Create your own Project Lifecycle...

It you don't want to have to start every project from scratch, then it's worthwhile creating your own Project Lifecycle.

How should you do this? What should it look like? And how do you use it? Keep reading to find out how to...

Create your own Project Lifecycle...

A Project Lifecycle is a series of steps that you take to complete a project from start to finish. Of course, it implies that you can complete the same steps for every project— so is this true?

In principle, yes. Every project will have an Initiation phase, a Planning phase, an Execution phase and a Closure phase. However within these phases, the steps you take may vary slightly between projects.

The trick is to create a lifecycle that is generic enough to use for all of your projects, while still being specific enough to add value and save you time on delivery. Here's how to do it...

Map it out

Every project is delivered in some form of lifecycle. You probably usually define your project upfront, then you'll hire your team, you'll plan and complete a set of tasks to create some deliverables and then get your customer to signoff the output. This sequence of steps are what is called a "lifecycle" and chances are that you're using the same generic lifecycle every time you deliver a project!

So start by mapping out your current project lifecycle on a blank sheet of paper and identify the elements that you know work well, and those that don't.

And improve it

Then try and improve your lifecycle by analyzing why certain steps don't work well currently. Analyze the root cause and identify which steps you could take instead, to improve your chance of success. For instance, maybe "scope creep" is an issue for you, so by putting in place better steps for managing changes to scope, it would help.

Once you have identified the sequence of steps that you know will deliver your projects successfully from start to finish, the next thing you need to do is to "get detailed".

Get detailed

With a clearly defined series of steps, you now need to define the tasks and activities that are needed to perform each step efficiently. For instance, if your first step was to get funding for your project, then do you need to create a Business Case or Financial Plan to do it? What type of person will authorize the funding and what information will they need to do it?

For every step, describe how you intend to do it, the tasks and activities to be taken, and as importantly, who is responsible for doing them (e.g. it is yourself or members of your team)?

Tool up

Great—so you have a crystal clear process for delivering projects. Now how can you do each step quickly and efficiently? Typically project managers use templates, software and examples to help them complete each step faster and more efficiently. With a well documented lifecycle, the right lifecycle steps and good tools, you will be armed and ready to tackle any type of project to succeed.

Get ready

And finally, with all of this collateral, you need to collect it into a single place, ready to use on projects. Many project managers use "MPMM" for this, as you can create a brand new Project Lifecycle and import all of your templates and examples into it, ready for use.

By creating your own project lifecycle or customizing that of another, you can apply a single approach to managing successful projects.

Download a complete Project Lifecycle within MPMM now...

Building high performing teams

So you're a Project Manager on a new project and you want to build a high performing team? Excellent, this is a great goal to strive for.

But it's not easy, especially in the project environment which has its own challenges. To do it, take these tips for...

Building high performing teams

What exactly is a high performing team? It's "a team that exceeds the goals you set, by working hard and smart, as a group, not individuals."

Whether you're in IT, construction, engineering or another industry, building a high performing team is critical to success. You can do it in just 5 steps...

1) Planning

Before you hire your first person, you need to document what it is that your team have to achieve and by when. You also need to create specific Job descriptions that set out your expectations for each role and how you'll measure their performance.

Don't stop there. Think about the team culture you want to build, the dynamics of your team and how they should work together. Only with a personal vision for how your team will perform, will you be able to meet that goal.

2) Recruiting

Recruitment is harder than it looks. It's easy to recruit the wrong person, and it's even easier to build a team that don't perform well. A candidate should only be recruited if they fit the job description, align with your personal vision for how the team will work together and they want to work in a culture that depicts your vision.

Take your time. Be swayed by your gut feel. Recruit "like-minded people". Introduce them to high performing staff you know of and get their feedback. Be choosy. Recruit the best. If you have to pay top dollar for top performer, it will often cost less in the long run, than a cheap resource who doesn't perform.

3) Culture Creation

If you've hired "like-minded people" then they will all like each other, and that's a great start. Get them working together on tasks. Constantly change the people you pair up, so that people get to know others in the team.

If your ideal culture is "performance through achievement" then shout out loud about each team success. And if you want "performance through happy customers" then strengthen the relationship between the team and your customers. Get them socializing. Try team sports.

4) Self Motivation

A happy motivated team will always out-perform an unhappy unmotivated one. And it starts with you! Are you happy and motivated? Get on track personally by working out, relaxing after hours, de-stress and set personal goals. Your motivation will rub off on your team.

Then when you're ready, focus on motivating your team. Use team building and group rallying exercises to get them pumped. Tell them how proud you are to work with them. Help them understand why the goals are important and how every team member contributes to them.

5) Recognition & Reward

People only respond positively to positive behavior. So you need to constantly recognize achievement when it's due. Tell the team about an individuals success. Make them feel proud. Spread the love—don't focus on one team or person too frequently.

