PRELIMINARY PROJECT SCHEDULE
Be realistic when establishing a project
schedule. Consult with potential team members or their managers
regarding availability and technical expertise or experience with
the type of project you are embarking on. A prudent project manager
will solicit input from experienced staff when he or she is defining
the tasks and setting up the initial schedule, keeping in mind that
the deliverable date is inflexible. Establish the interrelationship
between tasks and whenever possible be thinking about the resources
to be assigned to a task. Remember to factor in client and/or legal
counsel review time, holidays (which may affect package delivery),
scheduled vacations, availability and delivery schedules of outside
resources (i.e. subconsultants, reproduction houses, etc.), and
clerical requirements.
Have a "Plan B" in the event
of technical difficulties with electronic communications. If you
are planning on transferring documents by email or Internet, and
have it scheduled "just in time", beware of a system crash
at the crucial moment you are to transmit the deliverables. Better
to push the schedule up one day and endure a bit of extra work that
to risk failing to deliver a critical document by a prescribed deadline.
Double check with satellite offices
to ensure that word processing and Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs,
compatible with the lead office, are in place and familiarize yourself
with administrative processes in offices that will provide support.
This will be important when transferring documents, drawings or
data between offices. Confirm express mail pick up and delivery
schedules, familiarize yourself with the satellite office structure
and support personnel. Although typically in a multi-office organization
operational standards are in place, an office can take on the personality
of the office manager. The satellite office culture can be different
that of the project manager’s and he must be cognizant of this
"intangible", which in a "crunch" can affect
how personnel will respond to a stressful situation. Although the
immediate response to a greatly accelerated project deadline might
be just to "blast ahead", resist the urge. A bit of planning
and forethought at the front end can go along way to smoothing the
project’s execution.
PROJECT TEAM SETUP/KICK OFF MEETING
Once the project manager has defined
the problem, established the project objectives, and set up a preliminary
schedule, gather the project team together. Presumably, the team
has been selected based upon technical expertise, compatibility,
and availability. When conducting the project kick off meeting,
a written agenda is recommended to establish structure and focus
to the meeting. A sample agenda is presented in Figure 1.
Fast-track Project Kick off meeting
I. Introductions
II. Dissemination of project information
III. Discussion of project objectives
(solicit input as needed to clarify)
IV. Review project schedule
V. Assign task responsibilities
VI. Establish execution protocol
VII. Summarize discussions
VIII. Schedule next meeting (if applicable)
Figure 1
Project personnel may or may not know
each other hence introductions may be necessary. Brief summaries
of professional experience and in some cases, personal information
can be shared with the group. Responding to the demands of a multi-office,
fast-track project requires a group that can work well together.
Inevitably in the fast-track project, the project manger and the
project team will be exposed to stressful situations. Although an
intangible consideration, group dynamics can have an impact on the
outcome of a project, particularly if there is conflict among group
members and/or the project manager. Identify potential personality
difficulties early in a multi-office, fast-track project to head
off potential conflict later (which inevitably occurs at the most
inopportune time)
Provide pertinent project information,
which may include documents, drawings, data, and a brief summary
of the project history/background to the team. No need for extravagant
detail at this point, but present enough to give the team a flavor
for the salient points of the project. It may be prudent, depending
on the team, to briefly run through the information package and
solicit questions, ideas, comments, etc. to identify issues that
require additional consideration or client input before proceeding
with implementation of certain tasks. Define the project goals and
objectives for the team. Solicit input and discuss as needed to
clarify ambiguities. It is suggested that the group remains on this
point until there is consensus and the entire team is clear on the
project objectives.
Review the preliminary project schedule
with the group and discuss potential resource conflicts, task interrelationships,
duration and the tasks themselves. Incorporate changes as needed
to reflect the input of team members, identify key milestones and
assign resources and responsibility for specific tasks and/or activities.
Once the project parameters are established and a workable schedule
developed, the project manger should distribute the project schedule
to the project team. Having the project team assist in defining
the schedule can help to foster commitment and a sense of ownership.
Finally, I recommend establishing what
I refer to as project execution protocol. Establish such things
as nomenclature, project title and references, proper spelling of
the client’s name, the report format, word processing and CAD
responsibilities, the office responsible for reproducing, assembling
and delivering the work product and communicate peer review responsibilities.
While seemingly a minor detail, considering items such as these
will go a long way to ensuring consistency of the deliverables.
Finally, close the meeting with a recap of the project objectives,
schedule and responsibilities. Disseminating notes from the meeting
to the project team is a good idea. The project manager should ensure
that this occurs within a day or two of the project meeting.
PROJECT EXECUTION
Inconsistent or poor execution of the
project plan can quickly derail even the best thought out project.
As the saying goes, "The devil’s in the details".
Faced with the daunting task of managing resources in satellite
offices, beyond the reach of the " walk-around" management
technique, there are three key things a project manager must do
to effectively execute a multi-office, fast-track project. Establish
and maintain a regular information exchange mechanism, clearly communicate
expectations, and anticipate resource needs before there
is a need. A fourth, but no less important component, is document
management, which can transform an otherwise successful multi-office,
fast track project into a tangle of confusion and despair.
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
Beginning with the project kick-off
meeting and the distribution of the project schedule, establish
a mechanism where team members and the project manager can share
information. This mechanism can take the form of regular electronic
or written updates, conference calls or at critical junctures, project
meetings with part or all of the team. This has two distinct benefits.
