IntroductionWelcome| 00:04 | Hi! I'm Bonnie Biafore, and this
is managing small projects.
| | 00:08 | This course covers how to manage small
projects effectively from beginning to end.
| | 00:14 | We'll begin by examining the
characteristics of small projects and looking at
| | 00:19 | the lifecycle of managing them.
| | 00:21 | Then I'll guide you through
getting a project started, beginning with
| | 00:25 | identifying the customer and the goal
of the project, defining what the project
| | 00:29 | will deliver, and how you'll
know whether it's successful.
| | 00:34 | I'll provide tips for getting things
done once the project work begins, and
| | 00:38 | tracking where things stand as the
work progresses, so the project stays on
| | 00:43 | time and within budget.
| | 00:46 | Finally, we'll go over the steps to
perform at the end of a project to tie up
| | 00:50 | loose ends and help you make your
next project an even bigger success.
| | 00:55 | Running a successful small project
depends on the right tools applied in
| | 01:00 | the right quantities.
| | 01:02 | I'll introduce you to these tools and
show you how to use them in Managing
| | 01:06 | Small Projects.
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| Using the exercise files| 00:00 | This title includes free
Exercise Files for you to download.
| | 00:05 | These Exercise Files include sample
files for the project showcased in this
| | 00:09 | course, along with other files that
can act as templates for any project.
| | 00:14 | I'm a big fan of templates because they
help me get things done more quickly and
| | 00:18 | with more consistency.
| | 00:20 | Feel free to use all of these files
as starting points for document and
| | 00:25 | spreadsheet templates that you can
customize to work in your environment.
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| Showcasing the final project| 00:00 | The sample project used throughout this
course is the relocation of Focused Fitness;
| | 00:06 | a small exercise studio owned by a
woman named Beth, who has six trainers
| | 00:11 | who work as employees.
| | 00:13 | Beth's goal for the relocation project
is to move into a new space that will
| | 00:17 | satisfy the needs of the business
as it grows over the next five years.
| | 00:21 | She has several additional
objectives for the relocation.
| | 00:25 | First, a more convenient location
which will help the business grow. Second,
| | 00:31 | easier and safer access for the clients
who are recovering from injuries or are
| | 00:36 | older and less agile.
| | 00:38 | Third, if possible, lower rent per square foot.
| | 00:42 | To get the project started, Beth has
asked you to help her manage the relocation.
| | 00:48 | Let's get started and see how to
manage a small project from start to finish.
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1. Getting Started with Small ProjectsDefining small projects| 00:00 | Depending on their size, projects
need different amounts of management,
| | 00:05 | communication, and
documentation to be successful.
| | 00:09 | In this movie, I'll identify several
questions you can ask to determine whether
| | 00:13 | your project is small.
| | 00:16 | The first question is, what is
the project supposed to achieve?
| | 00:21 | Break down the project purpose into objectives.
| | 00:24 | A project can be considered small
if it has a single objective or, at
| | 00:30 | most, three objectives.
| | 00:32 | For example, you might organize a fun
run to support your favorite charity.
| | 00:37 | Your objective is to raise money. Period.
| | 00:41 | On the other hand, constructing a
multilevel building is no small feat.
| | 00:47 | This construction project
could have many objectives.
| | 00:51 | Are the results you need
to deliver straightforward?
| | 00:54 | And is it easy to tell if you've
delivered what you were supposed to?
| | 00:59 | The next question is how
much effort is required?
| | 01:04 | Some people use a number of hours as a
gauge, others use the number of tasks,
| | 01:11 | or, you might look at duration, that is,
the elapsed time from project start to finish.
| | 01:17 | Next, ask yourself how many
people or skills are needed.
| | 01:22 | The more people you need, the more
carefully you have to choreograph the work.
| | 01:26 | A rule of thumb for a team on a
small project is less than 10 people.
| | 01:31 | You can also ask how many decision-
makers and stakeholders are there.
| | 01:36 | Projects are much simpler if
only one person makes decisions.
| | 01:41 | Complexity can also turn a small
project into one that feels much larger.
| | 01:46 | Situation such as tasks relying on
other tasks, several people working
| | 01:50 | together, people working in different locations
and so on can make your project more complicated.
| | 01:56 | It might come as a surprise that
budget is not a good guide for project size.
| | 02:02 | That's because costs can vary depending
on the effort, but also on the cost of
| | 02:07 | materials or other expenses.
| | 02:09 | Throughout this course, we'll look at
how to manage small projects based on
| | 02:14 | their characteristics to increase
the likelihood of achieving success.
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| Overview of the small project management life cycle| 00:00 | Managing small projects can be
broken down into five major steps.
| | 00:05 | In this movie, I'll
introduce each of these steps.
| | 00:08 | Then we'll cover them in
detail in the chapters that follow.
| | 00:12 | With a small project, you might be
tempted to dive in and get down to work.
| | 00:18 | But it pays to take some
time to get started right.
| | 00:22 | Getting started, also known as initiating in
project management circles, is about getting
| | 00:27 | to know what the project is supposed to achieve.
| | 00:30 | Identifying or clarifying the project's
purpose helps the customer decide whether the project
| | 00:37 | makes sense, or it might show that
another project would be a better choice.
| | 00:43 | You put what you've learned into a
short document called the Project Summary.
| | 00:48 | Next up in the project management lifecycle is
getting organized, otherwise known as planning.
| | 00:54 | This is where you determine how you're going to do
everything it's going to take to get the project done.
| | 01:00 | You figure out what work must be done,
who is going to do it, when they will do it,
| | 01:06 | how long it's going to take,
and how much everything will cost.
| | 01:10 | Plan out how you're going to manage the project,
how everyone will communicate, how changes,
| | 01:16 | risks, and problems get handled, and how you
make sure that you meet the customer's expectations.
| | 01:23 | This information comes in different shapes
and formats, but it all goes into a set of
| | 01:28 | documents that together
represent the project plan.
| | 01:32 | Once the plan is in place, you use it in
several ways while the project work is underway.
| | 01:38 | To hand out assignments and manage the work
that's done, to track progress, to make adjustments
| | 01:45 | if need be, and to
communicate with team members.
| | 01:50 | Getting things done is almost
everyone's favorite step in managing a project.
| | 01:55 | Sometimes this is called executing.
| | 01:58 | You build your team, get people oriented
to how things are going to work, and finally
| | 02:03 | get them started on their assignments.
The project finally feels like it's underway.
| | 02:09 | While things are getting done, there is
another step that occurs at the same time: tracking.
| | 02:15 | You gather information from your team about
what's happening and compare the progress to your plan.
| | 02:22 | Projects never exactly
follow their plans, never.
| | 02:26 | So, you have to figure out how to bring
your project back on track after changes occur.
| | 02:31 | When everyone's assignments are done,
there is still a bit more to do.
| | 02:37 | Whether you call it wrapping up, tying up loose
ends, or closing, this step is short but important.
| | 02:44 | You get the customer to sign
off that the project is done.
| | 02:48 | You prepare final reports
about how the project went.
| | 02:51 | You might have to close contracts you signed.
| | 02:55 | And if you brought in resources from other
groups or organizations, it might help them
| | 02:59 | transition to their next assignments.
| | 03:02 | We're going to cover these steps in
detail in the chapters that follow.
| | 03:07 | But first, we'll look at some
tips for managing small projects.
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| Five tips for managing small projects| 00:00 | Because small projects have their own
idiosyncrasies, you don't use exactly the
| | 00:05 | same methods for managing
them as you do large projects.
| | 00:09 | Here are five tips for managing small projects.
| | 00:13 | So be sure to understand
what the project is all about.
| | 00:16 | Gather information on what the
customer really wants to achieve, and what's
| | 00:21 | beyond the boundaries of the project.
| | 00:24 | We'll talk about this more in the next chapter.
| | 00:27 | It might sounds strange, but another tip is,
do just enough to make the project a success.
| | 00:35 | Your goal as Project Manager is to complete
the project successfully, no less and no more.
| | 00:43 | Make sure that everyone works on
just the tasks that are required.
| | 00:48 | It's important that your team members
don't try to squeeze in other objectives,
| | 00:52 | or add work just because it
would be nice to have. Another tip;
| | 00:58 | build an effective team and keep it effective.
| | 01:02 | If you have a choice, use people who
know how to do the kind of work the project
| | 01:07 | requires, and ideally who have
worked well together in the past.
| | 01:13 | The next best thing is people you
think will work well together, even if they
| | 01:18 | have a little less experience.
| | 01:22 | Spend time motivating your team members.
| | 01:25 | Make sure they know what to do, and help
clear the way so they can get their work done.
| | 01:31 | Most importantly, make them feel appreciated.
| | 01:34 | This will help make the project run smoothly.
| | 01:38 | Next tip, keep things simple.
| | 01:41 | Small projects have smaller teams,
smaller budgets, and fewer hours allocated,
| | 01:46 | so you want every bit of time spent to count.
| | 01:50 | Use simple processes and procedures
that get the job done for activities like
| | 01:55 | tracking time, managing
changes, and communicating.
| | 01:59 | Administrative activities and meetings
can drain precious time from your project.
| | 02:05 | You can control them by asking for only
the information you need to manage the
| | 02:10 | project and holding only the
meetings that are absolutely necessary.
| | 02:16 | Finally, keep things organized, so you
don't waste time looking for information.
| | 02:22 | Performing work that was already done
by someone else or redoing work because
| | 02:27 | the instructions weren't complete.
| | 02:29 | Good organization also helps
everyone else find what they need.
| | 02:34 | Store project information where it's
easy to get to by everyone who needs it.
| | 02:40 | The adage less is more
truly applies to small projects.
| | 02:45 | The rest of the movies in this
course show you how to put all these tips
| | 02:49 | into practice.
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2. Starting the ProjectStarting a small project| 00:00 | Before you can really get started on a
project, you need to know a little bit about it.
| | 00:05 | The trick is to collect just enough
information about the project to make sure
| | 00:09 | it's the right thing to do
before you dive into planning.
| | 00:13 | It's a balancing act.
| | 00:15 | You want to start the project right
because mistakes and omissions early on can
| | 00:19 | become devastating later.
| | 00:21 | But, you don't want to spend most of
your allotted time on defining the project
| | 00:25 | only to find that
there's no time to do the work.
| | 00:29 | You can get the info you need
by asking a series of questions.
| | 00:32 | Who wants the project?
| | 00:35 | That is, who is the project customer?
| | 00:39 | Why does the customer want it?
| | 00:41 | In other words, the overall goal
and objectives for doing the project.
| | 00:46 | What does the customer expect
to get, known as Deliverables?
| | 00:51 | How will you know you succeeded?
| | 00:53 | What is and isn't part of the
project, known as the project scope.
| | 00:59 | Are there any constraints or limitations?
| | 01:02 | What could go wrong?
| | 01:04 | In other words, what risks
do you need to think about?
| | 01:08 | In this chapter, I'll share with you the
key elements for defining a small project.
| | 01:12 | I'll provide tips for putting the
right level of effort into these
| | 01:16 | startup activities.
| | 01:17 | I'll also talk about how you decide
whether to proceed, and how to get buy-in
| | 01:23 | from the people who matter.
