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ProjectManagement
Projectmanagementisthedisciplineofplanning,organizing,andmanagingresourcestobringaboutthe
successfulcompletionofspecificprojectgoalsandobjectives.
Aprojectisatemporaryendeavor,havingadefinedbeginningandend(usuallyconstrainedbydate,but
canbebyfundingordeliverables),undertakentomeetparticulargoalsandobjectives,usuallytobring
aboutbeneficialchangeoraddedvalue.Thetemporarynatureofprojectsstandsincontrasttobusiness
asusual(oroperations),whicharerepetitive,permanentorsemipermanentfunctionalworkto
produceproductsorservices.Inpractice,themanagementofthesetwosystemsisoftenfoundtobe
quitedifferent,andassuchrequiresthedevelopmentofdistincttechnicalskillsandtheadoptionof
separatemanagement.
Theprimarychallengeofprojectmanagementistoachievealloftheprojectgoalsandobjectiveswhile
honoringthepreconceivedprojectconstraints.Typicalconstraintsarescope,time,andbudget.A
singleprojectmanagermustbeidentifiedtomanageallelementsoftheprojectinordertoachievethe
businessobjectiveswithinthedesiredscheduleandbudget.Withoutadedicatedprojectmanager
(PM),anyprojectwillfail.
Includesmanagementof:
1. Scopewhatarethebusinessgoalstheprojectistryingtoachieve,andexactlywhatactivities
andtasksareincludedintheproject?
2. Schedulewhenwilltheworkbedone,andwhowillbedoingthework?
3. Budgethowmuchwilltheworkcost?
4. Communicationhowwilltheprojectteamactasacohesiveunitworkingtowardsacommon
goalandhowwilleveryoneontheteamstayinformedofcriticalinformation?
5. Riskwhatarethewaysinwhichtheworkcoulddeviatefromtheplanandhowwilltheteam
preventtheseissuesorcorrectthemiftheyarise?
Successfulprojectmanagementisanartandasciencethattakespractice.
TECHNOLOGYFORMICROFINANCE
ScopeManagement
TheProjectManagementInstituteProjectManagementBodyofKnowledge(PMBOK)definesproduct
scopeasthefeaturesandfunctionsthataretobeincludedinaproductorservice.Itdefinesproject
scopeastheworkthatmustbedonetodeliveraproductwiththespecifiedfeaturesandfunctions.
Projectscopemanagementisdefinedastheprocessesrequiredtoensurethattheprojectincludesall
theworkrequired,andonlytheworkrequired,tocompletetheprojectsuccessfully.
Morethanseventypercentofprojectsfail.Whenprojectsfail,it'srarelytechnical.Overeightypercent
ofthoseprojectsfailduetoprojectmanagement.Projects,likebusiness,oftenfailbecausetheyarenot
properlymanaged.Scopecreepisamajoraspectofprojectfailure.Thiscanbemitigatedbyfollowing
simpleproceduressuchashavingascopedocumentthatallthestakeholdersagreeonandonhavinga
changemanagementplaniftherearesupposedtobemodificationstoit.
ProblemswithProjectScope
TheproblemsthatmayarisewiththeProjectScopeare:
Ambiguous:Ambiguityinscopeleadstoconfusionandunnecessarywork.Toavoidthis,the
scopeneedstobeclearandtothepoint.
Incomplete:Incompletescopeleadstoscheduleslipsandhencefinallycostoverrun.Toavoid
this,thescopeneedstobecompleteandaccurate.
Changing:Changestoscopeleadstowhatisknownasscopecreepwhichistheprimarycause
oflatedeliveriesandpotentially"neverending"projects.Toavoidthis,thescopedocument
needstobelockeddownandremainunalteredforthedurationoftheproject.Changestothe
scopeneedtobemadethroughaformalchangeprocess.
Uncollaborative:Ascopethatcreatedwithoutstakeholderinputleadstomisinterpretationsin
requirementsanddesign.Toavoidthis,thescopedocumentshouldbesharedwithall
stakeholders.
CapturingProjectScope
Thedefenseagainstalltheseproblemsistoclearlydefinetheproject'sscopeatthebeginning.Once
definedthenvalidatethatscopewithallthekeystakeholders,gettingtheirbuyinandconsensusonthe
scopebeforechargingahead.
Sometoolsandtechniquesusefulincapturingtheprojectscopeare:
1. Definetheprojectneedwhatisthebusinessproblemthatyouaretryingtosolve?Reach
moreruralclientswithhandhelddevices?Connectyourbranches?Integrateyouraccounting
andMISsystems?
TECHNOLOGYFORMICROFINANCE
2. IdentifykeystakeholdersThesewillbeindividualsfromtheMFIsuchastheexecutive
leadershipteam,headofIT,FieldOperations,HR,Finance,InternalAudit,andNonFinancial
services,andcouldalsoincludedonors,investorsandregulators.
