Reply to: Can anyone recommend a good site to examine MS Project plans?

[HermanDune]

HermanDune, you might be about to be shafted: paid to do the PM's job on project support money and then get none of the credit. If you are confident you can do what that job description says, then you're a project manager.

I am in agreement here with you and Peter Loew.

The first warning sign was when I looked at my address book entry and saw I was a "Business Manager" - some mistake there I thought.

The second sign was when I asked who did the job previously and what their job role was...the previous person was listed as "Project and Business Manager", with assistance from somebody also entitled "Project Manager".

The third sign was when they went through 3 pages of roles and responsibilities and I thought I could probably do the admin tasks but not sure what the rest of these things meant!

The fourth sign was the mention of supervising the work of a project support type person.

The fifth sign was the terrible headache I suddenly got this afternoon as I realised I was perhaps in over my head!

The sixth sign was the mention under "Other" where I would act as lead PM at certain meetings and represent the department.

I only wanted to be a humble project controller!

[HermanDune]

programme office manager spec in this neck of the woods. £450p.d plus

I'd be quite happy to come back to Edinburgh for that. Realistically the quality of life in Edinburgh being what it is I'd probably do it for £150, more if it's in the Gyle!

[Torran]

Richard asked what a project controller does...
I will be carrying out some of the following tasks and areas (This was craftily copied from the job description):



Estimating. Fully define the scope of work, to enable an operational SOW to be produced that will form the basis of the estimating process.

Workload planning. Engage the Operational Manager on a monthly basis to confirm a continued ability to resource workload in line with current assumptions and committments. (Firm and probable workload). Escalate conflicts via Ops Managers/Engineering Delivery Managers.

Schedule & Resource Management. Ensure agreed schedules are in place for all activities within areas of responsibility. Ensure discharge of all activities in line with approved baseline schedule.

Budgeting, Work Authorisation and Project Control. Ensure adequate and approved funding for all activities undertaken across area of responsibility. Ensure discharge of all commitments in line with approved budgets. Ensure formal closure of all activities.

Change Management. Ensure that all change to task scope, quality, cost or timescale is pre-approved.

Risk and Opportunity Management. Ensure that Risk and Opportunity Management is routinely and consistently applied across all activities within areas of responsibility.

Customer Satisfaction. Ensure an environment where customer satisfaction is recognised as a key element.

programme office manager spec in this neck of the woods. £450p.d plus

[Peter Loew]

Examples of good practice? Just use it for high level activities and milestones - do NOT fall into the trap of thinking it will run the project for you. Only communication, risk management, communication, change control, communication, stakeholder management, communication, quality control and communication can do that. Oh, and communication.

Totally agree with this. Though on the last project I delivered the customer was extremely insistent that every activity on the MS Project schedule equalled the budget breakdown on the high level work activities described and costed in the project proposal. This is where MS Project's resource management tab (or whatever it's called) came in useful.

[Peter Loew]

Without referring to PMBoK, I'm hard pushed to think what would have to be added to that list to make it a project manager's job description.

... thinks ... thinks ... three minutes of hard thinking later ... got it!

Being the person in the project board meetings that says "I got the job done."

HermanDune, you might be about to be shafted: paid to do the PM's job on project support money and then get none of the credit. If you are confident you can do what that job description says, then you're a project manager.

Which will only take you to the level you want to be at. Use them just like they use you.

[RichardCranium]

Richard asked what a project controller does...
<snip long list>

Without referring to PMBoK, I'm hard pushed to think what would have to be added to that list to make it a project manager's job description.

... thinks ... thinks ... three minutes of hard thinking later ... got it!

Being the person in the project board meetings that says "I got the job done."

HermanDune, you might be about to be shafted: paid to do the PM's job on project support money and then get none of the credit. If you are confident you can do what that job description says, then you're a project manager.

[HermanDune]

Here's what this project controller is gonig to be doing...

Richard asked what a project controller does...
I will be carrying out some of the following tasks and areas (This was craftily copied from the job description):



Estimating. Fully define the scope of work, to enable an operational SOW to be produced that will form the basis of the estimating process.

Workload planning. Engage the Operational Manager on a monthly basis to confirm a continued ability to resource workload in line with current assumptions and committments. (Firm and probable workload). Escalate conflicts via Ops Managers/Engineering Delivery Managers.

Schedule & Resource Management. Ensure agreed schedules are in place for all activities within areas of responsibility. Ensure discharge of all activities in line with approved baseline schedule.

Budgeting, Work Authorisation and Project Control. Ensure adequate and approved funding for all activities undertaken across area of responsibility. Ensure discharge of all commitments in line with approved budgets. Ensure formal closure of all activities.

