#📓 #📢 #🟡 # Foundations of Project Management ![[calendar-plus.svg]] <small>Aug 26, 2022</small> | ![[calendar-clock.svg]] <small>Mar 24, 2023</small> 🏷️[[Project Management MOC]] **Author:** Google Career Certificates **Citation:** Google Career Certificates. (n.d.). *Foundations of project management* [MOOC]. Coursera. https://coursera.org/learn/project-management-foundations?specialization=google-project-management --- # Summary Explain the project mangement life cycle and compare different program management methodologies. Describe project management skills, roles, and responsibilities. Define organizational structure and organizational culture and how they impact project management. Part of [[Google Project Management Professional Certificate]]. # Structure ## [[#What is Project Management?|Week 1 - Embarking on a career in project management]] - What is project management? - What does a project manager do? - How to apply skills from previous experience to project management roles? - What types of project management roles can you pursue? ## [[#What does a project manager do?|Week 2 - Becoming an effective project manager]] - How does a project manager add value to organizations and their teams? - What are the role and responsibilities of a project manager? - What core sills does a project manager need to be successful? ## [[#Project life cycle and methodologies|Week 3 - Project management life cycle and methodologies]] - What are the phases of a project life cycle, what tasks do they involve, and why are they important to complete? - What are the different project mangement methodologies and approaches? Which is most effective for a given project? ## [[#Organizational Structure and Culture|Week 4 - Organizational structure and culture]] - What are common organizational structures and how do they impact project management? - How does organizational culture impact project management? - How does a project manager contribute to the change management process? # Notes & Important Ideas ## What is Project Management? Key terms: - [[project]] - [[project management]] - [[project manager]] ## What does a project manager do? - planning and organizing - Gathering requirements from stakeholders - Creating project plans - managing tasks - Managing tasks for team members and communicating key milestones to larger team and customers - budgeting and controlling costs/other factors - ensuring that project brings value to organization ### Value of a project manager Add value to teams and organizations through: - prioritization - delegation - effective communication ### Project manager responsibilities - Teaching and mentoring - Fully explain expectations to avoid confusion, frustration and rework. - Helps team make better choices. - Support each individual on the team in meeting expectations and help them exceed their own personal potential. - Empowering the team - Demonstrate trust in your team by giving them the ability to work directly with stakeholders. - Delegate responsibilities to team, allowing them to make decisions for the project. - Use your team's input in the planning and execution of the project. - Communicating - Communication is everything. - Set the tone for the project. - Maintain an open-door policy and build trust within the team and among stakeholders. - Controlling change - Remain flexible and adjust to stakeholders' needs. - Protect your team from constant change and rework. - Document initial expectations and clearly identify changes being requested - Understand budget and schedule impact of changes and ensure that stakeholders are aware. - Building relationships - Get to know team members as people, not just employees. - Dedicate time to check in with people. - Pay attention to insights they offer about their work style and how to most effectively interact with them. #### Project manager's role within a team - Hold all team members accountable for their assigned tasks - Ensure that issues and risks are tracked and visible, and establish escalation paths - Understand and help teammates to adopt the right workflows and project management styles - Collaborate with other teams at the organization to deliver solutions that meet the requirements based on project scope, schedule, and budget ### Cores skills of a project manager Four important skill sets for project manager to be successful: 1. Enabling decision-making - gathering information and using insights to help team make informed decisions - communicate decisions to necessary coworkers 2. Communicating and escalating - documenting plans - sending status updates - holding meetings to escalate risks or issues to stakeholders 3. Flexibility - Exercise flexible planning strategies to manage unpredictability - assess external constraints and leave extra time in the schedule for inevitable conflicts - consider risks that may occur and find solutions for them in advance - calculate [[float]] or slack in your schedule to help with resource management and scheduling - Help your team handle ambiguity - keep calm under pressure and inspire team to do the same - understand what your team is thinking and feeling and express empathy - communicate what you know clearly - don't second-guess your decisions in front of the team, just clearly explain your reasoning - trust the expertise of your team 4. Strong organizational skills - ability to organize processes and core elements of project to ensure nothing gets lost or overlooked - track daily tasks in spreadsheet - send frequent status updates or reminders #### Leadership and team dynamics - Interpersonal skills are key to good leadership, which you'll need to