First, it allows potential difficulties
or information needs to be quickly identified and corrective action
taken to allow the project to continue along the planned path. For
example, suppose during the course of preparing a key document,
project team identifies a data gap that requires input from the
client before proceeding onto the next step. Clearly if this is
not communicated to the project manager, who in most instances,
is the direct link to the client, the schedule and perhaps the quality
of the project can suffer. The project manager must encourage team
members to bring concerns or problems to the table immediately and
he must act quickly to respond with direction to the team.
Secondly, sharing of information keeps
the project focused. What the project manager thinks he has conveyed
to the project team may not be the same as what they understood.
A brief memo, note or phone call from the project team leader on
a regular basis can help to point up misdirection. Similarly, a
project manager may overlook or simply forget to relay a key conversation
with the client to the project team. By the time he remembers, draft
project documents may already be in hand and it’s too late
to modify them to reflect the client’s directive. Make notes
when talking with the client, either using a preprinted from, project
journal or electronic media and then distribute them immediately
to affected members of the team.
COMMUNICATE EXPECTATIONS
Nothing can undermine a multi-office,
fast-track project more quickly than confusion over project responsibilities
and deadlines. When this happens, efforts can become unfocused,
project progress stalls and tension and/or resentment can begin
to develop. The project quality begins to suffer and there is a
loss of motivation. The project team is being asked to perform to
high standards under what could be described as more than the ordinary
duress and they deserve the full support of the project manager.
For example, if the internal deadline for a draft document review
is set for a Thursday, then the project manager should not wait
until the following Monday to begin his review. Document or drawing
review comments should be clear and concise, with specific suggestions
whenever possible.
Prompt recognition of the team’s
efforts are key to maintaining a relationship of mutual respect
between the project manager and the project team. The team is being
asked to contribute additional effort and make sacrifices to meet
the project objectives and the project manager should be prepared
to do the same. Providing clear direction to the project team on
what the project manager expects in terms of deadlines, deliverables,
quality and content are key to keeping the group focused and the
project on track.
ANTICIPATE NEEDS
A multi-office, fast-track project
has its own special demands on an organization. Disrupting the normal
flow of work, it can quickly overwhelm those who are unprepared.
The greatest gift to a project manager would be a crystal ball to
predict when management information systems will fail, key project
team members will fall ill, or the project will demand expertise
that your organization does not possess. Unfortunately project managers
are not usually soothsayers and have to rely on instinct or experience.
Being prepared to deal with the unexpected can be accomplished with
a little forethought and advance planning.
Suppose you suspect that the big project
is about to bust loose, but you don’t know when. You know that
there may be one or two technical specialties outside your organization
that will be required to implement the project. It is prudent to
start discussing the project with potential subconsultants before
their services may be required. Describe the likely schedule,
solicit input as to how they might respond if called upon to do
so and establish a working knowledge of their services, including
fees, capabilities experience, etc. The same goes for recruiting
personnel. Spread the word within your organization and peers within
your professional network that you may be looking for an individual
with specific capabilities or experience at some unspecified time
in the future. Ask others to keep an eye open for opportunities.
Be prepared for administrative conflicts
too. Is there a computer network modification or maintenance activity
planned that might fall within the time period that the fast-track
project might be completed? Inform clients if that major internal
changes are pending and if possible work with them to minimize the
overlap with their project. Be cognizant of the delays such an occurrence
can impart to a project and account for them when planning for execution.
If a project schedule demands a deliverable on a Monday, recruit
the needed support personnel needed for potential weekend work ahead
of time and gain a commitment from them to coordinate the details
of reproducing, assembling and if necessary, shipping the deliverables.
Better to be up front about the possible project demands and plan
ahead than wait to Friday and find out that people have plans.
Finally, what happens if some calamity
was to befall the orchestrator of the multi-office, fast-track project,
the project manager? Nature has a strange way of making things happen
at the most inopportune time and when planning for the execution
of a demanding, multi-office project, have a Plan B. Educate the
project team leader about the client, make an introduction early
in the process, and keep an up to date project notebook. The importance
of maintaining a project control document with such pertinent information
such as the contract, scope of work, schedule, expectations for
deliverables, and key pieces of project correspondence can not be
fully realized until it’s needed and it is not there.
A FINAL NOTE
Beware of the document management mess
that can ensue when multiple parties are working on or reviewing
multiple documents. Imagine the feeling that sets in when you are
preparing to forward the final project deliverables and you realize
that the version of the document you are reviewing is not
the most current one. The project manager should control, or delegate
to the extent practical, the dissemination and distribution of working
drafts of documents or drawings inside and outside the organization.
Particularly on multi-office, fast track projects, " the left
hand not knowing what the right hand is doing" syndrome can
escalate into chaos if control over document preparation, reproduction
and distribution is not maintained. Assign document numbers, put
dates in document footers or headers, incorporate revision notations,
and be sure that revisions to documents are made from one
office only. Maintain a master distribution list and note
when and to whom documents are distributed, including the date,
document number and a description of the document(s) that are sent.
Administrative support personnel can
incorporate passwords to protect master documents from being altered
by unauthorized project team members. Keep drafts only as long as
needed to crosscheck revised documents against recommended peer
review comments. It may be prudent though to keep one copy of a
client mark-up in the project file. Whenever possible delete or
destroy working draft copies to minimize the potential for a document
mix-up. It usually is prudent to incorporate changes into written
documents all at once, including peer review and client comments.
Never internally change a document’s contents, except for typographical
incongruities, after it has been sent to the client unless you plan
on providing the client another opportunity to review it.
Effectively managing multi-office,
fast track projects demands the best of an organization and especially
a project manager. The ability of a project manager to establishing
order and control out of potential chaos, provide motivation to
the project team and to "sweat the details" are key to
successful completion of a multi-office, fast track project.
