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How does a project work?

PRINCE2 is a best practice framework that helps managers deliver projects on time and within budget. It divides projects into clearly defined stages with a start, middle and end. It focuses on the delivery of products rather than carrying out activities. Every project must have a business case and plan that is periodically reviewed to check the project is still viable. A PRINCE2 project has the following characteristics: A finite and defined lifecycle Defined and measurable business products A corresponding set of activities to achieve the business products A defined amount of resources An organisation structure, with defined responsibilities, to manage the project

What are the benefits of PRINCE2? PRINCE2 is about doing the right projects, at the right time, for the right reasons. It gives you common systems, procedures and language for projects. PRINCE2 also provides: Better control and use of resources A means of managing risks and issues Flexible decision points Regular reviews of progress against the project plan and business case Assurance that the project continues to have a business justification Early visibility of possible problems Good communications between the project team and other stakeholders A mechanism for managing deviations from the project plan A process for capturing lessons learned

Putting all of this together should enable you to save time and money while delivering projects more effectively. PRINCE2 for a Successful Project PRINCE2 is used to manage projects throughout the business world; but what is a project and what constitutes a successful project? This article will define a project, look at the characteristics of an unsuccessful and a successful project, and discuss briefly how PRINCE2 can benefit a business. What is a Project? A project can be defined as "any outcome you're committed to achieving that will take more than one action step to complete," or "a project is a management environment that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to a specified business case." To understand what constitutes a successful project, a lot can be learned by looking at the common reasons for an unsuccessful project. Some common reasons for an unsuccessful project are:

Lack of management support - which can lead to insufficient funding and resources; senior management performance criteria is not linked with the project's criteria, which can lead to conflict. Resource conflicts - can mean there is a lack of dedicated team members in the project; key resources unavailable when required. Lack of clarity on roles and responsibilities - can cause individuals/teams to work inefficiently; deadlines are missed; resolution over issues is delayed; overall there is low morale within the project workforce. Poor communication - lack of information passed to individuals/teams can cause confusion within the project workforce; deadlines missed; concerns of stakeholders or team members are not addressed. Lack of leadership - can be caused by an inexperienced or an untrained project manager; lack of sustained leadership commitment; no clear goals, vision or strategy set; individuals are unclear how the project will alter jobs, processes, etc; there isn't any alignment of measurement and reward system with targeted outcomes.

Some common reasons for a successful project are: Advanced planning of the project - individuals are given defined roles; teams are established; the outcome of the project is defined. Strong leadership - continuous committed leadership; executives show strong support; metrics and incentives are in place to drive desired behaviours; change is seen as an ongoing process. Relationships are maintained - the leaders are "people focused;" relationships are maintained while meeting the needs of the project. Quality delivered - project deliverables have met all functional, performance and quality specifications. Stakeholder expectations met - every expectation of the stakeholders was met; every key stakeholder accepts the project results. Project completed - the project was completed within the set timeframe; completed under the approved budget; the project has achieved its original goals, objectives, and purpose; every participant should be eager to repeat a similar experience.

PRINCE2 for Successful Projects To ensure projects operate smoothly, PROMPTII, PRINCE, and subsequently PRINCE2 were all introduced to address the common reasons for project failure. PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environments) is recognised as a world-class international product, is the standard method for project management and provides a flexible and adaptable approach to suit all projects. PRINCE2 training enables people to understand how a successful project operates by covering the processes, components and techniques needed for any size project. It is a project management method designed to provide a structure that covers the wide variety of disciplines and actions required within a project. The focus throughout PRINCE2 is on the Business Case, which describes the rationale and business justification for the project - it is the Business Case that drives all the project management processes, from project set-up through to a successful finish. Conclusion There are two ways to operate a project - successfully or unsuccessfully. Every business wants a successful project so they can reap the rewards; the way

forward is for personnel to be trained with a "de-facto" standard for project management in the UK and internationally, PRINCE2. How to Become a Project Manager Whatever the specialist area of your organisation, it is important to understand the difference here: Specialists use their skills and experience to create specialist products (deliverables). These products can be anything from hardware, software, roads, documents, service delivery, aircraft, buildings, carpentry, and HR guidelines, the list is endless. Project managers on the other hand, need general management skills, along with a knack for problem solving. Project managers are there to plan and manage the work - NOT to do it!

