The document provides guidance on key steps to effectively manage a project. It discusses defining the project scope and available resources, developing a timeline, assembling a project team, listing major and minor tasks, creating a baseline plan, requesting adjustments if needed, monitoring progress, and adapting the plan as required while maintaining scope and resources. The overall message is on the importance of planning while remaining flexible to change.

1. About EM
Management
Project
Project Management:
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A How-To Guide
presented by:
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Jennifer L. Pricci

2. Behind the Curtain
About EM
A successful Project Manager must simultaneously manage the
four basic elements of a project: resources, time, money, and
most importantly, scope. All these elements are interrelated.
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Each must be managed effectively. All must be managed
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together if the project, and the project manager, is to be a
success.
Resources
People, equipment, material
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Time
Task durations, dependencies, critical path
Money
Costs, contingencies, profit
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Scope
Project size, goals, requirements
Most literature on project management speaks of the need to
manage and balance three elements: people, time, and money.
However, the fourth element is the most important and it is the
first and last task for a successful project manager.

3. Managing Scope
About EM
The project scope is the definition of what the project is
supposed to accomplish and the budget (of time and money)
that has been created to achieve these objectives.
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It is absolutely imperative that any change to the scope of the
project have a matching change in budget, either time or
resources. If the budget is not adjusted, the smart project
manager will avoid the change in scope.
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Usually, scope changes occur in the form of "scope creep".
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Scope creep is the piling up of small changes that by themselves
are manageable, but in aggregate are significant. Make sure
any requested change, no matter how small, is accompanied by
approval for a change in budget or schedule or both.
You can not effectively manage the resources, time and money
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in a project unless you actively manage the project scope.
When you have the project scope clearly identified and
associated to the timeline and budget, you can begin to manage
the project resources. These include the people, equipment, and
material needed to complete the project.

4. Managing Resources
About EM
Managing project resources frequently involves more than
people management. The project manager must also manage
the equipment used for the project and the material needed
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by the people and equipment assigned to the project.
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People
Project employees, vendor staff, subcontract labor
Equipment
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From heavy equipment or development, test, and staging
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servers, CD burners or recording studio, tape decks, mixers,
microphones and speakers
Material
CD blanks, computers, jewel cases, instruction manuals
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5. Managing Resources: People
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Managing the people resources means having the right
people, with the right skills and the proper tools, in the right
quantity at the right time. It also means ensuring that they
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know what needs to be done, when, and how. And it means
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motivating them to take ownership in the project too.
Managing direct employees normally means managing the
senior person in each group of employees assigned to your
project. Remember that these employees also have a line
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manager to whom they report and from whom the usually take
technical direction. In a matrix management situation, like a
project team, your job is to provide project direction to them.
Managing labor subcontracts usually means managing the
team lead for the subcontracted workers, who in turn manages
the workers.
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6. Managing Resources: Equipment
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The equipment you have to manage as part of your project
depends on the nature of the project. For a project to release a
new version of a computer game, the equipment would include
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computers, test equipment, and duplication and packaging
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machinery.
The project management key for equipment is much like for
people resources. You have to make sure you have the right
equipment in the right place at the right time and that it has the
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supplies it needs to operate properly.
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7. Managing Resources: Material
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Most projects involve the purchase of material. For a project to
release a music CD by a hot new artist, it would include the CD
blanks, artwork for the jewel case, and press releases to be sent
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to deejays. The project management issue with supplies is to
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make sure the right supplies arrive at the right time (we'll talk
about the right price later).
All your skill in managing resources won't help, however, unless
you can stick to the project schedule. Time management is
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critical in successful project management.
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8. Managing Time
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Time management is a critically important skill for any
successful project manager.
Project Managers who succeed in meeting their project schedule
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have a good chance of staying within their project budget. The
most common cause of blown project budgets is lack of
schedule management.
Tasks
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Duration, resources, dependencies
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Schedule
Tasks, predecessors, successors
Critical Path
Changeable, often multiple, float
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9. Managing Time: Tasks
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Any project can be broken down into a number of tasks that
have to be performed. To prepare the project schedule, the
project manager has to figure out what the tasks are, how long
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they will take, what resources they require, and in what order
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they should be done.
Each of these elements has a direct bearing on the schedule.
If you omit a task, the project won't be completed. If you
underestimate the length of time or the amount of resources
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required for the task, you may miss your schedule. The schedule
can also be blown if you make a mistake in the sequencing of
the tasks.
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10. Managing Time: Schedule
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Build the project schedule by listing, in order, all the tasks that
need to be completed. Assign a duration to each task.
Allocate the required resources. Determine predecessors
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(what tasks must be completed before) and successors (tasks
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that can't start until after) each task.
It's pretty simple and straightforward. For instance, think of a
project called "Getting Dressed In The Morning". The task "put on
shirt" may have a longer duration if it is a buttoned dress shirt
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than if it's a pullover. It doesn't matter which order you complete
the tasks "put on right shoe" and "put on left shoe", but it is
important to complete the "put on pants" task before starting the
"put on shoes" task.
The difficulty in managing a project schedule is that there are
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seldom enough resources and enough time to complete the
tasks sequentially. Therefore, tasks have to be overlapped so
several happen at the same time. Project management software
greatly simplifies the task of creating and managing the project
schedule by handling the iterations in the schedule logic for you.

