Small Project Management (2 days)

	Why This Course?
	Learning Objectives
	Audience
	Course Outline and Duration

Why This Course?
Today's professionals spend up to 75% of their time in project-related work. Much of this work consists of small projects that we fail to manage as projects. Rather we treat it as work that needs to be done by the end of the month. Thus, this unmanaged work just "happens". Because we are in an era where responsiveness and effectiveness are crucial, letting small projects "happen" is no longer acceptable.

Can project management methods help small projects in the same way the methods help larger projects? Yes! This case-oriented workshop shows how to apply basic techniques to managing, understanding, and coordinating small projects. At the same time, the techniques are fully compatible with our methods for larger projects.

Learning Objectives

	Define Project Management. Discuss the unique challenges of small projects, the skills needed to make small projects successful, and the methods that can keep them small.
	Document the Project Request; describe the 3D Life Cycle; discuss the purpose and benefits of each project phase.
	Use business case analysis to clarify the need, then produce one good objective. Determine the business requirements.
	Begin planning the project by prioritizing it compared to other projects.
	Describe the activities of the Design phase, and the value of each to the project.
	Tailor the Small Project WBS Template to create a work plan framework at an appropriate level of detail.
	Estimate activity effort and duration using the Small Project Worksheet. Describe how communicating assumptions produces more accurate, useful estimates.
	Schedule the project, using methods that are useful for one-person and multi-person staffing.
	Discuss the importance of involving others in appropriate project activities, and the challenges and strategies for doing so.
	Describe the use of Quality Reviews and Change Control in small projects.
	Describe the Deliver Phase activities and the value of each to the project.
	Apply minimum-effort project tracking methods; evaluate project progress.
	Scale Small Project Management techniques for smaller JDI and VSP (Just Do It and Very Small Projects), or for larger projects.
	Describe the personal and enterprise benefits of implementing small project management.

Audience
This workshop is for every professional who spends time on small projects, namely those projects that take up to 360 work-hours of effort and up to 3 months to complete. Although the workshop focuses on techniques for managing small projects, the techniques are for larger projects as well.

Course Outline (2 days)

1. Defining The Project

	Defining Project Management; Issues of Small Projects
	Characteristics of Small Projects; Successful-Project Skills
	Project Management Techniques; The 3-D Life Cycle; The Small Project Activity List
	Why Not "Just Do It"? First Step: Size Project and Plan First Phase
	Make a First Guesstimate; Evaluating Small Project Success Criteria
	State the Problem (or Opportunity); Define Scope and Objective
	Understand Current Environment; Define Requirements for an Acceptable Solution
	Priority and Planning the Next Phases; Reviews and The Basic Nine Deliverables
	Summary: Defining The Project

2. Planning The Project

	Establishing Priority Over Multiple Concurrent Projects; Reflecting Priority
	Building A Work Plan; Small Project Activity Templates; Specialized Activity Lists for Unique Projects
	Estimating Project Activities; High-Low Consensus Effort Estimating
	The Small Project Worksheet; The Effort — Duration Conversion
	Scheduling Methods: Calendar Scheduling; Scheduling with Gantt Charts
	Quality Assurance and Small Projects; Change Management and Small Projects
	Summary: Planning the Project

3. Coordinating The Project

	The Challenge of Coordinating Others; Leadership Meets the Challenge
	The Design Phase Activities; The Deliver Phase Activities: Purpose and Benefits
	Often Omitted Activities: Testing, Documentation and Training
	Minimalist Project Tracking; Implementing the Project: An Acceptance Test
	Evaluating and Ending the Project
	Scaling Techniques Upward; One Minute Small Project Manager
	Summary