So what is the project management skill set? 1. Be a Leader and a Manager Leaders share and communicate a common vision (of some future state); they gain agreement and establish the forward direction. They motivate others. Managers are results driven and focus on getting work done against agreed requirements. A good project manager will constantly switch from a leader to a manager as situations require. 2. Be a Team Builder and a Team Leader Because projects are often cross-functional in that they use people who may not have worked together before. It is up to the project manager to set the "tone" of the team, and to lead them through the various team development phases to the point where they perform as a team. Often, the team individuals have their own line manager, and so the project manager has no implied authority - yet still needs to motivate the individual. This is particularly true in a "Matrix" organisation 3. Be a Problem Solver This is a skill that can be learned, it just needs a little "detective" work up-front! You will want to first identify the possible "causes" that lead to the problem "symptom." Now, causes can come from a variety of sources, some are: Interpersonal problems Internal sources External sources Technical sources Management sources Communication Opinions or perceptions

...and so on. The next step having found the root causes is to analyse possible options and alternatives, and determine the best course of action to take. Take care to agree what "best" really means here!

4. Be a Negotiator and Influencer Negotiation is working together with other people with the intention of coming to a joint agreement. It doesn't have to be the eye-ball-to-eye-ball power struggle you may be thinking of! For example getting one of the team to work late to meet a deadline when they would prefer to go to the ball game. For this you need to have some influencing skills. Influencing is getting events to happen by convincing the other person that your way is the better way - even if it's not what they want. Influencing power is the ability to get people to do things they would not do otherwise. 5. Be an Excellent Communicator Being a communicator means recognising that it's a two-way street. Information comes into the project and information goes out of the project. A good way of summarising this is that all communications on your project should be clear and complete. As a project manager you will have to deal with both written and oral communications. Some examples are documents, meetings, reviews, reports, and assessments. A good mental guideline is "who needs this information, who gathers and delivers it, when or how often do they need it, and in what form will I give it to them." 6. Be a Good Organiser Let's just think of the aspects you will need to organise; project filing including all documentation, contracts, e-mails, memo's, reviews, meetings, specialist documents, requirements and specifications, reports, changes, issues, risks, etc. It's almost impossible to stay organised without having time management skills, so add this to your list! 7. Be a Competent and Consistent Planner The skill of planning can't be underestimated, and neither can estimating! There are known and logical steps in creating plans. As a project manager you will certainly own the project plan, but there may be others depending upon the project. Examples are, stage plans, exception plans, team plans, hand-over plans, benefit realisation plans, etc. Don't worry if you haven't heard of some of these as they may not be necessary, just be aware that planning should become second nature to you. Two aspects need to be mentioned here: 1. Plans are always documents, don't fall into the trap of thinking that, for example, a Gantt chart is a plan - its only a schedule diagram. 2. Successful projects are delivered by successful teams. Always use the team to help create the plan unless, rarely, there is a good reason why not, such as commercial confidentiality, or contractual conditions. 8. Set-up and Manage Budgets At the heart of this is the skill of estimating, particularly cost estimates. Nearly always the project manager will need certain knowledge of financial techniques and systems along with accounting principles. Part of the project plan will be something called the spend plan. This will show the planned spend against a timescale. The project manager will want to get involved in purchasing, quoting, reconciling invoices, timesheets, labour costs, etc. The

project manager then needs to establish what has actually happened as opposed to what was planned and to forecast the expected final costs. Normally accounting and project management tools will help, but remember the garbage in = garbage out rule! Top 10 Qualities of a Project Manager

Inspires a Shared Vision An effective project leader is often described as having a vision of where to go and the ability to articulate it. Visionaries thrive on change and being able to draw new boundaries. It was once said that a leader is someone who "lifts us up, gives us a reason for being and gives the vision and spirit to change." Visionary leaders enable people to feel they have a real stake in the project. They empower people to experience the vision on their own. According to Bennis "They offer people opportunities to create their own vision, to explore what the vision will mean to their jobs and lives, and to envision their future as part of the vision for the organisation." (Bennis, 1997) Good Communicator The ability to communicate with people at all levels is almost always named as the second most important skill by project managers and team members. Project leadership calls for clear communication about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations and feedback. There is a great deal of value placed on openness and directness. The project leader is also the team's link to the larger organisation. The leader must have the ability to effectively negotiate and use persuasion when necessary to ensure the success of the team and project. Through effective communication, project leaders support individual and team achievements by creating explicit guidelines for accomplishing results and for the career advancement of team members. Integrity One of the most important things a project leader must remember is that his or her actions, and not words, set the modus operandi for the team. Good leadership demands commitment to, and demonstration of, ethical practices. Creating standards for ethical behaviour for oneself and living by these standards, as well as rewarding those who exemplify these practices, are responsibilities of project leaders. Leadership motivated by self-interest does not serve the well being of the team. Leadership based on integrity represents nothing less than a set of values others share, behaviour consistent with values and dedication to honesty with self and team members. In other words the leader "walks the talk" and in the process earns trust. Enthusiasm Plain and simple, we don't like leaders who are negative - they bring us down. We want leaders with enthusiasm, with a bounce in their step, with a can-do attitude. We want to believe that we are part of an invigorating journey - we want to feel alive. We tend to follow people with a can-do attitude, not those who give us 200 reasons why something can't be done. Enthusiastic leaders are committed to their