guide your team and [[influence without authority]] - Communication - Negotiation - Work with teammates and stakeholders to balance their needs and what is best for the project - Conflict mediation - Understanding motivations - Finding out what pushes your teammates to do their best work - Learn how teammates prefer to receive feedback and recognition ## Project life cycle and methodologies ### There are four phases in a [[project life cycle]]. - [[initiation phase]] - [[planning phase]] - [[execution phase]] - [[closing phase]] #### Initiate the project - Organize all the information about the project - Define project goals and deliverables - Research to come up with ideas to help meet goals - Determine what resources (people, equipment, software, vendors, physical space, etc.) are available - Record all the details in a [[project proposal]] and get it approved #### Make a plan - Create a budget - Set project schedule - Establish project team - Determine each person's roles and responsibilities - Communicate plan to team and other stakeholders #### Put plans into action - Manage progress of the project as a whole - Oversee team's efforts - Make sure everyone understands what's expected of them, what tasks need to be done, and how and when to complete those tasks - Remove obstacles - Alert the right people if there might be a delay - Make adjustments to the schedule, budget, and resources as necessary - Clearly communicate updates along the way > [! note] Pro tip > If in doubt, err on the side of overcommunication. #### Close the project - Check to be sure all tasks have been completed - Be sure any outstanding invoices have been paid - Return and account for any remaining resources - Submit all project documentation - Confirm that final outcome is acceptable to the clients - Conduct [[retrospective]] on what went well and what could be improved - Share final results with stakeholders - Take time to celebrate your team's efforts - Company or team-wide email - Thanking the team - Acknowledging individual efforts - For large projects, company or team party ### Project management methodologies - [[project management methodology|Project management methodologies]] help guide project managers throughout a project with steps to take, tasks to complete, and principles for managing the project overall. - [[project management methodology#Linear approach|Linear projects]] don't require many changes during development and have a clear sequential process. - [[project management methodology#Iterative approach|Iterative projects]] allow for more flexibility and anticipate changes. You can test out parts of the project to make sure they work before the final result is delivered. You can also deliver parts of the project as they're completed instead of waiting for the whole project to be finished. - There are many methods of project management, and project managers can even take a hybrid approach and mix and match from different methods. #### Waterfall methodology - Created in the 1970s - Refers to linear approach where phases are completed one at a time, down the line like a waterfall starting at the top and traveling to the bottom. - Used first in physical engineering disciplines like manufacturing and construction, and then in software development. - Still used a lot in engineering fields including app design. - Event planning and retail have adapted Waterfall phases - Many styles of [[Waterfall]], each with its own specific set of steps - All follow ordered set of steps that are directly linked to clearly defined expectations, resources, and goals that are not likely to change. > [! question] When would you want to use a Waterfall approach to project management? > - Phases of the project are clearly defined > - There are tasks to complete before another can begin > - Changes to the project would be very expensive to implement once it's started #### Agile methodology - Emerged in the 90s, but officially named [[Agile]] in 2001 - Iterative approach where many tasks are being worked on at the same time, or in various stages of completion. - Phases of Agile follow the same [[project life cycle]] phases, but the phases overlap and tasks are completed in iterations. - [[Scrum]] is a form of Agile - Agile is more of a mindset than a series of steps or phases - Concerned with building an effective, collaborative team that seeks regular feedback from the client to deliver the best value as quickly as possible and adjust as changes emerge. > [! question] When would you want to use an Agile approach to project management? > - Client has an idea of what they want but not a concrete picture in mind > - High level of uncertainty and risk involved ##### Waterfall and Agile Comparison | | Waterfall | Agile | | ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Project manager's role | Project manager serves as an active leader by prioritizing and assigning tasks to team members.| Agile project manager (or Scrum Master) acts primarily as a facilitator, removing any barriers the team faces.| | Scope | Project deliverables and plans are well-established and documented in the early stages of initiating and planning. <br><br> Changes go through a formal change request process.| Planning happens in shorter iterations and focuses on delivering value quickly. <br><br> Subsequent iterations are adjusted in response to feedback or unforeseen issues.| | Schedule | Follows a mostly linear path through the initiating, planning, executing, and closing phases of the project.| Time is organized into phases called [[Sprint\|Sprints]]. Each Sprint has a defined duration, with a set list of deliverables planned at the start of the Sprint.