Project Management Your Manager Needs

Project Management

Your manager needs your assistance on a major project, he is worried that he will lose control of the project if it is not tightly managed. He has asked you to set up a plan to keep him up-to-date on the status of the project. How would you proceed?

I would start by having a discussion with the manager to find out the requirements of the project. I would find out the overall goal of the project and then determine the major achievements that need to be made to achieve the goal. I would also find out the expected timeframes for each part of the project and the timeframe for the completed project. Based on this information, I would draft a timeline for the project showing the major achievements and their expected completion dates. I would discuss this timeframe with the manager and make any needed changes.

I would then discuss with the manager any parts of the project where problems are likely to occur and attempt to identify any problems that might delay the project. I would use this information to identify the parts of the projects that need to be closely managed to identify problems and solve them quickly.

Based on this information, I would then draft a project plan that identifies the actions that need to be taken, the key milestones, and the potential problem points. I would then discuss with the manager how to measure and monitor each part of the project to make sure it is completed efficiently. This information would then be used to draft a more detailed plan that indicates the key progress measures, how progress will be measured, and how the progress will be communicated to the manager. Having this information will make the manager more confident since they will be well-informed of the progress of the project, while also being able to recognize if any parts of the project are not being completed on the timeframe established.

The final step would be to go over the plan with the manager to make sure the details are correct and to create a final plan based on any changes necessary. In addition, I would arrange with the manager to have progress meetings where any changes in circumstances can be taken into account, with the plan able to be altered to reflect the new circumstances.

2) Write an email to your team members requesting information for a status meeting to a panel of client representatives and upper management. Specify what role you would like each to play in the actual presentation. Suggest ways they should prepare for their actual speaking task.

Thank you for your continued hard work on the project. The project is proceeding well and looks like being completed ahead of schedule.

As the project is beginning to near completion, management and several client representatives have requested a briefing on the status of the project and the achievements made so far. I am hoping you will attend the meeting and briefly describe the achievements in your area.

I will start the meeting by describing the overall project, the progress so far, and the expected outcomes. I will then describe your role in the project, introduce you, and ask for a brief overview and status report. The status report should only be a few minutes long and should focus on the general progress made, major achievements, and any important achievements still to come. The management and client representatives will generally not have technical expertise, so please describe general achievements in layman's terms as much as possible.

I will also be providing management and the client representatives with a written summary of the project status. I would appreciate it if you could provide me with a brief list of the achievements and progress you will note in the presentation.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday November 8th at 10 a.m., and is expected to last for one to two hours. I would appreciate it if you could email me your list of achievements and progress by Tuesday November 1. If you have any questions or queries, please contact me any time.

3) You are working on an assignment for school that is slated to last the entire semester. Midway through, you become ill which knocks you out of commission for a week, what would you do.

I would start by considering whether the week missed involved missing any important deadlines, such as part of the assignment being due. If this was the case, I would explain the circumstances and request a one week extension for this part of the assignment.

I would then consider how much progress was made up until the week I became ill and determine if this week has actually put me behind schedule. This takes into account that I would have planned the semester-long assignment while taking into account the possibility for any problems arising. With this taken into account, it is likely that there is room for a one-week delay and so becoming ill may not impact on my ability to meet the deadline. If I find that I am still meeting the schedule, I would continue without making any adjustments.