The document discusses project management structure and outlines key areas to focus on when planning a project. It emphasizes establishing clear communication structures, work breakdown structures (WBS), documentation standards, and change control processes. The document also stresses the importance of understanding stakeholders, selecting an effective project team, and providing necessary training. Overall, it advocates for a structured approach to project planning and management to achieve predictable performance, capture lessons learned, and ensure quality outcomes.

1. Project Management &
Project Structure
Deepak Mehtani
Deputy Director Project Execution & Delivery
Unlimited Innovation Inc.

2. Topics
 Cost & Budgeting
 What You Already Have
 Introduction
 What Does Project
Structure Include?
 What Are The Key Areas?
 Utilizing WBS
 Know The Stakeholders
 Know Your Team
 Build Team For Success
 ROI With Structured
Approach
 Quality Process
 Senior Management
Review
 Organization Project
Charter
 Sample Documents
 Overall Process
 Training
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3. Introduction
 A project is a temporary
endeavor with a defined
beginning and end
Avoid This
Project implementation require
 Commitment
 Control
 Communication
Various aspects
include
 Initiate
 Plan
 Execute
 Monitor & Control
 Close
Takeaway: While planning and sourcing are important ingrediants, performance and
reusability are vital to the project(s)
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4. What Does Project Structure Include?
 Communication Structure

Establish reporting structure
for team

Regular status meeting

Escalation path
 Team Roles & WBS

Create WBS to list activities &
resources

Assign team members roles and
tasks
Takeaway: Structuring / Standardizing / Organization processes are the key
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5. What Does Project Structure Include?
 Project Documentation
Structure

Use standard templates

Set documentation standard

Set reporting standard and access
 Change Control Structure

 Risk Management
Define change management

Adjustment to plan and scope

Plan for risk

Use preventive techniques – part of QA and
process

Identify high-risk components
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6. What Are The Key Areas?
Project Planning

Documentation – include project brief, schedule, execution
plan, deployment plan and technical specification

Enables using standardization process

Provide traceability

May slow down process

Verification & validation process & documentation

Change log document

Plan = description of activities + budget + schedule
Quality Assurance (QA)

External process

Validates everything is happening per documents and
organization process

Can be done at any step or phase of a project
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7. Utilizing WBS
Utilizing Work Breakdown Structure
(WBS)

Essential to project lifecycle and timeline

Helps in defining tasks for a project

Makes it easier for stakeholders to understand
scope

It is much easier to manage a project when it is
split into smaller component

Easy to assign, understand, execute &
report
Takeaway: While WBS is important, we should no lose focus of the key deliverables
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8. Know The Stakeholders
Relevant stakeholders must be identified

Plan their involvement

Should have organization-wide approach

Approach should be tailored to specific project
Takeaway: Program Management Plan template, Stakeholder Management Plan
template, sample Project Stakeholder Mgmt plans
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9. Know Your Team
An effective project team has combination of
skills, experience, motivation & teamwork

Team members are vital to success of a project

Team selection for the skills required for the project

Organization level training and project specific training

Promote contribution and collaboration

Know who is working for you
Responsibility should lie with one person
Project Manager Leads the team (a lot is expected)

Experience in implementing Projects

Communicates easily with all levels, including senior
management, middle management, and practitioners

Understands what stakeholders are looking for, and can discuss unique
aspects of implementation

Provides tools and templates

Has a proven track record
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10. Build Team For Success
Sponsors and performers must have a strong vision of
the desired culture

People should know their roles and responsibilities

Should be able to understand overall vision and understand the behavior
changes required

Sponsors should understand underlying beliefs and values?

