Project Information

The effective project manager quickly becomes a clearinghouse of important and trivial project information. To be that clearinghouse, first the project manager must absorb a huge amount of information about the project. Even small projects can potentially involve large amounts of information. Some suggested questions you need to answer as soon as possible after taking on the role of project manager include:

* What do we want to achieve from this project?
* How will we know that the project is finished?
* How will we measure success (in quantity and quality)?
* What else could we achieve that may be beneficial?
* What could go wrong during the project?
* Will all of the outcomes be positive?
* What processes should be followed?
* What safety criteria should be considered?
* What impact could this project have on other parts of our organisation?
* What machinery and tools are required?
* Are there in issues with regard to procurement or maintenance of the machinery and tools?
* Who needs to be involved? In providing supplies/inputs, doing the tasks, observing, measuring outcomes, etc.
* Do people need to be released from other duties?
* Who needs to know about the project?
* How much do they need to know?
* How soon can/should we start?
* How soon can/should we finish?
* Will any downtime impact on the project?
* What is the budget?
* Where will the project be located?
* What are the consequences of project failure (for the organisation, the stakeholders, the project team and the project manager)?

Organising this information can be very challenging. If you like mind-maps, this is a great way to organise large amounts of information. If you are a notebook kind of person, get a notebook ASAP and write the project name on the front. Number the notebook “1”, as you are likely to need more. Much of this information will go into your Project Definition.

...Geoff