And reward them when it's due. Reward them unexpectedly as people will appreciate it all the more. Meals to restaurants, tickets to the super-bowl. These things mean a lot to staff when they didn't expect it!

And there you are. If you plan for success, recruit a great team, build a positive culture and recognize achievement, then you'll build a healthy project team and boost your chances of success!

And if you want your team to perform even better, download the Project Management Kit now to save time completing projects.

Download the Project Management Kit now.

Turning around Failing Projects

Most Project Managers have been there. You're assigned a project that's going off the rails and you're expected to turn it around. Where do you start? Why is it failing? What should you do to get it back on track?

People who exceed in these roles are called "turn-around specialists" and it's a discipline of its own. Yet Project Managers are often asked to do it. So we thought we'd offer some tips and advice here, on:

Turning around Failing Projects

Great– you've been assigned to a new project, but things are already going crazy. Your team are dissatisfied, your deliverables are late and your budget has already been exceeded. Your Project Sponsor is unhappy and no-one really knows who the customer is. Where do you start?

Confirmation

The first thing to do is to find the documented vision for the project, go to the Sponsor and confirm that it's still accurate. If there is no vision, then you need to create one pretty darned quickly. Identify the key project stakeholders and get them to agree on exactly what the project must achieve, by when and whom for. Only with a solid vision will you have a clear stake in the ground from which to move forward.

Review

Next, you need to find out what's going on. Why are the team unhappy? Why is everything late etc. Identify the top 10 things that need to be fixed to get the project back on track. Don't look back, only look forward.

Don't do a post mortem. Instead make it a short, sharp review that identifies the key issues affecting the project. Involve your team as much as possible, as you need their buy-in.

Quick Wins

You need to build confidence with your Sponsor and more importantly, your team. Choose a couple of issues that you know you can solve immediately, and once solved, communicate it to your team.

Plan of Attack

Only now, will you have a good feel for the project issues and what it will take to resolve them. You can now create a plan of attack. Identify the actions to be taken by all of the team, to deliver the project vision successfully. We say "all" of the team, as you need to gain the buy-in of your entire team to get the show on the road.

Then take your plan to your Sponsor and get their support. Don't be afraid to ask for more money, time or resource as this is the time to ask for it. If you ask now while you're fresh in the role, it won't reflect on you. Don't wait until you're near the end of the project before you ask.

Rally

With your Project Sponsors support, get the project team together, for a single communications event. Tell them what you've found, what needs to be fixed and how you plan to do it. Tell them about the quick wins that have already been made and how you know that if everyone focuses on the plan ahead, you can deliver successfully.

Milestones

Set clear milestones that everyone understands. Put the milestones and plan of attack on a wall chart to make them visible. Then meet regularly to discuss their progress.

Love, Hugs and Tears

Then love your high performing staff, hug your underperformers who show promise, and shed no tears at having to change staff that show no signs of buying in to your action plan. It's onwards and upwards!

Want a Project Management Methodology that helps you get projects back on track? Download a free trial edition of MPMM now.

Managing a Program of Work

Want to manage a program of work?

As you become more experienced managing projects, you will often be asked to manage an entire "program of work". This is usually more challenging than managing a single project, as you will have a greater budget, team and responsibilities than you had before.

To help you out, we've defined here the 4 steps to take when...

Managing a Program of Work

So what is a Program? Well, a simple definition is that it's a group of projects. But wait– there's more! The projects in a program will have been grouped together for a reason, which is typically that they contribute to the same objectives in the business strategy.

Also, programs may include operational work within their scope, which makes them different by their very nature.

So you've been asked to run a program to build a new retail complex which involves 3 construction projects and some general marketing activities. How do you do it? Here are some tips:

Review the Strategy

When kicking off your program of work, the first step is to review your company strategy and agree on the objectives that your program is responsible for delivering. This is important, as the objectives are what you use to peg your projects to. If you end up creating new projects that don't contribute to your specified objectives, then they should be excluded from your program of work!

Get support

To gain the support, funds and "mind share" of your executive team, complete a Business Case. This will help you to identify the benefits and costs of running the program, the risks you foresee and what it is that you need to make it a success. It will also help you get the funding you require, as your Business Case will justify the funding needed, by stating the benefits to be realized.

Start carefully

Now that you have the funding and support from management, you're ready to kickoff. Before launching into scoping your projects—instead define your overall program of work in depth first. Create a Program Charter setting out your vision, objectives, roadmap and deliverables. Then set up a Program Office and appoint the key members of your administration team.

Selection is critical

You're now ready to define your projects and other related work. Scope out each project carefully and make sure that the benefits delivered from all of your projects combined, deliver the goals stated in your Business Case. Selecting the right projects to deliver the right benefits is critical. Make sure you categorize, evaluate, select and prioritize your projects carefully.