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| Identifying the project customer| 00:00 | You might think that identifying who
the project customer is might be obvious.
| | 00:06 | But that's not always true.
| | 00:09 | So, one of the first things you need to
identify is who is the project customer.
| | 00:15 | First, the customer wants the
results the project can deliver.
| | 00:20 | That means the customer is
motivated to support the project to help it
| | 00:24 | finish successfully.
| | 00:25 | Second, the project customer helps define
what the project is supposed to achieve.
| | 00:32 | Third, the customer usually
provides the funding for the project.
| | 00:37 | With the fitness studio relocation
example, the studio owner is motivated to
| | 00:42 | make the project a success because the
relocation is going to help her business
| | 00:47 | grow for the next several years.
| | 00:50 | The owner understands her business, so
she contributes significantly to defining
| | 00:55 | the goal, objectives, and deliverables.
| | 00:58 | Finally, the money for the relocation
will come from the profits of the company
| | 01:03 | or a small business loan so that owner
is instrumental to funding the project.
| | 01:09 | So in this case, it's easy to
see that the owner is the customer.
| | 01:14 | If the customer isn't immediately
obvious, two questions can help.
| | 01:20 | First ask, Who's paying?
| | 01:24 | Whoever pays for a project has a lot of
control over what happens and could be
| | 01:29 | the project customer, but not always.
| | 01:32 | Within a larger company funding could
come from higher in the organization.
| | 01:37 | For example, the sales department
might initiate a project to produce new
| | 01:42 | materials but the funding could
come from the marketing department.
| | 01:47 | The next question is, who approves the project?
| | 01:51 | When funding and approval aren't
connected, approvals typically come from
| | 01:56 | the project customer.
| | 01:58 | I experienced this situation with the
software development group that hired me
| | 02:02 | to write documentation.
| | 02:04 | The development team reviewed the
documentation I wrote, but the director of
| | 02:08 | product management approved the final
documentation including the content,
| | 02:13 | format, and delivery method.
| | 02:15 | She was the project customer.
| | 02:18 | If the project customer is a group,
you also need to identify the one person
| | 02:24 | with final authority
known as the project sponsor.
| | 02:28 | The sponsor controls the funding for
the project and might also provide or
| | 02:32 | prioritize resources for the project.
| | 02:36 | Test your customer
identifying skills with this scenario.
| | 02:40 | You show up to talk about putting
together an open house for the new office
| | 02:43 | space and find three
people in the conference room.
| | 02:46 | Dominic is the business manager and starts
by describing the purpose of the open house.
| | 02:51 | The ideas he has about when to hold it,
the food to serve, and activities to plan.
| | 02:58 | Beth is the business-owner.
| | 03:00 | She tells you that Dominic knows what
she has in mind for the project and then
| | 03:04 | gives you her budget for the open house.
| | 03:07 | Tony is handling the design and
construction of the new space.
| | 03:11 | Who is the customer?
| | 03:13 | As a business-owner Beth is
going to provide the funding.
| | 03:17 | She confirms her role as
moneybags by telling you the budget.
| | 03:22 | Tony is going to tell you
what's great about the new space.
| | 03:25 | But Dominic is the one who
describes the purpose of the project and
| | 03:29 | communicate several objectives.
| | 03:31 | Beth also communicated her
trust in him to do things right.
| | 03:36 | So Dominic is the customer in this case.
| | 03:39 | Of course, it's still a good idea to
ask questions to confirm this conclusion.
| | 03:44 | As you can see a lot can go into
identifying the project customer, once you've
| | 03:50 | identified who your customer is, it's
time to figure out just what they want.
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| Understanding the project goal| 00:00 | Understanding the goals of a project is
crucial whether a project is small or large.
| | 00:06 | Focusing on the goal keeps the project headed
in the right direction from start to finish.
| | 00:13 | At the very beginning the project goal helps
you decide whether or not to do the project.
| | 00:18 | Once the project starts the goal helps
everyone focus on achieving the right results.
| | 00:25 | At the end the goal helps you decide
whether the project accomplished what
| | 00:29 | it's set out to do.
| | 00:32 | Three questions help clarify the goal.
| | 00:36 | The first question is, what
problem are you trying to solve?
| | 00:40 | In the relocation example, if you
talk to the employees the sweaty crush of
| | 00:45 | people in the current space
might seem like an obvious problem.
| | 00:48 | But is that really the problem to solve?
| | 00:52 | Ask why do you need a new location?
| | 00:55 | Why is the new location important?
| | 00:57 | Why isn't the old location good enough?
| | 01:00 | The owner may say that she needs a
new space so she can grow her business.
| | 01:05 | The goal is more than a new location.
| | 01:08 | It's a new location that
enables the growth of the business.
| | 01:12 | The second question is, what
results should the project deliver?
| | 01:18 | To ensure success you want to
identify those results upfront.
| | 01:23 | Ask the project customer and others
involved in the project what results they expect.
| | 01:29 | These results might spotlight more
detailed objectives for the project, such as
| | 01:33 | more space for working with the
clients, a more convenient location, more
| | 01:38 | parking, easier access, and perhaps lower rent.
| | 01:43 | You can ask a third
question to confirm the goal.
| | 01:47 | Are these the right results?
| | 01:49 | The relocation will alleviate
overcrowding but the results more space and a
| | 01:55 | better location enable business growth.
| | 01:59 | Make goal specific. Describe the goal,
objectives, and results in ways that are
| | 02:05 | quantifiable and measurable.
| | 02:08 | Because the relocation will have
blueprints that spell out the construction
| | 02:12 | and layout required you can compare the
finished construction to what's in the drawings.
| | 02:18 | With more qualitative results like a
more convenient location or easier access,
| | 02:24 | you might evaluate those factors by
surveying clients and measuring the change
| | 02:29 | in customer satisfaction.
| | 02:31 | Different people might have
different perspectives of a project goal.
| | 02:36 | If you run into this situation the
quickest resolution is to hold a meeting with
| | 02:40 | the project customer and other
interested parties to hash-out the answer.
| | 02:45 | Ask everyone what they think the goal is.
| | 02:48 | Facilitate the discussion, help people see
where they agree, and don't forget to
| | 02:54 | wrap up by stating the
goal if it's been revised.
| | 02:58 | Finally distill what you've
learned into a few sentences.
| | 03:03 | Create a document for your project summary.
| | 03:06 | A Word processing document or a
Spreadsheet is fine, we have also provided a
| | 03:11 | template in the Exercise Files
that you can use to get started.
| | 03:15 | With a project summary as a guide
you can revisit the goal throughout the
| | 03:19 | project to stay on target.
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| Determining the right level of project management| 00:00 | Planning and other project management
activities help make a project a success.
| | 00:05 | But too much, and the
project might drown in bureaucracy;
| | 00:10 | too little, and the project might not succeed.
| | 00:14 | The key is, to determine how much
project management it will take, no more, no
| | 00:20 | less to ensure that the
project achieves its goal.
| | 00:24 | To find that sweet spot of just enough
project management it pays to be smart
| | 00:29 | and a little bit lazy.
| | 00:31 | When you are smart you can identify
what really needs to be done and when you
| | 00:36 | are lazy you find the simplest
and easy way to do those things.
| | 00:42 | As a rule of thumb the time a project
manager spends is about 15% of the project hours.
| | 00:48 | That means out of 1000 hours, 850
hours would be for doing the actual work to
| | 00:55 | achieve the project goal, and 150 hours
would be project management to make sure
| | 01:01 | the project is successful.
| | 01:02 | Small projects usually represent fewer
total hours, so the hours for project
| | 01:08 | management are less two.
| | 01:10 | This just-enough style of project
management also helps prevent unnecessary
| | 01:16 | administrivia for team members, which
means they have more of their time to work
| | 01:21 | on their assignments.
| | 01:23 | The good news is that smaller
projects often have simpler goals more
| | 01:28 | straightforward deliverables and smaller teams.
| | 01:31 | So project management
doesn't have to be cumbersome.
| | 01:34 | It can be more informal and intuitive as
long as you still perform the crucial steps.
| | 01:41 | Here are tips for running a project effectively.
| | 01:44 | Track only the information you need,
don't way down your team members with
| | 01:49 | tracking and reporting too much detail.
| | 01:52 | Make it as easy as possible for people
to report what they're working on and the
| | 01:56 | progress they've made.
| | 01:58 | Stay on top of the information you do
track, like action items or change requests.
| | 02:04 | That way you spend less time putting out fires.
| | 02:08 | Small teams make communication easier so
keep communication as simple as possible.
| | 02:14 | A team e-mail list shared folders,
tools like collaboration software, whatever
| | 02:20 | makes the most sense for
your project and your people.
| | 02:24 | Last, but not least, run effective
meetings, because meetings involve
| | 02:29 | participants, you can save tons of time
and money by holding as few meetings as
| | 02:34 | necessary, and keeping the
ones you run as short as possible.
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| Identifying what you'll deliver| 00:00 | By the end of every small project you
turn something over to the project customer.
| | 00:05 | Sometimes the project goal and
what you deliver are one and the same.
| | 00:10 | And other times, you need to
translate the project goal into one or more
| | 00:13 | items you can deliver.
| | 00:15 | The things you hand over
are called deliverables.
| | 00:19 | They might be tangible results like a
dog house for your pooches, a software
| | 00:23 | program, flower arrangements for wedding
or a new office space for your company.
| | 00:29 | Some deliverables aren't so concrete.
| | 00:31 | For example, a new service you offer
or a process you design for tracking
| | 00:37 | finances for an accounting client.
| | 00:40 | Deliverables help you
define the scope of project.
| | 00:43 | If you hire someone or someone hires
you the contract you sign will probably
| | 00:48 | include a project scope
statement and a list of deliverables.
| | 00:53 | The process of identifying project
deliverables is often more of a discussion
| | 00:57 | than one person saying this
is what I want to someone else.
| | 01:01 | A few questions can help you
home in on project deliverables.
| | 01:06 | What tangible results do you expect?
| | 01:09 | Less concrete goals, increased sales for
example, still can have results you can
| | 01:15 | see or feel such as new sales
material and advertisements.
| | 01:19 | How will you use this result?
| | 01:22 | This question helps add detail to
the description of what's delivered.
| | 01:27 | Are you handing out information,
posting it to a website, or using the info to
| | 01:32 | explain your services to potential customers?
| | 01:36 | Who will you give this result to?
| | 01:38 | You can learn more about
deliverables by finding out who will use them.
| | 01:43 | Plus, you know who else to talk to if
you have questions about what is needed.
| | 01:48 | On large projects, you might prepare
detailed descriptions of deliverables which
| | 01:52 | are known as requirements.
| | 01:54 | For small projects you still describe
what you want but typically in less detail.
| | 02:01 | A table or a spreadsheet is
handy for listing your deliverables.
| | 02:05 | We've provided one for
you in your Exercise Files.
| | 02:09 | Start filling out your spreadsheet
with the end deliverables, which are the
| | 02:13 | results you handoff at the end of the project.
| | 02:16 | The end deliverables help you confirm that
the project is done what it's supposed to.
| | 02:21 | The end deliverable for the office
relocation is the new space ready for business.
| | 02:26 | Once the project gets underway you can use
intermediate deliverables to measure progress.
| | 02:33 | Although some intermediate deliverables
will be identified early in the project,
| | 02:38 | you might identify others during
planning or even after work gets underway.
| | 02:42 | For instance early on in the office
relocation, intermediate deliverables of
| | 02:48 | contracts and blueprints might be identified.
| | 02:51 | Later on you might add other
intermediate deliverables like a building permit
| | 02:56 | and a certificate of occupancy.
| | 02:59 | During planning it's a good idea to
identify additional deliverables that can be
| | 03:04 | completed every week or so.
| | 03:06 | That way you can evaluate
progress on a regular basis.
| | 03:10 | Let's use the open house scenario
to practice identifying deliverables.
| | 03:15 | The end deliverables for the open
house are the different components of the
| | 03:18 | event itself, the food
and tours of the facility.
| | 03:23 | What about intermediate deliverables?
| | 03:25 | Think about things you'd have
to deliver before the event.
| | 03:28 | For example, a contract with a caterer
for the food or advertisements in the paper.
| | 03:34 | Now that you've seen how to identify
deliverables let's take a look at how you
| | 03:39 | determine whether the
deliverables are a success.
