I have recently changed jobs. In the past I have managed projects on the order of several months duration. This company however has a couple 2-3 week/1-2 person projects and a ton of 1-2 day projects that pop up out of nowhere.
They have never had a project manager before. I am looking to improve process. Would appreciate any suggestions on dealing with small projects. There seems to be a lack of info written on the subject. Does anyone know of any good books, articles, web links?
I would suggest that if there are many 1-2 day projects that you see if you can find linkages between them as in some cases they would have some form of common denominator.
Also, determine who endorses these "pop up" projects and find out what can be done in that space. Chances are, they are reacting to someone above them and this is their way of showing that they are on top of things.
Perhaps a roadmap or schedule of some sort may assist here.
Hope this helps
Saving Changes...
Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
I wouild tend to group these short projects under one category; maybe something like "short throw assignments". I am guessing that these are mostly reports to be developed, bug fixes or service inncidents. They are most likely a single deliverable oriented and have a task list that looks more like a check list. Clearly formal project plans are not warranted. You might find that they have some common topics and that you could produce some checklist templates for each category (application area, type or request, items to be accomplished, etc. They do need to be tracked since they are using resources amd collectively could have impact. Maybe you could create a SWAT Squad who's focus is to perform these small projects. Meanwhile this could be the sign of something more systemic in nature. Some analysis of the geneology of these projects is certainly something to think about. Good Luck Saving Changes...
Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Many small organizations do not have a process and most of the PM methodology solutions out there can kill a horse. Check out BOT International's project management process solution called Processes On Demand. It is intuitive, works with the IT infrastructure and tools that you already have and know. Provided are PMBOK and SDLC processes that are scalable to the size of your project along with step by step guidance, and easy to use templates in Word, Excel, and Project. It can run on your intranet, LAN, or even a PC. Processes On Demand will enable your company to improve project results for both 2 to 3 week project efforts as well as the 1 to 2 day pop-up projects. You can find our more about Processes On Demand at www.botinternational.com. Hope this helps. Mark Perry, Vice President of Customer Care and Product Development, BOT International Saving Changes...
You asked for reference material on how to handle small projects. Try "Project Management Memory Jogger" by Puala Martin and Karen Tate. I think it's still available thru Amazon.com.
I do and have staff who do a lot of small projects. The need for project management isn't any less important for a 2 day project than a 20 month project -- formality is what is dropped in this small duration efforts.
I ask my staff to work with three questions: (1) What's the problem to solve?, (2) What's the problem in context?, and (3) If I were xxx what would I want to see in the ultimate solution?
If you can answer all three you've defined the charter and scope, all that remains is work breakdown. As we know, the weekly grocery store effort is done with a simple list, but the charter and scope have all been defined up front. Need to do that as simply as possible with short duration projects, but the big concepts all apply.
Managing small projects is something I have dealt with personally for over 10 years at many different companies. The ideal solution would be to find a way to "bundle" them into a big project, or not do them, but fact is they are unique, with end dates, and management wants them. In the end they will get them done. So how do you do this in an "organized" fashion? The answer is to ensure you have a balance between process and progress. Don't put effort into something you won't see value or a return on, and I'm not talking about the project's product, I'm talking about the process to get it done. Don't build an MS Project plan and gant chart for a 2 day project. Do make sure you know who owns it, who's paying, why it's being done, how it ties to corporate objectives, what the measurable outcome/requirements are, what tasks will be done by whom, and when, what the progress is, and when it's signed off as completed. All of this can be done in one document in MS Word called a "project plan" (accoring to CMM standards) by just having a paragraph or table for each subject. Keep it simple while retaining these core project values, and make it a standard for all "small efforts" will go a long way. Also, I would invest in creating an Excel spreadsheet of all of the small efforts, who worked on each, start date, end date, hours invested, money invested, etc... because at the end of the year, this goes a long way to showing your own personal progress. Those small things add up quickly! I'd be happy to help or even give you an example template if you'd like. ~ Lyndsay Letellier, Senior Consultant, Mindavation, Inc. Saving Changes...