It's all down to execution

Now kick off your projects in a logical order. Spread your program resources (people, time and money) evenly so you don't have resource constraints. Go for quick wins first. Schedule larger projects next, once you have momentum. Never schedule critical projects to take place at the end. To retain the buy-in of your Sponsor, make sure your projects deliver value early.

Control chaos

After your projects kick off, changes in the business often cause a level of chaos. Your projects change in scope, their budgets get constrained and resource shortages start occurring. How you react to these changes will determine your level of success as a Program Manager.

When this happens, step back and re-assess your program. Outside influences are often the cause and these are things that you alone can fix. Only in exceptional circumstances should you dive into the depths of the program itself and work alongside project managers and teams at the micro level. A good Program Manager will instead step back and make macro level changes to influence the success of the program.

We hope these tips help improve your program management success!

Next Steps...

	Use this kit of templates to run projects within a program.
	Use this methodology to improve your project success.

Managing a Portfolio of Work

Want to "move up" in the field of Project Management? If so, then consider a career as a Project Portfolio Manager. You will be responsible for managing an entire portfolio of work, to help your company to achieve the overall business strategy.

So how do you startup, plan, execute and close a portfolio? We will explain how to do it right here, in this special newsletter edition on...

Managing a Portfolio of Work

What is Project Portfolio Management? Well, the short and sweet definition is that it's "managing most (or all) of an organizations resources towards achieving a common goal". Wow - that's huge!

Yes, if you're responsible for managing a portfolio of work, then you often have all, or at least a large portion of the organizations resources (people, equipment, money...) at your disposal. This is why portfolios usually include a whole suite of projects, programs and even operational work, grouped together to achieve a common goal. So how do you manage a portfolio? Take these 4 steps:

Initiate your Portfolio

When starting up a new portfolio of work, take the first step by identifying the elements of the business strategy that will be achieved by the portfolio and the timeframes in which it must be delivered.

Then create a Portfolio Charter (like a Project Charter), stating the objectives, scope, constraints and risks involved in undertaking it. You will then want to create a Portfolio Management Office consisting of planners and administrators responsible for reporting the status of the portfolio at all times.

And you'll also want to create a Governance Structure, which is a fancy term for appointing the portfolio sponsor, board and manager, as well as making sure that their roles are clearly defined.

Plan your Portfolio

Now comes the fun bit - scoping out the programs, projects and operational work that are needed to undertake the portfolio. Make sure that you scope each group of work clearly and accurately, and that there is no overlap between related projects.

Also, make sure you balance your resources evenly across programs. Remember, you only have a fixed amount of resource at your disposal, so make sure there are no shortages or surpluses in your plan.

Once you've scoped out the programs, projects and other related work, schedule it all in a Gantt chart. Then make sure that items on the critical path have ample resource to succeed.

Execute your Portfolio

Then kick-off your programs and projects in the order specified in your plan. You'll need to appoint Program and Project Managers for each chunk of work and closely monitor their delivery.

While each program and project is being delivered, you need to carefully monitor and control the overall performance of the portfolio, to make sure that it delivers the strategic goals agreed.

Close your Portfolio

Portfolios don't usually close over night like projects do. The reason is that by the end of the portfolio schedule, the majority of the value of the portfolio should have been gained by the business. If you've worked smart, you will have scheduled the high value projects at the start and the low value projects at the end, so the success of the portfolio will already be known throughout the organization.

To close your portfolio when ready, you need to document its outcome in a Portfolio Closure Report. In this report you will specify the strategic objectives achieved and value delivered to the organization. Then gain approval to release the remaining staff, suppliers, equipment and funds held by the portfolio team.

So if you get the opportunity to run a portfolio of work, you can use these tips above to boost your likelihood of success.

Further Information

The bread and butter of portfolio management is the running of projects. Use this template kit to deliver projects quickly and easily.

Want a methodology for managing projects? Download a free trial from www.MPMM.com

Monitor and Control Your Projects (Part 3)

There are 3 critical areas that many project managers overlook when monitoring and controlling projects, and they are often the root cause of project failure. These 3 areas are the management of; suppliers, procurement and communications. To help you to monitor and control each area efficiently, we've described each in further detail below...

Monitor and Control Your Projects
(Part 3)

Having previously covered the management of time, cost, quality, change, risk and issues - the final step in the "Monitor and Control" newsletter series is the management of suppliers, procurement and communications.

If you can monitor and control all of these aspects smoothly and efficiently, then you will have a great chance of delivering your project successfully. So let's tackle the last 3 remaining areas now...

Managing Suppliers

Always make sure you appoint suppliers through a formal process. Even if you're appointing suppliers you know and have worked with for some time, always create a statement of work which defines the exact scope of work that you wish them to perform.

