The One Page Project Manager (a slide show)

Using The One Page Project Manager

View more documents from Geoff Higgins.

Project Outcomes

In addition to achieving the project objective, there are generally a range of project outcomes, both positive and negative. For example, the organisation may have purchased a technology for the project which is useful for other tasks; or through the changes implemented on the project people are freed up to do things they had not previously done.

It is good practice to predict what these could be. These predications can then be used to promote the project to people for whom the main project objective is not particularly attractive.

Project Deadline

By definition projects are expected to finish. In most cases we have a good idea of when that will, or must, happen. At this stage you have not developed a rigorous project schedule, but you have decided what the key activities will be, and how much you are likely to be spending. You should be able to take a stab at the project end date.

If you are going to be presenting this information to people who are likely to treat this finish date as a commitment, make sure you add some time. This is another kind of contingency – in this case a time contingency as opposed to a cost contingency.

The reason why you add time is that projects seldom finish early (unless timeframes have been poorly estimated or you have done less than you expected). They are much more likely to run over time. We often identify tasks that we did not think of before we started, or we decide to do more than we had planned. (This is called 'scope creep' and is considered a no-no in sophisticated project management circles.)

Project Budget

There are lots of different kinds of costs – fixed and variable costs, operational and capital costs. In planning project costs for small costs I like to distinguish between ‘cumulative’ and ‘lump-sum’ costs.

The cumulative costs are those that increase as you do more, or as tasks take longer – for example, when you are paying a contractor an hourly rate. The lump sum costs are those that will cost a particular amount – for example, when you have a quote from an electrician for lighting and power points. Lump sums can vary, but generally only under particular recognisable circumstances, such as when we later ask the electrician to add a new safety switch to the fuse box. In this case the electrician will have a legitimate reason to ask for more money.

Wrapped up in the need to budget is the need for a source of funds. Identifying and making firm friends (or at least developing a grudging mutual respect) with the person through whom you obtain the funds is very important.

You need to ensure that you can afford the unexpected – such as the people you are paying an hourly rate taking longer to get things done than planned; or needing to/wanting to do some things you did not initially put in the budget. You can do this by going back to the source of the project funds and asking for more money. Alternatively, you can add a contingency figure to the figures in your budget. This is generally to cover for small additional costs. A project managers’ rule of thumb is to always add 10%. If you have reason to expect to need more, you can consider adding more. But remember that a high contingency may stand out, and need to be justified. A really high contingency may prevent the project from going ahead (which may be the best outcome if the chances of cost overruns are high).

Microsoft Excel (or other spreadsheet program) is a good place to record your budget, although you can equally use a pen and paper (and calculator if needed).

Project Monitoring

This is a long one. Bear with me, as it will be worth it. Project monitoring is often the difference between ‘on time and on budget’ and ‘late, costing way too much and not having warned the people affected’.

…Geoff

To reduce the risk of the project going substantially over in terms of time or cost, you should monitor project progress.

Regular reporting of progress to people with an interest, including the project team, can keep you focussed on project monitoring. Even if progress reports are not requested, they can be a good way to promote the project if it is going well, and of communicating issues if it is not going so well.

A fortnightly progress report will typically consist of:
* Current Tasks – A short list of tasks currently underway.
* Project Progress – Stating what has been completed in the fortnight just ended; and what is expected to be completed in the next fortnight.
* Variation – An explanation for how the budget, workdays and/or timelines have varied from the original plan (whether positive or negative).
* Issues – A brief description of any significant issues, including the action being taken.


To ensure that members of the project team take responsibility for monitoring their own progress, request mini-status reports. At the least this could be an email or jotted down note that includes:
* Current Tasks – A short list of current tasks, so you know what they are doing at the moment.
* Project Progress – A list of what the person has completed in the fortnight just ended; and what they expect to complete in the next fortnight.
* Variation – An explanation for how their tasks have varied in terms of starting or finishing early or late, and where tasks have taken more or less time than expected.
* Issues – A brief description of any issues affecting the individual, including the action being taken.

The topic on project scheduling below introduces the concept of milestones. For now it is important to note that the achievement of a milestone is a good time to think about how the project is progressing, what has been learnt so far and what is still to be achieved.

There must be a way to report issues and catastrophes which is separate to the regular reporting cycle, as issues and catastrophes are generally too urgent to wait for the due date for the next status report. Open lines of communication are important. It is also good practice to expect people to be able to describe clearly and succinctly:
* What the issue is.
* What impact it could/will/has had on the project.
* What could be done to resolve it (multiple alternatives).
* What alternative is recommended by the person raising the issue, and why.

In addition to monitoring time and cost, you should be monitoring the ‘quality’ of the project’s performance. This often involves scrutinising project deliverables as they are developed. When this is the case, these ‘review’ steps need to be incorporated into the project activities, to ensure they are not overlooked.

The most important thing at this early stage of the project is to decide how you will monitor the project, otherwise there is a good chance you will start the project without monitoring progress at all.