Overall benefit to team members and management
Covert level
Culture
Intermediate level
Ethics Values Norms
Attitudes
Beliefs
Priorities
Overt level
Opinions
Behavior
Conduct
Do’s & Don’ts
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11. Training
Train the people to perform their
role(s) in the project

Be proactive

Recognize skills & knowledge for job function

Evaluate team members background against
knowledge and determine if training is required

The organization should address process
training

Projects should address specific training

Project plans should include projectspecific training
Record / recognize training
course completions
Takeaway: Standard Training Modules & sample Project Training
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12. Cost & Budgeting
Cost & Budget is very important to project execution

Use organization workflow for estimation process

Estimate each task

Take technical input

Input from PM regarding value proposition

Get the project cost together

Identify risks associated with tasks and assign risk percentage

Combination of tasks estimates and risk associated with form the project
budget
Maintain estimates repository along with skill sets
required to perform a task

Every project should collect the process / tasks measures

Have common measures with definitions

Support Basis Of Estimate (BOE)
Takeaway: Estimation Template, Sample process / task estimates
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13. What You Already Have
Enterprise assets

Standard organizational process + tailoring by project or departments

Adapt processes to specific project (Common Process)

Utilize standard plans & reviews

Use specifications, design documents & interface documents

Utilize process aids like checklists
Lessons learnt repository  Utilize experience from previous projects
Industry
Standards
Organizational
Policies & Processes
Process Asset
Library
Measurement
Repository
Project Defined Process,
Procedures, & Standards
Project Plans,
Schedules, &
Budgets
Project
Results
Organizational
Training
Project-Specific
Training
Takeaway: Configuration Management Plan Template, Sample Project Plans
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14. ROI With Structured Approach
Organize Project

Plan activities – identify goals, assumptions & limitations

Define milestones & set deadlines

Define cost – task & resource cost

Finalize budget
Reap Benefits

Predictable project performance

Document process

Easy communication with performers & stakeholders

Quality process ensuring process are being followed correctly

Capture what works, and what doesn’t

Utilize the knowledge to create rules (policies) that guide
projects

Create a learning process by capturing measures, and learn
from them
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15. Quality Process
Monitor and control the task against the plan for
performing the project and take appropriate corrective
action

Project should include audits / evidence to show that project activities
are reviewed against plan, budget & schedule. Use team meetings, cost
reviews and variance reports

Budget should be tracked with the tasks involved

Review tasks progress with schedules to review project progress
Takeaway: Task / Progress checklist template, Requirement Traceability Matrix
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16. Senior Management Review
Review the activities, status, and results of the process
with higher level management and resolve issues

Provide a wholesome approach to project management with long term
organization health

Provides for balanced approach rather than project manager’s shortterm perspective - success of the project
“Higher Level Management” is
defined as someone above
project manager
Takeaway: Briefing template & metrics
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17. Organization Project Charter
Organization level team for planning, implementation
and process improvement
Typical structure includes
 Sponsor – Sets goals, timeline, budget
 Process Group – Organization level group usually responsible for
quality on various aspects of project implementation
 Steering Group – Senior management team to review
plans, determine impacts, assess progress
 Project Process Leads – Coordinate work on projects & provide
feedback
Takeaway: Organization project charter helps creating a solid team for a project
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18. Sample Documents
Tasks or
Progress
Checklist
Requirement
Traceability
Matrix
SRD
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19. Overall Process – Works!
Business
Opportunity
INITIATING
Project
Charter, lessons
learned
PLANNING
Project Charter,
Project Plan
Project Results
Project Progress
Project Deliverables
EXECUTING &
CONTROLLING
CLOSURE
1. Know your project (Become expert on your project topic – It is important to know!)
2. Set a vision (Your team will easily understand and will be excited about the project, if you
3.
create a vision rather than tasks – tasks will be needed but in later phase – you first sell a vision)
Create & Communicate project charter (this should always be done during initiation
so everyone understands the scope, budget and timeline)
Get formal sign offs (Get your team and stakeholders to formally sign offs)
4.
5. Create project notebook / document folder / SharePoint site (This has all
6.
information about the project – every document)
Build Relationship (It is important to build relationship with your team and the stakeholders)
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20. References
 Project Management Institute (PMI) http://www.pmi.org/
 Software Engineering Institute – CMMI (Capability
Maturity Model Integration)
http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/
 ProjectManager.com (http://www.projectmanager.com/)
 Pictures or icons taken from internet
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21. Thank You!
Deepak Mehtani
dmehtani@uius.com