| | Cost | Costs are kept under control by careful estimation up front and close monitoring throughout the life cycle of the project. | Costs and schedule could change with each iteration.| | Quality | Project manager makes plans and clearly defines criteria to measure quality at the beginning of the project. | Team solicits ongoing stakeholder input and user feedback by testing products in the field and regularly implementing improvements.| | Communication | Project manager continually communicates progress toward milestones and other key indicators to stakeholders, ensuring that the project is on track to meet the customer's expectations | Team is customer-focused, with consistent communication between users and the project team.| | Stakeholders | Project manager continually manages and monitors stakeholder engagement to ensure the project is on track.| Team frequently provides deliverables to stakeholders throughout the project. Progress toward milestones is dependent upon stakeholder feedback.| #### Lean Six Sigma methodology - [[Lean Six Sigma]] is a combination of [[Lean]] and [[Six Sigma]]. - Largest difference between the two methodologies is that Lean streamlines processes while Six Sigma reduces variation in products by building in quality from the beginning and inspecting products to ensure quality standards are met. - Commonly used in projects that have goals to: - save money - improve quality - move through processes quickly - Focuses on team collaboration and promoting a positive work environment - Five phases in the Lean Six Sigma approach, commonly known as [[DMAIC]]: 1. Define 2. Measure 3. Analyze 4. Improve 5. Control - Defining tells you what to measure, measurements tell you what to analyze, analysis tells you what to improve, improving tells you what to control > [! question] When is Lean Six Sigma a good approach for project management? > - Project goal includes improving the current process to fix complex or high risk problems ## Organizational Structure and Culture ### Understanding organizational structure - An organization's [[organizational structure|structure]] is most commonly mapped out using an "org chart", which shows the relationship between people and groups within the organization. - There are several types of organizational structures, including Classic and Matrix. #### Classic organizational structure - Classic organizations are usually top-down structures organized by functional groups. - Follows a typical chain of command where the CEO and other executives are at the top, followed by directors, mangers and then their direct reports. - Each director or manager oversees a team within their function of the organization. - Authority comes from the top and filters to the bottom. - Under a Classic structure, a project builds from already existing departments to form teams with the individual team members still remaining in their reporting lines - Project manager may need to consult with functional managers to understand resources and cpacity of each teammate - Also need to be familiar with each function's internal processes and approval structure - Authority may be limited due to competing priorities, approval chains, and other complexities #### Matrix organizational structure - Organization structure where there are top-down functional groups with teams that sit across different functions. - Visualized as a grid where you have people above you, but you also have people in adjacent departments who expect to hear updates on work progress. - A team will have at least two chains of command, or managers. - Project manager can be thought of as a temporary manager while assigned to the team. - Under a Matrix structure, project managers may have the same level of authority as the functional managers and operate more directly #### How organizational structure impacts project management - Organizational structure can impact how much authority is given to the project manager. - In Classic structure, PM might have less authority and a tighter scope, relying on approval from appropriate leaders to move forward and complete certain tasks. - May have to go through chain of approvals and advocate for more resources as needed. - In Matrix structure, PM generally has more autonomy to make decisions and gather resources as needed. - Will need to cooperate with more than one leader and may need to share resources and negotiate priorities. #### Role of a Project Management Office - Sometimes an organization has a [[PMO]] dedicated specifically to program management within the organization. - PMOs offer guidance and support to project managers by sharing best practices, project statuses, and direction for all the organization's projects - Main functions of a PMO include: - strategic planning and governance - best practices - common project culture - resource management - creation of project documentation, archives, and tools ### Understanding the impact of organizational culture - Understanding [[organizational culture]] will help you navigate your team more effectively towards achieving your project goal - Knowing the organizations values, and what to prioritize, will help you prepare for conversations #### Learning about an organization's culture - [[organizational culture|Organizational culture]] defines its identity, can attract and keep talented employees, and has direct impacts on a company's processes and productivity. - Learn more about a company's culture by: - Asking questions - Listening to people's stories - Noting company rituals > [! question]- Questions to ask about culture: > - How do