Project Management Tools and Techniques Owen Stephens Royal Holloway, University of London

Tools can help: Defining the project plan & tasks Monitoring & evaluating progress Managing budgets (money & time) Risk analysis Communication and Collaboration

Defining the project plan & tasks

Monitoring & evaluating progress

Managing budgets (money & time)

Risk analysis

Communication and Collaboration

Project Plan: Tasks Task attributes What? Who? How long? How much? Success criteria? Dependencies What must be done before something else can start? What can be done in parallel? Calendar When is everyone involved available?

Task attributes

What? Who? How long? How much?

Success criteria?

Dependencies

What must be done before something else can start?

What can be done in parallel?

Calendar

When is everyone involved available?

Project Plan: Deliverables Overall objectives of the project Objectives for every task “ How will we know when this task (or the whole project) has been completed? …to what standard of quality?” ‘ Milestones’ in the project

Overall objectives of the project

Objectives for every task

“ How will we know when this task (or the whole project) has been completed? …to what standard of quality?”

‘ Milestones’ in the project

Divide and Rule Break down a BIG TASK … into several little tasks each with objectives & deliverables each with a budget … maybe each one is made of smaller tasks … until each task is so small, it’s easy!

Break down a BIG TASK

… into several little tasks

each with objectives & deliverables

each with a budget

… maybe each one is made of smaller tasks

… until each task is so small, it’s easy!

Project Plan: Evaluation How long (has it taken)? How much (has it cost)? How good (was it for you)?

How long (has it taken)?

How much (has it cost)?

How good (was it for you)?

Project Plan: Risks Risk Log Condition; Cause; Consequence Probability Impact Communication

Risk Log

Condition; Cause; Consequence

Probability

Impact

Communication

Project Plan: Risks Acceptable vs Unacceptable risk Contingency Risk Management Plan

Acceptable vs Unacceptable risk

Contingency

Risk Management Plan

Tools MS Project Integrated tools ProjectPlace.com erooms Project Controls Database Mindmapping Freemind ConceptDraw

MS Project

Integrated tools

ProjectPlace.com

erooms

Project Controls Database

Mindmapping

Freemind

ConceptDraw

Computer-based tools Useful when a project is large or complex enough Automatically calculate: dates & costs Estimated vs Actual costs & times Critical path Produce nice charts & reports (if it looks that good, its got to work)

Useful when a project is large or complex enough

Automatically calculate:

dates & costs

Estimated vs Actual costs & times

Critical path

Produce nice charts & reports

(if it looks that good, its got to work)

Gantt chart (from Microsoft Project)

Never let a good tool get in the way of a successful project

Never let a good tool get in the way of a successful project

Communication and Collaboration Meetings Voice and video-conferencing (Skype, MSN, NetMeeting) Reports, newsletters Email Websites (Wikis, Blogs)

Meetings

Voice and video-conferencing (Skype, MSN, NetMeeting)

Reports, newsletters

Email

Websites (Wikis, Blogs)

References JISCinfoNet – Project Planning http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/InfoKits/project-management/index_html JISCinfoNet – Risk Management http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/InfoKits/risk-management Nick Obolensky, (from) “Practical Business re-engineering – tools and technique for effective change” http://www.vthdimension.com/project.pdf Martin E. Modell, (from) “A Professional's Guide to Systems Analysis” http://studentweb.tulane.edu/~mtruill/dev-pert.html John Paschoud, “Techniques & Tools for Project Management” presentation

JISCinfoNet – Project Planning

http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/InfoKits/project-management/index_html

JISCinfoNet – Risk Management

http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/InfoKits/risk-management

Nick Obolensky, (from) “Practical Business re-engineering – tools and technique for effective change”

http://www.vthdimension.com/project.pdf

Martin E. Modell, (from) “A Professional's Guide to Systems Analysis”

http://studentweb.tulane.edu/~mtruill/dev-pert.html

John Paschoud, “Techniques & Tools for Project Management” presentation