| Define objectives | | | | how conflicts between teams and their members will |
| Objectives guide everyone on the project to your final | | | | be resolved. |
| goals. Are your objectives to sell your product online, | | | | Project tracking |
| to provide customer support, to promote investor | | | | Constant monitoring of variations between actual and |
| relations? Carefully decide and clearly document your | | | | planned cost, schedule and scope is required. Report |
| objectives. | | | | variations to key stakeholders and take corrective |
| Decide the critical success factors - the things at the | | | | actions if variations occur. To get a project back on |
| end of the project which tell you if you've been | | | | track you will need to juggle cost, scope and schedule. |
| successful. Make them measurable so you know if | | | | Suppose your programmer hits technical problems |
| you've achieved them. For example, the website | | | | which threaten to delay the project. You might recover |
| development should result in an increase in online sales | | | | time by re-organising or shortening remaining tasks. If |
| of 25% by year end. | | | | that's not possible, you might consider increasing the |
| Stakeholder analysis | | | | budget to employ an additional programmer, or |
| A stakeholder is someone with an interest in your | | | | consider reducing the scope in other areas. |
| project's success (or failure). Decide who they are and | | | | Be aware that any adjustments you make to the plan |
| whether they support your project. Perform | | | | might affect the quality of deliverables. If you need to |
| stakeholder analysis by classifying them (high or low) | | | | increase the budget, seek approval from the project |
| according to how motivated they are in helping (or | | | | sponsor. |
| blocking) your project and how influential (high or low) | | | | Change management |
| they are. | | | | Once started, all projects change. Decide a simple |
| Highly influential and supportive people are your allies. | | | | change strategy with key stakeholders. This could be |
| Gain their support whenever you can. Aim to reduce | | | | a committee which decides to accept or reject |
| the influence of people who are both highly influential | | | | changes which comprises of you and one or more |
| and against your project as these people could act to | | | | key stakeholders. |
| damage your project. | | | | Assess the impact of each change on scope, cost |
| During your stakeholder analysis, draw up strategies | | | | and schedule. Decide to accept or reject the change. |
| for dealing with each group of stakeholders. | | | | Be aware that the more changes you accept the less |
| Define deliverables | | | | chance you have of completing the project on time |
| Deliverables are tangible things produced during the | | | | and within budget unless you reduce scope in other |
| project. Talk with key stakeholders to help define | | | | areas. |
| deliverables. Will your website design include web page | | | | Suppose the marketing manager wants to add a |
| layouts and sitemap for use by the programming | | | | popup window to display full size photographs of |
| team? What is the content for each page? Write all | | | | products. Assess the impact of this change. You might |
| this down. | | | | need to remove some remaining tasks to include this |
| Key stakeholders must review and agree the | | | | change and stay within budget. Or, it might be |
| deliverables accurately reflect what they expect to be | | | | impossible to include the change without increasing the |
| delivered. | | | | budget or schedule. |
| Project planning | | | | Don't blindly accept changes without assessing the |
| Define how you will arrive at your objectives. This | | | | impact or your project will overrun. |
| involves planning how many people, resources and | | | | Risk management |
| budget are required. If delivering this in house, decide | | | | Risks are events which can adversely affect the |
| what activities are required to produce each | | | | success of the project. Identify risks to a project early. |
| deliverable. | | | | Decide if each risk is likely or unlikely to occur. Decide if |
| For example, you might decide a web designer will | | | | its impact on the project is high or low. |
| develop page layouts and navigation diagrams. You | | | | Risks that are likely to occur and have high impact are |
| might decide the marketing team will supply all product | | | | the severest risks. High impact but unlikely risks, or low |
| details and photographs. You might decide the finance | | | | impact but likely risks pose a medium threat. Unlikely |
| manager will set up merchant and payment gateway | | | | and low impact risks pose the least threat. |
| accounts to enable e-commerce transactions via your | | | | Create a mitigation plan of the actions necessary to |
| website. If outsourcing work, specify exactly what the | | | | reduce the impact if the risk occurs. Start with the |
| sub-contractor should deliver. | | | | severest risks first, then deal with the medium risks. |
| Estimate the time and effort required for each activity | | | | Regularly review risks. Add new ones if they occur. |
| and decide realistic schedules and budget. Ensure key | | | | Suppose the marketing manager cannot decide what |
| stakeholders review and agree the plan and budget. | | | | he wants from the website. Without knowing what the |
| Communication planning | | | | marketing manager wants, the team cannot deliver a |
| Hold a kick off meeting with the team and explain the | | | | website to meet his expectations. You assess this risk |
| plan. Ensure everyone knows exactly what the | | | | as highly likely to occur and having high impact. Your |
| schedule is, and what is expected of them. | | | | mitigation plan might be that the web designer |
| For example, the web designer needs to know that he | | | | develops page layouts to be reviewed by the |
| is to produce page layouts and navigation diagrams | | | | manager early in the project. |
| based upon the marketing manager's requirements. He | | | | Summary |
| needs to know his expected start and end times. | | | | Performing best practices in project management will |
| Share your project communication plan with the team. | | | | give your website development project the best |
| This should include details of report templates, | | | | chance of success. |
| frequency of reporting and meetings, and details of | | | | |