11. Managing Time: Path
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When all tasks have been listed, resourced, and sequenced,
you will see that some tasks have a little flexibility in their
required start and finish date. This is called float. Other tasks
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have no flexibility, zero float. A line through all the tasks with
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zero float is called the critical path. All tasks on this path, and
there can be multiple, parallel paths, must be completed on time
if the project is to be completed on time. The Project Manager's
key time management task is to manage the critical path.
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Be aware, that items can be added to or removed from the
critical path as circumstances change during the execution of
the project. Installation of security cameras may not be on the
critical path, but if the shipment is delayed, it may become part
of the critical path. Conversely, pouring the concrete foundation
may be on the critical path, but if the project manager obtains an
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addition crew and the pour is completed early it could come off
the critical path (or reduce the length of the critical path).
Regardless of how well you manage the schedule and the
resources, there is one more critical element - managing the
budget.

12. Managing Budget
About EM
If you have effectively managed the project resources and
project schedule, managing budget should not be a problem.
It is, however, a task that requires the project manager's careful
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attention. You can only manage effectively a limited number of
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cost items, so focus on the critical ones.
Costs
Estimated, actual, variability
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Contingencies
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Weather, suppliers, design allowance
Profit
Cost, contingencies, remainder
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13. Managing Budget: Costs
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Each project task will have a cost. Whether it is the cost of the
labor hours of a computer programmer or the purchase price of
a cubic yard of concrete. In preparing the project budget, each of
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these costs is estimated and then totaled.
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Some of these estimates will be more accurate than others. A
company knows what it will charge each of its projects for
different classifications of labor. Commodities are priced in a
very competitive market so prices are fairly predictable. Other
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estimates are less accurate, such as items or services where
higher performance is required. For an expensive item,
therefore, the percent increase could be a significant amount.
When the estimated cost of an item is uncertain, the project
budget often includes a design allowance. This is money that is
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set aside in the budget "just in case" the actual cost of the item is
wildly different than the estimate.

14. Managing Budget: Contingencies
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Unusual problems with suppliers are always a possibility on
large projects. Companies usually include a contingency
amount in the project budget to cover these kinds of things.
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15. Managing Budget: Profit
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So a project budget is composed of the estimated cost, plus the
contingency and design allowance, plus any profit. The project
manager's job is to keep the actual cost at or below the
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estimated cost, to use as little of the design allowance and
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contingency as possible, and to maximize the profit the
company earns on the project.
To maximize your chances of meeting your project budget, meet
your project schedule. The most common cause of blown
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budgets is blown schedules. Meeting the project schedule won't
guarantee you will meet the project budget, but it significantly
increases your chances. And above all, manage the project
scope. Don't allow the project scope to "creep" upward without
getting budget and/or schedule adjustments to match.
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Successful project management is an art and a science that
takes practice. The ideas presented above can give you a basic
understanding of project management, but consider it only a
beginning.

