Project Management Tools

Objectives

What makes a project

Key components of a project
Some useful management tools
Project Management
project (noun)
1: a specific plan or design
2: a planned undertaking
management (noun)
1 : the act or art of managing: the conducting or supervising
of something
2 : judicious use of means to accomplish an end
manage (verb)
1: to handle or direct with a degree of skill
2: to work upon or try to alter for a purpose
3: to achieve one's purpose
Project characteristics

Beginning and End

Agreed, well defined outputs and outcomes
Balance between time, cost and quality
Interrelated tasks grouped into phases
Temporary, often multidisciplinary project team
brought together for the project
Might entail involvement of people from other
units or organizations
Project components

Programme

Project 1 Project 2 Project 3

Component 1

Subcomponent
Project Management Cycle

I. Concept Phase

IV. Evaluation Phase II. Development Phase

III. Implementation Phase

Concept
Phase
I

IV II

III
Option appraisal
Is there an identified need for this project?
-Look for good entry points
What is the main objective of this project?
What are the specific benefits of the project?
Are there potential conflicts between this project and
other current projects?
Will the project receive the support it requires?
If it is successful-will the benefits be measurable?
Do we have (even rough/estimated) delivery dates and a
budget for it?
What are the risks for failure?
Scoping the Project

Gives clarity of the boundaries, objectives and

success criteria of the project

Consultation with relevant stakeholders

upfront
 Objectives
High level objectives to which
Impacts
the project contributes

The projects central objective Outcome

The products of undertaken Outputs

activities

Tasks executed as part of the Activities / Means

project to produce the Tasks
projects outputs
Project Team
Project Manager
Project Board/Steering Group Members
Team Members
Stakeholders

Individual/s, groups, institutions or firms

that may have a relationship with the
project

They may directly or indirectly,

positively or negatively affect or be
affected by the process and the
outcomes of the project
Relevant Stakeholders
Beneficiaries (impact level)
Benefit from the implementation of the project
Target group/s (outcome level)
Group/entity who will be immediately and
positively affected by the project
Project Partners (output level)
Those who help to implement the project
Target groups Ministries and
government
agencies
Statisticians
UN agencies (Professional
Users)

Target
Research groups General Public
Institutions

NGOs
Mass Media
 Tool: Stakeholder Analysis
Who should contribute
Who is the target group?
Who are the beneficiaries?
Who are the project partners?

Where assets and barriers might be

Who might have a positive/negative impact on the
project?

Actions to be taken before detailed planning

Manage expectations
 Tool: Stakeholder Analysis
-Identifying assets and risks

Stakeholder Support

Totally Moderately Neutral Moderately Strongly

supportive supportive Against Against

X Y Q A
Z
 Tool: Stakeholder Analysis
-Managing expectations

What the
Their interest Perceived Actions to
Stakeholder project needs
/ requirement assets / risks take
from them
Milestones
Important, clearly defined events in the
course of a project
End of a task
Decision taken
End of a project phase

Represent the project progress

Should take place on a specific date

Crucial to the success of the project

Tool: Milestone Chart
Tool: Milestone Report
Tool: Project definition form
Project Name:
Project Goals and Deliverables:
(what is the project designed to produce and to achieve?)
Scope:
Constraints:
(Whats out of scope?)
Team/ Resource roles:
(Who does what?)
Project Risk Assessment:
(Which ones have we anticipated?)
Project Milestones:
(What needs to happen when?
Include project review dates in this section)
Achievement Measurement:
(How will we know if weve succeeded?)
Tool: Checklist
What is the rationale for the project?
Are the project objectives clear and unambiguous?
What actions need to be done?
When are those actions going to be done?
Who is going to do them?
What resources are required?
What is not going to be done?
Are outputs and outcome measurable?
If so what measures should be used?
Is everything feasible and realistic?