3. TranslatebusinessneedsintorequirementsCreateplainlanguagedescriptionsofthecritical
businessproblemsthattheITsolutionismeanttocorrect.Ascopedocumentshouldeventually
containareferencetodetailedfunctionalandtechnicalrequirements(seeGathering
RequirementsontheResourceCenter),butdefininghighlevelstatementsofproject
requirementsiscriticaltoestablishingacommonunderstandingoftheproblem.These
statementsshoulddescribeasummaryofhowtheITsolutionwillbecreated,tested,installed,
andmaintainedandshouldincludealltheproductandprojectworkthatwillbedoneaspartof
theproject.
4. IdentifyexternalinterfacesOnelastcomponentincludedinthescopeofaprojectisallthe
externalinterfaces.WilltheITsolutioninteractwithanotherITsystem?Forexample,willyour
MISbeexpectedtointerfacewithyouraccountingsolution?OrwillyourHRISneedtointerface
withyourreportingplatform?Thesesystemtosystemconnectionsshouldbeclearly
documented.
TECHNOLOGYFORMICROFINANCE
ScheduleManagement
Inordertokeepaprojectontracktodeliverallthefunctionalityinthetimeexpectedbystakeholders,
creatingandmanagingadetailedprojectscheduleisofcriticalimportance.Allprojectsshouldbe
brokendownandmanagedinadetailedprojectschedule.
Topreparetheprojectschedule,theprojectmanagershouldworkwitheachexpertontheteamto
figureoutwhatthetasksare,howlongtheywilltake,whatresourcestheyrequire,andinwhatorder
theyshouldbedone.Eachoftheseelementshasadirectbearingontheschedule.
Tocreateaprojectschedule,theprojectmanagershouldfollowthesesteps:
Listallthetasksthatneedtobecompleted.Thesetasksshouldbesmallenoughthattheycan
becompletedinlessthanaweek.Forexample,TrainAllStaffisnotdetailedenoughfor
successfulmanagement,butConductTrainingworkshopsforHeadOfficeFinanceStaffand
ConductTrainingworkshopsforInternalAuditStaffmightbedetailedenoughiftheyareboth
somethingthatcanbecompletedinlessthanaweek.NOTE:forthefirstfewrevisionsofthe
projectschedule,TrainAllStaffmightbeaperfectlyappropriateplaceholderforadditional
tasks.Oncethescheduleisfinalized,thattaskshouldbedecomposedintothesmallerexample
tasksnotedabove.
Assigndurationtoeachtask.Howlongwilleachtasktaketocomplete?
Assigntherequiredstafforvendorresources.Whowillactuallyberesponsibleforcompleting
eachtask?
Identifyanydependencies.Sometaskscannotbedoneuntilanothertask,calledapredecessor
iscompleted.Forinstance,thinkofaprojectcalled"HireanewLoanOfficer.ThetaskMake
anOffercannotbedonebeforethetaskInterviewcandidate.somakinganofferis
dependentupontheinterview.Thesedependenciesshouldbehighlightedintheproject
schedulesothattheimpactofmissedpredecessorsisclear.
Formanytechnologyprojects,andforMFIsinparticular,thereareseldomenoughresourcesand
enoughtimetocompletethetaskssequentially.Therefore,taskshavetobeoverlappedsoseveral
happenatthesametime.Projectmanagementsoftware(suchasMicrosoftProject)greatlysimplifies
thetaskofcreatingandmanagingtheprojectschedulebyhandlingtheschedulelogicforyou.If
MicrosoftProjectisunavailable,aschedulecanbecreatedandmanagedwithinMicrosoftExcel.
ThescheduleshouldbeactivelymanagedbytheProjectManager.ThePMshouldusethescheduleto
guidethetaskscompletedweektoweekandmonthtomonth.Finally,therehasyettobeaprojectin
thehistoryofprojectmanagementwheretheoriginalprojectscheduleremainedunchanged
throughout.Allchangesmustbeaccuratelynotedanddistributedtotheteamandthecustomeronat
leastaweeklybasis.Theschedulecanbeusedasacommunicationdevicetoshareprogressagainst
planswiththekeystakeholdersandsponsorsoftheproject.
TECHNOLOGYFORMICROFINANCE
BudgetManagement
Eachprojecttaskwillhaveacost,whetheritisthecostofthelaborhoursofacomputerprogrammeror
thepurchasepriceofnewcomputerhardware.Topreparetheprojectbudget,eachofthesecostsis
estimatedandthentotaled.Atypicalprojectbudgetiscomprisedofthreekeyelements:Coreproject
budget,reservesandcontingency.
Coreprojectbudget:Thetotalestimatedcostforeachmajorprojecttaskisincludedinthis
amount.