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| Describing what success looks like| 00:00 | Once you identify a project's
deliverables, you also need a way to tell that
| | 00:04 | what you get is what you want.
| | 00:07 | Success criteria may be
fairly simple and straightforward.
| | 00:11 | Tangible deliverables with
built-in measures are the easiest.
| | 00:15 | For example, with the relocation, one
success criteria is receiving a building
| | 00:20 | permit from the county government.
| | 00:22 | If you instead, get a letter from the
county asking for changes, you know you
| | 00:26 | have more work to do.
| | 00:28 | Fortunately many small project
deliverables fall in this category.
| | 00:33 | In the relocation example, the
Furniture and Equipment move is successful when
| | 00:37 | everything is in position in the new
space, and all the equipment is running.
| | 00:42 | Ideally, you want success criteria defined,
so you can ask, is this what you wanted?
| | 00:48 | You can get a simple yes or no.
| | 00:51 | But what if criteria aren't so obvious?
| | 00:55 | You need to come up with
ways to measure success.
| | 00:59 | The measures you use will
vary depending on the project.
| | 01:02 | For example, with the relocation
project you might have trouble specifying a
| | 01:06 | measure of quality for
the work that's been done.
| | 01:09 | One way to create a measure for
quality could be that the dimensions of the
| | 01:13 | construction are within a quarter
inch of the dimensions on the drawings.
| | 01:18 | With less obvious criteria, you
also need to think about methods for
| | 01:22 | verifying these results.
| | 01:24 | For instance, you might survey your
clients to see what they think about the
| | 01:28 | changes you're planning.
| | 01:29 | The test you develop should be
simple and easy to administer.
| | 01:34 | How do you define criteria for the
design of the new company logo or measure the
| | 01:39 | usability of a website?
| | 01:41 | Surveys are questionnaires or
another way to measure qualitative results.
| | 01:45 | For example, you can ask 50 of your
customers what they think of your new logo
| | 01:51 | or you could ask end users to fill out a
questionnaire about your product's ease of use.
| | 01:57 | Early in the project you don't have to
describe all the criteria for every deliverable.
| | 02:02 | Start with the criteria for the final
deliverable you give to the customer.
| | 02:07 | That one is particularly important,
because it usually ties into getting signoff
| | 02:11 | that the project is complete and
it might trigger the final payment.
| | 02:16 | You can swing back around to the deliverable
spreadsheet as you define and plan the project.
| | 02:22 | In the process, identifying
deliverables or uncovering more detail about how
| | 02:27 | you'll evaluate them.
| | 02:30 | In your deliverable spreadsheet
label a blank column Success Criteria.
| | 02:35 | Use the relocation project or your own
project and fill out the Success Criteria
| | 02:40 | for your main deliverables.
| | 02:42 | You can add to these throughout the project.
| | 02:45 | With your deliverables identified and
Success Criteria spelled out, you'd be
| | 02:50 | able to assess whether the project
is delivering what it's supposed to,
| | 02:54 | every step of the way.
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| Defining the scope of the project| 00:00 | With the project goal, deliverables, and
success criteria in place, it's time to
| | 00:06 | start working on the scope statement.
| | 00:08 | A document that clearly delineates what
is included in the project and just as
| | 00:13 | important, what is not included.
| | 00:16 | For a small project with straightforward
deliverables, the scope statement might
| | 00:21 | be as simple as the list of
deliverables and success criteria.
| | 00:25 | The scope statement is often included
in a legal agreement, if the project
| | 00:30 | involves one person or company hiring another.
| | 00:34 | You might also hear the scope
statement called a statement of work.
| | 00:37 | As an example, here is the scope for relocation.
| | 00:42 | The scope statement identifies the
work and deliverables, such as designing a
| | 00:47 | space, negotiating contracts,
completing construction and moving.
| | 00:53 | Notice that it also includes
activities that are out of scope.
| | 00:57 | The out of scope section identifies
work or deliverables that are not the
| | 01:01 | responsibility of the project
team or the vendor you're hiring.
| | 01:04 | For example, with the relocation,
the tasks for changing the business
| | 01:10 | address are out of scope.
| | 01:13 | A clear scope statement helps prevent a
project from oozing beyond its boundaries.
| | 01:18 | This all too common
problem is called Scope Creep.
| | 01:22 | The customer, as well as people on the
project team might come up with great
| | 01:26 | ideas that expand beyond
the budget and end date.
| | 01:29 | By communicating the scope statement
with everyone on the team, you help keep
| | 01:34 | focused on what needs to be done and
discourage people from doing more than is required.
| | 01:41 | If someone wants to add something
to the project, you can use the scope
| | 01:45 | statement to decide
whether the addition makes sense.
| | 01:48 | If you run into trouble with the budget,
schedule, or availability of resources,
| | 01:53 | one option is to reduce the project scope.
| | 01:56 | Throughout the rest of this course
you'll see how the project scope can help you
| | 02:00 | keep your project on track.
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| Identifying project constraints| 00:00 | If you had unlimited amounts of time,
money and people, project management
| | 00:05 | wouldn't be so important, for projects
come with constraints and limitations,
| | 00:10 | which is why you have to
plan and manage your projects.
| | 00:14 | Time, budget and resource constraints
are so common that the combo has a formal
| | 00:19 | name, the triple constraint
| | 00:22 | One way to visualize the
situation is with a triangle.
| | 00:27 | The inside of the triangle
represents the project scope.
| | 00:30 | Each side of the triangle represents a
constraint on a component, like time,
| | 00:35 | budget, and resources.
| | 00:36 | You can't specify all four of these variables,
even though many customers would like to.
| | 00:42 | At least one has to be flexible.
| | 00:45 | For example, if you have a hard deadline,
your project might need more money to
| | 00:50 | outsource work or you
might have to reduce the scope.
| | 00:54 | A lot of the time the customer gives you
budget and time constraints right off the bat.
| | 00:59 | For example, on the relocation project,
the business owner has a budget of $40,000.
| | 01:06 | She also wants the new location open by
the end of August, because the fitness
| | 01:11 | business picks up in September.
| | 01:14 | As you define and plan a project,
you'll usually run into resource constraints.
| | 01:19 | People and equipment are often the
biggest source of constraints on a project.
| | 01:23 | If you work on a small project within
an organization you might even be told
| | 01:27 | which resources you can have.
| | 01:30 | Resource constraints illustrate how
one variable can affect the others.
| | 01:35 | Quality can also affect a project.
| | 01:37 | For example, a high-end house
construction project with top-of-the-line
| | 01:42 | components and exquisite craftsmanship
will take longer and cost more than a
| | 01:48 | cookie-cutter house.
| | 01:49 | Projects can have other types of
constraints, which are as varied as the
| | 01:53 | projects to which they apply.
| | 01:55 | As you identify constraints,
add them to your project summary.
| | 02:00 | Later in this course, you'll see how
to adjust your plan to take resource,
| | 02:04 | budget, and time constraints into account.
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| Identifying risks| 00:00 | It's important to identify upfront what
might go wrong in a project, so you can
| | 00:05 | plan ahead and prevent a lot of
the problems that you might run into.
| | 00:09 | Many people think of risks as negative
events that might harm a project like a
| | 00:14 | delayed shipment, but risks
really represent uncertainty.
| | 00:18 | Risks are events that may or may not occur.
| | 00:22 | One risk for the relocation project
is that materials may arrive damaged.
| | 00:27 | Early on, take some time to identify
risks that could affect the project so the
| | 00:32 | customer can decide whether it
makes sense to do the project at all.
| | 00:37 | For small project, make a rough
estimate of the likelihood that the risk will
| | 00:41 | occur and the impact it would have, if it does.
| | 00:45 | For example with the relocation
project, using a construction delay is very
| | 00:51 | likely and can have a large impact if
the delay pushes the finished data out.
| | 00:56 | Since this risk is likely and would
have a large impact, you would plan ahead
| | 01:02 | for how you would handle
that risk if it occurred.
| | 01:05 | It's easier to identify
risks that even countered before.
| | 01:09 | In the risk management world, these are
called known unknowns, canceled flights,
| | 01:15 | lost shipments, working with new people
or equipment malfunctions for example.
| | 01:21 | Technology seems to act up just when you need it.
| | 01:25 | In addition, new technology might not be
ready in time, work the way you want or
| | 01:30 | it costs more than you planned.
| | 01:33 | Geographically dispersed team
members or new people can increase risk.
| | 01:38 | Time zones and travel can result in delays.
| | 01:41 | Language and cultural differences can
lead to miscommunication and remote teams
| | 01:46 | might have trouble building
effective working relationships.
| | 01:50 | Limited options, like having only one
supplier, can increase risk because you
| | 01:55 | don't have alternatives
that something goes wrong.
| | 01:58 | Work with everyone on
your team to identify risks.
| | 02:03 | If you have colleagues who've worked
on similar projects, ask them what risks
| | 02:07 | they identified or experienced.
| | 02:10 | As you identify risks, add them to a list.
| | 02:14 | During planning, you will use this
spreadsheet to develop a plan for managing
| | 02:18 | the risks which we'll go
over in more detail later.
| | 02:22 | Risks are one thing that can cause
problems and assumptions are another.
| | 02:27 | We'll talk about assumptions next.
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| Documenting assumptions| 00:00 | It's important to identify the
assumptions people have made and make sure
| | 00:04 | they're correct, because bad
assumptions can lead to unpleasant surprises and
| | 00:09 | unexpected problems.
| | 00:11 | An assumption is something that
someone simply accepts is true without doing
| | 00:16 | anything to confirm that it really is.
| | 00:18 | The classic example of a bad
assumption is when two people look at each other
| | 00:23 | and both say I thought you are going to do it.
| | 00:26 | People make assumptions without even
realizing it, so it's important to find out
| | 00:30 | what their assumptions are and talk about them.
| | 00:32 | The key is to ask people
about their expectations.
| | 00:37 | Here are a few questions
and statements you can use.
| | 00:41 | What results do you expect?
| | 00:43 | What do those results look like? Tell me more?
| | 00:46 | What do you think is going to happen?
| | 00:49 | Who do you think will do this?
| | 00:51 | When do you think this will happen?
| | 00:54 | What work don't you expect to be included?
| | 00:57 | Keep asking questions, ask them more than once.
| | 01:02 | Try asking the same question in different
ways to see if you get different answers.
| | 01:07 | If you do, dig deeper to see if there is
an unspoken assumption hiding in there.
| | 01:13 | Asking the right questions will
help you uncover, unspoken assumptions.
| | 01:17 | Add the assumptions you
identify to your project summary.
| | 01:22 | In some cases you might have to change
other parts of the project summary like
| | 01:27 | deliverables, success criteria and
scope to reflect people's expectations.
