1

What is a project?

• What a project is and is not.
• When should you go into project mode?
• The goals and restrictions of a project.

2

Defining the scope of your task

• Delimiting your responsibility and contribution: The mission letter.
• Identifying the requesters, goals, and challenges: The project outline.
• Delimiting the project's scope of action.
• Getting managerial bodies involved: Steering committee.

3

Defining the need

• Clearing up confusion between needs and solutions.
• Expressing needs: The specifications.
• Making decisions within limits of time or cost.
• Prioritizing needs: Fundamental, important, and desirable functions.

4

Constructing the project roadmap

• Inventorying tasks, how to limit omissions.
• Getting future stakeholders involved, relying on their expertise.
• Defining levels of responsibilities: The RACI matrix.
• Identifying possible risks: Proposing action plans.
• Constructing schedule and budget scenarios to help decision-makers decide.

5

Controlling the project's progress

• Getting contributors involved and motivated.
• Detect deviations and difficulties early enough to react.
• Managing the project team outside of normal reporting relationships (matrix mode).
• Monitoring suppliers.
• Organizing and leading a monitoring meeting with the project team: Key progress indicators.
• Crafting and presenting the monitoring dashboard to decision-makers.

6

Traps to avoid

• Common project pitfalls.
• Ten classic pitfalls to watch out for.
• Best practices: The art of good project management.