Page 84 - Straight Talk On Project Management IV

Deliverables. What will be produced by the project, and what are its key features? ...

Justification for the project. ...

Constraints. ...

Assumptions. ...
Inclusions/Exclusions.”

The reason I suggest making it a habit is that sometimes it is skipped when an outcome seems clear
and obvious. More often than not, something happens during the lifecycle to make the project team
regret this. You put on a seatbelt whether you’re driving to the convenience store down the road or
going on a long-distance trip, apply the same safety mindset to scope statements for IT projects.

Document the scope on the complex and the (apparently) not so complex projects and you’ll have
fewer surprises.

3 – Be As Clear About What Deliverables Are Not Included

Scope statements and documents are great. They tell you what is expected from your IT Project but,
together with this, it helps to develop a mindset that is clear about what deliverables fall outside the
boundaries and be able to articulate this.

Stakeholders and sponsors will try to push these boundaries, especially when you’re starting out it’s
very easy just to agree and then suffer silently the consequences as you become overstretched.

4 - Stakeholder Analysis Is A Powerful Ally

Some form of stakeholder analysis will give you a valuable insight into people’s needs and, maybe
more vitally, their influence over your project.

Not all stakeholders are equal, even within a specific management or executive level there will be
different communication and response needs depending on a stakeholder’s power and vested
interest in the outcomes.

Imagine the C-suite of a global business. They are all stakeholders in your IT Project as it will deliver
business change but do they all have the same level of power within the organisation? Do they all
have the same level of interest – if the change doesn’t directly affect their silo probably not.
Knowing who has a high level of power, influence and interest is vital for the smooth running of your
project.

If you’ve ever failed to satisfy a high power or high-interest stakeholder, you’ll know it’s a lesson you
only have to learn once!!

5 – Never Lose Sight Of The Three Pillars of Project Management
Also known as ‘The Triple Constraints of Project Management’ or ‘The Iron Triangle of Project
Management’ … budget, scope and schedule. Never lose sight of any of them.

My project manager pal Malc uses this analogy when training new hires on the triangle, “It’s like
taking three infant puppies to the beach, imagine which one you’d most keep an eye on? Well, it
would be all three, equally, wouldn’t it!?”
In IT Project Management, altering one constraint could necessitate changes in the others or quality
will suffer. For instance, a project’s scope could be increased but could you do this without