final
to
close
out
the
program.

16. 16
Project
Artifacts
Your
project
artifacts
are
the
documentation
of
the
lifecycle
of
the
program.
You
should
have
a
shared
repository
(Drop
box,
SharePoint,
etc.)
that
is
used
to
store
all
the
documentation
for
the
program.
You’ll
post
weekly
status
each
week
that
summarizes
the
actions
and
progress
related
to
the
program.
Maintain
a
log
that
captures
all
the
change
requests
that
are
created
for
the
program.
Schedule
impacts
should
be
documented
because
they
usually
correspond
to
cost
impacts.
Maintain
the
baseline
resource
plan
and
document
any
changes
in
resources
that
occur
with
the
date,
reason
and
impact
to
the
program.
Project
Management
approach
After
having
gone
through
the
checklists
and
following
your
instructions,
you
will
be
well
prepared
as
you
embark
on
your
next
program
management
assignment.
Managing
projects
is
a
discipline
and
an
art,
so
I’ve
given
some
other
helpful
advice
in
the
remaining
portion
of
this
document
to
help
you
manage
your
risks.
The
PMBOK
is
the
body
of
knowledge
for
Program/Project
Management
and
is
quite
extensive.
There
are
several
certifications
that
are
available
so
that
knowledge
of
that
material
can
be
demonstrated
by
the
resources
that
manage
and
support
projects/programs.
There
are
a
number
of
tools,
many
inexpensive
that
can
be
used
to
manage
projects.
One
of
my
favorites
is
SmartSheet
that
can
be
purchased
fairly
inexpensively
and
provides
a

17. 17
collaborative
work
environment
for
geographically
dispersed
team
members.
There
are
a
variety
of
tools
that
are
available,
but
you
want
to
look
for
the
following
characteristics:
• Cloud
based
• Collaborative
• Ease
of
Use
• Robust
reporting
• Dashboard
capability
Too
many
organizations,
don’t
apply
that
discipline
or
science
to
the
management
of
projects.
Developing
metrics
for
managing
your
projects
What
are
effective
measures
for
project
management?
How
do
you
describe
success?
How
do
you
translate
your
activities
to
the
CFO
in
a
way
they
can
understand?
Typically,
a
return
on
investment
model
should
be
used
to
justify
the
investment.
You’ll
need
to
identify
what
works
for
your
business,
but
have
an
agreed
to
model
in
place
that
is
recognized
by
your
financial
community.
One
of
the
things
that
I
quoted
during
program
reviews
was,
“In
God
we
trust,
all
others
bring
data”.
That
is
a
rule
to
live
by
when
managing
programs.
As
discussed
earlier,
one
of
the
more
challenging
tasks
is
to
manage
a
program
with
a
defined
budget/schedule
using
shared
resources
that
have
other
full
time
jobs.
I’ve
used
the
following
metrics
to
manage
multiple
programs
in
my
career
and
find
that
it’s
one
of
the
best
metrics
to
mitigate
risks
in
a
shared
resource
environment.

18. 18
Actual
versus
Planned
Hours
This
is
one
of
the
best
metrics
to
know
how
well
you’re
doing
and
if
your
resources
are
expending
enough
time
each
week
to
support
the
deliverables.
Many
times
I’ve
seen
significant
problems
at
start
up
because
the
resources
aren’t
able
to
break
away
from
their
day-­‐to-­‐day
duties
to
support
the
program.
Remember,
the
seeds
of
success
are
planted
in
the
first
30
days
and
if
you
don’t
have
the
visibility
into
how
much
effort
is
being
applied
up
front,
then
you
will
be
behind
the
curve
as
you
start
out
of
the
gate.
It’s
also
critical
to
have
an
experienced
scheduler
develop
the
program
milestones
so
that
you
have
manageable
“chunks
of
work”
up
front
and
can
show
progress.
Many
times
I’ve
seen
program
managers
think
that
everything
is
fine
because
they
didn’t
have
any
discrete
deliverables
during
the
first
30
days
and
during
the
status
meetings
everyone
said
things
were
fine.
Milestones
Planned
and
Actuals
This
metric
is
used
to
track
the
milestones
each
week
that
are
due
and
record
the
actual
completions.
It
provides
a

19. 19
cumulative
total
as
well
so
you
can
see
if
you’re
building
a
backlog
and
provides
at
a
quick
glance
whether
you
are
on
track
or
not.
Communicate
risk
in
terms
the
business
will
understand
When
it
comes
to
managing
risk,
communication
is
job
number
one!
Being
able
to
convey
the
real
value
of
an
IT
project
is
a
required
skill
for
CIOs
who
want
to
make
IT
a
competitive
advantage.
This
means
that
you
will
explain
the
key
reasons
for
the
risk
in
business
terms.
Does
it
affect
competitive
advantage,
speed
to
market,
and
profitability?
If
you
were
replacing
a
mainframe
platform
because
the
vendors
will
no
longer
support
it
might
well
be
reason
enough
to
move
forward.
This
is
managing
technological
risk
-­‐-­‐
and
it's
a
concept
everyone
can
understand.

20. 20
If
you
describe
it
as
infrastructure
that's
not
going
to
be
supported
anymore
and
there's
an
opportunity
to
reduce
cost
by
replacing
it,
most
CFO’s
can
support
that
concept.
Don't
try
to
embellish
the
justification
in
concepts
such
as:
• Our
programmers
will
improve
their
productivity
because
it’s
newer
technology
• Our
processes
will
improve
since
we’re
starting
using
a
new
technology
If
you’ve
never
been
disciplined
to
document
your
processes
in
the
older
environment
why
do
you
think
you’ll
do
it
in
the
new
environment?
Pure
nonsense,
because
history
will
predict
the
future.
The
more
you
put
those
intangible,
soft
benefits
around
it,
the
harder
it
is
for
the
organization
to
understand
and
reprioritize.
Project
Dashboards
For
project
management,
you’re
always
going
to
deal
with
the
triple
constraint
of
scope,
cost
and
schedule.
How
you
manage
it
and
apply
the
discipline
to
project
management
will
determine
the
success
of
your
efforts.
Build
a
dashboard
that
describes
your
critical
success
factors
on
a
one-­‐page
chart
and
use
that
as
your
guide
for
the
program.
Each
dashboard
can
be
different
depending
upon
your
program,
business
and
unique
challenges.
I
typically
always
use
red/yellow/green
to
identify
the
status
of
the
triple
constraints.
The
other
metrics
that
I
track
will
be
on
the
milestone
actuals
and
then
a
forward
look
that
tracks
the
upcoming
milestones
by
week.
With
a
forward
look
you
can
orient
the
team
to
the
schedule
and
apply
the
right
focus
to
work
through
any
issues
that
may
arise
with
the
schedule.

21. 21
If
your
program
is
on
track
and
hitting
all
your
milestones
then
the
dashboard’s
focus
will
be
different
than
if
you’re
behind
schedule
and
trying
to
recover.
Hopefully,
you’ve
picked
up
some
valuable
advice
in
this
article.
Use
checklists
to
prepare
yourself
for
a
successful
start
up
with
your
program.
Remember,
the
seeds
of
failure
are
sown
in
the
first
30
days.