Directing a Project
Senior
project management staff who have the authority and responsibility for:
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Defining what is required
from the project |
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Authorising the funds for
the project |
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Committing the resources |
will
typically delegate day-to-day charge of the project to a Project
Manager.
However, they must exercise overall control and take the key decisions. It is
also important that levels of authority and decision-making processes are
clearly identified.
Directing
a Project runs from after the start-up of the project until its closure and
includes the work to:
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Authorise the initiation
of the project |
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Provide management
direction and control throughout its life |
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Liaise with corporate and
programme management |
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It
does not cover the day-to-day activities of the Project
Manager.
This
process is aimed at the level of management above the Project
Manager, i.e. the
Project Board. The Project Board manages by
exception, that is, it monitors via
reports and Project Controls through a small number of decision points. There
should be no need for other 'progress meetings' for the Project
Board. The
Project Manager will inform the Project Board of any exception situation.
There
needs to be a flow of information from the Project Board to corporate or
programme management during the project.
The
objectives of Directing a Project are to:
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Ensure the ultimate
success of the project judged by:the ability of the results of the project to
deliver the business benefits set out in the Business Case |
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Delivery to agreed
time, cost and quality parameters |
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Manage the identified
risks to the project |
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Ensure the effective
management of all people and resources concerned with the project |
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Commit the required
resources |
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Make decisions on any
changes when requested by the Project Manager |
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Provide overall direction
and guidance throughout the project |
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Make decisions on
exception situations |
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Ensure that the project
and the products remain consistent with business plans and the external
environment |
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Ensure that the necessary
communications mechanisms are in place |
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Sponsor appropriate
external communication and publicity about the project. |
This
process covers the direction of the project throughout its life cycle. The Project
Board pro-actively manages the project's response to the external environment.
Within the project the Project Board should manage by exception. The
Project
Board members are normally busy executives with a range of responsibilities,
and demands on their time should be kept to a minimum, while fulfilling their
responsibilities to the project. The key responsibilities are:
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Overall directional
decision making |
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Resource commitment. |
Where
the project is part of a programme, the authority to direct the project is
delegated to the Project Board by the Programme Director. Where decisions are
required which are outside the defined authority of the Project
Board, these
must be referred to the Programme Director for a decision.
The
key processes for the Project Board are predominantly event-driven and target
the Project Board members to a small number of key decision points, plus
informal discussions where required. These key processes break into four main
areas:
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Initiation (starting the
project off on the right foot) |
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Stage
Boundaries
(commitment to further work after checking results so far) |
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Giving Direction (monitoring progress,
providing advice and guidance) |
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Project
Closure
(confirming the project outcome and bringing the project to a controlled
close). |