In bringing this wide range of material together in one publication we provide you with a document that will grow in usefulness as your experience grows. The manual summarises the skills needed by a professional project manager to undertake successful assignments, describing tools and techniques that will give you the confidence to approach any opportunity including; The Role of the Project Manager, defining and managing the working relationship between project manager and client ; ensuring clear understanding of each party’s roles and responsibilities. Project Control, Inception and Planning describes the start-up activities essential to obtain sufficient information to outline the project and obtain the buy-in of key stake-holders within the client’s organisation. This describes the key facets of the project from scope and objectives through description of the deliverables, identification of business factors through to the project’s resources and organisation. Initiation and the Project Management Plan are the essential initial planned activities. This ensures you have completely described what the business issues are and how the project objectives will address these issues. You will also have identified the business and technical constraints and the range of potential solutions. The Project Lifecycle varies depending on the type of project so general guidance is provided on; - Development and testing - Deliver, installation and commissioning - Acceptance by the client - Implementation and handover including any support requirements - Formal close-down NOTE: We strongly recommend that the Fast Track to Professional Project Management is read alongside the Fast Track to Professional Consultancy as the skills described will be an invaluable aid to the project manager’s daily responsibilities.
| Excerpt from Fast Track to Professional Project Management – The Client
The Client is the single most important person in the life of every Project Manager. Why?
The Client is the only reason for the Project's existence. The Client alone will decide if the Project has met its objectives. Satisfied clients are your best prospects for future business.
It is vital that the Client is managed properly by the Project Manager. This means a lot more than simply understanding contractual arrangements. The Project Manager should be aiming to achieve a level of involvement and co-operation with the Client that could best be described as a partnership. Note that the Client is unlikely to be just one person. It is important therefore that the Project Manager understands the Client’s organisation, hierarchy and levels of authority. However he/she shouldn’t get involved in internal Client organisation politics. Where a project has multiple clients further consideration must be given with regard to how best to manage these relationships. GUIDELINES ON CLIENT MANAGEMENT
Win the Client's confidence as quickly as possible. Without this you will not succeed.
Clients are human. Maintenance of a good working relationship needs constant care and attention on your part.
Be reasonable. Never ask a Client to accept something you would not accept yourself. By the same token clients should be expected to realise that everything they ask for has a cost which has to be met.
Reach a common written understanding with the Client of the Project's objectives and scope. Clients' objectives are likely to extend well beyond the objectives of the contract and they need to understand how far you can go in helping them to achieve these.
Clients are quite likely to attempt to involve suppliers in activities which are outside the scope of the contract, especially if they think they can do this without paying for it! It is therefore important that the scope of the Project is well understood and agreed at the outset. Detailing what you are not responsible for is often useful.
Treat requests for additional work as such and therefore potentially chargeable or worth trading with in some other way. The type of contract (Time & Materials or Fixed Price) will have a bearing on how much you will be able to trade with the client.
See things from the Client's point of view. An inexperienced Client needs extra support. You will fail if your Client fails to meet his/her objectives, regardless of whether or not you have done your part contractually.
Never risk losing his/her trust for a short-term gain. Once lost it will never be regained.
Anticipate potential problems that you may not be able to contain within your plans and expose them to him/her while (s)he is still able to contain them within his/her plans. All clients hate surprises - even pleasant ones.
Present the possible solutions at the same time as you expose the problem - and make sure your Client first hears about problems from you.
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