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Project Management

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Definition of a Project

‘A series of unique and connected activities having one goal or purpose and that must be completed by a specific time, within budget, and according to specification.’

Source: Robert Wysocki et al, Effective Project Management,

John Wiley & Sons, 2000.

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Project Lifecycle

Planning and Initiation

Implementing and Monitoring

Closing and Evaluating

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Planning and Initiating

Set clearly defined objectives and goals

Define the deliverables/outputs

Recruit a project team

Define the project scope

Create a work breakdown structure of the tasks/activities involved in the project

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Planning and Initiating

Work out timescales for completion

Estimate costs

Assign tasks and responsibilities

Assess the risks

Draw up a strategy

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Implementing and Monitoring

Put control systems in place to monitor time, cost and quality

Measure the actual outputs against the agreed deliverables

Report progress regularly

Communicate clearly

Manage the change process

Continue to plan and assess risks

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Closing and Evaluating

Archive relevant documents

Establish a contact for future enquiries

Recognise team achievements

Disengage team relationships

Compare actual outputs to original deliverables/objectives

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Closing and Evaluating

Identify if any further work needs done

Measure success in terms of budget, timescales and quality

Evaluate customer satisfaction

Reflect on lessons learned

Apply lessons to future projects

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Keys to Project Success

Set well-defined goalsDevote sufficient time to planningEstablish tangible deliverablesManage risks and develop contingency plansCommunicate clearly and manage expectationsFoster stakeholder buy-in

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Keys to Project Success

Adopt a visionary management style

Manage the change process

Make it a collaborative effort, with strong leadership

Communicate regularly as a team to avoid duplication of effort.

Be adaptable

Encourage transparency/accountability