So your organization or department has identified an area for improvement – great!  A team is assigned to tackle the challenge – fantastic!  Now, how can you make sure that the team will achieve results?  

A common pitfall of projects is a scope that is either ill-defined or vague or alternately, that is too broad and all-encompassing.  So how can you prevent this?  The key to success is in the set-up.  It’s all about the planning.

• First, discuss the improvement or idea for the project and brainstorm the desired end state.  What will the end state look like when improvements are made?  This becomes your team’s Vision Statement - a vision of what they are aiming towards. 

• Second, elaborate on the vision by defining, in more detail, what success will look like, for example, lower call hold times or increased sales.  Turn these into a Success Statement that will help the team visualize the future end state. Additionally, define key performance indicators or measures, of these successes, that can be tracked.  For example, customer service will be improved and a measure of that improvement might be: 80% of first time calls to the customer service hot line will be resolved when maybe currently, only 50% of first time calls are resolved.

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• Third, create the Project Scope Statement.  The Project Scope Statement will explain what the purpose of the project is, what it will take to perform it and what its expected outcomes will be. The Project Scope Statement will articulate, at a high level, the
  • project opportunity,
  • project success criteria,
  • expected project benefits,
  • project deliverables,
  • organizational impact,
  • project exclusions, constraints and assumptions. 

It is after these three steps that the project team and stakeholders will need to determine whether the “case for the project” is strong enough to be worthwhile, whether the resources and time required are manageable, and whether the vision or the future state successes are clear and measurable. ​

As the project plan, timeline and associated resources are being developed, you have the opportunity to make sure that the vision and objectives are turned into realistic tactics that can be executed.  This is the time when a large scope should be turned into sub-projects or a program with multiple projects; this is the time when an unclear scope becomes clear by defining what is in scope, what success looks like, versus what is not in scope and what is not going to be tackled. 

Remember, a critical element of a project’s success, is making sure that the team sees and feels that they are making progress.  It is better to have sub-teams and sub-projects that have clear objectives that roll up to a program or alternately, that you have clear project phases with clear milestones/results, than a massive team with overwhelming project objectives that cannot figure out how to tactically make progress.

And what do you do if your project has already started and your team is struggling with an unclear or overwhelming scope?  It may be time to take a step back, re-evaluate and determine what needs to change to allow the project and team to continue productively.  It may be time to refine or clarify the end-state, redefine what is “in” and what is “out” of scope and/or possibly add sub-teams and/or sub-projects to make the scope manageable again.  It is better to take corrective actions, at any point in a project, than continue working with a discouraged team, an ineffective and possibly costly project, and unlikely odds of achieving success. 
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What methods or tactics have helped your team manage scope?

​Our comprehensive PMO Framework covers the project lifecycle in 4 phases: Concept, Initiation, Delivery and Close.  Having a clear Framework, with a standard methodology, process and tools, is critical to seeing a project successfully through to the end. 
 
Just because a project has realized its expected outcomes or results, the project is not yet quite over!  The final project phase in our PMO Framework is the Close Phase.  Don’t miss the opportunity to dot the I’s and cross the T’s…there is tremendous value in learning from your project successes and mishaps.  
 
Below, are the key activities we recommend occur during the Close Phase of your project. 
 
PM Checklist for the Close Phase:
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• Obtain Customer & Stakeholder Acceptance of Project Outcome(s)
• Perform Project Performance Review
• Conduct “Lessons Learned” Session(s)
• Document “Lessons Learned”
• Assemble Sign-off Governance Document
• Review Sign-off Governance Document
• Administrative Close of Project

 
Often overlooked, the Close phase of a project is critical to making sure all activities are completed and documented.  Don’t miss the opportunity to bring your team and stakeholders together to learn from the project experience.  And don’t forget to celebrate a project well planned and executed!

What do you recommend occur during the close phase of a project?  Do your project teams perform a “Lessons Learned” exercise?

​Our comprehensive PMO Framework covers the project lifecycle in 4 phases: Concept, Initiation, Delivery and Close.  Having a clear Framework, with a standard methodology, process and tools, is critical to seeing a project successfully through to the end. 
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The “business” of each project happens during this, the third phase of a project: the Delivery phase.  It is during this phase that the actual project outcomes/expectations are created. In other words, this is the build phase of a project.
Whether your project follows an Agile approach or a Waterfall approach, the following PM Checklist applies to you.  See the PM Checklist for the Delivery Phase below:

• Manage the Project
• Complete Assigned Tasks
• Monitor & Control
• Governance Reviews
• Create & Publish Weekly Status Reports
• Monthly Project Steering Committee Meetings

Delivery is the operational part of the project where you execute on the work done in prior phases.  Because this phase is often the longest part of your project, the activities listed above will need to be executed repeatedly in order to effectively manage the project.

