Coordination of projects

As described in earlier chapters, the control factors are the parameters along which

projects are reported on and directed. These factors also play an important role in

the coordination of multiple projects:

Money: determining whether projects are financially feasible

Organisation: arriving at mutual agreements concerning the hierarchy among

projects and between the projects and other departments

Quality: determining whether the goals of a project are consistent with the strategy

of the organisation

Information: establishing who will report what about the project and when to the

management team?

(image taken from AIMS project management academy course)

Time: estimating how many personnel will be needed within a given period to

arrive at a good distribution of workers across the project teams.

Before the start of a project and after each project phase, a project leader should

provide an estimate of the control factors for the rest of the project. The project

leader also evaluates these factors as they have been implemented thus far after

each phase. This information is transferred to a programme manager or the

management team for decision-making purposes, usually in collaboration with the

project leader and external parties (e.g. customers, financers). Several of the most

important decision criteria are described below, particularly those that relate to the

coordination of projects.

Money

The evaluation of financial matters by a programme manager involves the following

issues:

·         Is the project as a whole, and the following phase in particular, adequately

·         financed?

·         What are the possible financial risks of the project? Should a go/no-go moment

·         be arranged?

·         What is the liquidity prognosis for the project? Would a problem arise if the

·         income from a project were to arrive later than the expenditures (e.g. if the

·         subsidy is paid only after the completion of a lengthy project)?

(this article which originally written by me when I was giving lectures in my institute for the students of project management certification will continue in parts on my blog)

The six phases of project management

This chapter provides a sketch of the traditional method of project management. The model that is discussed here forms the basis for all methods of project management. Later chapters go into more depth regarding a model that is particularly appropriate for IT-related projects. Dividing a project into phases makes it possible to lead it in the best possible direction. Through this organisation into phases, the total work load of a project is divided into smaller components, thus making it easier to monitor. The following paragraphs describe a phasing model that has been useful in practice. It includes six phases:

·         Initiation phase

·         Definition phase

·         Design phase

·         Development phase

·         Implementation phase

·         Follow-up phase

Image taken from AIMS project management academy from the course of project management degree

Initiation phase

The initiation phase is the beginning of the project. In this phase, the idea for the project is explored and elaborated. The goal of this phase is to examine the feasibility of the project. In addition, decisions are made concerning who is to carry out the project, which party (or parties) will be involved and whether the project has an adequate base of support among those who are involved. In this phase, the current or prospective project leader writes a proposal, which contains a description of the above-mentioned matters. Examples of this type of project proposal include business plans and grant applications. The prospective sponsors of the project evaluate the proposal and, upon approval, provide the necessary financing. The project officially begins at the time of approval. Questions to be answered in the initiation phase include the following:

•        Why this project?

•        Is it feasible?

•        Who are possible partners in this project?

•        What should the results be?

•        What are the boundaries of this project (what is outside the scope of the project)?

The ability to say ‘no’ is an important quality in a project leader. Projects tend to expand once people have become excited about them. The underlying thought is, ’While we’re at it, we might as well …’ Projects to which people keep adding objectives and projects that keep expanding are nearly certain to go off schedule, and they are unlikely to achieve their original goals.

I wrote this article in my early stages of project management certification and found it useful for my several students so now iam posting it online for all students of project management in world.
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