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| Deciding to move forward| 00:00 | Whether you run a small business, manage
part of an organization, hire others to
| | 00:05 | do work, or have to manage
your own finite work hours.
| | 00:09 | You probably have to make
decisions about which projects to perform.
| | 00:14 | You can choose from three possible
actions doing the project, not doing anything
| | 00:20 | or choosing a different project.
| | 00:22 | Obviously, one choice is to
move forward with the project.
| | 00:26 | Some projects are given such as buying a
new computer when the old one bites the dust.
| | 00:32 | If the decision isn't clear-cut the
information you gather about a project can
| | 00:36 | help you make an informed decision
about whether it makes sense to proceed.
| | 00:40 | If a project isn't an automatic yes,
here are a few questions you can ask to
| | 00:46 | determine whether proceeding makes sense.
| | 00:48 | Does the project provide enough value?
| | 00:51 | In a business environment look at
whether the project supports at least one of
| | 00:56 | the businesses key objectives, such as
getting new customers, increasing profit,
| | 01:01 | reducing costs or introducing new services.
| | 01:05 | Ask yourself is the project feasible,
you might find out that office space is
| | 01:10 | scarce at the moment and you can't
find a suitable space to move to.
| | 01:15 | Another question to ask is are there
people available to do the project.
| | 01:20 | Another choice is do not do the project.
| | 01:24 | If it doesn't provide enough value or
it isn't feasible for any reason there's
| | 01:29 | no point to moving into planning.
| | 01:32 | Quite often you'll find that you
have several projects to choose from.
| | 01:36 | When you have to choose you compare the
projects, look at which project provides
| | 01:41 | the most value, supports your
objectives is the most feasible or most suited to
| | 01:47 | the people who are available.
| | 01:49 | Think about how risky the project is too.
| | 01:52 | Choosing doesn't have to be a drawn
out affair involving charts, graphs
| | 01:57 | or weighted factors.
| | 01:59 | Many people rely on a combination
of experience, intuition, pragmatic
| | 02:04 | assumptions, rough estimates and quick
comparisons to arrive at their decisions.
| | 02:10 | You might ask others for input, but
eventually it comes down to making a choice.
| | 02:15 | If you need help deciding what to do
right down the options you have including
| | 02:20 | each project you're considering as
well as the option of doing nothing.
| | 02:25 | Then write down factors you'll use to
decide such as people available, enough
| | 02:30 | time and potential cost.
| | 02:32 | Add a check mark if the project passes
the test in that category, then evaluate
| | 02:38 | the results with a pinch of
common sense and make your choice.
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|
|
3. Organizing the WorkPlanning a small project| 00:00 | During planning, you flesh out
two major aspects of your project.
| | 00:05 | How you're going to get the project done
and how you're going to run the project?
| | 00:09 | You put all this information into a set
of documents known as the project plan.
| | 00:15 | If you've already define the project as
described in Chapter 2, you have a good
| | 00:19 | foundation for your plan.
| | 00:22 | As you work out the details, you might
uncover additional information about the
| | 00:26 | project, such as new
deliverables, risks or assumptions.
| | 00:31 | All you have to do is update your existing
project summary or other files with the new info.
| | 00:38 | There are four main components to
planning the work that has to be done.
| | 00:42 | First, you have to identify that work,
exactly what work has to be done to
| | 00:48 | deliver the desired results.
| | 00:50 | Second, you estimate how much time it will
take to perform the work and how much it'll cost.
| | 00:58 | Third, you determine who
you need to do the work.
| | 01:01 | Fourth, you build a schedule of when
work will occur and how many days or
| | 01:07 | weeks it will take.
| | 01:10 | In this chapter I'll share
approaches to constructing the components of
| | 01:14 | a project plan.
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| Collaborating| 00:00 | In small projects the time for
project management and administrative tasks
| | 00:04 | is usually limited.
| | 00:06 | That means you need to set your
project up to run as smoothly and as
| | 00:11 | efficiently as possible.
| | 00:12 | One way to streamline your project is
to make project information easy to find
| | 00:17 | and share, because small
projects usually have small budgets.
| | 00:22 | Look at the technology that's already
available in your company, you might setup
| | 00:27 | shared folders on the company
network or create an online group.
| | 00:32 | If you worked within a large
organization, you might have access to
| | 00:35 | more sophisticated tools such
as SharePoint, Project Server or
| | 00:40 | Primavera applications.
| | 00:42 | You don't have to get fancy choose the
technology that you think will work best
| | 00:47 | for your team based on it's size and
team members familiarity with the tools.
| | 00:53 | If in-house tools don't fit the bill
there are many collaboration and project
| | 00:57 | management tools available
that don't cost a bundle.
| | 01:01 | I recommend checking out online
reviews, such as the reviews on the top 10
| | 01:06 | reviews website. You can see what's
available, the features each product offers
| | 01:11 | and how much they cost.
| | 01:14 | If you work with people in other
locations or outside your organization Cloud
| | 01:19 | storage services make it
easy to share information.
| | 01:23 | Services work in different ways with
some you upload files to a shared area,
| | 01:29 | others let you save files in a
shared folder on your computer.
| | 01:34 | The service takes care of uploading
the file and synchronizing with shared
| | 01:38 | folders on other people's computers.
| | 01:41 | Yet another approach let's you work on
and store files online, only uploading
| | 01:47 | and downloading if you want to.
| | 01:49 | These services double as backups,
because copies of files are saved online.
| | 01:55 | Some services store previous versions
of files, which can be a lifesaver if
| | 02:00 | you make a big mistake.
| | 02:03 | Further up the food chain are online
project management tools and online hosted
| | 02:08 | project management environments.
| | 02:10 | These cost a bit more than
online storage, but offer a lot more
| | 02:14 | collaboration with team members.
| | 02:16 | For example, these tools provide
features for creating schedules, managing
| | 02:21 | resources, tracking issues, managing
timesheets and discussing topics online.
| | 02:28 | With the right communication the right
people get the right information without
| | 02:33 | succumbing to information overload.
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| Organizing your project files| 00:00 | Whether you're working on a team or on
your own, you can make your projects run
| | 00:05 | more smoothly by organizing
your project files effectively.
| | 00:10 | Very small projects with very small
teams might be able to track project
| | 00:14 | information in single files.
| | 00:16 | For example, a spreadsheet for change
requests another for issues and another for risks.
| | 00:24 | As far as which type of file to use
if you're going to spend a lot of time
| | 00:28 | editing the content of the document
such as defining specifications, go with a
| | 00:33 | word processing document.
| | 00:35 | On the other hand a spreadsheet makes
it easy to sort or filter entries in a
| | 00:40 | long list and you can also perform
calculations such as adding up the hours for
| | 00:46 | all the approved change requests.
| | 00:47 | If your project produces more
information you might end up with multiple files
| | 00:53 | about tasks or change requests.
| | 00:55 | In that case you create folders for
each category of information such as tasks,
| | 01:02 | risks, changes, issues and so on.
| | 01:06 | When files change overtime you also need to
keep track of the changes to your documents.
| | 01:12 | If you use a program that can track
changes everyone can edit the file and see
| | 01:17 | everyone else's changes.
| | 01:19 | However, if edits occur in sequence you
can use filenames to keep track of the
| | 01:24 | current version and the
person who made the edits.
| | 01:28 | A handy naming convention is to add the
date and initials to the end of the file name.
| | 01:33 | So if I edit the issues file on
October 17, 2012 the filename might
| | 01:40 | become issues_121017bjb.
| | 01:46 | By entering the date as year,
month and day your files will appear in
| | 01:51 | chronological order.
| | 01:53 | To keep the current versions of
documents in the spotlight create a subfolder
| | 01:58 | called old versions in each folder you use.
| | 02:02 | Keep the current version of the file
in the top folder then move all previous
| | 02:06 | versions to the old versions folder
that way older versions will be out of
| | 02:11 | sight, but easy to retrieve if you need them.
| | 02:14 | Suppose you work on a project with five other
people from three different small companies.
| | 02:19 | Each person is in a different city,
two team members use Windows PCs and the
| | 02:24 | other three work on Mac's.
| | 02:27 | What technology might you use so
that everyone can collaborate and share
| | 02:31 | information about the project?
| | 02:33 | Email is an easy common denominator for
communicating and it's easier than phone
| | 02:38 | calls and conference calls.
| | 02:39 | An online storage service can reduce
issues between Windows and Mac machines.
| | 02:46 | If files are simple you could use a
service that let's everyone work online and
| | 02:51 | review the files at the same time.
| | 02:54 | Whatever technology you use organizing
your project files effectively will go a
| | 02:59 | long way to keeping your
hair attached to your head.
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| Identifying the work| 00:00 | The work that has to be done is
the foundation for your project plan.
| | 00:05 | The estimates you develop, the team you
use and the schedule you build, all stem
| | 00:10 | from the project work.
| | 00:12 | The key is to divide the project work
into small tasks, so you can plan, track
| | 00:19 | and manage your project effectively.
| | 00:22 | Breaking tasks down makes it
easier to estimate time and cost.
| | 00:26 | Once you've broken tasks into smaller pieces,
it's easier to assign tasks to team members.
| | 00:35 | Smaller tasks make it
easier to measure progress.
| | 00:39 | When you work with smaller tasks you
have tasks completed more frequently, and
| | 00:44 | each completed task is a
clear indication of progress.
| | 00:47 | Now let's look at how to
document the tasks you've identified.
| | 00:52 | For very small projects a
simple task list might be enough.
| | 00:56 | If the project is a little bit bigger
you can organize all of the smaller tasks
| | 01:01 | into a hierarchy, which is
called a Work Breakdown Structure.
| | 01:05 | We'll go into more detail on how to
create work breakdown structure a little later.
| | 01:11 | Whether you use a task list or work
breakdown structure you can use the scope
| | 01:16 | statement and deliverables to identify tasks.
| | 01:20 | Let's look at some of our
deliverables from the relocation example.
| | 01:24 | These include a signed lease, an
approved design, blueprints and the new
| | 01:30 | space ready for business.
| | 01:33 | You can start by identifying the
tasks you need to produce each of
| | 01:38 | these deliverables.
| | 01:39 | If any task on the list seems too broad
or sounds like it will take a long time,
| | 01:45 | you can break it down into even smaller tasks.
| | 01:49 | When you break down into smaller tasks
the higher-level task is called a summary
| | 01:53 | task, because it summarizes the tasks below it.
| | 01:58 | How do you know whether you've
broken your tasks done enough?
| | 02:01 | The frequency of your status
reports is one way to do this.
| | 02:05 | If you report status on a project every
week, tasks should last a week or less,
| | 02:11 | so you can tell how much progress has been made.
| | 02:15 | You will also have to make sure your
team members understand the work that
| | 02:18 | each task represents.
| | 02:21 | When you need to describe work in
detail it's best to create a separate
| | 02:25 | document, that way you can hand the
details to the person assigned to the task.
| | 02:31 | If you do create separate documents for
detailed instructions, include the name
| | 02:36 | of the file in your task
list so it's easy to find.
| | 02:40 | You might also include results or a
test that will show when the task is
| | 02:45 | complete and whether it was completed correctly.
| | 02:48 | Now that the work is identified, you
can move on to the next planning steps of
| | 02:53 | estimating the work, building
your team and developing a schedule.