16. The 80/20 Rule
About EM
In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a
mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of
wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the
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people owned eighty percent of the wealth. In the late 1940s, Dr.
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Joseph M. Juran inaccurately attributed the 80/20 Rule to Pareto,
calling it Pareto's Principle. While it may be misnamed, Pareto's
Principle or Pareto's Law as it is sometimes called, can be a very
effective tool to help you manage effectively.
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The 80/20 Rule means that in anything a few (20 percent) are
vital and many (80 percent) are trivial. In Pareto's case it meant
20 percent of the people owned 80 percent of the wealth. In
Juran's initial work he identified 20 percent of the defects
causing 80 percent of the problems. Project Managers know
that 20 percent of the work (the first 10 percent and the last 10
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percent) consume 80 percent of your time and resources. You
can apply the 80/20 Rule to almost anything.

17. Applying the 80/20 Rule
About EM
The value of the Pareto Principle for a manager is that it
reminds you to focus on the 20 percent that matters. Of the
things you do during your day, only 20 percent really matter.
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Those 20 percent produce 80 percent of your results. Identify
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and focus on those things. When the fire drills of the day begin to
sap your time, remind yourself of the 20 percent you need to
focus on. If something in the schedule has to slip, if something
isn't going to get done, make sure it's not part of that 20 percent.
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Pareto's Principle, the 80/20 Rule, should serve as a daily
reminder to focus 80 percent of your time and energy on the 20
percent of you work that is really important. Don't just "work
smart", work smart on the right things.
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18. Steps to Managing A Project
About EM
1 Define the Scope
The first, and most important, step in any project is defining
the scope of the project. What is it you are supposed to
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accomplish by managing this project? What is the project
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objective? Equally important is defining what is not included
in the scope of your project. If you don't get enough definition
from your boss, clarify the scope yourself and send it back
upstairs for confirmation.
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2 Determine Available Resources
What people, equipment, and money will you have available
to you to achieve the project objectives? As a project
manager, you usually will not have direct control of these
resources, but will have to manage them through matrix
management. Find out how easy or difficult that will be to do.
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3 Check the Timeline
When does the project have to be completed? As you
develop your project plan you may have some flexibility in
how you use time during the project, but deadlines usually
are fixed. If you decide to use overtime hours to meet the
schedule, you must weigh that against the limitations
of your budget.

19. Steps to Managing A Project
About EM
4 Assemble Your Project Team
Get the people on your team together and start a dialog.
They are the technical experts. That's why their functional
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supervisor assigned them to the project. Your job is to
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manage the team.
5 List the Big Steps
What are the major pieces of the project? If you don't know,
start by asking your team. It is a good idea to list the steps in
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chronological order but don't obsess about it; you can
always change the order later.
6 List the Smaller Steps
List the smaller steps in each of the larger steps. Again, it
usually helps you remember all the steps if you list them in
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chronological order. How many levels deep you go of more
and more detailed steps depends on the size and complexity
of your project.
7 Develop a Preliminary Plan
Assemble all your steps into a plan. What happens first?
What is the next step? Which steps can go on at
the same time with different resources? Who is
going to do each step? How long will it take?

20. Steps to Managing A Project
About EM
8 Create Your Baseline Plan
Get feedback on your preliminary plan from your team and
from any other stakeholders. Adjust your timelines and work
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schedules to fit the project into the available time. Make any
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necessary adjustments to the preliminary plan to produce a
baseline plan.
9 Request Project Adjustments
There is almost never enough time, money or talent assigned
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to a project. Your job is to do more with the limited resources
than people expect. However, there are often limits placed
on a project that are simply unrealistic. You need to make
your case and present it to your boss and request these
unrealistic limits be changed. Ask for the changes at the
beginning of the project. Don't wait until it's in trouble to ask
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for the changes you need.
10 Work Your Plan, But Don't Die For It
Making the plan is important, but the plan can be changed.
You have a plan for driving to work every morning. If one
intersection is blocked by an accident, you change your plan
and go a different way. Do the same with your
project plans. Change them as needed, but always
keep the scope and resources in mind.

