Project Management Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet for Project Managers A Reference

Project Methodology Process

PM Conduct Status Meeting s PM – Close out projects

PM Collect Status Reports. Attach to Docume nt Library (if necessa ry)

PM Track Task Progress

PM Save Project Baseline

PM and Sponsor Conduct Kick-Off Meeting

PM Complete Initiation Plan and attach to Document Library

PM Create Project Plan/Buil d Project Team

1 Summary

Director – Assign Project Manager PM – Complete Project Sizing XLS and attach to Document Library

Project Approve d

A guide to Project Management Resources can be found here: http://www.lmu.edu/Page30853.aspx. 1. Project Approved – The portfolio of projects each year will be approved during the budgeting process. The Director of Project Management will create a stub project for all approved projects in Project Server and set the phase to Initiated.Approved.

Figure 1: Setting the Phase from Microsoft Project

2. Director – Assign Project Manager. The Director for the group primarily responsible for completing the project will assign the Project Manager. Though the Project Manager will usually be the IT Subject Matter Expert, some projects will be managed by the Director of Project Management. 3. PM – Complete Project Sizing Spreadsheet. The Project Sizing Spreadsheet is available via the Project Management Resources web site and also directly by using this link: http://www.lmu.edu/AssetFactory.aspx?did=12841. Once the project has been sized, attach the spreadsheet to the Document Library (See below for brief overview on how to do this). 4. PM – Complete Project Initiation Plan. The Project Manager should complete the Project Initiation Plan. If the Project Sizing Spreadsheet yielded a small or medium-size Project Management Methodology, then you should use the Abridged Initiation Plan Template. If the Project Sizing Spreadsheet yielded a Large Project Methodology, use the Full Initiation Plan Template. Once the high level planning has been completed, set the Project Phase to “Planning.High Level Planning Complete.” 5. PM – Create Project Plan/Build Project Team. The Project Manager should create a project plan in Microsoft Project. Guidelines for creating a healthy project plan can be found in the Living Binder Document. In addition to creating the Project Plan, the Project Manager should build the Project Team to include as many Enterprise Resources as possible. Using Enterprise Resources will enable the collaborative features of Project Server. 6. PM – Save Project Baseline. After the Project Plan has been reviewed and it is agreed that the plan adheres to Project Management best practices, the Project Manager should save the Project Baseline. This baseline is equivalent to the agreed-upon schedule of deliverables. Once this is done, set the Project Phase to “Planning.Project Baseline Saved.” 7. PM – Conduct Kick-Off Meeting. Review the Project Initiation Plan so that

everyone is aware of their role on the Project Team. Also include in the meeting details about the schedule of deliverables. Highlight what is out of scope for the project. If the project was sized for a “Large Project Methodology”, use this template: Full Agenda. If the project was sized as “Medium” or “Small Project Methodology,” then use the Abridged Agenda. Once the kick-off meeting has been conducted, set the Project Phase to “Execution/Control.Work in Progress.” 8. PM – Track Task Progress. Work to create the deliverables of the project has begun. It is a best practice for the Project Manager to publish tasks to the web (see the Living Binder Document) so that each team member is able to update progress on the tasks to which they are assigned. Only Enterprise Resources can submit the tasks via the Project Web interface, so it is ultimately the Project Manager’s responsibility to ensure that the task tracking is up-to-date. This should be done at least on a weekly basis. 9. PM – Collect Status Reports. The Project Manager may collect narrative status reports from members on the team. (See the Living Binder Document for guidelines on how to do this.) 10.PM – Conduct Status Meetings. Using the information collected by using the Status Reporting function (See Step #9), the issues, and the risks, conduct status meetings at the frequency that was established in the Project Initiation Plan. 11.PM – Close out Projects. Make sure that the deliverables established in the Project Initiation Plan have all been successfully completed. Request sign-off from the Project Sponsor.

2

Working with Project Documentation

All documentation for a project should be accessed, edited, and stored by using the Document Library (Windows Sharepoint Services) feature of Project Server. In general, to access documents, complete the following steps: 1. Go to Project Center. 2. Click on the “Manage Project Documents” link. (See Figure 1 below) Figure 2: Accessing Project Documents

3. Click on the “Shared Documents” hyperlink. This will give you full access to the features of document collaboration available in Windows Sharepoint Services. Hint: Hovering over a “hyperlink” gives a full range of options. Click on the drop-down arrow for the available options. See Figure 2 below.

Figure 3: Document Library Options

3

Project Phases

The following phases are used to track a project through its life-cycle. The table also includes the trigger that corresponds to the project moving into a phase. Phase

Stand ard Order

Description

Trigger

Initiation.Approved

1

The project has become part of the project portfolio through either the budget process or explicit approval by the CIO.

The project has been approved.

Planning.High Level Planning Complete

2

The high-level communication plan, Work Breakdown Structure, team structure, and other high-level planning items have been discussed and documented.

The Project Initiation Plan is attached to the project in Project Server.

Planning.Project Baseline Saved

3

The team has agreed to a schedule of deliverables and the corresponding tasks.

The Project Manager has saved the Project Baseline.

Execution/Control. Work in Progress

4

The team is doing work on the project and the Project Manager is tracking progress.

The kick-off meeting has been conducted and work has begun on the Project.

Close.Pending Closing Activities

5

Work has been completed on the project, but the Project Manager is conducting postproject activities (conducting a lessons-learned meeting or post go-live survey or other activity relating to measuring the success of the project).

The project’s deliverables have been signed-off.

Close.Closed

6

All project-related activities have been completed

The closing activities complete.

Close.Cancelled

Not typical

The project has been removed from IT’s portfolio of projects

The CIO signs off on the cancellation of the project. The sponsor has been notified that the project has been cancelled.

Close.Hold

Not typical

The project has been put on hold, usually because resources have had to be re-allocated. This status should not be confused with a project that is experiencing delays.

The CIO signs off on the “Close.Hold” status.