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, have them shadow the experienced project manager throughout the five project phases while participating 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, establish milestones, schedule, and budget, document and discuss known project risks, and 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 and assign and manage, manage costs, schedule, quality, risks, and change.
- Monitor and Control; validate and manage each project component, document lessons learned, and report to the project sponsor and steering committee on progress.
- Close the project; review lessons learned, document the project path in a closure report for future reference, and 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.