Project-Management
ballerina 巴雷舞
project manager is about make things happen.
taint and nullify the efforts of even the most talented people
less than enthralling 不太吸引人
misusing the tools can lead to complications.
“the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.”
A more tangible (but less interesting) description is that project management is everything you need to make a project happen on time and within budget to deliver the needed scope and quality
Time Budget Scope Quality
project lifecycle
init ---> planing ---> execute ---> control ---> close
The real message of the project life cycle, though, is that the areas that take the most time are not necessarily the most important
That happens in the other three phases—Initiating, Planning, and Closing—which makes them the most important phases of all.
The way to think about this is to imagine the repercussions if these phases were completed badly or even ignored completely
project stakeholders (all those who are involved, interested in, or affected by the project)
Knowing Your Stakeholders
disgruntled 不满的， 不高兴的。
disastrous consequences for the project—the entire design was scrapped 灾难性后果，整个设计重整。
rolling wave approach to plan
Part of finishing a project with excellence is making sure that the product you’ve built has a future.
just throwing the work over the fence to them and wandering off to your next project will almost guarantee dissatisfaction on one side or the other eventually. 把工作扔到他们的篱笆上，然后再去做下一个项目，几乎可以保证最终会有一方或另一方不满意。
Some unfortunate misperceptions make project management rate on most people’s list of preferred activities somewhere between putting the garbage out and deliberately stubbing their big toes
Firstly, project management is not personal productivity. Keep a clean line between what you need for yourself personally, and what the project needs. This way, when you have slightly larger projects with more people involved, your tools will scale. Secondly, project management is not people management. Thirdly, project management is not operations or service management.
When you start work on a new project, look at the situation and identify the people and the process problems separately. Then, look at how you can address the people problems before you begin to try to find a solution to the process problems. The good news is that a lot of the art of project management is about solving people problems.
If it Doesn’t Add Value, it Won’t Get Done
The Best Way to Communicate Is the Way That Gets You Heard. Choosing the Right Tools and Processes Is the PM’s Most Important Job.
Project proposals
are sometimes called project request documents (PRDs) or project charters.
- Understand the project’s background.
- Gain a clear explanation of the business value that the project will deliver.
- Ascertain the expectations of the project’s timing, personnel, and budget.
One of the most common issues that causes misunderstandings between business people and technical people is that they talk about value in different ways
The Project Board
The project board is a small group of people whose main responsibility is to make the really big project decisions.
Your project’s board should consist of: ■ the project sponsor ■ a technical advisor ■ a business advisor or domain expert (if needed)
but the point is that the project board will include three key people who can make the big calls! As far as possible, it’s best to keep the number of board members low.
project Team
the reality is that just by listening to your team and trying to understand where they’re coming from, you’ll learn almost everything you need to know.
When you’re starting a project with a new team, I suggest that you sit down, one on one, with each individual.
Realistically though, much of the true value of project management is in communicating to the stakeholders and project board, rather than your team. Project success depends on the involvement, trust and often contributions of the stakeholders. Equipping the project board to make well-informed key decisions is also extremely important.
Stakeholder Tools and Best Practices
The Project Organization Chart
The Communication Plan
A communication plan is a simple document that outlines how you will communicate the project process, how frequently you’ll do so, who will be invited or involved, and who will be in charge of making sure the communication occurs
Initiating Your Project
the purpose of initiaing a project
After all, the beginning of the project is the point at which you form with the customer the contract (both formal and informal) that explains what will be delivered, roughly how it will be done, and when it will be ready.
people are more interested in what they believe you’re going to deliver than the specifics written in the contract.
Unless this is agreed on, you and the customers can walk away with completely different understandings of what you’re trying to accomplish. These differences of perspective will only creep out of the woodwork to cause you trouble later on, unless you consciously shine a light on them during the project’s initiation.
Initiating is also the best chance you’ll get to define success.
The Process of Initiating
The process of project initiation is quite simple. Gather information about: ■ why the project is happening ■ what needs to be delivered and how this will be done ■ who will be involved ■ the timings to which the project will be delivered
The key point to take away from the initiating process is that you should start the project with everyone on the same page, and move forward towards a common, agreed goal.
Initiation Tools and Best Practices
The Project Initiation Document
The Project Initiation Document (PID) summarizes the what, how, when, and why of the project. It represents the agreement between all parties on what the project is about and, importantly, why the project is being undertaken.
The Project Initiation Document needs to summarize: ■ the project’s objective (what you’re trying to achieve) ■ the key deliverables (how you’re going to achieve the objective) ■ the overall rationale for the project (why you’re undertaking it) ■ the initial timings (when it will be achieved) ■ the project’s initial organization (who is involved)
Your objectives should be: specific, measurable, actionable, and consistent
kickoff meeting
what to plan:
Traditional project planning is focused around tasks—The problem with tasks, however, is that they’re hard to measure, and are rarely a good indication of progress. We should plan deliverables—the actual end-products of your project, be they tangible (machines, buildings, cash) or intangible (software, a brand identity, and so on)
The difference between a task and a deliverable is that the task is the job you’re busy doing (building, designing, creating), while the deliverable is the product you56 The Principles of Project Management end up with (a wall, a design, a document). For instance, the task might be “lay the foundations,” but the end product or deliverable is the foundations themselves.