Project Tools & Techniques

Here we use the design and development of the BPPM website as a practical project example. This  shows you how BPPM goes about assisting and empowering companies to complete new projects.The key to a successful project is in planning. Creating a project plan is the first thing to do when undertaking any kind of project. The project plan answers the why, what, how, who, how much, and when of the project. The plan is the most important document for the project and includes:

- Project definition
- Project charter
- Project scope
- Work breakdown structure
- Project schedule
- Project resourcing
- Project costs
- Project risk
- Project communication

Project Definition

Within BPPM the project definition outlines in detail the characteristics of the product or service to be delivered and what business need it is to fulfill. It outlines the crieria with which to measure the success of the project. This diagram sums up the project definition

  

Project Charter

Within BPPM the charter is a brief summary of the objectives, constraints, and deliverables of the project. It outlines the participants in the project and serves as a reference of authority for the future of the project. The information contained in the charter will be expanded upon to provide greater detail within the body of the project plan documentation. This is a practical example.

Sample Project Charter

This Charter gives authority to the project manager to create a website for Boyle Practical Project Management (BPPM).

Goal

The Goal of creating the website is to “Promote Boyle Practical Project Management (BPPM)”. The purpose is to  (a) Attract Customers, (b) Transact Business and (c) Give Information

Stakeholders

The primary stakeholders are the project sponsor, company employees, and project team. The secondary project stakeholders are the website hosting company, current and past clients, and our suppliers.

Budget & Funding

The budget for the project is €6,000 and is funded from current expenditure. This is exclusive of the costs of internal plant and machinery, heat power and light and use of equipment. The “Success Framework” analyzes the metrics that drive a return on this investment.

Timescale

The website go-live is planned for April, 2013.

Project Team Resources

The Project Team Resources required are project manager, and a website specialist.

Signed

_______________                       

Project Sponsor      Date: _____  

Project Scope

Within BPPM the project scope defines exactly the deliverables of the product or service. By default the scope will indicate works which will not be included with the project. Below is a tree diagram outlining the project scope for creating the BPPM website.

Work Breakdown Structure

Within BPPM a work breakdown structure (WBS) is a diagram used to group the pieces of work required to complete the project. These pieces of work are then broken down into smaller and smaller pieces of work until the level of work that an individual will be accountable for is we reached. Click the image on the right to view the sample WBS in full, which breaks down all of the tasks that were completed in the development of this website.

Project Schedule

For the purposes of BPPM the project schedule is the work breakdown structure with the inclusion of start and end dates for the activities.  The schedule also includes resourcing and costs. During the implementation stage of the project, the schedule identifies activities that are ahead, behind and on-schedule. This is an example of a project schedule.

Project Resources

Project resourcing determines and documents the quantities of labour, equipment and materials needed to complete your project. Project resource planning is key to project budgeting and expenditure projection, when applied to the resource schedule. Once you have determined what work needs to be done to complete your project, you then determine who will do the work. The project team selection process can vary dependant upon the project or the company. Matching the skills of project team members to project requirements is done when selecting the team. In some cases the project team is already in situ, and matching skills to requirements is more challenging.

Project Costs

The total cost of a project includes all labour and capital charges necessary to complete the project. Project costs management involves estimating, budget allocation, and controlling costs within the project. Below is the cost breakdown in developing the BPPM website.

Project Risk

Risks are something that may happen and if they do, will impact on the project in a positive or negative way. Risk management during the planning stage is estimating the likelihood of these happening, what the likely impact is, and what course of action can be taken to address any potential negative impacts.

 

Project Communication