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| Estimating time and cost| 00:00 | Accurate estimates are important
no matter what size a project is.
| | 00:05 | Low estimates, too few hours, too lower
price or both make it almost impossible
| | 00:12 | to meet people's expectations.
| | 00:14 | And that leads to stressed-out
team members and unhappy customers.
| | 00:18 | If the schedule and cost start to
increase, it's best to flag the issue early.
| | 00:26 | Identify possible solutions and
try to negotiate a new course.
| | 00:31 | At the other end of the spectrum, a
high estimate can scuttle a project's
| | 00:35 | chance for approval.
| | 00:37 | The high estimate makes a good project
look like it's too expensive or too long.
| | 00:42 | High estimates on approved projects are
problematic because people seem to use
| | 00:47 | all the time and money they get.
| | 00:48 | So let's talk about how to
get an accurate estimate.
| | 00:52 | You start with estimating time, that is the
hours or days it will take to perform work.
| | 00:59 | That's because work hours affect
both the schedule and the price tag.
| | 01:06 | The work hours affect the schedule
because it's built around how many people
| | 01:10 | work on tasks and when they are
available as you'll see later.
| | 01:14 | Work hours affect cost because you pay
people for the hours they work, as the
| | 01:19 | Labor cost in the estimating spreadsheet shows.
| | 01:23 | There might be other time-based costs
such as equipment rental or leased space.
| | 01:28 | You also have to estimate costs
that aren't time-based like Materials,
| | 01:34 | Travel Expenses and Fees.
| | 01:36 | The best estimates come from people
experienced in the work that has to be done.
| | 01:41 | On small projects those experts could be as
near as the team members assigned to your project.
| | 01:48 | These people not only understand the
work that has to be done but they know how
| | 01:53 | long it will take them to do it.
| | 01:56 | Another option is outside experts.
| | 01:58 | Colleagues who have managed similar
projects, contractors, consultants and
| | 02:04 | vendors you hire such as
the movers for the relocation.
| | 02:08 | When hiring new people or outside
resources you have to ask questions and
| | 02:12 | discuss the work to get
the best estimates you can.
| | 02:15 | You might start building your project
estimate by estimating each task that must
| | 02:20 | be done, known as bottom-up estimating.
| | 02:23 | If you work on many similar projects
you might estimate time and cost based on
| | 02:28 | the parameters of the job, hence
the name, parametric estimating.
| | 02:32 | For example, you could estimate the
cost of the construction by square foot.
| | 02:37 | Another technique is to ask a few
knowledgeable people for estimates and the
| | 02:42 | reasoning behind their numbers.
| | 02:45 | Once you've gotten three or four estimates
you might find that each estimate is different.
| | 02:50 | If this is the case, share the
numbers and reasons with everyone.
| | 02:55 | After they hear what others have to
say, ask everyone for new estimates.
| | 03:00 | Oftentimes people forget to include
something in their estimate or they might
| | 03:04 | think that something is harder than it is.
| | 03:05 | So this will help to get a more accurate number.
| | 03:09 | A range of values from best case
to worse case is another option.
| | 03:14 | That way you can make the customer
aware of the possibilities and talk about
| | 03:19 | what's most important.
| | 03:21 | For example, worst case, it might take
up to eight weeks and the absolute best
| | 03:27 | case would be five weeks.
| | 03:30 | After you put together your estimate,
it's a good idea to include some
| | 03:34 | additional time and money for contingencies.
| | 03:37 | You can dip into these
contingency buckets if risks become reality.
| | 03:42 | On a small project you and the customer
can talk about who has say over when to
| | 03:47 | use contingency time and money.
| | 03:49 | Based on the projects you do
consider different approaches to estimating.
| | 03:54 | As you get more practice coming up
with accurate estimates will become
| | 03:58 | easier and easier.
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| Building your team| 00:00 | Once you have your task list in place,
you can start working identifying
| | 00:04 | people to do the work.
| | 00:06 | You can start by identifying the
skills you need for project tasks and adding
| | 00:11 | that information to the tasks in your list.
| | 00:14 | For example, for the relocation
project you might need an architect to design
| | 00:18 | the space, specify construction
details and locate building services like
| | 00:23 | plumbing, electrical and HVAC.
| | 00:26 | With the skills mapped to your tasks,
you're ready to line up your team.
| | 00:31 | First, you might already
know who you can assign.
| | 00:35 | When you already know your team it's
simple to assign people with the requisite
| | 00:39 | skills and available time.
| | 00:41 | Second, if you work in a large
organization you might request people with the
| | 00:46 | skills you need from line managers
or the human resources department.
| | 00:51 | Third, if you're hiring outside help,
you use a procurement process to find
| | 00:56 | resources and bring them on board.
| | 00:58 | In addition to the people who do the
work you also want to identify who can make
| | 01:03 | or approve decisions and who
needs to know what's going on.
| | 01:07 | In the relocation the business owner
is the only one who can sign contracts,
| | 01:12 | commit to the budget and
approve the completed work.
| | 01:16 | You can also add who needs to know
about tasks to your task list, so you don't
| | 01:20 | forget to let them know what's going on.
| | 01:22 | For example, everyone, including the
clients who train at the gym, need to know
| | 01:27 | when the new location is going to open.
| | 01:29 | If your project is large enough to
need levels of supervision such as team
| | 01:34 | leads, consider putting together an
organization chart that shows who is in
| | 01:39 | charge of what on the project.
| | 01:41 | A project org chart makes it easy to
figure out who to talk to if someone needs
| | 01:45 | a decision or wants to escalate an issue.
| | 01:48 | Once you have your team in place,
it's time to start scheduling.
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| Scheduling work| 00:00 | The Project Schedule is where all
your project planning comes together.
| | 00:04 | You figure out the order in
which work has to be done.
| | 00:07 | Using your time estimates you determine
when tasks can start, how long they will
| | 00:13 | take, and when they should finish.
| | 00:15 | And you assign people to the
tasks if you haven't done so already.
| | 00:19 | The order in which you do things can make a
big difference in how smoothly your project runs.
| | 00:25 | Some work has to be done
before you can do other tasks.
| | 00:28 | For example, the construction has
to be complete before the building
| | 00:32 | inspector comes out.
| | 00:33 | In project management speak the order
is called a Task Dependency or Task Link.
| | 00:38 | For example, a finish to start link
is when one task has to finish before
| | 00:43 | the next one can start.
| | 00:46 | You can link tasks backwards or
forwards depending on how you like to do it.
| | 00:51 | For many people, working backwards is easier.
| | 00:54 | You can start with the final deliverable
for the project, maybe scribbling it on
| | 00:58 | the right side of the piece of paper.
| | 01:01 | Then ask yourself, what has to
be done before I can deliver this?
| | 01:04 | For instance, the final milestone for
the relocation is that the new space
| | 01:10 | is open for business.
| | 01:11 | So, what has to be done before you can
open the studio for business, or you have
| | 01:16 | to set up the fitness equipment and
unpack and set up the other areas?
| | 01:21 | Write down the task or tasks to the left
of the final deliverable, in this case,
| | 01:27 | set up equipment and unpack.
| | 01:29 | Then, look at each of those tasks, and
ask a similar question, what has to be
| | 01:35 | done before I can start this task?
| | 01:37 | Write down the task or
tasks you think of to the left.
| | 01:41 | In this case, it's move the office.
| | 01:44 | Repeat these steps until you're
back at the beginning of the project.
| | 01:48 | You can also start from the
beginning and work to the end.
| | 01:52 | With this approach, you ask
yourself, what comes first?
| | 01:56 | For the relocation, that's find a new space.
| | 01:59 | Then, you ask, once that's done, what's next?
| | 02:03 | In this example, it's negotiate lease.
| | 02:06 | You might run into other types of
dependencies such as tasks that start at about
| | 02:11 | the same time or finish at the same time.
| | 02:14 | But, most of the time, one task
finishes before another starts.
| | 02:19 | Once you've ordered the tasks,
then you can start scheduling them.
| | 02:23 | When work starts and how long
it takes depends on two things;
| | 02:27 | the time estimate and when people can work
on the task, which I'll talk about later.
| | 02:32 | On small projects, you often know
who is going to do a task as soon as
| | 02:36 | you identify the work.
| | 02:38 | For example, you know that the
construction will be done by contractors even if
| | 02:42 | you don't know the specific contractor.
| | 02:45 | For these situations, you can make the
assignments even before you build the schedule.
| | 02:49 | If you need to find people to do work,
it's better to assign them after you've
| | 02:55 | built the schedule, so you can get
people who are available when you need them.
| | 03:00 | When you have tasks in the right order
with dates scheduled and people assigned,
| | 03:05 | you have to go over the
schedule to see if it really works.
| | 03:08 | That's the topic of the next movie.
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| Making sure the schedule works| 00:00 | The first draft of your schedule has
the tasks in order and schedule to follow
| | 00:05 | one after the other.
| | 00:06 | But that compact schedule isn't realistic.
| | 00:10 | Sometimes tasks have to occur at specific
times or you need to account for delays.
| | 00:16 | In addition, you might have to adjust the
schedule for when your people are available.
| | 00:21 | The first thing to look for when
you're fine-tuning a schedule is constraints
| | 00:25 | that affect when tasks have to occur.
| | 00:27 | For instance, when you find a new
location, the property manager might tell you
| | 00:32 | that it won't be available until July 15th.
| | 00:34 | Second, there might be built-in delays
between tasks that you have to take into account.
| | 00:40 | For example, once you finalize the
design for the build-out and submit the
| | 00:45 | plans to your County Planning
Department, it might take three weeks before
| | 00:49 | those plans are approved.
| | 00:51 | These delays are usually referred to as
lag time because the start of one task
| | 00:56 | has to lag a period of time
after another task finishes.
| | 01:00 | The third factor in fine-tuning a
schedule is the availability of people to work
| | 01:04 | on the project tasks.
| | 01:06 | This factor affects
scheduling in a couple of ways.
| | 01:10 | First, you have to take into account
how many hours people work each day, and
| | 01:15 | what days they work.
| | 01:16 | For example, some people might work
full-time while others work half-time.
| | 01:23 | If you assign more than one person to a
task, it will be finished in less time.
| | 01:27 | For example, you estimate one
person packing to take five days.
| | 01:32 | If you assign two people to pack,
you should estimate that it will take
| | 01:36 | two-and-a-half days.
| | 01:38 | People usually aren't productive every
hour of every workday because time can be
| | 01:43 | chewed up with meetings,
administrative tasks, or just goofing off.
| | 01:48 | If you want to make your schedule a
bit more realistic, you can change the
| | 01:51 | duration of task to reflect the number
of productive hours people work in a day.
| | 01:57 | If people only get six hours of
productive work in a day, a task you estimated
| | 02:02 | at 24 hours will take 4 days, not 3.
| | 02:06 | By paying attention to the details and
constraints, you can make your project
| | 02:10 | schedule more realistic, which will
help your project come in on time.
