Build Project Management Skills

PROBLEM:

We don’t have project management skills in house. How do we get this project done now, while learning how to do future projects ourselves?

SOLUTION:

• Learn project management through workshops and shadowing;
• Bring in an experienced project manager who also teaches and designs project management organizations.
• Identify a core group of staff who will manage projects in future and have them shadow the experienced project manager throughout the five project phases
• Allow staff to participate in workshops along the way to learn the methodology and design it for future projects
• Initiate;
• Define the problem this project is meant to solve
• Define alternative solutions to the problem
• Identify stakeholders
• Define what success looks like for this project and how it will be measured
• Plan;
• Consider which project management methodology makes sense for the project type
• Define the scope, schedule, establish milestones, and budget
• Document and discuss known project risks, develop mitigation plans accordingly
• Review the plan with the project sponsor and steering committee to decide whether to move forward
• Execute;
• Define the tasks that must be done to reach each milestone
• Assign responsibilities such as managing costs, schedules, quality, risks, and change
• Monitor and Control;
• Validate and manage each project component
• Document lessons learned then report them to the project sponsor and steering committee
• Close the project;
• Review lessons learned
• Document the project path in a closure report for future reference
• Celebrate!

RESULT:

A well-executed project, a defined and customized project management methodology, and a group of internal project managers prepared for the next project!