Reserves:Someoftheseprojectestimateswillbemoreaccuratethanothers.WhileanMFI
mightknowhowmuchtypicaltrainingworkshopsmightcostorhowmanycomputersare
neededforanautomationproject,thenumberofcomputerprogrammerhoursthattheMFIwill
requestmightbeuncertain.Whentheestimatedcostofanitemisuncertain,theproject
budgetoftenincludesareserveallowance.Thisismoneythatissetasideinthebudget"justin
case"theactualcostoftheitemiswildlydifferentthantheestimate.
Anotherreservefundiscalledthecontingencyallowance.ForMFIsoperatinginuncertain
politicalenvironmentsorinareasthataresubjecttodifficultieswithweather(suchas
typhoons),maintainingsomefundsinacontingencypooliscriticaltoaddresspotentialdelays
andprojectdisruptions.
Theprojectmanager'sjobistokeeptheactualcostatorbelowtheestimatedcostandtouseaslittleof
thereserveandcontingencyaspossible.
Tomaximizeyourchancesofmeetingyourprojectbudget,meetyourprojectschedule.Themost
commoncauseofarunawaybudgetisarunawayschedule.Meetingtheprojectschedulewon't
guaranteeyouwillmeettheprojectbudget,butitsignificantlyincreasesyourchances.Andaboveall,
proactivelymanagingtheprojectscopeiscriticaltomanagingthebudget.Asdescribedinthescope
managementsection,strictmanagementtopreventscope"creep"isessentialforsuccess.Iflegitimate
changestoscopemustbemade,theyshouldbemanagedwithaformalchangecontrolprocessand
mustincludebudgetand/orscheduleadjustmentstomatchthenewfeaturerequests.
TECHNOLOGYFORMICROFINANCE
Communications
Communicationisanessentialprocessintheworldofprojectmanagement(andforthatmatterthe
worldinwhichweallliveonadaytodaybasis).AstheProjectManager,howandwhatyou
communicatewithinyourteamandwiththeprojectstakeholderswillgoalongwayindetermining
customersatisfactionontheprojectsyoumanage.Communicationonaneffectiveteamstartsfromday
one,fromthemomentaprojectisassigned,andcontinuesonadailybasis,ifnothourlybasis,
throughoutthelifecycleofaproject.Effectivecommunicationmeansthateachandeveryprojectteam
membershouldbefullyapprisedoftheprojectstatus(atleastonamacrolevel)atalltimes.Some
detailedinformationmaynotbesharedwithallteammembersiftheyareveryindividualspecific,but
thecriticalitemsimpactingscope,budgetorscheduleshouldalwaysbesharedamongtheentireteam.
Communicationcanalsotaketheformofregularupdatestotheassigningpartyastostatusofthe
projectand/orspecificcomponentsofit.
Projectmanagershavethreecriticaltypesofstakeholderswithwhomtheyshouldbecommunicating:
peopleontheprojectteam,executiveleadershipandsponsors,andexternalstakeholders.
CommunicatingwithintheTeam
Internalcommunicationwithintheprojectteamsistomeettheirfourmajorcommunicationneeds:
Responsibilityofeachteammemberfordifferentpartsoftheproject
Coordinationinformationthatenablesteammemberstoworktogetherefficiently
Statusinformationtrackingtheprogress,identifyingproblemsandenablingteammembersto
takecorrectiveaction
Authorizationinformationdecisionsmadebycustomers,sponsors,anduppermanagement
thatrelatestotheprojectanditsbusinessenvironment,andenablestheteammemberstokeep
allprojectdecisionssynchronized.
Internalcommunicationshappenprimarilythroughteammeetings,memos,voicemail,andemail.
Projectmanagersneedtobeabletowrite,speak,andlistenwell,leadmeetingandresolveconflicts
effectively.
TECHNOLOGYFORMICROFINANCE
CommunicatingwithExecutiveLeadershipandSponsors
Externalstakeholders,suchastheCEO,CFOandOperationsleadmustbekeptinformedofprogressand
theirinputssolicited.Thecommunicationplanshoulddetailthestrategynotonlyforinformingthese
stakeholders,butforactivelymanagingtheirexpectationsaswell.
Answerthefollowingquestionstodecidewhatinformationshouldberelayedtomanagersand
customers:
Whoneedsinformation,why,andwhen?
Whattypeofinformationwilltheyneedandinwhatdetail?
Whatwillyougoalbewhenyoucommunicatewithcustomerandmanagementandwhat
mediumwillbestaccomplishthat?