people prefer to communicate? > - Is risk-taking encouraged, and what happens when people fail? > - How do managers support and motivate their team? > - How are decisions made, majority vote or top down approvals? > - What kinds of rituals are in place when someone new comes to the office? > - Does the company allow for employee flexibility? > - How do employees measure the impact of their work? > - How are projects typically run? > - What kinds of practices, behaviors, and values are reflected by the people in the organization? ### Understanding change management - Understanding [[change management]], and your role in it, helps ensure a project can be completed successfully and adopted by the organization. - Project manager may not be responsible for planning all of the change management for a project, but can help the success by understanding your role and how the organization may react to the change. - There are many [[models of change management]], but managing change in project management centers around three core concepts and best practices: 1. Creating a sense of ownership and [[urgency]] 2. Figure out the right combination of skills and personalities when selecting members of your team 3. Effective communication #### Integrating project management and change management - Change management is a project in and of itself - Start by asking: - How will the organization react to change? - Which influencers can affect change? - What are the best means of communication? - What change management practices will lead to the successful implementation of my project? > [! example] Best practices for approaching change management on projects >- Be proactive >- Communicate about upcoming changes >- Follow a consistent process >- Practice empathy >- Use tools like > - Feedback mechanisms (like surveys) > - Flowcharts > - [[culture mapping|Culture mapping]] #### Participating in change management - Even if you are not leading change management, you should be empathetic to the challenges of the change management process and support necessary changes throughout the project life cycle. - Provide employees with information so they feel prepared to adjust to changes once the system is ready to launch. > [!question] Questions that will inform change management > - How will the organization react to change? > - Which influencers can affect change? > - What are the best means of communication? > - What change management practices will lead to the successful implementation of my project? #### Corporate and project governance - An organization's [[governance]] processes and practices will help you understand how decisions are made, who is responsible for what, and what are the potential issues and areas of concern. ##### Corporate governance - Set of standards and practices that direct and control actions of an organization. - Way to balance the requirements of stakeholders, management and customers, and the framework for achieving organizational goals and objectives. - Impacts action plans, internal and external controls, and performance measures. - Need to understand corporate governance to understand who will make decisions and the relationship between those managing and participating in the change management process. ##### Project governance - Set of standards and practices for how project decisions are made. - Helps keep the project running on time and within budget. ##### Intersection of corporate and project governance - Effective project governance ensures that an organization's projects are aligned to the organization's larger objectives, are delivered efficiently, and are sustainable. - Consider long- and short-term interests of the organization - Make thoughtful decisions about which projects to take on and avoid projects if you don't have sufficient resources - Provide timely, relevant, and reliable information to the board of directors and other major stakeholders - Elicit the input and buy-in of senior managers since they are the decision-makers - During the [[initiation phase]], priortize clear, reachable, and sustainable goals to reduce confusion and conflict - During the [[planning phase]], assign ownership and accountability to an experienced team to deliver, monitor, and control the process - During the [[execution phase]], learn from mistakes and adapt to new or improved knowledge - Corporate governance can clear hurdles before making decisions and can help support project governance. - Help project managers secure resources, get issues addressed, avoid delays in decision-making, get buy-in from stakeholders, and achieve visibility for projects at the executive level. # Connections to Other Materials [[Note on Organizational Structure - Bernstein 2016]] # Personal Reflection & Application --- # Other References - [[How project managers impact organizations]] - [[Working with cross-functional teams]] TBR:: 🔖 [[The Teamwork Guide to Project Management]] (Z) TBR:: 🔖 [The Matrix Organization](https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/matrix-organization-structure-reason-evolution-1837) - [[Change Management at the Project Level]] - [Change Mgt. @ project level](https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/change-management-at-the-project-level) - [[5 Steps to Successful End-User Adoption]] - [5 Steps](https://www.citrix.com/content/dam/citrix/en_us/documents/reference-material/5-steps-to-successful-end-user-adoption.pdf) - [[Change Managmement Framework]] - [Change Mgt. Framework](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YMVERX1vBsknCjbCtsKFmHgWWZxFcO5A3urvWbWXKbs/template/preview?resourcekey=0-_V7hj-KwQu75EI2Y9qpsTw)