Telephone Excellence by Mike Mitchell

The Basics of Successful Project Management
By Mike Mitchell

What do you think of when you hear the words "project management?" You probably think of managing a new system installation, implementing a new software application, or taking on any other major project. Project Management principles, however, can also be applied to the most basic projects. Think of a project as a series of activities needed to produce a specific result within a defined budget and time frame.

The outline below can be used to keep any project on target from the routine to the complex. You can even use project management principles in your personal life to manage household projects or to develop a clear path for career success. There is one very important factor in successful project management which is not specifically mentioned in the outline. That is the "people" part of a project. We may have all the technical skills required to manage a project successfully, but the project will be doomed to failure without effective communications. A project manager must master the skills necessary to effectively communicate objectives and responsibilities to staff and team members.

Define the Objective or Scope of Work (SOW)
What are you trying to accomplish? Why does the current situation need to be changed? What funds are available? What is the desired completion date? What other departments are affected by this move? Is there any risk associated with this project (i.e. payroll processing may be delayed if this project is not completed on schedule)? For example: Relocate nine telephones from the finance department to the Medical Records department because their offices are going to be renovated. Engineering has allocated the funds. The requested due date is December 31. The telephones will be temporarily located in a mostly vacant space in the Medical Records department. Two telephones in Medical Records will have to be relocated within that department. Engineering will relocate the furniture.

Identify the: "Stakeholders"
Who has requested this project? Who has an interest (or stake) in this project? Who are other people who might be involved in this relocation (i.e. CFO, Finance Director, Medical Records Director, COO, Engineering Director, Telecom Project Manager, Telecom Technicians, etc)?

Identify Resources
Is the labor available within your department to do this project? If not, is there labor available outside of your department? Are there other conflicting projects scheduled for the same time? Is anyone taking time off from work? What is the telecom share of the budget? Who will create the purchase orders if needed? Do you have the telecom hardware necessary to complete this job?

Create a List of All Tasks Associated with this Project
Tasks that may not be the responsibility of your department could also impact your ability to stay on schedule. For instance, in the above relocation example, the telecom portion of this project may be delayed if the Engineering Department doesn't get furniture in place on time. The telecom Project Manager should list all of the tasks for which he/she is responsible, as well as the tasks for which he/she has little or no control but which could adversely impact telecom's performance.

Create a Time Line and a Critical Path for the Completion of Tasks
List all of the tasks and determine the sequence in which they must be completed. Be sure to also capture those tasks that can be done simultaneously. Next, of the tasks listed, identify those that cannot be delayed without delaying the entire project. The sequence of these tasks becomes your Critical Path. Estimate the amount of time each task in the critical path requires. The total time allotted for these tasks is generally considered to be the least amount of time required for completion of the project. The time for each task should include ordering, shipping, installation, etc. You now have two guidelines, one is for all the project tasks and the second one is for the critical path tasks.

Completion and Acceptance
Like the saying goes, "No job is complete until the paperwork is done." The acceptance, or sign off, by the appropriate stakeholder's is an essential part of the project management process. It not only signifies the project is complete, but also that the stakeholders are satisfied with the result at that point in time. Any additional work requested after the acceptance should not be part of the original project, but a separate task or a follow-up item. This is important for labor scheduling and expense management.

We all do some kind of project management every day, even if we don't use a formal plan. Although there are many details to successfully managing a major project, I hope that these six steps will serve as a quick check for you with your next project. Whether it is large or small, at your hospital or at your house, you need to have a plan in place to ensure a successful project completion that is on time and within budget.

Mike