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| Developing solid communication| 00:00 | Good communication is a big part of
making a project a success. It helps work
| | 00:06 | flow more smoothly and can
prevent or reduce problems.
| | 00:10 | On small projects, you need the right
people getting the right information with
| | 00:14 | a minimum of effort.
| | 00:16 | First, consider who needs
information about your project.
| | 00:20 | With a small team, you know you'll
communicate with the customer, and the
| | 00:24 | people who do the work.
| | 00:26 | And think about other people or
groups that might need to be in the know.
| | 00:30 | For example, at the Fitness Studio
you'll need to inform both the post office
| | 00:35 | and clients about the move.
| | 00:37 | Second, think about who needs
to know what about the project.
| | 00:41 | The employees need to know when they
have to pack their stuff, and how to label
| | 00:46 | the boxes so they get
moved to the right location.
| | 00:49 | Third, you need to decide how to
distribute information to people, how often you
| | 00:54 | communicate, the method you use to
send information, and the format you use.
| | 01:00 | With the relocation, you might use
several distribution methods to communicate
| | 01:05 | with clients in the
weeks leading up to the move.
| | 01:08 | Sending them emails about the date
and location, updating the website and
| | 01:13 | posting signs in the current space.
| | 01:15 | On the other hand, you simply fill out an
address change form to notify the post office.
| | 01:21 | A lot of times, the project customer
gets information more frequently with more
| | 01:27 | emphasis on project
performance, but with fewer details.
| | 01:31 | For example, the owner of the Fitness
Studio wants to meet face-to-face once a
| | 01:36 | week to review progress, spending
compared to the budget, and any problems
| | 01:41 | that require her help.
| | 01:43 | A good way to find out your
customers' communication preferences is to put
| | 01:47 | together a sample message or a
report, and ask for feedback.
| | 01:51 | After you work out the content,
frequency, and format, you can use that sample
| | 01:56 | as a template for future communication.
| | 01:59 | If you get resources from other
managers, you first tell them the skills you
| | 02:04 | need for the work and when you need people.
| | 02:07 | Once team members are on board, you
will want to let the managers know
| | 02:10 | when assignments change such as finished
dates delaying or the number of hours increasing.
| | 02:16 | Your team members need to know
what they're supposed to do and when
| | 02:20 | they're supposed to do it.
| | 02:21 | They also need to know about changes,
issues, and resolutions that affect them.
| | 02:27 | You don't have to plan
communication with each individual on your team.
| | 02:32 | You can create groups from your team
members who have the same communication
| | 02:36 | needs and add the groups
to your communication chart.
| | 02:39 | For the relocation project, you might
create a group for the personal trainers
| | 02:43 | because they all need to know when
to pack and how to label the boxes.
| | 02:48 | How you distribute information depends on
your environment, and how people like to work.
| | 02:54 | However, some methods are better
than others in certain situations.
| | 02:58 | Face-to-face communication is
good for discussing sensitive topics,
| | 03:02 | brainstorming solutions to problems,
and building relationships with people.
| | 03:08 | If you can make video calls, these
are almost as good as being there.
| | 03:12 | Phone calls are the next best thing.
| | 03:14 | But, you can't see facial
expressions or body language.
| | 03:18 | These days, email represents a lot
of the communication that occurs.
| | 03:22 | Send emails to the people who need the
information, not to everyone on the project.
| | 03:28 | When you reply to messages, reply to
only the people who really need to know or
| | 03:33 | who ask to be included in the discussion.
| | 03:35 | Developing a plan for how to handle
communication is an important part of making
| | 03:41 | a project run smoothly.
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| Managing risk| 00:00 | Your project might have more
risks than you could handle.
| | 00:03 | So you have to decide which risks
you're going to track and manage.
| | 00:08 | For the risks that are significant
enough to plan for, you have to decide how
| | 00:12 | you will respond if the risk occurs.
| | 00:15 | To select the risks you're going to
track and manage, you assess each risk
| | 00:19 | you've identified by asking two questions:
| | 00:22 | how likely is it that the risk will occur?
| | 00:25 | For example, construction projects
almost always seem to be delayed, so the
| | 00:31 | likelihood of it occurring is high.
| | 00:33 | The second question is how big
is the impact if it does occur?
| | 00:38 | If the opening day for the new space
is critical, the construction delay
| | 00:42 | would have a huge impact.
| | 00:43 | So the construction delay risk is
definitely one you will plan for.
| | 00:48 | Ask the same people who helped you
identify risks to help you assess their
| | 00:53 | probability and impact.
| | 00:54 | After you evaluate all the risks, the next
step is to decide which ones you will manage.
| | 01:01 | If you categorize probability and
impact using low, medium and high, you might
| | 01:07 | manage risks if you rate them medium
or high in either probability or impact.
| | 01:13 | You can create a spreadsheet to record
information about each risk you plan to manage.
| | 01:20 | The next step in planning for risks is to
decide how you'll respond to each risk in your plan.
| | 01:26 | There are several ways to manage risks.
| | 01:29 | The easiest option is to
simply accept the consequences.
| | 01:32 | For example, with the relocation,
commercial space is hard to find, so there is
| | 01:39 | a chance that a suitable space
won't be available when you want it.
| | 01:43 | You decide that you're okay with
waiting in order to get the space you want.
| | 01:48 | Another option for less significant risks is
to use contingency funds to handle the risk.
| | 01:53 | For instance, you plan to use
contingency funds to pay over time in order to get
| | 01:58 | the work done in time.
| | 01:59 | Avoiding risk is another option.
| | 02:02 | That means, you change your project
plan in some way to remove the risky part.
| | 02:07 | For example, if the flooring you would
prefer is often backordered, you might
| | 02:11 | choose a different type of flooring instead.
| | 02:14 | Mitigating risk means taking
action to reduce the consequences.
| | 02:18 | For example, with the relocation, you
might opt for a simple floor plan, so that
| | 02:24 | construction delays won't
be as long if they do occur.
| | 02:28 | Transferring risk means
handing off the risk to someone else.
| | 02:33 | Purchasing insurance is
one way to transfer risk.
| | 02:36 | A fixed-price contract is another way
to transfer the risk of cost increases.
| | 02:42 | When you choose responses, make sure they
are appropriate for the magnitude of the risk.
| | 02:46 | If you think a delayed opening day
will cost you $2000, don't spend $5,000
| | 02:52 | to prevent the delay.
| | 02:54 | The final step in a risk management
plan is defining how you will track risks
| | 02:58 | and measure the success of the risk responses.
| | 03:02 | Add each risk you're going to manage.
| | 03:05 | Here are the things to identify for each risk.
| | 03:08 | A description of the risk such as a
construction delay, the response you have
| | 03:13 | chosen, the trigger that indicates that
you need to implement the response you
| | 03:18 | chose, like the contractor telling
you there is a delay, who is going to
| | 03:23 | monitor the risk, and the result you
expect if you have to actually use the
| | 03:28 | response you chose.
| | 03:30 | Now that you have a plan for the risks
your project faces, all you have to do is
| | 03:34 | start following that plan
once the project work begins.
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|
|
4. Getting Things DoneKicking off work| 00:00 | Now that the plan is approved, you can
even kick off the real work, the project,
| | 00:04 | and start showing progress on
what the customer really wants.
| | 00:08 | For many projects, small and large, one
of the first things that has to happen
| | 00:13 | is getting contracts signed.
| | 00:15 | If you're a freelancer, you might
have approval for the proposal you have
| | 00:19 | submitted, but it's wise to hold off on
starting work until the legal papers are signed.
| | 00:25 | When your people, materials and
equipment are in place with all the paperwork in
| | 00:30 | order, you hold a celebration of sorts,
a kickoff meeting or a conference call
| | 00:35 | to get the project going.
| | 00:37 | This event can perform several functions.
| | 00:40 | First, a kickoff is the perfect time
to make sure everyone understands the
| | 00:45 | project and gets jazzed about it, the
ideal is getting the customer to talk
| | 00:50 | about the goal and why it's so important.
| | 00:52 | Second, the kickoff can be a social
mixer, so everyone on the project gets to
| | 00:57 | meet and learn a little bit about each other.
| | 01:00 | Each person might talk about what they do
and how they are involved in the project.
| | 01:04 | To help people get to know one-
another, ask them to share a personal
| | 01:08 | tidbit, like a hobby.
| | 01:11 | Third, you can get down to business
and talk about the plan for the project,
| | 01:15 | what's involved, when
it's due and any constraints.
| | 01:20 | Now is a good time to run through
processes or procedures you want people to follow.
| | 01:25 | It's always a good idea to
ask if anyone has questions.
| | 01:29 | In addition to answering the questions
that come up at the meeting, create a
| | 01:33 | list of questions and answers after the
meeting and post them where everyone can find them.
| | 01:39 | Everyone has their own style with
kickoff meetings, so come up with your ideal
| | 01:43 | agenda and what you would do to
make it as effective as possible.
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| Handing out assignments| 00:00 | Once the project is launched, you're
like the conductor of an orchestra.
| | 00:05 | You need to get team members working on
their assignments, keep them on time and
| | 00:10 | guide them to completing the work the right way.
| | 00:13 | To be sure that everyone is on the
same page, send team members the complete
| | 00:17 | information about the tasks that are
on deck and ready to go, when the tasks
| | 00:22 | start, the estimated hours, how
long they're supposed to take and when
| | 00:28 | they're supposed to finish.
| | 00:29 | If you have a Details document, send that too,
or at least where they can go to get more info.
| | 00:36 | Distribute tasks using the
communication method you decided on during the
| | 00:40 | Planning phase, email, instant
message or a task list on the
| | 00:45 | collaboration software you use.
| | 00:48 | Particularly, with a smaller team people may
already know what they're going to be working on.
| | 00:53 | They might have helped you
identify the work and estimate it.
| | 00:57 | For those team members, you might
follow up with a quick, are you good?
| | 01:01 | They say, I'm good and they go get started.
| | 01:04 | If you have less experienced people on
your team, it's a good idea to talk to
| | 01:09 | them about their assignments to make sure
they understand what they're supposed to do.
| | 01:14 | See if they have any
questions about their assignments.
| | 01:16 | Ask them to describe their
work and how they plan to do it.
| | 01:20 | That can help uncover misunderstandings.
| | 01:23 | If your project is a little larger,
you might have team leads heading up
| | 01:27 | small groups of people.
| | 01:29 | In this case, you hand off assignments
to your team leads and let them take care
| | 01:34 | of communicating with the team.
| | 01:37 | Most people want to know
what's coming down the road.
| | 01:40 | In addition, to giving people the go
ahead on their current assignments, tell
| | 01:44 | them what's coming up and
approximately when that's going to start.
| | 01:48 | Over the life of the project,
you'll be handing out assignments.
| | 01:52 | Use these methods for every handoff so
that your team members know what they're
| | 01:56 | supposed to do and when
they're supposed to do it.
