Project Management Checklists by Nick Graham Project Management Checklists For Dummies® Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, www.wiley.com This edition first published 2014 © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex. Registered office John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com. The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved. 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ISBN 978-1-118-93143-1 (pbk) ISBN 978-1-118-93142-4 (ebk) ISBN 978-1-118-93141-7 (ebk) Printed in Great Britain by TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents at a Glance Introduction ......................................................1 Part I: Understanding Projects and Checklists .....5 Chapter 1: Using Checklists and Templates in Projects .......................7 Chapter 2: The Key Documents .............................................................21 Chapter 3: Using Project Standards ......................................................27 Part II: Checklists for Kick Off .........................31 Chapter 4: Kicking Off the Project .........................................................33 Chapter 5: Checking the Justification and Benefits ............................43 Chapter 6: Tackling the Roles and Responsibilities............................55 Chapter 7: Templates for Kick Off .........................................................71 Part III: Checklists for Planning .......................77 Chapter 8: Creating the Plans ................................................................79 Chapter 9: Establishing Controls .........................................................109 Chapter 10: Managing the People ........................................................129 Chapter 11: Templates for Planning....................................................141 Part IV: Checklists for Project Control .............155 Chapter 12: Checking Each Stage ........................................................157 Chapter 13: Stage Reporting ................................................................169 Chapter 14: Conducting a Stage Gate..................................................175 Chapter 15: Reviewing the Project ......................................................183 Chapter 16: Templates for Control .....................................................191 Chapter 17: Templates for Repor ting .................................................207 Part V: More Project Checklists ......................213 Chapter 18: Taking Over an Existing Project .....................................215 Chapter 19: Auditing Someone Else’s Project ....................................227 Chapter 20: Finding Useful Techniques ..............................................243 Part VI: The Part of Tens ................................253 Chapter 21: Ten Sets of AKAs ..............................................................255 Chapter 22: Ten Tips for Effective Planning ......................................263 Chapter 23: Ten T ips for Estimating ...................................................269 Index ............................................................277 Table of Contents Introduction .......................................................1 About this Book..........................................................................1 Foolish Assumptions .................................................................2 Icons Used in This book ............................................................3 Beyond the Book ........................................................................3 Where to Go from Here .............................................................4 Part I: Understanding Projects and Checklists ......5 Chapter 1: Using Checklists and Templates in Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Using the Checklists ..................................................................8 Using Lists As An Expert – Or Not ...........................................9 Understanding Checklist Types .............................................10 Using Templates .......................................................................11 Understanding Project Structure ...........................................12 Kicking off the project ...................................................12 Doing the Planning.........................................................15 Delivering Project Products .........................................17 Closing the Project ........................................................18 Evaluating the Project ...................................................19 Chapter 2: The Key Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Kick Off ......................................................................................22 Project Planning .......................................................................22 The major planning documents ...................................22 The logs ...........................................................................24 Two checklists ...............................................................24 Project Control .........................................................................25 Thinking About What You Need ............................................26 Chapter 3: Using Project Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Standardising Internationally .................................................27 Following a PMBoK ..................................................................28 Using a Project Method ...........................................................29 Using Checklists with Standards ............................................30 v Table of Contents Part II: Checklists for Kick Off ..........................31 Chapter 4: Kicking Off the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 The Idea Checklist ...................................................................34 The Recommendation Checklist ............................................35 Consultation Checklist ............................................................37 The Outline Checklist ..............................................................38 The Ready-to-roll Checklist ....................................................39 Planning Stage Checklist .........................................................40 Chapter 5: Checking the Justification and Benefits . . .43 Project Justification Checklist ................................................43 Benefit Types Checklist ...........................................................44 Benefits Consultation Checklist .............................................46 Measurement Points Checklist ...............................................48 Benefits Checklist ....................................................................49 Savings ............................................................................49 Gains ................................................................................51 Disadvantages Checklist .........................................................52 Chapter 6: Tackling the Roles and Responsibilities . . .55 Project Roles Checklist ...........................................................56 Project Steering Group Checklist ...........................................57 Sponsor Checklist ....................................................................59 Project User Checklist .............................................................60 Project Supplier Checklist ......................................................61 Optional PSG Roles ..................................................................63 Project Manager Checklist ......................................................63 Optional Management Roles...................................................65 Team Leader Checklist ............................................................65 Project Audit Checklist ...........................................................66 What you’re responsible for .........................................67 What you’re not responsible for ..................................68 Project Administration Checklist ...........................................69 Chapter 7: Templates for Kick Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 The Idea .....................................................................................72 The Recommendation .............................................................73 Outline Charter.........................................................................74 vi Project Management Checklists For Dummies Part III: Checklists for Planning ........................77 Chapter 8: Creating the Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Business Case Checklist ..........................................................80 Product Planning Checklist ....................................................82 Activity Planning Checklist .....................................................84 Resources - Staff Checklist ......................................................87 Resources –Equipment Checklist ..........................................88 Resources – Facilities Checklist .............................................90 Budget Checklist ......................................................................91 The Four Dogs Checklist .........................................................92 Risk Category Checklist ..........................................................93 Risk Action Checklist ...............................................................95 Risk Plan Checklist ...................................................................96 Quality Plan Checklist .............................................................98 Stakeholder Log Checklist ......................................................99 Stakeholder Plan Checklist ...................................................100 Communications Plan Checklist ..........................................101 Inbound communications ...........................................102 Comms within the project ..........................................102 Outbound communications ........................................104 Types of Project Memo .........................................................104 Communication Media Checklist .........................................105 Procurement Plan Checklist .................................................107 Chapter 9: Establishing Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Project Characteristics Checklist ........................................110 Stage Decision Checklist .......................................................112 Progress Report Checklist ....................................................114 Problem Solving Checklist ....................................................115 Timing problems ..........................................................115 Resourcing problems ..................................................117 Spending problems ......................................................117 Change Checklist ....................................................................118 Change Options Checklist .....................................................119 Communication Pattern Checklist .......................................121 Quality Crosscheck Checklist ...............................................122 Risk Review Checklist ............................................................124 Project Log Checklist .............................................................126 Lessons Checklist ..................................................................127 vii Table of Contents Chapter 10: Managing the People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129 Three Areas to Watch............................................................130 Performance Levels ...............................................................131 The Motivation Checklist ......................................................132 Motivation Points Checklist..................................................133 Performance Problems Checklist ........................................134 Motivator and Hygiene Checklist .........................................137 Stage Briefing Checklist .........................................................138 Supplier Staff Checklist .........................................................139 Chapter 11: Templates for Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141 Header Block ..........................................................................142 The Project Charter ...............................................................142 Business Case .........................................................................145 The Project Management Plan .............................................146 Procurement Plan ..................................................................148 Quality Plan ............................................................................150 Risk Plan ..................................................................................151 Stakeholder Plan ....................................................................152 Communication Plan .............................................................153 Part IV: Checklists for Project Control ..............155 Chapter 12: Checking Each Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 Team Progress Checklist ......................................................158 Team Visit Checklist ..............................................................159 Stage Check Checklist ...........................................................160 Risk Check Checklist .............................................................162 Business Case Check Checklist ............................................163 Supplier Check Checklist ......................................................164 Stakeholder Check Checklist ................................................166 Readiness Check Checklist ...................................................167 Lessons Checklist ..................................................................167 Chapter 13: Stage Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169 Team Progress Report Checklist .........................................170 Stage Progress Report Checklist ..........................................171 Risk Report Checklist ............................................................173 Financial Report Checklist ....................................................174 viii Project Management Checklists For Dummies Chapter 14: Conducting a Stage Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175 The ‘Look Back’ Checklist .....................................................176 The ‘Current State’ Checklist................................................178 The ‘Look Forward’ Checklist...............................................179 PM’s Stage Gate Checklist .....................................................182 Chapter 15: Reviewing the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183 Closing and Evaluating a Project in PRINCE2 and PRIME ...........................................................................184 Project Completion Checklist ...............................................186 Crash Stop Checklist .............................................................187 Evaluation Plan Checklist .....................................................188 Chapter 16: Templates for Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191 Change Log Entry ...................................................................192 Change Log Overview ............................................................194 Product Definition ..................................................................195 Project Log ..............................................................................196 Risk Log Entry ........................................................................197 Risk Log Overview .................................................................198 Stakeholder Log .....................................................................199 Quality Checklist Template ..................................................199 Version Control Record ........................................................200 Work Checklist Template ......................................................202 Work Package .........................................................................203 Stage Gate Agenda .................................................................204 The Last Stage ..............................................................204 The Present Position ...................................................204 The next stage ..............................................................206 Conclusion ....................................................................206 Chapter 17: Templates for Repor ting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207 Team Progress Report...........................................................208 Stage Progress Report ...........................................................209 Stage Completion Report .....................................................210 Project Completion Report ...................................................211 Project Evaluation Report ....................................................211