Everycomponentandeverystakeholderinyourproject,howeveraminorroleheorshemayplay,is
important.Evenminorroleplayershavethepotentialtocomeoutlargeiftheyfallbehindschedule.So,
don'tmakethemistakeofassumingthatallplayersoutsidetheITdepartmentorMFI(suchasdonorsor
investors)arealreadyonboardwiththeproject.Beproactiveinmakingthemasuccessfulpartofyour
projectthroughmakingpersonalcontact,establishingsomerapportfacetoface,askingfortheirhelp,
providingthemwithallnecessaryinformationtimely,andsendingthankyounotesacknowledgingtheir
contribution.
CommunicationPlan
Tomanagethevariouslevelsandtypesofcommunication,projectmanagersmustcreateandeffectively
useacommunicationplanthatdocumentsthevariousaudiences,developappropriatecommunication
media,establishacommunicationschedule,andmanagetheflowofinformationinandoutofthe
projectteam.
Tocreateacommunicationsplan:
Identifytheaudiencetheseplayerswillincludetheprojectteam,variousMFIleadersand
departmentheads,andpotentiallyexternalstakeholderssuchasdonors.
Identifytherightmediashouldtheupdatesbeduringfacetofacemeetings,viaemail,
duringconferencecalls?
IdentifythepurposeIsthecommunicationastatusupdate?Aformalreview?
TECHNOLOGYFORMICROFINANCE
KeyMessagesWhatwillthecontentofthemessagebe?Isitareviewofcurrentstatusor
ademonstrationofITfunctionality,etc?
OwnerWhoisresponsibleforcreatingandmanagingthecommunication?
FrequencyHowoftenwillthecommunicationoccur?Forexample,weeklyemail,or
monthlyphonecall,etc..
TECHNOLOGYFORMICROFINANCE
RiskManagement
RiskManagementisanticipatingwhatcouldgowrong,focusingonthemostsignificantandmostlikely
ofthesescenarios,takingactiontopreventthemfromoccurring,havingacontingencyplanincasethe
riskwasntmitigated,andeffectivecommunicationsandactivemutualsupportamongteammembers.
Itisanongoingprocessthatshouldbeincorporatedintoeachstageofaproject,andwhendonewell,
effectiveriskmanagementcansignificantlyreducecostsandincreasequalityonanyproject.
Althoughallprojectshaveelementsofrisk,technologyprojectsinparticulararepronetoanumberof
uniquerisksduetothedependenciesandinherentcomplexityinvolvedinsoftwaredevelopmentand
execution.Theprojectmanagershouldspendtimeintheearlystagesofplanningtocreatearisk
mitigationplanandthenrevisitandupdatethatplanduringtheproject.Inthisway,thePMcanbe
assuredthatifthingsdogowrong,theteamiswellequippedtoimmediatelyrespondtotheissuesand
resolvethemquickly.
Inallprojects,thequestionisnotwillourrisksbecomeissues?Thequestioniswhenwillourrisks
becomeissues,andwhichoftheseriskswillmostlikelybecomeissues?
MakingaProjectRiskManagementPlan
1)Brainstormwhatcouldgowrongduringboththeprojectexecutionandasaresultoflivesystem
implementation.Selectthetop510risks.
2)Evaluatethebusinessconsequencesofeachoftherisksidentified.Expresstheimpactinbusiness
terms.
3)Predictthelikelihoodoftheriskoccurring.
4)Rankthetop5risksbasedonthecombinationofimpactandlikelihood.Forexample,ifariskhasa
HighimpactonthebusinessbutaLowlikelihoodofoccurring,itisnotascriticalasariskthatcouldhave
aMediumimpactonthebusinessbuthasaHighlikelihoodofoccurring.Ingeneral,youshouldmitigate
allrisksthatarehighimpactandhasahighlikelihoodofhappening.
5)Foreachofthetop5,developamitigationplantopreventtheriskfromoccurringandcontingency
approachesifitweretohappen.
6)Reevaluatethetop5risklistthroughouttheproject.Focusonthehighestriskitemstogetthemoff
thelist.
TECHNOLOGYFORMICROFINANCE
ThisexamplehasbeenadoptedfromtheRayHovingAssociates,LLCpresentationfortheUniversityofVirginiaMcIntireSchool.
OtherResources
Formoreinformationonprojectmanagementstandards,bestpractices,andresources,visittheProject
ManagementInstituteathttp://www.pmi.org/Pages/default.aspx.
Includedinourprojectmanagementresourcesare:
MISImplementationProjectPlaninMSExcelandMSProject
ThesetemplateshavecommontasksnecessarytorunanITproject,includingrecurringtasksas
weeklystatusreports,fromprojectinceptiontocompletion.
MISProjectBudgetTemplateinMSExcel
ThistemplatelistscommonresourcesneededtocompleteanMISproject.Usethistodouble
checkthatrequiredhuman,software,hardware,andotherresourcesareincludedinyourbudget.
RiskManagementWorksheetinMSExcel
ThistemplateisanExcelworksheetsimilartothegivenexample.