Top tips to starting a project

Claire Sherrington &

Dave Stearns

How to Start a Project

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About me..

Practical project management knowledge. 20 plus projects

Clients; www.sorted.org.nz NZX, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Electoral Commission, Transpower, WCC. Types; Websites, applications - CRMs, bespoke developments –Asset Sales/MAP, procurement processes. • Champion the adoption of Agile at Catalyst IT • Certificated in PRINCE2, Agile fundamentals and ITIL.

Profile -nz.linkedin.com/pub/claire-moava-sherrington/2/b0/902/

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About you

Name?

What department?

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

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Content

1. What is a project2. Project methodologies/tools3. Funding options 4. How to structuring a team 5. ABC of planning

What is a project?Know if it is really a project …

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Project …

PMI says … “A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources.”

Agile says…” A project is an activity which delivers measurable value to the organisation by either increasing revenue, reducing cost or improving efficiency”

PRINCE2 says…. “A Project is a temporary organization that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to an agreed Business Case.”

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What else?

• project is unique • not a routine operations• specific set of operations • singular goal

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What about day to day?

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EXCERISE: So… is this a project?

In pairs discuss which of the following is a project? (5mins)• Planning a wedding? • Buying a Human Resource system?• Annual budgets?• Running a conference? • Buying new office furniture? • Tour de France 2015?

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Stop and think …..

Funding?Know how your going to fund it.

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Options?

Project methodologies/toolsKnow how your going to manage it

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Methods?

Waterfall method, each stage is completed prior to moving on to the next, with a release only occurring at the end of a long period of work.

Iterative method, work is broken into smaller chunks and completed iteratively, allowing small bits of scope to be released more frequently.

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Waterfall vs Agile (iterative)

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What is Agile?

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Waterfall vs Agile practically

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Waterfall vs Agile benefits/cost

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Waterfall in practice

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Agile in practice

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Tools and softwares

Tools • Paper and pen• Work break downs • Gantt charts • Excel• Google spreadsheet

Software• Trello • Rally • MS project • Basecamp • Redmine

A B C of Planning Know what your delivering. How big?

Know what your delivering. How big?

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What are our boundaries?

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Think about it visually ….

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Breaking it down?

1. Determine the major deliverables or products to be produced.

“What major intermediate or final products or deliverables must be produced to achieve the project’s objectives?”

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Continued …..

2. Divide each of these major deliverables into its component deliverables in the same manner.

“What intermediate deliverables must I have so I can create the needs statement?”

3. Divide each of these work pieces into its component parts. What are actual outputs?

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EXCERISE…. Wedding

• Spend 5-10 mins creating a work down break for a wedding

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EXCERISE: Solution

Structure a team?Know you team. Who’s doing what.

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What we need for success…

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In Conclusion

• Know if it is really a project … • Know what your delivering. How big?• Know how your going to fund it.• Know how your going to manage it – what

method? What tools? • Know you team. Who’s doing what.

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Final thought…..