Project management: thinking and planning stage 1

Some definitions of a project
“Project management is the planning, organisation, directing and controlling of people and resources for a relatively short-term objective. It is established to accomplish a set of specific goals and objectives with a specific deadline by utilising a fluid approach.”
“A project is an undertaking that has a beginning and an end and is carried out to meet established goals within agreed objectives. Project management brings together and optimises the resources necessary to complete the project successfully.”

Projects will go better if you put in some serious thinking and planning at the beginning
Start with the summary plan of the project’s essential elements. From this you can tell at a glance what needs to be done, why and how and when deliverables must be ready. Planning elements are usually backed up with great detail but an overview is essential. A typical summary plan might contain:
• Statement of overall goal
• Critical path - what needs to be done, by when
• Milestone schedule
• Overall budget - money and resources available
• Project network - who connects with whom
• Organisational structure - who is responsible for what?

Then you need to write yourself a project brief, including
a. Overall aim
b. Your responsibilities and where they end
c. Key tasks and dates
d. Communication requirements
e. Your information requirements
f. Possible impact of the project, possible problems to watch out for.