PAPERmaking! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY ® Volume 8, Number 1, 2022
8. Build in contingencies. “A plan without contingency is a bad plan,” Alexis says. “Projects rarely go as planned, so you need to build in backup plans. The contingencies can be determined by looking at historical data to identify risks that occurred on similar projects in the past.” For example, if a vendor you’re relying on to del iver a key component of your project has had performance issues in the past, this could impact your schedule. If so, a contingency plan — such as identifying alternative vendors and estimating the costs if this risk should occur — is necessary. The key here is to consider both internal and external factors that may impact your project’s objectives. There are many factors outside of the organization that could add risk to the project, including the consumer price index, the economy, government issues (e.g., emer ging regulations), and competitors’ actions. Also, consider organizational culture when formulating your contingencies. The culture of the organization can impact certain elements of a project plan. For example, in some organizations, it’s common to pad estimates, while in others, there is an expectation that a project will have exact numbers. 9. Create a performance measurement baseline. Develop an integrated scope-schedule-cost baseline for the project work, which will serve as a control tool for your project. Then, compare the execution of the project to your baseline to measure and manage performance. These baselines can be established through status reports within project management software applications. “Performance should be measured throughout the project lifecycle,” Alexis explains. “This way, you can identify issues and take corrective action before it’s too late. It’s equally important to measure performance upon completion of the project. This allows you to compare actual results to their baselines to evaluate
overall and individual performance.” 10. Develop all subsidiary plans.
“Developing a comprehensive and realistic project plan requires time and effort,” Alexis says. “However, planning can make your life easier during the execution phase of the project by preventing nasty surprises and misunderstandings.” Most project plans need to incorporate the following subsidiary plans:
Scope management plan Schedule management plan Cost management plan Quality management plan
x x x x x x x x x x x x
Resource management plan Communications management plan Procurement management plan Stakeholder engagement plan Requirements management plan Change management plan Risk management plan Configuration management plan
11. Document everything. Document a project plan that outlines the scope, schedule, and cost of the project. Typically, plans should cover cost management, quality management, resource management, communication management, risk management, procurement processes, as well as ongoing stakeholder engagement (i.e., how to continually engage stakeholders through the lifecycle of the project.) 12. Build a knowledge base. Some organizations have a learning culture where project managers are expected to document and share their plans. This can be a valuable way to learn from the mistakes and successes of others. In other companies where this historical knowledge isn’t documented, this could be more challenging, and it may be necessary to reach out directly to other project managers to gain insights.
Article 11 – Project Management
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