Overview
This lecture covered the complete process of project management, from execution and tracking through quality management, teamwork, agile methodologies, and project closure, using real-world examples and step-by-step guidance for each phase.
Project Execution & Tracking
- Project execution is where planning comes together and actual work begins.
- Tracking means monitoring project activities and measuring performance to identify deviations from the plan.
- Key items to track: schedule, status of action items, milestones, costs, and key decisions.
- Tracking methods include Gantt charts (tasks vs. time, dependencies), roadmaps (high-level milestones), and burn down charts (work remaining vs. time).
Risk & Change Management
- Risks are potential events that could impact a project; changes are alterations to tasks, structures, or processes.
- Types of changes: new dependencies, changing priorities, resource changes, budget/scope creep, force majeure.
- Use change request forms and risk registers to document and manage changes.
- Dependency management involves identifying, recording, monitoring, and communicating task interdependencies.
Quality Management & Continuous Improvement
- Quality is delivering a product that meets or exceeds customer requirements.
- Four quality concepts: quality standards, quality planning, quality assurance (QA), and quality control (QC).
- Continuous improvement involves ongoing efforts to optimize processes using frameworks like DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) or PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act).
- Collect and use customer feedback through surveys or user acceptance tests (UATs) to refine deliverables.
Teamwork, Communication, & Influence
- Effective teams need psychological safety, dependability, clarity, meaning, and impact.
- Project managers lead by organizing systems, clear communication, promoting trust, delegating, and celebrating success.
- Use meetings, emails, instant messaging, and collaboration tools for ongoing communication.
- Influence stakeholders by establishing credibility, finding common ground, providing evidence, and connecting emotionally.
Agile & Scrum Methodologies
- Agile focuses on iterative, flexible, user-oriented delivery; main values include individuals/interactions, working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change.
- Scrum framework includes three roles: Scrum Master (process owner), Product Owner (vision), and Development Team (execution).
- Key scrum events: Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective.
- Tools: product backlog, user stories, relative effort estimation (t-shirt sizes, story points), burn down charts, and Kanban boards.
Project Closure & Reporting
- Proper project closure requires ensuring all work is done, processes executed, and formal stakeholder agreement.
- Documents include closeout reports (summary, methodology, outcomes, lessons learned) and impact reports (executive summary for stakeholders).
- Retrospectives enable teams to reflect, share feedback, and drive future improvements.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Tracking — Monitoring project progress to ensure alignment with the plan.
- Risk Register — Table documenting risks, dependencies, and mitigation plans.
- Quality Standards — Specific, measurable requirements a deliverable must meet.
- DMAIC/PDCA — Data-driven improvement frameworks.
- User Acceptance Test (UAT) — Final testing phase by end-users before project launch.
- Backlog — Prioritized list of tasks/features in Agile/Scrum.
- Retrospective — Team meeting to discuss lessons learned and process improvement.
- Stakeholder Analysis — Identifying project stakeholders and their influence/interest.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Draft or update your project Charter and plan.
- Track progress using appropriate tools (Gantt, roadmap, or burn down chart).
- Regularly update your risk register and hold retrospectives.
- Apply quality standards and gather feedback via surveys or UATs.
- Prepare closeout and impact reports at project completion.
- Review Agile and Scrum frameworks; practice writing user stories and planning sprints.
- Build your professional PM portfolio with completed documents.