Project_Management_Tips

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**Page Purpose**
The Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework) provides the vocational education and training (VET) system with essential e-learning infrastructure and expertise needed to respond to the challenges of a modern economy and the training needs of Australian businesses and workers.

In 2010, 33 RTO projects from across New South Wales (NSW) were allocated funding for E-learning Innovations projects to assist them to embed e-learning as a key aspect of their business strategy.

As a result of this funding process, teams will be required to complete various plans and reports to satisfy the requirements of the 2010 Innovations Funding guidelines. This page will provide introductory project management methods and techniques that will enable the teams meeting their reporting requirements.


 * The project mandate**

Most projects start with a project idea. This is known as the project mandate. It is a good idea to briefly document your idea so that you capture the essential information about your project and make it easier for Management to convert your idea into an actual project.

You might find the following headings useful for this document:
 * Background - explain the idea, how it came about and why this idea is needed
 * Project Objectives - what are the objectives of the project? - use wording that can be measured (action words are very important)
 * Project Deliverables- what will be the main project deliverables?
 * Scope - make sure you highlight what will not be included in the project
 * Project Constraints - highlight any constraints such as limited resources, time etc
 * Project Success Criteria - how will you know that your project has been a success? - once again use statements that can be measured
 * Business Case - highlight to the reader the benefits to the business in measurable terms
 * Customers and Users - who will be the main users of the project deliverables and how will they be involved/benefit?
 * Provide other information as needed


 * Determining a viable business case**

The business case is a way of documenting the benefits of a project from the perspective of the organisation, business partner and end users. This document forms part of the mandate for your project. In terms of the Framework you do not need to complete a 'Business Case' document in 2010. You may have already completed a similar document (a **//Project Mandate//** template or **//Business Case//**) and submitted it to your own organisation prior to seek approval to apply for funding. Normally this document will include the following information:


 * Reasons – The reasons why the project outcome is needed - the justification for your project's existence. If you have completed a project mandate template you can easily transfer this information to the benefits section of your Business Case.
 * Options – It is a good idea to consider more than one option for your project. Your Business Case should provider the reader with information about the options that have been considered as well as highlighting the chosen option and the justifications for the chosen option.
 * Benefits – This section should identify the benefits to the Registered Training Organisation (RTO), business provider partner (if applicable) and the learners. Once again if you have completed a project mandate template you can easily transfer this information to the benefits section of your Business Case.
 * Risks – This section should provide sufficient detail of the main project risks, some analysis of the likelihood and the impact on the project will be necessary. Details of how these risks will be managed are recorded in the risk log or action plan. In terms of a Framework project your project risks might include risks to do with staffing, project tracking, copyright, intellectual property, using e-portfolios etc.
 * Cost and time – Include an outline of costs and time frames for the project if a detailed project plan is not yet available. Try to be as accurate as possible with finance estimates. Once your budget is set it is not an easy process to request additional funding.
 * Investment – Expected benefits should be given in numerical or monetary terms where ever possible. For example: in terms of enrolments we expect to see an increase of 12000 enrolments in 2010

Completing the funding application
Before you complete the application you need to make sure you have a compelling business case and a realistic budget.

Your funding application:


 * Describe stakeholder agreement and commitment
 * Outline benefits to the business that are realistic and not overstated
 * Provide an insight into who your learners are, what their needs are and how these needs will be managed
 * Highlight how the project outcomes are innovative and not just //'business as usual'//
 * Include benefits for customers and end users
 * Provide full details of costs that are realistic and not over or understated
 * Make clear links with your organisation and/or business partners strategic directions
 * Carefully consider project risks and provide details of risk analysis
 * Demonstrate the Project Manager's ability to implement the project and keep the project on track and on time
 * Highlight what will happen if investment is not made


 * Remember**: //A compelling business case justifies the investment.//

=Success=

You have now been advised that your application has been successful in obtaining funding in 2010. In 2010 all successful project teams are required to complete project implementation plan.

The document attached is a sample for you to work with.

Project Scope
Your implementation plan will document the RTO and Business Partner Provider key contact details. Next you will start to outline what the project is and is not.

The readers of your plan may not be familiar with your original application so make sure that you provide enough information in this document so that your readers (such as: stakeholders and team members) can clearly see why this project should exist and continue through to completion.

Project Objectives
Project objectives provide details of the business benefits expected to be achieved as a result of the project. To start writing your objectives consider you reasons for doing the project and the benefits that will be achieved at the successful completion of your project.

Project objectives are similar to writing learning outcomes, these states must be Specific, Measurable, Action - oriented, Realistic and Timebound (SMART).