goals and express this commitment through optimism. Leadership emerges as someone expresses such confident commitment to a project that others want to share his or her optimistic expectations. Enthusiasm is contagious and effective leaders know it. Empathy What is the difference between empathy and sympathy? Although the words are similar, they are, in fact, mutually exclusive. According to Norman Paul, in sympathy the subject is principally absorbed in his or her own feelings as they are projected into the object and has little concern for the reality and validity of the object's special experience. Empathy, on the other hand, presupposes the existence of the object as a separate individual, entitled to his or her own feelings, ideas and emotional history (Paul, 1970). As one student so eloquently put it, "It's nice when a project leader acknowledges that we all have a life outside of work." Competence Simply put, to enlist in another's cause, we must believe that that person knows what he or she is doing. Leadership competence does not however necessarily refer to the project leader's technical abilities in the core technology of the business. As project management continues to be recognised as a field in and of itself, project leaders will be chosen based on their ability to successfully lead others rather than on technical expertise, as in the past. Having a winning track record is the surest way to be considered competent. Expertise in leadership skills is another dimension in competence. The ability to challenge, inspire, enable, model and encourage must be demonstrated if leaders are to be seen as capable and competent. Ability to Delegate Tasks Trust is an essential element in the relationship of a project leader and his or her team. You demonstrate your trust in others through your actions - how much you check and control their work, how much you delegate and how much you allow people to participate. Individuals who are unable to trust other people often fail as leaders and forever remain little more that micro-managers, or end up doing all of the work themselves. As one project management student put it, "A good leader is a little lazy." An interesting perspective! Cool Under Pressure In a perfect world, projects would be delivered on time, under budget and with no major problems or obstacles to overcome. But we don't live in a perfect world projects have problems. A leader with a hardy attitude will take these problems in stride. When leaders encounter a stressful event, they consider it interesting, they feel they can influence the outcome and they see it as an opportunity. "Out of the uncertainty and chaos of change, leaders rise up and articulate a new image of the future that pulls the project together." (Bennis 1997) And remember - never let them see you sweat. Team-Building Skills A team builder can best be defined as a strong person who provides the substance that holds the team together in common purpose toward the right

objective. In order for a team to progress from a group of strangers to a single cohesive unit, the leader must understand the process and dynamics required for this transformation. He or she must also know the appropriate leadership style to use during each stage of team development. The leader must also have an understanding of the different team players styles and how to capitalise on each at the proper time, for the problem at hand. Problem Solving Skills Although an effective leader is said to share problem-solving responsibilities with the team, we expect our project leaders to have excellent problem-solving skills themselves. They have a "fresh, creative response to here-and-now opportunities," and not much concern with how others have performed them. (Kouzes 1987)

PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE) is a project management method. It covers the management, control and organisation of a project. "PRINCE2" refers to the second major version of this method and is a registered trademark of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), an independent office of HM Treasury of the United Kingdom. PRINCE2 is derived from an earlier method called PROMPTII[1], and from PRINCE project management method, which was initially developed in 1989 by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) as a UK Government standard for information systems (IT) project management; however, it soon became regularly applied outside the purely IT environment.[2] PRINCE2 was released in 1996 as a generic project management method.[3] PRINCE2 has become increasingly popular and is now a de facto standard for project management in the UK.[4] Its use has spread beyond the UK to more than 50 other countries. Content of the Package: - Prince2 Training Foundation - Prince2 Practitioner Exams - OGC - Prince2 Manual - 3rd Edition - Prince2 in Practice - Managing sucessful projects with Prince2 - Prince2 CBT - Prince2 All You Need Package (Many Additional Files and Documents)

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