This document provides an introduction to project management. It defines what constitutes a project, highlighting that projects have specific start and end dates, involve a series of tasks to achieve an objective, and use resources. It also defines project management as planning, organizing, directing and controlling activities, people and money to achieve a specific objective. The document outlines the typical project lifecycle of initiate, plan, deliver, review and close. It provides examples of tools that can help with project management.

1. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
Introduction to Projects &
Project Management
Pauline A. Morrison
Project Officer

2. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
Aim of Session
• Provide an overview and create a basic awareness of general project
management principles
• Introduce standard processes and templates to use when managing
projects

3. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
Which of these is a project?
1. Responding to a request from the Scottish Government to design a
training course by March 2011, for 250 medical staff with a budget of
£50,000
2. Responding to a request from your manager to e-mail them a
departmental-wide performance report, on the last Friday of each
month for the foreseeable future
3. Organising a yearly team building day
4. Completion and submission of Sickness Absence forms to HR on a
monthly basis
5. Responding to a request from your manager to design an internal
project management training course, for all staff to have been trained
by March 2011

4. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
What is a project?
• A project features the following characteristics;
o Specific start and end date
o Series of tasks to achieve a defined outcome or objective
o Uses people or resources to achieve that objective

5. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
Which of these is a project?
1. Responding to a request from the Scottish Government to design a
training course by March 2011, for 250 medical staff with a budget of
£50,000
2. Responding to a request from your manager to e-mail them a
departmental-wide performance report, on the last Friday of each
month for the foreseeable future
3. Organising a yearly team building day
4. Completion and submission of Sickness Absence forms to HR on a
monthly basis
5. Responding to a request from your manager to design an internal
project management training course, for all staff to have been trained
by March 2011

6. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
What is project management?
The planning, organising, directing and controlling of....
....activities, people and money....
....to achieve a specific objective

7. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
Project objective….an example
Have a relaxing holiday and return to work refreshed and energised...

8. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
You need to do these main things…..
Or else this will happen…..

9. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
It’s a balancing act!
Expectations
Time
Money/
Resources
Quality
Scope

10. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
What is the project life-cycle?
• Logical sequence of activities to accomplish the project’s goals or
objectives
Initiate Plan Deliver Review Close

11. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
What do you do at each stage?
• Initiate
o Define scope
o Develop outline business case *
• Plan
o Identify milestones and outputs
o Identify required funding and resources
o Identify and analyse risks *
o Identify and analyse stakeholders
o Undertake E&D impact assessment *
o Develop project initiation document

12. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
What do you do at each stage?
• Deliver
o Communicate with stakeholders
o Identify project governance requirements
o Identify and undertake commissioning exercises *
o Monitor and report on project progress
o Manage risks
o Record lessons learned
• Review
o Hold post project review meeting
• Close
o Close project

13. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
Tools to help you in practice
• ‘How To’ Guides
• Starting a Project checklist
• Project initiation document
• Project plan/Gantt Chart template
• Resource Analysis toolkit
• Risk Register template
• Progress Reporting (RAG) template
• Financial forecast template
• Lessons Learned log template
• Post Project Review Meeting template

14. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
Any questions?

15. Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland
Burning Issues & Troubleshooting