Project Management tips for beginners
* Before the project starts define what will be delivered by me.
* Refer to the previous project management plan and use the same.
* Prepare network diagram and Gantt chart for the release and resource allocation.
* Plan the resource for this year, identify the risks in the project, weekly meetings with the team, monitor the project.
* Plan and reduce the cost, set clear roles and responsibilities of each team member.
* Create a project plan using MS project, use PM templates.
* Follow best practices from other teams and organizations and use the lessons learned from previous projects.
* Define Role of team members: The role of team members should be to give inputs to the project, identify risks and issues, the status of assigned work, if any delay in the work inform earlier, work on the deliverable.
* Manage multiple projects: To manage multiple projects define in detail the resource required, set up tracking to monitor progress, manage dependencies of resources. Poor managing multiple projects: Not tracking dependencies, resource over-allocated or over-committed, overlapping milestones, no backup plan for resources, unrealistic deadlines, not updating the plan, conflicting priorities.
* Project Management review: Monitor to see if we are according to the planned schedule, check the budget, identify risks, why more issues are coming, etc.
* Keeping project under budget: During the project initiation phase check or plan your budget, estimate your budget, write detailed tasks in the project and make an estimation of each task and add up budget identify risks, and estimate budget for risk and issues, Monitor and manage a budget.
* PM Status report: Points on what happened until now, what's coming up, actual/planned forecast of milestones, budget, top 3 risks in the project, changes to highlight, some important key message to sponsors.
* PM Time wasters: Spending time on the internet, email, social media, distractions by employees or friends, calls or personal call, unplanned meeting, pleasing others by formatting mail or document(short is good), overreacting, organize things, plan and manage, administrative work, while traveling don't wast time. Solutions: Discipline in planning and executing, set priorities, use tools for efficient work process.
* Build high performing team: First you become a high performer, have high energy, trust, lead by example, get the right people, positive energy, team members should take initiatives an decisions.
* Write project proposal: Problem, Vision, benefits, deliverable, success criteria, deadline /plan/approach, cost/budget.
* How to do effective testing in the project: Create test plan, test scenario, plan for 3 cycles of testing [Unit, Integration and user acceptance testing], plan testing at beginning of the project.
* Risks in the project: Identify and create a risk register with help of team members, ask each person in the team what might go wrong in a project, which module is riskier, the risk for cost, time. The risk might low, medium, high, identify each type, for each risk identify impact and likelihood of the risk, develop mitigation techniques, get cost of the risk, every week identify risks and update risk register, identify the risk early in the project to reduce cost.
* Creating Communication plan in the project: Create communication plan by events like session or VC etc, write event name, the purpose of the event, audience, date/frequency, who is responsible, the authority to release. Communication to the person: Stakeholder, title, project role, item.the event, special instructions. Ex. Weekly meeting.
* How to get most from the project team: Define roles/responsibilities, assign responsibilities, give instructions about the project like a mission, project plan, provide process, what tasks to do, give schedules, give training, ask the team how can I support you, address team issues, remove toxic people.
* Capture lessons learned at the end: Identify positives and negatives done in the project, meet the team and get inputs, get info from customer emails and calls, summarize the lessons learned and share with the team.
* Work smarter: Check your abilities whether who can do better, set boundaries and say no, set your schedule and calendar, get new mentors for me, assign work to the team, have a process and follow the process, document things, question yourself how am i doing.
* Ways to reduce time on the project: Minimize meeting, minimize frequent monitoring, implement tools like XL, docs, set up document repository, question everything that we are doing and is required. Benefits of reducing time: Reduce budget, more time for planing, time to take rest, create a project plan, estimate tasks,
* Set Priorities: The biggest problem for no time are over committing to everything, everything is a priority. Lack of process causes more priority, organize yourself, train others so that they can do work by themselves.
* When your project is over budget: Find what is the cause of over budget [what why who], analyze what is the impact and find a solution, notify management, change the plan
* Keep performance log of all the employee like positive and negative, listen to their main concerns, be prepared for their questions, schedule meeting before, sit next to them, do it at the correct time, give specific eg. Of good and bad works, while giving feedback be accurate, business-oriented, give consistent feedback
* Creating deliverable diagram, build work break down structure, facilitate a meeting, keep your team busy, manage time and change, manage management expectations, escalate project.
* What to do when the project is in trouble: stop, look and listen. Interview team and ask why, review project plan, create a recovery plan, find the main cause of failure.
* Tips for time management: delete unnecessary things and remove, avoid time-wasters, say no.
* Project deliverable during different phases of the project is: In the Initiation phase output is scope of work, estimation, proposal. In the Planning phase output is a project plan, communication plan, risk and issues management, change management, cost, budget, resources, schedule. In executing and control phase output is performance report, product progress, deliverable, log issues. In closing, the output is acceptance, final reports, project documents, lessons learned.
