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PROJECT MGT
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Manage the Work Plan |
Overview
At this point, you have completed defining the project and planning the work. The major deliverables in place are the Project Definition and project work plan. Some project managers think that defining and planning the work means that the hard part of managing the project is behind them. That is definitely not the case.
| You will never be a successful project manager if you do not keep the work plan up to date. Remember that the work plan is only a deliverable. It describes the work that needs to occur, the order of the work, how much effort is required, who is assigned, etc. However, it only represents your best-guess as to how to complete the remaining work at any particular point in the project. |
The more complex your project is, the more change is going to be required in your “best guess” work plan over time. That is why this is such an important project management skill. The project manager must evaluate the work plan on an ongoing basis (say weekly) and determine the current state of the project. Based on the current state of the project, and your current understanding of the work remaining, the project manager needs to re-plot a course that will allow the work to be completed within the original budget and deadline if at all possible.
For the most part, the work plan will need to be reviewed on a weekly basis. During this review, the project manager updates the work plan with the current state of work that is completed and in-progress. The remaining work should be evaluated to see if the project will be completed within the original effort, cost, and duration. If it can, then you are in good shape. If it cannot, then the project manager must implement corrective action.
Of all of the aspects for managing the project, this one is perhaps the most fundamental. Depending on the dynamics of your project, the project manager may be in a position of having to constantly utilize their experience and creativity to get the project completed within expectations. One week your project many be on track. The next week, you may have work assignments that are late and issues that have surfaced. If an activity on the critical path is a week late, the project manager cannot sit back idly and allow the entire project to be a week late. Instead, they must evaluate the resources and options available and get the project back on track. If you are good at it, managing the work plan can be one of the more challenging and rewarding aspects of project management. If you do not relish the detailed work that is required, you may find it is much more difficult to be successful.
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