21. Steps to Managing A Project
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11 Monitor Your Team's Progress
You will make little progress at the beginning of the project,
but start then to monitor what everyone is doing anyway.
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That will make it easier to catch issues before they become
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problems.
12 Document Everything
Keep records. Every time you change from your baseline
plan, write down what the change was and why it was
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necessary. Every time a new requirement is added to the
project write down where the requirement came from and
how the timeline or budget was adjusted because of it. You
can't remember everything, so write them down so you'll be
able to look them up at the end-of-project review and learn
from them.
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13 Keep Everyone Informed
Keep all the project stakeholders informed of progress all
along. Let them know of your success as you complete each
milestone, but also inform them of problems as soon as they
come up. Also keep you team informed. If changes are being
considered, tell the team about them as far ahead
as you can. Make sure everyone on the team is
aware of what everyone else is doing.

22. TO-DO List: Ranking
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Making a "things to do list" is not enough. You have to rank
them. You have to know which tasks are more important so you
can focus on them. Then you have to allocate resources to those
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items, measure your progress, and reward yourself for your
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successes.
Ranking
I list all my to do items in a spreadsheet, although you can do
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them on paper as I used to do. You also can put them in your
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palmtop computer or PDA, write them on your calendar, or input
them to a time management software.
The first step is to list all you have to do.
Using the 80/20 Rule assign a rank to them so you can focus on
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the important items. I use an A, B, C ranking. My A list are the
things I have to get done today, before I leave. My B list are
things I need to get done, but not necessarily today. My C list are
the things I need to find time to do soon.

23. TO-DO List: Time Management
About EM
It wasn't enough to know what was important; what made the A
list. I also needed to know how long things would take and how
much time I had to devote to them. I added a column to my to
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do list with the estimated time each task should take and an
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adjacent column with the cumulative total.
Time Management
Start by surveying your own time. Take a week or so to sample
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each task on your to do list and assign the proper time values.
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Much of your day may be taken up by interruptions - dealing
with events that happened, crises that came up, or problems
that had to be solved. On average these interruptions consume
four hours a day. Working a typical ten-hour day, means you
have six hours a day for the things on your to do list.
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Each night, before you leave the office, update your to do list.
Delete the things completed, delegated, or downgraded, add
the new things that had come up, rearrange the priorities to get
the most important tasks on top, and assign estimated time to
each. Then go down the list to the six hour mark and draw a
line. That becomes your target for the next day.

24. TO-DO List: Reward Yourself
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Most often, your target line falls somewhere on your A list.
Seldom is it anywhere near the bottom. However, that is not your
goal.
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Reward Yourself
When I hit or passed the line, I went home feeling like it had
been a productive and successful day. Instead of beating myself
up over the things I hadn't been able to get to, I acknowledged
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my success at having met or beaten my goal. The next day, I
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had to start all over again and reach for the new goal, but I did it
from the perspective of building on previous success rather than
from the frustration of constantly having more to do that I had
time to accomplish.
To be successful, you have to develop a system to manage your
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time so you can get more done in the time you have. If your
target line on your to do list is always near the top, revise your
system so you can begin working a little farther down the list
every day. List the tasks you have to do. Prioritize those that are
important, not just urgent. Have a plan for what to accomplish
each day. Work toward that plan. Reward yourself when
you meet or beat your goal.

25. Your System
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To be successful, you have to develop a system to manage your
time so you can get more done in the time you have. If your
target line on your to do list is always near the top, revise your
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system so you can begin working a little farther down the list
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every day. Remember
There are only 24 hours in a day
Find out where you're wasting time.
Create time management goals.
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Implement a time management plan.
Use time management tools.
Prioritize ruthlessly.
Learn to delegate and/or outsource.
Establish routines and stick to them as much as possible.
Get in the habit of setting time limits for tasks.
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Be sure your systems are organized.
Don't waste time waiting.