Ryan AndrewsProject Assistant | Lectric ebikesPhoenix, AZ, United States
Hello, I am relatively new to project management (this is my first job out of college) and I work for a startup that does not have any strict guidelines when preparing or conducting a project. I am looking for a resource that guides me into planning a project and any documentation needed to be filled out before, during, or at the end of the project, also, if anyone can share what they do from experience. Thanks! Saving Changes...
The level of rigor and documentation required to effectively manage a project depends heavily on its context. For example, a project with a large number of external stakeholders might require greater rigor than one which is strictly internal. Given the info you have provided, you'd likely be looking at a very lightweight approach to start to introduce some consistency as to how projects are delivered and add to it over time.
You will also need to determine an appropriate approach given the project's context - does it lend itself more to an adaptive approach or more to a predictive one?
A good resource to help in defining the team's way of working is the Disciplined Agile toolkit and the Choose your WoW book which is available free in PDF format for PMI members.
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Ryan, besides what Kiron's mentioned, I recommend you also download the Practice Guide for Process Groups (https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/practice-guides). You can get a free PDF copy if you're a paid PMI member. This will help give you a decent understanding. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
What you state is what happends in startup. My recommendation is forget about to put in place something "formal" except if is required to win in a proposal because the potential client requires it. Go to the PMBOK version 6 and understand why the process you can find there are there. And remember, you use the word system and it is right but just to remember it should not be used as software system. When you try to implement this type of things you have to take into account: process, tools to support the process, people that will run the process and will use the tool. Saving Changes...
I agree with Kiron on the level of documentation. However, I think you better follow Sergio's advice. Start with few documents that help the status quo and then gradually work on a formal system. Saving Changes...
Laurie May BautistaPMO Manager| RED SEA INTERNATIONALDubai, Du, United Arab Emirates
My background primarily lies within the engineering design and construction sector, wherein the essential documentation required throughout the tendering, execution, and completion or handover stages largely hinges on the specific requirements of the client. However, as a standard practice as a project manager, we develop a Project Management Plan that ties up all the accompanying plans, including the Quality Plan and HSE Plan etc. On a different note, if you're seeking ways to gain an overview of your project or individual tasks within a project, I recommend acquainting yourself with project management software tools such as Asana, Trello, Jira, or Monday.com. These tools offer streamlined solutions for project planning, task allocation, and collaborative efforts, even in environments where documentation might be minimal. Hope this helps! Saving Changes...
Ryan,
To start out with, I would keep it simple. If your organization does not have mature PM standards and you are new to PM yourself, trying to implement too much formality before you even know what works in your situation and what doesn't, is a recipe for disaster.
As a starting point, I would suggest reading about a number of one page format project plans to help focus on what is the most critical information to manage. As an entry level PM, one page might be all the knowledge you have. As a senior level, it becomes an art to condense a great deal of information so that it is consumable by executive levels in a few minutes and gets the response you intended.
"One pagers" or 4-squares as they're often presented can be done in many different ways, and you're unlikely to find the best way your first time, on any new project despite your level of experience. You won't get it right at first. My 1st format is never where I wind up at the end so don't worry about the perfect formula. There isn't one.
Major headings are often the problem statement, a timeline of major steps, risks and issues, goals and accomplishments, Situation-Target-Proposal, and a variety of others. The trick is that you only get to include 3 or 4 before the one pager is hard to read so you have to figure out what is the most important information.
The purpose of looking at many different formats and finding your own executive level summary is establishing for yourself, where you need to focus. If you could only pick 3 to 5 things to manage your project's future, what are you going to pick, and how can you best present them.
From that level you can figure out where you need to dig deeper. Try a few simple formats to see what information is constantly changing, what isn't, and remember that the purpose isn't to create great charts, but to decide where you need to focus to achieve a successful outcome. Saving Changes...
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