Next create a formal detailed supplier contract for the scope of work to be completed. In this contract, define the work to be completed, the responsibilities of both parties, the performance criteria and terms and conditions for the relationship. Then if things go sour, you have something to fall back on.

In your contract, have milestones which specify what it is that you expect them to have delivered and by when. Then at each milestone date, complete a formal review of deliverables completed to date, vs. the deliverables specified in the contract. If things change during the project, then amend the contract accordingly. The contract should always represent the nature of the agreement and never become "out dated".

You can then closely monitor and control your suppliers performance.

Control Procurement

As well as managing your suppliers overall performance, you also need to monitor and control the procurement of goods and services from those suppliers.

Controlling procurement is all about reviewing and accepting goods and services once they have been delivered by your supplier. You need to implement a Procurement Management Process which enables your team to take ownership of the item being delivered, review it against pre-defined criteria and approve payment for it, based on your supplier contract.

Tip: Always make sure that you issue Purchase Orders for products you require from suppliers. Create a detailed description of the product you require on the Purchase Order, so that you have something to measure against when it arrives.

Perform Communications

Communication is King! As part of the "monitor and control" phase in a project, you'll need to keep a constant eye on the communications that are taking place.

You should always have a formal Communications Plan in place so that key messages are communicated to the right people at the right time. You can then monitor and control your project communications by making sure that the activities on your communications plan are completed at the right time, and in the right manner.

Make sure you have a feedback process so that if the wrong messages are received by staff, suppliers or stakeholders, then you'll be immediately informed and can take action to resolve it.

So that's in. In these last 3 newsletters, we've explained how to monitor and control your project by managing:

	Time, Cost and Quality
	Change, Risks, and Issues
	Suppliers, Procurement and Communications

By using these key project management principles, you can deliver projects quickly and efficiently, with less stress and effort than before.

Further Information

Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists to complete projects quickly.

See MPMM.com for smart software that helps you implement methodologies for projects.

Monitor and Control Your Projects (Part 2)

One of the biggest challenges you will face as a Project Manager is "scope creep". That's when during the Execution phase of the project, the planned scope of work changes, often causing delays and expense.

To avoid this, you need to carefully Monitor and Control your projects, by implementing change, risk and issue processes. Here are some tips on how to do it...

Monitor and Control Your Projects
(Part 2)

So things aren't going to plan because your customer has changed the scope of the project? Don't worry, this is a normal event for a Project Manager, as many projects are time consuming and while the project has been progressing, the business pressures faced by the customer have changed.

The art is not in minimizing change, but in managing it properly when it does occur. Here's how to do it...

Monitor Change

The most typical cause of a project going off-the-rails is that the scope has grown out of control, by "osmosis". The client has asked for changes, the team have had new ideas and your nice neat set of project tasks now look like spaghetti.

To succeed, you need to keep tight control of your project scope, by being vigilant about change. Do this by implementing a change management process. As soon as you identify a request for change in your project, document it formally by specifying where the change has come from, why it's needed and its impact on your project objectives.

And if the change is likely to affect the target end dates, budget or deliverables, then get your sponsor and customers approval before implementing it. Don't be afraid to ask for more time, people or money if you need it, especially if the change was initiated by the customer.

Never allow change to run your project. Instead, run your project by managing change!

Control Risks

As a Project Manager, it's all too easy to roll your sleeves up and get stuck into the project delivery. But when you do this, it's often hard to keep your head above water. You may end up managing at the micro level and high level risks to the project may pass you by.

It's hard, but try and remain a little divorced from the detailed day-to-day operation of your project where possible. In this way, you can continually assess the overall risk to the project from the outside and pounce on new risks when they appear.

Also, implement a Risk Management Process to formalize the way that risks are identified, assessed and mitigated. For each risk that appears, quantify its potential impact on the project, then take immediate action to minimize the likelihood of it occurring. Always create contingency plans, so that if the risk does occur, you can go to "plan b" and minimize its effect on the project delivery.

Resolve Issues

Resolving issues sounds easy right? The challenge however, is not just in resolving every issue that turns your way, but instead monitoring all of the issues that occur on a project and only resolving issues that are likely to impact on the project outcome. It's very infrequent on a project that you'll have time to resolve every issue that crops up - so be picky.

To make sure that you resolve issues in a timely manner, you need to put in place an Issue Management Process. This helps you to review all of the issues that crop up, assess their impact, delegate the ones that can be handled by others and resolve those that are critical to the project.

And there you have it! By managing change, risks and issues, you'll be able to avoid scope creep and boost your chances of achieving project success!

Further Information

Visit Method123.com for the complete set of templates, forms and checklists to complete projects quickly.

See MPMM.com for smart software that helps you implement methodologies for projects.