Defining the Work
What is project management?
The first step is to define the work with your team before it begins. In his book “Just Enough Project Management,” author Curtis R. Cook underscores the following points to understand:
- What your team needs to deliver
- Who needs it
- Why your team is doing it
- Whether you are accountable for its success
- What your authority is for making this happen
Defining the Boundaries
When defining the work, it is best to also define the boundaries which consist of the following categories as noted by Jay Siegelaub:
- Schedule – When is your team’s projected or enforced end date?
- Scope – What will your team definitely do (“in scope”) and not do (“out of scope”)?
- Cost – What resources can your team deploy against the scope (dollars spent, people, assets, etc.) and what are the costs?
- Risk – What uncertainties will you need to define, monitor, and manage?
- Benefits – What value will the project deliver, and for whom?
- Quality – How will your team define what is considered “good enough”?
If you are unable to define the work and boundaries early on, you might find that it is not (yet) a “project.” Watch the video below to learn more about the process of defining the work and boundaries, including the key elements a project must have at the start to set your team up for success.
Key Terms in Project Management
Project performance domains are “related activities… critical for the effective delivery of project outcomes.” Let’s take a closer look at each project performance domain and why these matter in your work with teams.
Project Life Cycle
Think about the cadence that your team will follow to provide the deliverables. The following video describes types of delivery cadences—single, multiple, and periodic—that exist in project life cycles.
Defining the Boundaries
Defining the boundaries early on is key, and defending them is also important. Watch the video below to learn more about what it means to defend the boundaries.
Charter your Commitment
One effective method to define the work is to create a project charter which consists of the following details, as noted by the Project Management Institute:
- Project Name
- Strategic Objective
- Deliverables and Definitions of Completion
- In Scope
- Out of Scope
- Schedule Commitments
- Available Resources
- Agreements and Communications
Watch the following video to learn more about each aspect of the project charter in greater detail and important considerations when using this method for multiple projects.
As highlighted by the Project Management Institute, a baseline is “the approved version of a work product” that you have committed to do and “can only be changed through formal change control procedures.” The following video describes various elements of the baseline and how your team can implement a formal kick-off before committing to the work.
Toolkit
Worksheet: Project Charter Template
Fill out the key section of this project charter template to establish a shared understanding of the work ahead. Update as needed to guide your team’s planning and delivery process of the project. As you complete it, consider an example of an “unknown unknown” that another project has experienced and caused disruptions, and how might your team account for it in this charter and the execution of the project.
Embracing Different Thinking Styles and Perspectives
When working on projects with teams, it is crucial to embrace various thinking styles, perspectives, and experiences throughout the process. The space should be cultivated in a thoughtful and collaborative manner which welcome diverse viewpoints. This allows you to nurture the culture of the team environment, ensuring that the solutions your team has developed considers every angle and strengthening the team’s commitment to the path forward. The following video explores these points further.
Additional Resource
Now that you know how to define the work, check out the next section to learn how you can create the plan for your work on team projects.