2.13 - Effective Project Management Checklist

Project Start

1. Produce and circulate a project organisation chart showing all reporting lines.

2. Train the project team and local management

3. Ensure there is a clear agreed project specification and top level project plan, and that all contractual obligations are understood

4. Clearly specify all work packages both internal and external to the team, and ensure a clear resource, timing plan and Terms of Reference aligned to top level targets

Project Control

5. Set up control meetings and checklists, standard agendas and attendance lists e.g. :-

a. Weekly progress review against planned objectives

b. Weekly planning meeting and recovery planning for hazards

c. Daily half hour stand-up meeting and exception reporting

d. Budget review meeting

e. Monthly review and resource planning with cross-functional resource committee

6. Meet relevant local senior management regularly, at least once a week on major / high profile projects

7. Carry out regular financial reviews.

8. Keep the customer informed.

Documentation

The following are a few key items to consider:-

9. Create and maintain a project file to include:-

a. All meeting minutes.

b. Standard action sheets for each meeting, numbered with dates and names against each action

c. A log of all achievements and problems with accountability

d. All work package bar diagrams and high level plan

10. Timesheets, checked weekly

11. Where appropriate, for each completed work package install an operational procedure with an owner and defined control procedure (e.g. meeting agenda and attendees to make changes stick operationally)

12. Provide regular weekly reports in an agreed standard format with sign-off by senior project staff.

Targets

13. Insist on commitments and targets being met by all. Use a sign-off procedure.

14. Call on relevant consultants for help where needed.

15. Where a project is deviating from agreed targets, produce a recovery plan to bring it back in-line.

16. Ensure a training programme is specified for on-going operational staff, linked to a formal handover and sign-off procedure.

Project Close

17. Were the project objectives achieved?

18. Is all deliverable documentation with customers

19. Ensure that post project review and report is complete and filed for reference

20. Ask the customer to sign-off the hand over

21. Formally record requests and reasons for extra charges