Argano PMO Insights July 2023 Newsletter

July 27, 2023

Dear Project Management Community,

Welcome to the July issue of Argano PMO Insights. I am so pleased to continue to share what is trending in the Project Management Community. In this month’s newsletter, we will talk about the value of a Project Plan.

Some of you may remember the days of planning your road trip on MapQuest. You would log in, enter your details, and print the road map. This was your guide to reach your final destination. If it became lost, you were forced to rely on the kindness of strangers to point the way. The success of the trip, though planned, was open to a lot of obstacles that could change the course. Fast forward to today, and we can set our GPS to hands-free mode and get instructions read out to us. This allows us a much more reliable prediction of the outcome of our trip.

As a trusted member of the team, the Project Manager is responsible for creating a plan for the project. This is critical in the project because it outlines goals, standards, tools, and techniques that will be used to guide and manage the project. The project plan is our GPS that leads to project success.

A good project plan includes more than just a schedule with tasks and dates. The project manager needs to explore all the Knowledge Areas that are impacted by a project and create a plan that will navigate the team to a happy client.

Integration: A comprehensive project plan will include tools and processes to be used during the project.
Scope: This is the practice of limiting the work to what is defined in the project. It is often easy to “gold plate” a project but adding extra functionality impacts timeline and budget.
Time: All projects have a start date and an end date. Most times the timeline is set to hit a business strategy and missing the date has ripple effects. The Project Manager should closely monitor the timeline and forecast any potential changes based on current progress or resource availability.
Cost: This is often the most scrutinized area of a project and for good reason. The client will obtain an approved budget based on scoping and estimates. Exceeding that budget can have negative impacts, including reducing scope or issuing credits.
Quality: When the team is delivering a quality product, other areas tend to go well. Re-work will also cost the project time and money. It is important to have a plan for quality checks along the way and avoid not checking the product until QA (Quality Assurance) testing cycles like UAT (User Acceptance Testing).
Resources: For the success of your project, it is critical not just to have a fully staffed team but also to have the skill set needed. Make sure you read and understand the scope of work to be done and that the consultants selected will be able to meet the stated deliverables.
Communication: Often the biggest source of issues on a project. Taking time to plan on the different methods for communicating. Consider others listening styles and plan for oral and written communications. Tailor your presentation to the audience. A senior manager is not looking for specific details but rather high-level progress or issues to be addressed.

Risk: All projects have risk. Yes, I said All. If your team is not discussing and planning for risk, it is likely you will experience them as issues later on. Proper planning for known risks and preparing a mitigation strategy can help the project team to deal with issues when they do arise.
Procurement: As consultants, we sit on the other side of the procurement processes. For new projects, we must deal with the client's procurement team. Have a plan and understand the client's requirements to avoid delays with the start of the project or issues with payments during the project.
Stakeholder: There are many roles to be executed on a project. Each team member has the ability that is needed to deliver the project. It is critical to identify the team members. What is their level of awareness? What are their training needs? Who will be able to champion the project and help others to adopt the new tools or processes?

Across the towers we have excellent templates for creating a project plan. If you would like more information, please reach out to me or your Tower PMO for more details. I would love to hear from you on what you do to create a comprehensive project plan.

Please enjoy this month’s articles from AITS Newsletter archives.

Melissa Kane

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