Key for Setting Project Objectives.

OBJECTIVE	INDICATOR	PRIORITY	CURRENT	TARGET
To improve sales	Increased orders	High (10)	$5 million	$7 million
Improve decision making speed	Reduce time customer response	High (8)	8 weeks	4 weeks
Reduce quotation time	Reduce time for delivery	Medium (6)	4 days per week	2 days per week
Flat structure	Number of Mgrs	Medium (6)	5 managers	3 Managers

The above set of objectives is clear, measurable, prioritised, categorized and targeted. You as manger can actually monitor the progress of the project and take corrective action if something is not working.

Gaining Team Commitment to the Project.

A keen skilled informed and committed team is vital for to the success of any project. Therefore, the motivational and people-management skills of the project manager are very important. You as project manager, it is your responsibility to develop the best team that you can guide in the right direction and ensure that member benefit from the experience. Choose your team carefully and provide training if necessary. You also need to gain the support of your superiors, your sponsor and other interested parties from the outset.

For the project to run smoothly, the resources required must be available at the time you need them. You therefore need effective front-end resources planning taking into account of skilled personnel, facilities, equipment and materials that will be needed. Check with your superiors that the budget and realistic timescales have been agreed before starting the project.

It is also vital that you keep everyone, colleagues, stakeholders and customers fully informed about the planned project and update them whenever there are changes. This will avoid the success of your project being threatened because money or time has run out.

In the current ever-changing business environment, the ability to think ahead and anticipate changes can make a difference between achieving project objectives or failure. You must be prepared to make changes in your plans in a flexible and responsive manner to suit changing circumstances. Re-evaluate your plans regularly and adapt accordingly.

In the modern technological fast business changing environment you must anticipate and recognise the need for change, to cope and implement sudden changes. This is the business world you live in. You can hope for the best but you must always plan for the worst.

Project Development Stages.

There are five stages in project development stage a) initiating the project, followed by stage b) planning, c) motivating, and d) closing the project.

To gain commitment of all concerned with the project make sure you start with a well prepared flourish using the authority of your sponsor, manager, and customer(s) to focus everyone on the strategy and the vision outcome. Ensure that everyone has access to key project information, and keep communication flowing at all times.

Points to Remember about Project Work

1 A new project should be viewed as an exciting opportunity to bring new skills and knowledge to your organisation.

2 Encourage team-members to build friendships among themselves and to help one each by making constructive suggestions.

3 A system of recording what the team has learned should be established.

4 Make sure that everyone knows about the project and its benefits to the organisation.

5 Monitor the project constantly from the start to the end, problems can occur anytime.

6 Bring the project team together as early as possible to introduce them and yourself informally.

It is very important that you start off on a good footing, therefore, be positive and stress how much you look forward to working together as a team to the successful completion of the project.

If you are assigned several projects you should prioritise which project should be done first, second, third etc.

Understanding Project Development Sequence.

a) Initiators of the project agree a vision; b) Key people outline the purpose and objectives of the project; c) Activities and resources are agreed and prioritised; d) The project plan is approved by all involved; e) The project manager executes the project plan guiding the team to achieve goals; d) Progress is monitored and the plan revised and modified if necessary; f) The project is closed and successfully completed on time and within budget.

Assessing Constraints 368

A fast-moving business environment often gives projects a specific window of opportunity and the principle of JIT just in time delivery of your products can be the only competitive edge you got over your competitors. In this case time is the constraint within which you must work.

Things to Do.

1 Assess whether time is of essence for successful completion of the project.

2 Analyse what resources you will need and whether you can afford them.

3 Look at using existing processes or resources.

4 Identify any external constraints such as legal or environmental regulations.

5 Decide whether to proceed within the given constraints or to postpone the project.

Committing Resources to the Project

Before starting to implement a project you must study resource requirements and budgets. The feasibility of the project depends on your being able to justify the expenditure and effort by comparing the project with other activities.

Consider how many staff you will need, their level of skills, facilities and materials, information technology required, the total cost of the project and sufficient funds. If the answers to these a re positive then you allocating activities to staff, agreeing dates and re-evaluating the planned project.

Each member of the team has a unique personality and style. Take time to study each individual and understand what motivates them so that you can provide the level of guidance they need. Some team members will prefer to be set objectives with you delegating responsibility to them. Others will react better to being given specific tasks and left alone to complete them.

Use the appropriate style for each individual but be prepared to change your leadership style when the situation demands it.

Questions to Ask Yourself when Selecting Team Members

1 How much do I know about a potential team member and do I trust her/her?

2 Will I be able to work comfortably with him or her?

3 Am I confident that all the team members will get along with one another other?

4 Do team members have the necessary skills and talent to do the job or willing to train?

Key Project team Members should Ideally have the Following Roles. 387

1 COORDINATOR: who pulls together the work of the team as a whole.

2 CRITIC: who guards and analyses the team’s effectiveness.

3 IDEAS PERSON: who encourages the team’s innovative vitality.

4 IMPLEMENTER: who ensures the smooth running of the team’s activities.

5 EXTERNAL CONTACT: who looks after the team’s external contacts.

6 INSPECTOR: who ensures that high standards of the project work are maintained.

7 TEAM BUILDER: who develops and maintains high team-working spirit.

Having planned the project with a core tam now must make sure you have the compliment of people with the right mix of skills and personalities to see the project to its end.

(Launching the Project) Implementing the Project Plan.

The success of any project plan depends on the people who implement the project. Everyone must familiarise themselves with their key tasks, responsibilities and skills involved and you the manager must be ready to lead the project team successfully.

Ask Yourself the Following Questions.

1 Am I willing to stay with the project until it is completed?

2 Am I interested in developing and leading people and help them to become leaders.

3 Do I have a genuine interest in the success of the project?

4 Can I delegate objectives as well as tasks to the team?

Do I put customers first; Can I manage and adapt to change; Am I a good communicator; Do I have the necessary leadership skills; Do I have effective negotiating skills?

Starting the Project Actively and Enthusiastically

Just before you start the project you must gather your team together for a full initiation session to let them know exactly what the project is all about. Explain what the targets and constraints are, let everyone know how they will benefit from the project and establish the ground rules for sharing information and decision-making.

Allow for two-way communication so that staff can ask questions for clarification so that by the end everyone knows understands what needs to be done and feel motivated to achieve the objectives of the project. Invite your sponsor to the initiation session to address the team and express belief and commitment to the project. It is a good idea to name all the stakeholders so that everyone knows who they are and ask them to endorse the project by adding their signatures to the document and write-up a jargon-free start-up report.

Structuring the Start-Up Report

PARTS OF THE REPORT	FACTORS TO INCLUDE
Vision statement explaining the overall aim of the project.	Explain why the project has been initiated and what it will achieve, spell out the benefits to the team and organisation as a whole.
Targets: give a summary of indicators, current performance, and target figures.	Explain how success will be measured and the expected business results of the project.
Point out special events or achievements (milestones) that will mark progress of the project along the way.	Summarise stages to show what will be achieved to demonstrate progress logically indicating measurable results.
List potential risks and additional opportunities to be gained by the organisation.	Explain what should be avoided by team members in their work and highlight areas of improvement to get better benefits.
Provide a directory of Stakeholders involved in the project to give it credibility (Gravitas).	Name (Name-drop) other interested parties to increase credibility, name-drop customers and what they expect from the project.

Leading the Project Effectively

There are several types of leadership styles and you will need to know them all and use them at different stages of the project. While you can have a preferred leadership style the predominant style you will adopt should depend on the organisation, the nature and stage of the, the characteristics of the team and your own personality.