Learn how to manage your business as though it is a project - especially useful during times of change!

1. St. Edward’s University • Austin, Texas
January 31, 2004
www.awtaustin.org
Your Business is a Project: Project
Management for Entrepreneurs
Mary McDonald
The McDonald Group
512/280-7175
www.mcdcg.com

2. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
What we’ll talk about
 What portion of our work is a
project
 What the stages of a project are
 What type of assignments lend
themselves to this methodology
 How we can tap this resource!

3. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
What’s a Project?
 A short, time-bound assignment
 Realistic goal
 Something we do every day
 Research a new method
 Find a new source
 Get an assignment completed
 Write a job description

4. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
What’s the difference between work and
projects?
 Both tasks and projects are
 Managed by people
 Done with limited resources
 Planned, executed, controlled
 However, projects are
 Temporary
 Unique
 Typically done by more than one
person

5. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Phase one – Project Initiation
 Draw up a project charter
 What you want to accomplish with
this project
 What the deliverables will be
 Get a project sponsor (senior
manager) – is this also you? 
 Review previous projects – any
lessons learned that can be
transferred here?

6. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Phase two – Project Definition
 Kick-off meeting – get everyone on
board with project goals
 Develop scope statement
 What you’re going to do
 What time frame
 How much it will cost
 What it should look like when
complete

7. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Phase three – Project Planning
 Derive a WBS (Work Breakdown
Structure)
 Write down who’ll do what
 How long it will take, by person
 If there are any dependencies
 Identify milestones
 Track project

8. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Phase four – Project Execution
 Do what your plan says
 Manage it
 Any changes to the plan?
 Anybody need to be kept
updated?
 Are you doing it to plan?
 Are you doing it to budget?

9. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Phase five – Project Close
 Close out
 Measure
 Any lessons learned?

10. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
What next?
 How is what we do like a project?
 We have to answer to others
about many of our projects
 We have to operate within
constraints
 Time
 Money
 Deliverables

11. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
How to Think Like a Project Manager
 Look at your assignments – which
ones are really projects?
 What can you do to track them?
 Excel
 Project
 Pencil/paper
 Outlook
 Calendar



12. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
What are you going to track?
 Dates
 Final
 Milestones
 Costs
 Component (materials, labor,
etc.)
 Total (% over or under)
 Personnel
 If you have others helping you

13. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Example – Company Relaunch
 Phase 1 – Initiation
 We wanted to shake up the
company’s image, expand our
clientele base
 Accurately reflect what we do as a
company – current focus was too
narrow
 Make a fresh start
 Ensure we can be found by folks
who need our services!
 After researching, determining
that the company will be
rebranded and relaunched

14. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Example – Company Relaunch
 Phase 2 – Definition
 Talked about the proposed change
with employees and key
stakeholders (my husband)
 Set a budget for redesign
 Logo
 Website
 Stationary/business cards
 Laid out timeframe -Want to launch
by end of February 2004
 Lead time on above tasks – is
this ‘doable’? (start phase 3 to find out)

15. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Example – Company Relaunch
 What we would want to look like
 Vision (what end product will be)
 to be creatively engaged in helping
companies improve their bottom
line by improving the way they run
their business, and have fun doing
it!
 Get help where you need it
 Logo – designer
 Strategic – coach
 Website – webmaster
 Ensure that everything ‘hangs together’

16. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Example – Company Relaunch
 Phase 3 – Planning
 Set up milestones for what we
want to do and when we want to
do it by.
 Understand who’s got the
responsibilities and who’s going to
do the tracking

17. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Example – Company Relaunch
 Website lead time – 8 weeks
 Logo lead time – 4 weeks
 Stationary lead time – 2 weeks
Website text can be written
concurrent with design
Need to factor in doing ‘real’ job
while working on future projects

18. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Example – Company Relaunch
 Research competitor best in class 5d Mon 11/3 Fri 11/7
 Determine company ‘feel’ 14d Fri 11/7 Wed 11/26
 Research web designers 28d Mon 11/10 Wed 12/17
 Commission logo and select 14d Mon 11/17 Thu 12/4
 Write copy for website;
redesign company offerings 35d Mon 1/5 Fri 2/20
 Order postcard announcements 1d Fri 2/6 Fri 2/6
 send out postcards 5d Fri 2/20/04 Thu 2/26
 launch new design 1d Fri 2/27/04 Fri 2/27

19. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Example – Company Relaunch
 Phase 4 – Project Execution
 Implement the plan
 React to any changes
 Monitor budget and adjust as
necessary (work or money
available)

20. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Example – Company Relaunch
 Phase 5 - Closure
 How did we do per our plan?
 What can we learn for next
project?
 What did we do right?
 What would we change?

21. The McDonald Group Process Improvement Specialists
Summary
 If you have a specific task with a
defined beginning and end, you can
treat it as a project
 Detailing what it should look like,
what your constraints are, and how
much time/$$ to spend on it at the
beginning is key
 Getting buy-in from everyone,
including budget and dates, helps!
 Learning from past experiences
helps us to become better!