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| Keeping things moving| 00:00 | From project beginning to end, you as
the Project Manager can do several things
| | 00:06 | to help the project proceed smoothly.
| | 00:08 | First, think of yourself as working for your
team members rather than the other way around.
| | 00:15 | Be ready to help them if
they run into roadblocks.
| | 00:18 | If they need something to get their
work done, try to get it for them.
| | 00:23 | If someone is holding up their work,
help convince that person to deliver.
| | 00:28 | If the processes you have set up for
the project take too much time or don't
| | 00:33 | work in someway, fix them.
| | 00:34 | If team members have questions about
their work, get the answer for them.
| | 00:39 | And if they have suggestions, listen to what
they have to say and take action if it makes sense.
| | 00:45 | Second, a good system of organization
that works for you is a huge advantage to
| | 00:51 | keeping things moving.
| | 00:53 | Projects typically have a lot going on, so
it's easy to forget things or get overwhelmed.
| | 00:59 | You need to know when it's time
to perform your recurring project
| | 01:02 | management tasks, like scheduling
status meetings, preparing project
| | 01:07 | reports and communicating.
| | 01:09 | But every day a host of small to-dos
pops up and you need a way to track them
| | 01:15 | and make sure they get done when they're needed.
| | 01:17 | To make sure you do what's needed,
when it's needed, add a priority to each
| | 01:22 | item and a due date.
| | 01:25 | That way, you can work on the highest
priorities and closest deadlines first and
| | 01:30 | make informed decisions about what to do next.
| | 01:32 | The electronic tool of some kind is
better than paper because you can remove
| | 01:37 | things you've done or edit
entries if the situation changes.
| | 01:42 | However, what's most important
is that the system works for you.
| | 01:47 | Experiment with different
approaches and choose the one you prefer.
| | 01:51 | In addition to staying on top of your
own to-dos, remind team members about due
| | 01:56 | dates, deadlines and deliverables.
| | 01:59 | If some team members have trouble
staying on top of to-dos, coach them on how to
| | 02:04 | keep track of their work.
| | 02:06 | Micromanaging on the other hand is a big no-no.
| | 02:10 | Provide guidance to inexperienced team members
and let them know, it's okay to ask questions.
| | 02:16 | But give them room to figure
some things out on their own.
| | 02:20 | If something goes wrong, don't jump
to blaming or criticizing, explain the
| | 02:25 | problem and suggest ways that team
member might avoid the problem in the future.
| | 02:30 | Reiterate what you want going forward,
at the same time, acknowledge and praise
| | 02:36 | people when they're doing things right.
| | 02:38 | It takes practice to keep
things moving on projects.
| | 02:42 | Use the tips in this movie to
keep your project on the move.
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| Working through problems| 00:00 | During the life of your project,
you'll have to solve problems and make
| | 00:04 | numerous decisions.
| | 00:05 | One of the most valuable skills to
develop is the ability to focus on the things
| | 00:10 | that are most important.
| | 00:12 | People sometimes confuse
urgency with importance.
| | 00:16 | A ringing phone is urgent, but
the call might not be important.
| | 00:21 | Stephen Covey, the author of The Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People, uses
| | 00:25 | a graph that categorizes the things
that compete for your attention by
| | 00:29 | importance, and urgency.
| | 00:32 | Because the items in each
quadrant of the graph require a different
| | 00:35 | approach, you start by gauging both
the importance and urgency of each
| | 00:40 | problem and decision you face.
| | 00:43 | The first step is to determine
whether the item is important.
| | 00:47 | To assess importance, you can ask two questions.
| | 00:50 | Does this decision or
problem have a significant impact?
| | 00:54 | Does the impact last for a long time?
| | 00:58 | If the impact is significant and lasts
a long time, the item is very important.
| | 01:04 | Suppose the general contractor wants
you to choose the flooring for the studio.
| | 01:08 | The flooring has a big effect on
the comfort and safety of the clients.
| | 01:12 | If you choose the wrong flooring, the
impact could last a very long time unless
| | 01:17 | you decide to shut down the
studio to replace the flooring.
| | 01:20 | So this decision is very important.
| | 01:25 | On the other hand deciding between
navy blue lockers and regular blue lockers
| | 01:29 | isn't that important, because
color doesn't have a big impact.
| | 01:32 | And the lockers are easy to
paint if you want to change colors.
| | 01:37 | The second step in your problem or
decision analysis is when you have to act.
| | 01:42 | For example, if the contractor tells
you the flooring order has to be placed by
| | 01:47 | the end of the day for the materials to
arrive on time, you know the decision is urgent.
| | 01:53 | If you have four weeks to
decide, it isn't urgent.
| | 01:56 | If the problem or decision is both important
and urgent, start working on it right away.
| | 02:03 | If the problem or decision is important,
but not urgent, grab your calendar and
| | 02:09 | schedule a time to work on it.
| | 02:12 | That way, you'll make time for
important items that don't clamor to get done,
| | 02:17 | like planning or skills development.
| | 02:21 | Urgent, but unimportant
items don't simply disappear.
| | 02:25 | If someone comes to your office with
an unimportant issue, for instance, what
| | 02:30 | sandwiches to order for the all-hands status
meeting, you might delegate it to someone else.
| | 02:36 | Unimportant and non-
urgent items are the easiest.
| | 02:39 | For example, when you check your email
and find unimportant items waiting, you
| | 02:44 | might reply to the sender with a suggestion
for someone else who can pick up the sandwiches.
| | 02:50 | When you dig in to solve problems,
start by taking the time to understand
| | 02:55 | what the problem is.
| | 02:57 | Look beyond the symptoms to
uncover the underlying disease.
| | 03:02 | When someone says, it doesn't work,
how do you know where to start?
| | 03:07 | Find out why people think there's a
problem, and what they think is causing it.
| | 03:11 | Ask questions like what are you
trying to do, what were you expecting,
| | 03:16 | what happened instead?
| | 03:17 | The next step is to
identify and evaluate your options.
| | 03:23 | List options and then identify their
pros and cons, so you can weigh the overall
| | 03:28 | benefits of each one.
| | 03:30 | Keep in mind, doing nothing is an option,
and can be a reasonable alternative.
| | 03:37 | Solving problems and
making decisions takes practice.
| | 03:40 | Pay attention, and apply these
techniques whenever problems arise until the
| | 03:46 | steps become second nature.
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5. Tracking ProgressGetting status updates| 00:00 | Once team members go off to work on
their assignments, you'll want to find out
| | 00:04 | what they get done, and what
they still have left to do.
| | 00:08 | Updates tell you where the project
stands and whether you need to do anything to
| | 00:12 | get it back on track.
| | 00:14 | The updates you need depend on
what's important to the customer.
| | 00:18 | However, two measures
almost always top the list.
| | 00:22 | Most customers have a finish date in
mind, whether it's getting the roof on a
| | 00:26 | house before cold weather sets in,
completing a user manual before a product
| | 00:31 | launch, or opening the new gym
location before the fall fitness rush.
| | 00:36 | Cost is the other given.
| | 00:39 | For freelancers, contracts often
have a budget or not to exceed amount.
| | 00:44 | If you get paid by the hour, you
either have to finish your work within the
| | 00:48 | allotted number of hours or
get approval for more time.
| | 00:53 | If your project is in a large
organization, you might have a corporate budget
| | 00:57 | you have to stick to.
| | 00:58 | You can keep people working on tasks by
making the update process as easy as possible.
| | 01:05 | Ask for only the information you really need.
| | 01:08 | Then, put together a simple form for your
team members to fill out, and give to you;
| | 01:14 | whatever is easiest, an email
or a spreadsheet for example.
| | 01:19 | If your team is really small, you might
get all the info you need at a team meeting.
| | 01:23 | The level of detail depends on the project.
| | 01:28 | But, here's what you might need to know
to figure out when the project will finish.
| | 01:32 | First, find out when tasks start,
because that usually affects when they finish.
| | 01:38 | Second, you need to know the progress
that's been made, and more importantly,
| | 01:44 | when the people working on the
tasks think they will finish.
| | 01:48 | That way, you'll know when the
tasks on deck can get started.
| | 01:51 | If your team members are employees
and you don't need to account for their
| | 01:55 | hours, you can stop there.
| | 01:58 | But, if your project pays people by the
hour or day, you need to know how many
| | 02:03 | hours team members have worked on
their tasks so far, so you can track the
| | 02:07 | money that's been spent.
| | 02:10 | When hours matter, you need two
estimates for the remainder of the work;
| | 02:14 | how many hours team members think
it will take to finish, and when they
| | 02:18 | think they will finish.
| | 02:20 | That's because people might
work less or more in an 8 hour day.
| | 02:24 | For example, the hire movers tasks
started on time on July 3rd, and has 6 hours
| | 02:31 | completed as of July 6th.
| | 02:34 | July 4th was a holiday, so the person
working on this task averaged about 2
| | 02:38 | hours each workday so far.
| | 02:41 | The team member estimates it's going to
take another four hours of work, and she
| | 02:45 | won't be done until July 8th;
| | 02:48 | two hours over the estimated work, and
two calendar days past the plan finish date.
| | 02:53 | So, you will have to check the schedule
to see if that delay affects other tasks.
| | 02:59 | You might also check whether the
extra hours affect your budget.
| | 03:03 | When you start a project, think about
what's important to the customer, and then
| | 03:08 | see whether there are tracking tools
for getting the information you need
| | 03:11 | already available in your organization.
| | 03:15 | If not, identify an easy way to
get data from your team members.
| | 03:19 | If the team is very small, discuss
what you need and find out how they would
| | 03:24 | like to submit data.
| | 03:27 | Regardless of what data you collect and
how you collect it, status updates are
| | 03:32 | the foundation for the next
steps in managing your project;
| | 03:36 | evaluating how the project is going
and determining whether you need to
| | 03:40 | make course corrections.
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| Evaluating how the project is going| 00:00 | Once you've gotten updates from your
team, you can look at your project's
| | 00:04 | progress on the schedule,
and how much you've spent.
| | 00:08 | You can compare that to the plan to
see if you need to make any adjustments.
| | 00:13 | On very small projects, you might be
able to evaluate progress in a spreadsheet.
| | 00:18 | For example, the relocation project has
a small number of tasks, and only a few
| | 00:24 | dependencies between the tasks.
| | 00:25 | So, the status and
potential impact are easy to spot.
| | 00:29 | In this example, the build out started late
and that delays the date the studio opens.
| | 00:37 | If the project is falling behind schedule, you
can think about ways to get it back on track.
| | 00:44 | You might add people to a task
to try to finish it more quickly.
| | 00:48 | Be aware though, at some point, too
many people working on the same task
| | 00:53 | can make it take longer, as people
communicate more, disagree or trip over
| | 00:58 | one another's feet.
| | 01:00 | You might consider assigning someone more
experienced to get tasks done in less time.
| | 01:05 | This approach sometimes increases cost.
| | 01:08 | For example, if you hire someone
outside your company to lay out the fitness
| | 01:13 | area, he might get it done half the time.
| | 01:16 | But, his hourly rate is three
times what you pay your employees.
| | 01:20 | In some cases, you can overlap tasks
to start one before another finishes.
| | 01:27 | In the relocation, people can begin
packing before the new space is finished.
| | 01:32 | If the finish date is more important
than the budget, you might choose to pay
| | 01:37 | people over time to get things done earlier.
| | 01:40 | With the relocation project, you
could pay the contractor over time to
| | 01:44 | finish the build out by the original
finish date, so the move can occur over
| | 01:49 | the weekend as planned.
| | 01:52 | Cost issues can arise if materials cost
more or people you hire cost more per hour.
| | 01:58 | If materials or people cost more,
you can look for ways to trim costs
| | 02:03 | elsewhere in the project.
| | 02:05 | As you saw earlier, you might choose to use
some of the contingency funds you set aside.
| | 02:09 | For example, the labor costs through
the build out were only $500 over budget.
| | 02:16 | The rest of the $7,000 increase was due to
the addition of a hot tub for the facility.
| | 02:21 | The owner approved that change request and used
some of the contingency funds to cover the cost.
| | 02:28 | Cost can also increase if
tasks take more hours to complete.
| | 02:33 | Before you decide how to respond, you have
to figure out why tasks are taking longer;
| | 02:39 | perhaps the people working on
tasks don't have enough experience.
| | 02:43 | Your estimates might be too low, or your
team members don't have the right tools
| | 02:48 | or are held back by obstacles.
| | 02:50 | Ask your team members why they
think things are taking longer.
| | 02:54 | If they identify an
issue you can resolve, do it.
| | 02:57 | As you can see, projects
can go off-track in many ways.
| | 03:02 | You have a lot of options for
getting them back on plan. Don't panic.
| | 03:07 | With time and experience, you'll start
to recognize what makes the most sense in
| | 03:11 | different situations.
| | 03:12 | And if you need more help, you can
explore Project Management Fundamentals and
| | 03:18 | Microsoft Project Essentials at Lynda.com.