Please share your most critical tasks during the Delivery Phase of a project.

A comprehensive PMO Framework is critical to seeing a project successfully through; a Framework we have used with clients includes 4 phases: Concept, Initiation, Delivery and Close. 
The initiation phase, the second of four phases, is critical because it is the phase in which you set yourself up for success!  You finalize your goals, your team, your schedule and budget.  In order to make sure you don’t miss any key activities during this phase, we have provided you with our PM Checklist below.

Initiation Phase:

• Finalize Project Scope Statement
• Finalize Project Team & Resource Plan
• Finalize Project Schedule & Milestones
• Finalize the Communication Plan
• Finalize the Risk Management Plan
• Define the Integrated Change Control Process
• Finalize the Project Budget
• Define the Acceptance Authority & Criteria by which to conclude the project
• Draft Document to present to the Governance Team for Go/No-go Decision

The activities undertaken during the Initiation phase ensure that you and your team are set up to succeed; you will confirm and finalize your goals and determine how you will achieve them.  This phase prepares you to launch your project with a realistic timeline and budget. 
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Are there any additional steps or suggestions you have for activities during the initiation phase?

A comprehensive PMO Framework is critical to guide a project successfully through its lifecycle, from beginning to end.  A PMO Framework we have used with clients has 4 project phases: Concept, Initiation, Delivery and Close. 

Having a clear project methodology, processes, and tools and templates enable project managers to guide their teams through the project phases.  An easy and frequently used PM tool is their Checklist.  They can refer to this tool many times during the day to make sure they are doing all the critical work needed during the project phase in which they find themselves.

Key project activities during the first phase of a project, Concept Phase, are listed in our Project Management Checklist below.

Concept Phase:

• Confirm Project Scope
• Create Project Scope Statement
• Identify Key Project Team Roles
• Identify & Confirm Project Customer(s)
• Identify & Confirm Stakeholder(s)
• Assemble the Project Steering Committee
• Develop High-Level Project Timeline
• Draft Document to Present to Steering Committee / Project Governance Process for Go/No-Go Decision

 
Although the Concept Phase involves a lot of work, it is worth spending the time and effort and is critical to setting your project up for success.

Are there any other activities you recommend in the first phase of a project?

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• Initial Level

At the lowest level of maturity we usually find limited project governance or executive sponsorship, poorly defined or not adhered to project management (PM) processes, and lack of consistent tools, processes or training.  Project success often hinges on a few extremely motivated individuals.

• Developing Level

In the second level of maturity most fledgling PMOs start to have tools and templates and some processes but not all projects use them.  By the third level, Defined, we usually find a formal project management framework that has been adopted by all and a PMO organization focused on consistent, predictable project performance.  PM processes are established, projects are reviewed regularly by a governing body and people are being trained and mentored, equipping them with the right skills for the projects they are assigned to.

• Defined Level

What is most exciting at the third stage, is that an organization starts to reap significant benefits from their PMO.  They can more reliably count on the project timelines and budgets and know that, with their guidance, their teams are equipped to succeed.   Executives can start comparing projects based on the same, standard metrics allowing them to make critical decisions around resource allocation, budgets, schedules and critical milestones. 

• Managed & Optimized Levels

By the fourth and fifth maturity stages, the organization relies heavily on transparency into their projects’ progress and objectives in order to make business decisions.  The PMO data and information are key to the organization’s operation.

Once you have determined what level of maturity your PMO is performing at, you may identify areas or aspects that are lagging – for instance you may be collecting standard project data monthly onto a paper template, but would benefit by developing a database to collect project data and metrics so all have access and can compare projects on-line, real-time.  Or maybe you identify areas that can mature to the next level, for instance you have an IT PMO but the entire organizations’ projects could benefit from its structure and methodology! 

Work with your PMO, project governance team and project managers to determine which efforts would benefit your organization the most and prioritize the efforts creating a roadmap for near-term, mid-term and long-term accomplishments.  Most organizations never get to the highest level of PMO maturity; the effort and cost to get there outweighs the benefits to some.  Either way, a review of your PMO’s maturity will give you insights into what is working well and what could benefit from improvement.  A Roadmap can help your organization keep its eye on the ball and reap the rewards of an increasingly mature PMO.

Does your organization periodically assess the maturity of your PMO?  Do you have a PMO Roadmap for continuous improvement?