Project Management for Small Projects

Sandra R. Rowe PhD, PMP

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781567264753
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Project Management
• Index: Business

Important New Tools for Managing Your Small Projects As Part of a Larger Program! The first edition of Project Management for Small Projects introduced project management processes, tools, and techniques that are scalable and adaptable to small projects. Project managers learned a structured, disciplined approach to managing small projects sensibly and realistically. This new edition is updated throughout to reflect the PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition, balancing the particular needs of small projects with the project management methodology.
Project managers who are proficient at managing and leading their own projects are increasingly being called upon to work collaboratively with other project managers to lead components of a program. In addition to knowing how to manage processes and how to lead the team, project managers must now also know how to collaborate and share knowledge with other project managers. A new chapter on program management offers important insights and guidance for managing a group of related small projects in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually.

PART
I

Project
Management
Discipline

CHAPTER

1

Introduction to Project Management

Most organizations rely on a variety of projects, both large and small. Although small projects have unique challenges that are not present in large projects, small projects can still benefit from a defined project management methodology. To achieve maximum benefits, the process, tools, and techniques must be scalable and adaptable. The more successful you are with managing small projects, the more opportunities you will have to obtain larger projects.

Almost everyone, to some degree, is involved with projects and should be prepared to manage them effectively. Project Management for Small Projects suggests an approach that allows the project manager to apply structure and discipline to managing small projects while balancing the needs of the project with the project management methodology.

Project Management Best Practices

A best practice is an activity that has proven to be successful over time. Some project management best practices include:

• Developing a project charter

• Documenting project requirements

• Using a project schedule to plan and monitor project activities

• Managing project risks

• Communicating to project stakeholders.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Projects are a more important part of business now than they ever have been. They exist at all levels of every organization and must be managed proactively, regardless of size. Normally when we think of projects, we think of large initiatives such as developing a new product or service, developing a new information system or enhancing an existing one, constructing a building, or preparing for a major sports event. Small projects are not always viewed as projects and therefore are not always treated as projects—especially smaller, more informal projects, which are often called assignments.

Definition of a Project

As stated in the PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition, a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. A project can create:

• A product that can be a component of another item, an enhanced item, or an end item in itself

• A service or a capability to perform a service

• A result, such as an outcome or document.

A project has three distinct characteristics.

1. A project is temporary in that it has a beginning and an end. A project always has a defined start and end date. The project begins with a statement of work or some form of description of the product, service, or result to be supplied by the project, and it ends when the objectives are complete or it is determined that the objectives cannot be met and the project is canceled.

2. A project is unique in that the product, service, or result created as a result of the project is different in some distinguishing way from all similar products, services, or results. Unique also indicates that although a project might appear to be similar to another project because you are producing the same type of deliverable, it really is not. In both projects you are creating something that did not exist before. Even a revision to an existing deliverable is considered unique because the revised product is something that did not exist before.

3. A project is characterized by progressive elaboration. This means the project develops in steps and grows in detail. Progressive elaboration is continually improving and detailing a plan as more detailed and specific information and more accurate estimates become available as the project progresses. When you are first given a project, you have limited information to work with, usually in the form of a high-level project description, the project objective, and some assumptions and constraints. The scope might need to be further defined, and the work activities for the project need will have to be planned in detail as more specific information becomes available. Progressive elaboration allows you to manage to a greater amount of detail as the project evolves.

Another way to view a project is to see a project as something we do one time, as opposed to operational work, which is continuous and repetitive and is undertaken to sustain the business. Operational activities have no real completion date; they are ongoing. An example of a project would be to develop or enhance an accounting system. The operational activity would be to process biweekly payroll or pay monthly expenses. Both operational activities and projects are constrained by resources and are planned, executed, and controlled (Figure 1.1). However, projects, due to their temporary nature, are initiated and closed.

FIGURE 1.1 Comparison of Projects and Operations

Projects can intersect with operations:

• When developing a new product or result for an existing system

• While developing new or enhancing existing procedures

• When a project is completed and transferred to operations.

Why Use Project Management on Small Projects

Imagine being assigned a project to revise an existing process. You have a team of three subject matter experts to assist with the design and implementation. Where do you begin? What are you planning to deliver? When will this project be completed? And what are the team members’ roles and responsibilities? The use of project management provides the discipline and tools for answering these questions.

Definition of a Small Project

Small projects are perceived to be relatively easy, but other than this there is no one way to define when a project is a small project. In some cases small could be defined on the basis of cost, such as costing less than $1 million. Cost is relative, however, and depends on the income of the organization. Small could also be defined by time, for example, taking less than six months to complete. For the purpose of this book, we will use the following guidelines to define small projects. A small project generally:

• Is short in duration, typically lasting less than six months, and usually part-time in effort hours

• Has 10 or fewer team members

• Involves a small number of skill areas

• Has a single objective and a solution that is readily achievable

• Has a narrowly defined scope and definition

• Affects a single business unit and has a single decision-maker

• Has access to project information and will not require automated solutions from external project sources

• Uses the project manager as the primary source for leadership and decision-making

• Has no political implications with respect to proceeding or not proceeding

• Produces straightforward deliverables with few interdependencies among skill areas

• Costs less than $75,000 and has available funding.

If the project involves a few skill areas but the deliverables are complex, it is not a small project. If the scope is broad, the project usually involves more skill areas, so it would not be considered a small project. The more skill areas involved, the more effort will be required to manage the project.

A small project can be a portion of a larger project. For example, if a team lead is responsible for planning and controlling specific project activities and then reporting results to the project manager, the team lead is, in effect, running a small project. Most small projects center on changes in organizational processes or enhancements to existing systems. Other examples of small projects include:

• Developing a training course

• Implementing a project office

• Implementing a purchased software application

• Enhancing an existing information system

• Developing a...