To help the team keep the project on track and to minimise **//project creep//** clearly outline what the project includes and excludes.

It is also helpful to document any project interdependencies (external factors that must be in place prior to the commencement of your project (for example, if you were planning to provide work placement in a particular workplace as an essential part of the learning or assessment component of your e-learning strategey you may need to ensure that this has been approved by the RTO and the Workplace prior to commencement - in some industries your learners cannot be oniste unless they have various accreditation (normally required by legislation) prior to their work placement and if so, how will they get it).

Know who the key stakeholders are
It is important to know who your stakeholders are, understand their issues and know what their communication needs are so that you can address them and keep everyone on board for the duration of the project.

The project manager and team should start to identify project stakeholders at the application stage to determine the power and interest they have over a project and to plan for suitable communication to keep them informed.

**Steps in Stakeholder Management**


 * 1) Your project plan will ask you to outline your relationships with your business provider partner, your learners and the project team. Complete this section first and then commence the identification or remaining stakeholders.
 * 2) Brainstorm who your stakeholders are
 * 3) Prioritise them and place them under the appropriate heading in the [[file:Stakeholder Power.doc]]template
 * 4) Think through a suitable approach to manage your stakeholders and start to complete the [[file:Stakeholder Communication Plan.doc]] template (//**please note**: the two attachments are for use as a worksheet at a team meeting, the Project Plan has information for stakeholder management included//). A good starting point is to consider their interests in your project
 * 5) Work out what you want from your stakeholders (eg: team reports) and list this on your communication plan
 * 6) Think about what your stakeholders will need from you (eg: regular updates, meeting agendas, schedules etc) and list this on your communication plan
 * 7) There will probably be commonalities between stakeholder communication needs. This will assit you in determing appropriate strategies for communication (such as a regular newsletter, email, wiki site).
 * 8) Now that you have identified your stakeholders and their communication needs you now have a clear picture of what is required and the tools you will use.

Project Approach
In this section of your Project Plan you need to briefly and concisely explain your e-learning strategy in terms of what it is you are going to do.

Some examples might include:


 * Develop an engaging resource that will encourage distance learners to engage and interact with the learning content through the delelopment of media rich content and activities in Joomla.........
 * Provide a framework for teachers where they can update and customise their own learning environments using Moodle.....
 * Provide an engaging community where teachers and learners can interact using.......

In this section you will be required to identify the tools you will use in your project approach and the technical expertise you will require as you implement your e-learning strategy.

Read the short blog posting - work closely with others as you develop your e-learning strategy if you are just starting out on the e-learning journey. Follow the links to related posts of interest and Framework resources.

Assembling the project team
Ensuring you have the right person/skills to get the job done can often be a challenge. Ideally you want the best person for the job who has the right attitude and mix of skills that will enable your project to be a success.

Start by listing the team members you have nominated in your project application and identify their role and the key duties they will perform. We will return to this list again once we have developed a Work Break Down Structure to ensure that all roles have been covered.

Make a list of the known contractors that you will require in your project and list them in your plan. Once again we may return to this list at a later stage.

Project Timelines and Milestones
The next section of your Project Plan documents the stages and activities that will be undertaken during the project lifecycle. The easiest way to complete this activity is to develop a Work Breakdown Structure. Download the worksheet for use at a team meeting.

Audio recording to demonstrate the planning activity below: Gail Smith, Head Teacher, Illawarra Institute and Steven Parker, ITEL, South Western Sydney Institute of TAFE.



To complete this activity you will require the following:

Several packs of post-it notes A whiteboard or large sheet of butcher's paper Pens or whiteboard markers

In consulation with your team create a list of tasks that will be completed during the project.

> Another helpful activity is to assign responsibilities to the tasks identified. This will ensure you have identified the appropriate team members and contractors. The can help you with this task.
 * Start by writing each task on a separate post-it note (remember to include the tasks already listed in the stages tables in your Project Plan)
 * Using your whiteboard or butcher's paper place these tasks (post-it notes) in the order you think they will occur
 * Now that your list is in order you now need to establish any dependencies on other tasks (what tasks need to be finished before another task can commence) - write the dependency on each post-it note and re-order your list so that the tasks are in the order they need to happen
 * Download the above WBS worksheet and enter your tasks in the order they will occur - make sure you clearly identify the dependencies and estimate how much time you think each task will take
 * Can you see any clear stages in your project? This will help you complete the Project Milestones and Timelines section of your Project Plan.
 * Complete the Project Milestones and Timelines section of the Project Plan

Analysis project risks
Risk analysis is a very important part of Project Management. It is inevitable, things do and will wrong. The role of risk analysis is to identify what might impact your project or prevent it from acheiving its outcomes. Identified risks should be carefully analysed to consider their likelihood of happening, when they might happen and what impact they will have on your project should they occur.




