Introduction

Lola went to a party last week. Besides being the first free time she had since starting her database development initiative, it was a party to celebrate the launch of the project! After a number of months of very hard work, the team finally delivered. They were rightfully proud of it, and held a party to celebrate.

Delivery was not without its challenges. However, Lola has a much better understanding of project management now that she has completed the project. She was able to put all of our conversations into a framework that made sense to her. This article will reflect her understanding of project management now that her own is completed, and will highlight the key topics that we discussed previously.

The Why and the What of Projects

I am convinced that understanding the objectives and scope is the most critical aspect of project delivery. Many projects are derailed because the team or other stakeholders are unclear why exactly they are delivering the project. Although they may have delivered a great product, it did not meet the need that they were trying to fulfill. They did not understand why they were delivering the project.

Not clearly understanding the project scope (i.e. the “what” of the project) leads to similar issues. A poorly defined scope can cause people to march in different directions and work at cross purposes. This leads to overages in both schedule and budget. Clearly defining the scope is an important step in ensuring that the team is working together towards a common goal.

Lola’s project was delivered to improve communications with potential donors to the agency. Easy communication is why she delivered the project. The project comprises a database, training material, and policies around information privacy. These make up the “what” of the project and are the project scope.

The Triple Constraints

Delivering a quality project is just one concern. You may recall that the other two concerns are budget and schedule. These are the three constraints that circumscribe the project, and the manager must concern herself with all three. When the project manager creates her budget and schedule, she bases it on the scope. How much will it cost to create the deliverables? How long will it take to deliver? When the scope, budget, and schedule adequately reflect one another, they are said to be “balanced.” The best analogy of this is an equilateral triangle. Each side of the triangle is the same size.

Making Project Changes

There are as many reasons to make a change to the project as there are projects, and it can be difficult to discern whether it is wise to make the change. Sometimes, it is required because the project gets behind (schedule slippage), the scope gradually increases (scope creep), or the budget gets cut. Other times, change is requested by one of the stakeholders or team.

When faced with a project change request, the manager must first consider whether it will meet the objectives of the project and, ultimately, the organization sponsoring it. Change for change sake is not good, but change to better achieve the “why” of the project or the organization can be a very good move. For example, Lola was asked to include existing donors in her database. This was a change to the scope and would require more time to do. However, the team felt that it would greatly enhance the project and help the organization in its fundraising activities. The change would support the strategic objectives of the organization. The team decided to make the change.

Recall the analogy above of a project being similar to a triangle. No matter what the reason, a change to one side of the triangle will throw it out of balance. Change in one side necessitate a change in one (or usually both) of the other two sides. If the scope changes, the project team needs to reconsider the budget and the schedule. Will increasing the scope require more money or a longer schedule or both? This is a very important consideration when making a change to the project scope.

Project Management Processes

Lola also became familiar with a number of other project management processes during the course of her project. She learned more about risk management, schedule and budget management, communications management, and the other processes that a project manager executes daily to deliver the project. Although there are a few helpful hints that can help guide a project manager through these, the key is to be rigorous and ensure that the project team is committed to working through the tasks. It is not a magic potion to allay all problems encountered, but does offer a good framework for moving things forward – and for keeping everyone’s sanity!!!

The Softer Side of Project Management

If the most important lesson of project management is understanding the “why” and the “what” of a project, the second most important lesson must be that projects are always delivered by teams and that teams always comprise individuals. It is critical that the project manager provide leadership to the team and other stakeholders, have a strong vision for the project, and communicate effectively. The project manager needs to engender respect and trust from her project team. It will save her when things are not going so well and will be invaluable in ensuring that people remain committed when it gets tough.

Lola is lucky. She is an affable character, great communicator, and naturally persuasive. She has an innate understanding of the softer side of project management, and is able to motivate and win people over when they are discouraged or overwhelmed. This was a saving grace for her when deadlines were tight or chaos began to reign. Do not be afraid to take a leadership course if you feel it will benefit your management style.

Summary

Project management is a mixture of strategy, methodology, communication, and leadership. If you have been following this series of articles, you will have become acquainted with many of the basic lessons in each of these areas. Lola found that the best teacher is the experience itself. Delivering her project, while keeping some of these basic concepts in mind, allowed her to better understand what it means to be a successful project manager. It was not without its bumps and bruises. That is the story of projects. It has happened to me and it will happen to you. The important thing is to learn from these mistakes so that you will do better the next time. And you know what? You will!

Blair Witzel (blair@mcdoane.com) is a member of the Project Management Institute and a consultant with McDonnell Doane + Associates, an information management and technology firm focusing on the not-for-profit and public sectors. His work centres on managing multi-project portfolios and working with organizations to develop project management methodologies to more effectively deliver projects.