Why This Session? Duration: 1 day
Very Small Projects are usually larger than you think. Trying to keep them small is a tough job too, especially when you are balancing ongoing work commitments with projects. This session is for those who are new to project management, and don’t need the industrial-strength methods of larger projects.
The session uses everyday examples of project management at work, from participants’ own experience, and that of others. We focus on understanding the business need, the structuring, estimating and scheduling of work. And, learning how to stay on top of status and changes, helps achieve successful closure.
This session is based on the Very Small Project method from our Small Project Guide, SPG. SPG is our universal methodology for small projects. It has been used by hundreds of companies and tens of thousands of people on six continents.
Learning Objectives
- Use Business Case analysis to clarify the need, and then produce one good Objective.
- Define the Requirements for an acceptable solution.
- Begin planning the project by prioritizing it compared to other projects.
- Tailor the Small Project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Template to create a work plan
framework at an appropriate level of detail. - Describe the use of communicated assumptions to produce more accurate, useful estimates.
- Schedule the project using Calendars and Gantt (or) Bar Charts; identify which tools work best for
one-person and multiple-person staffing. - Discuss the importance of involving others in project activities, and the challenges and
strategies for doing so. - Describe the use of Quality Reviews in small projects.
- Describe the need for and use of Change Control in small projects.
- Apply minimum-effort project tracking methods; evaluate and report project progress.
Audience
This session is for every professional who spends time on very small projects. These require from 8 to 120 hours (or more) of effort, and take less than two months to complete. While we focus on techniques for managing very small projects, the material is very useful for larger projects as well.