Lessons in Project Management (eBook)

Jeff Mochal is director of communication and external relations at ConAgra Foods, based in Naperville, Illinois. He has been working in the public relations and communications industry for 15 years and has extensive expertise in media relations, crisis communication, issues management, reputation management and corporate branding. Jeff is married with two children, and is pursuing his master's in business administration from the University of Notre Dame.

Understand the Characteristics of a Project 
Always Have an Identified and Committed Sponsor
Report Status on All Projects 
Focus on Deadline Dates 
Apply Some Level of Project Management Discipline
Define and Plan the Work
Don’t “Microbuild” or Micromanage the Workplan 
Hire a Diverse Project Team
Define the Many Aspects of What Is In Scope and Out of Scope 
Use the “Big Three” Documents
Use Scope Change Management
Collect Metrics
Give Performance Feedback Routinely
Ensure Issues Management Is Everyone’s Responsibility 
Shorten Long Meetings to Sharpen the Focus 
Identify the Root Cause of Problems
Use Quality Assurance Techniques to Validate Project Status
Cancel Projects That Lose Business Support 
Use Risk Management to Respond to Discover Potential Problems
Focus Your Quality Management on Processes, Not People 
Don’t Use Your Estimating Contingency for Scope Changes 
Develop a Communication Plan for Complex Projects 
Scale Your Processes Based on Project Size 
Plan the Project Even If You Start the Work at the Same Time 
Identify the Critical Path and How This Path Drives the Deadline Date 
Change Assumptions to Revise an Estimate 
Don’t Forget Face-to-Face Communication on Your Project 
Make Quality a Mindset and Ongoing Process 
Batch Small Scope Change Requests for Sponsor Approval 
Manage Your Vendor Projects Proactively
Look for Risks Inherent to Your Project 
Get Sponsor Approval Before Investigating Large Scope Change Requests
Make Sure the Cost of Collecting Metrics Does Not Exceed Their Value  
Use Multiple Estimating Techniques 
Keep Your Schedule Up to Date 
Use Issues Management to Choose the Best of Bad Alternatives 
Collect Metrics That Can Lead to Fundamental Improvements 
Evaluate All Risk Response Options in the Risk Plan 
Manage Client Expectations 
Use Milestones to Track Overall Progress 
Catch Errors As Early as Possible 
Gain Sponsor Approval for Scope Changes Requiring Budget and Deadline Deviations 
Be Proactive to Accelerate the Project Schedule 
Use the Work Breakdown Structure to Identify All the Work
Write Your Status Reports From the Readers’ Perspective 
Update Your Risk Plan Throughout the Project 
Don’t Deliver More Than the Client Requested 
Make One Person Responsible for Each Activity
Focus on Deadlines to Keep Your Project from Wandering 
Gain Agreement on Project Metrics Ahead of Time