Consulting Project Management Survival Guide (PDF)

Key Success Factors for Project Managers

•  Know the expectations of your Program Manager/Project Sponsor. If you aren't sure, ask.

•  Know the business rationale of the project. Why are we doing this project?

•  What are the benefits to the client? Clearly define requirements and scope

•  Focus on deliverables. Think about your project's deliverables from the viewpoint of the client. What would the client be willing to pay for?

•  Recognize your project's relationships with other projects, and maintain communications with project managers of those teams.

•  Be confident in your estimates. Ask others with estimating experience to review your workplan and estimates. Remember, tasks should be less than 80 hours.

Use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and earned value to assess project performance and report status. Tell a "story" when reporting status.

The Consulting Project Management Survival Guide also delves into the intricacies of Scope, Quality, Effort, Risk, and Time (SQERT). It emphasizes the interrelated nature of these components and the importance of making informed trade-off decisions. The guide provides a detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to help you identify and manage project deliverables effectively. This structured approach ensures that all project elements are logically aggregated and aligned with the overall strategy.

The guide further explores the benefits and challenges of using iterative and waterfall development approaches. It offers a comparative analysis to help you weigh the pros and cons of each method, ensuring you choose the most suitable strategy for your project. This section is particularly useful for understanding how to manage design, implementation, and testing phases, as well as estimating and planning.

Additionally, the guide covers essential aspects of status report writing. It provides guiding principles for knowing your audience, keeping reports concise, and focusing on key deliverables. The guide also includes practical advice on providing context, using a consistent format, and including critical information such as SQERT metrics and progress charts. This ensures your status reports are informative, balanced, and aligned with project goals.