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| Handling changes| 00:00 | Changes that people ask for might seem
small, but if you get enough of them they
| | 00:05 | add up and can sink your
project schedule and budget.
| | 00:08 | Changes always occur.
| | 00:10 | So you have to be prepared for them
and have a plan for managing them.
| | 00:14 | The first step in managing changes
is recognizing one when you see it.
| | 00:19 | When you kick off the project you save
your plan and the documents you created,
| | 00:24 | the requirements,
specifications, deliverables, and so on.
| | 00:29 | These documents are how you can
tell if someone wants to change.
| | 00:33 | Make sure your team members understand
the impact changes can have and know to
| | 00:38 | communicate changes to you
right away when they occur.
| | 00:42 | A change might be an adjustment like
moving a wall over by four feet to make
| | 00:47 | more room in the locker room.
| | 00:49 | But a change can also be something
added to the plan that wasn't there before.
| | 00:54 | For example, the architect adds
more studs and bracing in the walls for
| | 00:59 | equipment that supports people's weight.
| | 01:02 | When a change comes in you have to
figure out whether it makes sense and how it
| | 01:06 | might affect the schedule and budget.
| | 01:09 | One way to quickly evaluate change
request is to see whether it supports the
| | 01:13 | project's goal and objectives.
| | 01:16 | What does the change do, what are the
results, how does that help the project.
| | 01:23 | If the change doesn't help the project
in a significant way you can stop here.
| | 01:28 | But if a change does make sense you
move onto the next step, figuring out how
| | 01:32 | long the change might take
and how much it might cost.
| | 01:37 | You estimate changes like you
do the original project tasks.
| | 01:40 | How many hours will the change take,
who will do the work, how much will it
| | 01:46 | cost, where does it fit into the schedule.
| | 01:49 | If the change pushes dates too late or
increases the cost too much, the customer
| | 01:55 | might decide to skip it.
| | 01:57 | Keep all the changes submitted in a
list whether they're approved or not.
| | 02:03 | That way you can keep track of how many
hours and dollars are wrapped up in the
| | 02:07 | changes that you've added to the plan.
| | 02:10 | Change requests that were turned down could pop
up again if the project comes in under budget.
| | 02:15 | You will still need to know the estimate
of hours and cost for changes to see if
| | 02:20 | they might fit into the plan.
| | 02:21 | For example, suppose the hot tub was
initially turned down as too expensive.
| | 02:27 | If the rest of the project comes in
under budget and the owner decides to add
| | 02:31 | the hot tub back, you'll need to know
how much it will cost and the time it
| | 02:36 | will take to install.
| | 02:38 | Track progress on changes
as you do for other tasks.
| | 02:42 | How many hours and how much money was spent?
| | 02:45 | Where does the change stand now?
| | 02:48 | When will it be done?
| | 02:50 | When projects get a little bigger with
more people involved you might need more
| | 02:54 | structure for managing changes,
but the basics are still the same.
| | 02:59 | Document changes, estimate them,
get approval, schedule them, and track
| | 03:05 | their progress.
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6. Wrapping UpFinishing a project| 00:00 | Completing project deliverables is a
big milestone, but you still have some
| | 00:05 | things to do before the
project is truly finished.
| | 00:08 | First, you need to get the customer
to agree that the results are what
| | 00:12 | they're supposed to be.
| | 00:13 | This step is essential, because you
will have more work to do if the customer
| | 00:18 | sees things differently.
| | 00:20 | If you're a freelancer or performing
the project for another company, you won't
| | 00:24 | get paid until the step this complete.
| | 00:27 | Second, you meet with the team to talk about the
lessons everyone learned during the project.
| | 00:33 | This session focuses on
identifying what worked well and what didn't.
| | 00:39 | The team can discuss ways that
things could have been done better.
| | 00:42 | This information can help future projects
run more smoothly and deliver better results.
| | 00:49 | Third, you write up a
final report for your project.
| | 00:52 | You will also archive the project
documentation for future reference.
| | 00:56 | So you can answer questions that might
come up later or if a similar project arises.
| | 01:02 | There maybe a few other things you
have to do to wrap the project up.
| | 01:06 | If the project involved contracts
with outside vendors or contractors, it's
| | 01:11 | time to close them.
| | 01:12 | If your project is part of a larger
organization you might need to close
| | 01:16 | out accounting codes.
| | 01:17 | So no additional charges
are made against the project.
| | 01:21 | If some of your team members came from
other groups, you can bid them adieu and
| | 01:26 | wish them luck on their next assignment.
| | 01:30 | The other movies in this chapter
cover each of these important wrap up
| | 01:33 | activities in more detail.
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| Getting sign-off| 00:00 | At the beginning of your project you
identified what the project was supposed to
| | 00:04 | deliver and how you would
determine that it succeeded.
| | 00:08 | Now you use those things to get
the customer to approve the project.
| | 00:13 | How to get the customer's acceptance
can take different shapes, but it boils
| | 00:17 | down to whether you successfully
delivered what you're supposed to.
| | 00:20 | For a small freelance project you might
deliver the results, ask the customer to
| | 00:26 | review them, and tell you if they're okay.
| | 00:30 | All you need is a quick email reply
saying that the project is approved and
| | 00:34 | ideally that the check is in the mail.
| | 00:36 | If your project includes requirements
and specifications it's best to know that
| | 00:41 | they have all been satisfied before
you ask the customer for approval.
| | 00:46 | For projects like these you can work
with the customer and other team members
| | 00:50 | to put together the test you will use to
determine whether the project has been successful.
| | 00:55 | If the test has a lot of steps and
complexities you might also define who will
| | 01:01 | run the test and under what conditions.
| | 01:03 | For example, for a new software system
you might set up a test environment with
| | 01:08 | the same hardware and software that you
use in production and run tests to see
| | 01:12 | whether the software works.
| | 01:15 | For many projects the evaluation
is more of a review than a test.
| | 01:19 | You prepare a list of items to
check based on the deliverables.
| | 01:23 | For example, during the relocation
project the customer approved the design for
| | 01:28 | the space and the construction
drawings that the contractor developed.
| | 01:33 | At the end of the project the customer
does a walk-through to confirm that the
| | 01:37 | construction was completed
according to the drawings.
| | 01:41 | After the review or acceptance test is
done and deemed a success, you need the
| | 01:45 | customer to sign off.
| | 01:47 | It doesn't have to be a
formal meeting or even a signature.
| | 01:50 | An email might be enough.
| | 01:53 | One of my clients would reply to my
deliverable complete emails with a simple +1
| | 01:59 | as the message and copy the accounting
department so the email approved both my
| | 02:04 | work and the payment.
| | 02:06 | In the case of the fitness studio
relocation the project is approved when
| | 02:12 | the fit ladies sing.
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| Tying up loose ends| 00:00 | After the customer signs off on the
project it's time to clean up the loose
| | 00:04 | ends in the project.
| | 00:06 | You hold one last meeting with your team
before you send them off to their next assignment.
| | 00:12 | Then you can finalize the project
documentation and close out financial details.
| | 00:17 | Start with what went well.
| | 00:20 | Ask questions like what did you
do that made things work better?
| | 00:24 | What was the toughest challenge you
solved, and how did you handle it?
| | 00:28 | If you were going to brag about
something from this project, what would it be?
| | 00:33 | Before you address the problems people
faced remind team members to talk about
| | 00:37 | themselves, not others.
| | 00:40 | That way the focus is on
the lessons, not blaming.
| | 00:44 | Ask questions like what would you do
differently next time or what can we learn from this.
| | 00:49 | In our relocation example you might
launch the problem discussion by talking
| | 00:54 | about the discoloration of
the flooring that was delivered.
| | 00:58 | You had to take a stand with the vendor to
get a new rushed delivery and not pay extra.
| | 01:04 | What you learned was to leave extra time
to check materials for quality or damage.
| | 01:09 | If your organization doesn't have a
way to share lessons, set one up so
| | 01:14 | everyone can benefit. For example;
| | 01:17 | a webpage with tips and best
practices, a hand out to talk to a wall, or
| | 01:23 | document in a shared folder.
| | 01:25 | For resources from other groups you can
end their assignments on the right note
| | 01:29 | by thanking the people who worked on
your project, letting their managers know
| | 01:34 | that they're done, and providing a
brief appraisal of their performance.
| | 01:38 | Prepare a brief final report
that summarizes the results.
| | 01:44 | First include a brief description of
the results and how they compared to the
| | 01:49 | original desired results.
| | 01:51 | Second, list the key project measures,
the finish date, and how it compares the
| | 01:57 | planned finished date, the final cost,
and how that compares to the budget.
| | 02:02 | For example, the relocation project
finished by the date the owner wanted.
| | 02:07 | It cost a little more than
planned, but the clients are thrilled.
| | 02:12 | Third, describe any major changes to
the plan such as an item within the scope
| | 02:18 | that was added or eliminated.
| | 02:20 | For example, the extra structural
support needed for some of the equipment.
| | 02:25 | Finally, include information to share
with others like important lessons learned
| | 02:31 | or significant issues you had to resolve.
| | 02:33 | If you store project files
electronically in an easily accessible area, it's
| | 02:40 | easy to grab the whole kit and
caboodle and store a copy with other archived
| | 02:44 | projects or in an archived location you create.
| | 02:48 | Don't forget other electronic
data like emails and instant
| | 02:52 | message conversations.
| | 02:54 | You might want to copy those to
separate files and add them to your archive.
| | 02:59 | You can place paperwork like sign
contracts and approvals in a notebook and add
| | 03:04 | that to your project notebook
library on a bookshelf or scan them to keep
| | 03:09 | everything electronic.
| | 03:11 | If you set up any contracts for the
project, take whatever steps you need
| | 03:15 | to close those out.
| | 03:17 | Projects that run within a large
organization might get accounting codes that
| | 03:21 | you charged you for time and expenses.
| | 03:24 | In that case don't forget to tell the
accounting department to close those
| | 03:28 | charge codes so no one charges
to your project after it's done.
| | 03:33 | People tend to want to move onto the
next thing, but don't skip these steps.
| | 03:38 | To get in the habit, write up a
checklist of closing steps that apply within
| | 03:42 | your organization and pull it out when
you will get to the end of each project.
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ConclusionLearning more| 00:00 | In this course I've introduced
techniques for managing small projects whether
| | 00:05 | you're freelance or a small business
owner and managing a small project within
| | 00:09 | a large organization.
| | 00:11 | When you're ready to graduate to the
next level of project management, study my
| | 00:16 | courses, project management fundamentals,
and project essential training in the
| | 00:22 | Lynda.com Online Trading Library,
where you can also find courses to improve
| | 00:27 | your mastery of business
applications like Excel and Word.
| | 00:32 | I hope that by completing this
course you're on your way to making your
| | 00:35 | projects more successful.
| | 00:37 | Whether you stick to managing small
projects or move on to making project
| | 00:42 | manager you're official job description.
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