 * Some Tips to help you get started:**


 * 1) Start your risk analysis at a team meeting if possible. It is important to get as much feedback from those involved as possible.
 * 2) Make a list of all known risks
 * 3) Evaluate each risk by importance and likelihood that it will happen
 * 4) Determine the impact on your project. You can use the template above and change the descriptions for consequence to better suit your project's needs
 * 5) Not all risks are bad or can be avoided. Determine if you must accept the risk, avoid it, reduce its impact, transfer the risk to some other party (an example might be obtain insurance), exploit the risk (an example is rising fuel costs, in city areas we have cheap days for buying fuel - send a memo around and advise team members of the days that are cheapest to purchase fuel) etc.
 * 6) For larger projects it might be useful to transfer this information to a risk action plan (especially if you have risks marked as having a significant impact on your project) once you have determined the importance and likelihood or each risk.

For more information on identifying project risks please read the following short blog posts"

>
 * Identifying project risks
 * Copyright - is it a risk?
 * e-portfolios what are the risks?

Complete the Risk Analysis section of your Project Plan

Project Budget
Your project budget must include the exact figures listed in your contract (if you are unsure please check with your NSW IC for any amounts that were adjusted by the selection panel) for both the funding amount and the RTO/Business Provider Partnership contribution.

Read the short blog posting - working on your budget if you need some help. Follow the links to related posts of interest and Framework resources.

Outcomes and Outputs
The focus for projects is effective strategies rather than product however, given the advanced nature of the projects and the focus on embedding within organisations, it is likely that there will be outputs produced, and that they will be of use to others beyond the project and the organisations involved.

Outcomes
Please describe the anticipated outcomes for your RTO at the conclusion of this project. An example might be: the organization will have a detailed e-learning strategy that has been trialed and evaluated and includes a list of recommendations for its continual improvement.

Outputs
In this section of the Project Plan you need to identify the output/s being handed over to the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (eg learning resources or tools/guides for VET staff, case study, web based demonstration etc).

Please refer to the [|Toolkit] and the [|induction program] program to ensure your project outputs meet the guidelines and standards required.

Monitoring your Project
You will need to monitor how your project is tracking throughout the project lifecycle. A useful way to do this is by using the Traffic Signal Approach.

Traffic Signal Approach

 * Start by retrieving your work breakdown structure from the earlier activity or the list of stages documented in your Project Plan
 * Indentify the stage/tasks that should have been completed to date and apply the traffic signal approach to each activity to indentify how your project is tracking
 * Record any issues in your project issues register [[file:Issues Register.doc]] if you are using one



How to apply the traffic signal approach?

**Green** - task is completed or on track **Amber** - task is not quite on track **Red** - task is off track

Both Amber and Red require further investigation by the Project Manager

The remainder of the document requires you to document how you will evaluate project performance in terms of various parts of your project plan. To assist you with this activity it is necessary to develop project success criteria.

Project success criteria
How will you know your project has been a success?


 * 1) Develop project success criteria in consultation with your team and key stakeholders to help get everyone on the same page. If this is done right from the beginning it will also help you to demonstrate what the project is and what the project is not.
 * 2) Make sure that the agreed (yes, your stakeholders must agree) success criteria is measurable, realistic and not vague.
 * 3) Link your success criteria to the goals of the project and the business.
 * 4) Keep project success criteria handy it is a good measuring stick for how your project is going.

Examples of success criteria:


 * The project will be completed by 28 November
 * The project will not exceed the budget of $50,000


 * Hint**: //both statements are concise and can easily be measured//.

**A final tip**
A common question asked is **//'How do I keep my project on Track//**?"

You might find the following tips helpful:


 * Communicate, communicate, communicate (as you can see stakeholder analysis is extremely important)
 * Break your project activities into step by step tasks, order them and determine what tasks need to be started and/or completed before the next task can start (use the Work breakdown structure activities above). You can also enter this information into software such as Microsoft Project and print off the Network diagram and Gantt charts automatically produced.
 * Assign people and resources to tasks and ensure that you include due dates to guide your team
 * Document project issues - this can also be useful for capturing lesson's learned
 * Carefully consider, analyse and monitor project risks
 * Document Project lessons learned this will assist you to make recommendations in your final project report

**Contact**
Please contact the NSW Innovations Coordinator for more information and assistance

Gail SmithNSW Innovations CoordinatorPhone: (02) 9244 5290Fax: (02) 9244 5925Email: Gail.Smith@det.nsw.edu.auWeb: [|www.flexiblelearning.net.au]