Change Management. Ensure that all change to task scope, quality, cost or timescale is pre-approved.

Risk and Opportunity Management. Ensure that Risk and Opportunity Management is routinely and consistently applied across all activities within areas of responsibility.

Customer Satisfaction. Ensure an environment where customer satisfaction is recognised as a key element.

[Mustang]

Unbelievable

This thread just shows why the general business community under-estimates PM's!!

Too many people out there who think that you can slap a gannt chart together, never consider revising it and then just monitor progress. The management of a project is so much more than that (risks, issues, stakeholders, suppliers). If only people were to get the message!

Too many clients who are interested in a jack of all trades approach when hiring a PM - "doesnt matter if their PM skills are weak just as long as they have some niche experience and can cope with the mentality of our organisation" kinda approach.

They then wonder why their projects fail......!!

[original PM]

Have to agree

Excel spreadsheets server me well until someone decided I need to use MS project - a quick online course later meant I could now produce gant charts much quicker.

Makes no difference if you cannot communicate, perform risk analysis, stakeholder management and also if you want the project to be succesful solve problems - or even better get the stakeholders to accept your solutions and then pass them off as their own - it makes them feel all warm inside and important!!

Projects can exist without project paperwork
Project paperwork cannot exist without a project

[RichardCranium]

Your answer is very good thanks. I think your advice will come in much more useful.

Your ability to get others to do something for you in return for nothing when you have no authority yet make them feel good about it bodes well for the future.

Luckily I don't need to use it too much in my upcoming role as a project controller. I will be using advanced Excel spreadsheets more likely.

Please indulge me: describe what is expected of "a project controller". I can guess, but I'd like to know. (I have never had the luxury of any dedicated project admin.)

However, I plan to move into proejct management once I can walk the walk. Right now I can only talk the talk.

Blimey! You can talk the talk? You wanna get straight into programme management consultancy if you can do that! The boneheads at the top of the tree will love it! (Have you had the conscience-ectomy yet?)


(Shhh. You want to walk the walk? This is a secret: use talcum powder.)

[RichardCranium]

Yup, MS Project sucks donkey knobs.

I can't believe you wrote that! It's shocking. Quite true, but shocking.

I'm sure you remind me of a talented and forthright PM who used to post somewhere...

We probably went on the same Dogbert's Project Management Lobotomy Course. Or are cloned from the same droid. Or something. Or I'm Spartacus.

[HermanDune]

Kudos to Richard

Your answer is very good thanks. I think your advice will come in much more useful.

Luckily I don't need to use it too much in my upcoming role as a project controller. I will be using advanced Excel spreadsheets more likely.

However, I plan to move into proejct management once I can walk the walk. Right now I can only talk the talk.

[NickFitz]

MS Project is an incomplete abortion.

Micro$oft bought it wonkey donkey's years ago and still haven't got around to finishing it off, but that's a different answer to a different question.

Firstly, the first mistake people make with MS Project is assuming it is a project planning tool. It is not. It is a Gantt chart creation tool. And a Gantt chart serves no other purpose than to pacify management and con them into believing you are a real project manager.

The second mistake is to try to make use of resource levelling. That will consume the first three weeks of your project as you faff about trying to get MS Project to work properly again.

Examples of good practice? Just use it for high level activities and milestones - do NOT fall into the trap of thinking it will run the project for you. Only communication, risk management, communication, change control, communication, stakeholder management, communication, quality control and communication can do that. Oh, and communication.

I'm sorry if that is not the answer you wanted.

Yup, MS Project sucks donkey knobs.

(I'm sure you remind me of a talented and forthright PM who used to post somewhere... )

[RichardCranium]

I'm looking for examples of plans displaying good practice but also highlights mistakes people make when using MS Project.

MS Project is an incomplete abortion.

Micro$oft bought it wonkey donkey's years ago and still haven't got around to finishing it off, but that's a different answer to a different question.

Firstly, the first mistake people make with MS Project is assuming it is a project planning tool. It is not. It is a Gantt chart creation tool. And a Gantt chart serves no other purpose than to pacify management and con them into believing you are a real project manager.

The second mistake is to try to make use of resource levelling. That will consume the first three weeks of your project as you faff about trying to get MS Project to work properly again.

Examples of good practice? Just use it for high level activities and milestones - do NOT fall into the trap of thinking it will run the project for you. Only communication, risk management, communication, change control, communication, stakeholder management, communication, quality control and communication can do that. Oh, and communication.

I'm sorry if that is not the answer you wanted.

[DiscoStu]

Planning is for wimps.