Project is, as much as possible, a master checklist of what you need to do to plan and manage a fairly complex project.
It is based on the idea that project management increasingly uses a master checklist that can be improved over time. This is better than uniquely planning each project from scratch, because it means that you can incorporate "lessons learned" into the system.
While we might re-arrange items into a better order (more systematic or reduced redundancies), it is important that none get deleted, but additions are possible. We might also be able to put things in a better order or eliminate some redundancies.
Some good advice from Eventspool:
Group the Action List and assign each group to the appropriate team member responsible for each action, then set achievable deadlines. Note form is better than lengthy minutes of meetings for this. Once you have created the Action List, monitor it regularly to make sure progress is being made and tasks are being completed. Your event Action List actually forms a powerful agenda structure for your meetings and is a living, breathing document which can be added to during the lead up, on the day, and after the event. If you keep a copy of the Action Lists on file with your other documents you will always have a blueprint document for future events.
A word of warning. This is a finite list of specific skills and tasks:
It will not replace a sound analysis of the context of specific projects, which will let you see the big picture of a particular situation and any unique needs.
You need to put them all together. If you can't integrate all the specific skills into a big picture, you're not really doing it. It's like a suitcase that's been unpacked; you can see all the items laid out separately. But you need to put them all together before you leave for the airport.
When I started writing and compiling this, the idea was to develop a master list of what you need to do to plan and manage a fairly complex event. Then I adapted it for events and community development projects. And then for project management generally.
Hopefully it is still a master list. The idea is that you can download relevant sections and delete anything irrelevant to your particular project, so that you have a fairly comprehensive list of what you have to do.
Then I realized it gets more complicated . . .
For a start, assessing feasibility requires foresight. You must consider some things at the beginning even though you won't actually plan them until later. In other words, the process isn't really linear.
Then I realized that:
Sometimes it's about explaining things to you, not just providing a checklist.
You should have your own organizational standards ("how we do things here") before you start planning a large project. It would be very difficult, and perhaps quite unrealistic, to write them from scratch as part of planning a major project. For example, do you have a purchasing policy? And an OHS policy?
Managing a project is not just about tasks that need to be planned and done. You must train staff in a huge variety of roles. So it's not just a task list, but an expertise list too.
Then there's the way the learning process works. No matter how good this e-book is, it will never make you into an instant expert. You cannot (or at least should not) try some things the first time without supervision. Information is not the same as knowledge.
There are basic and complex versions of the same skill.
Watch out for what you don't know. In many cases, Project suggests that you consult other people.
Short version: this e-book can't really give everything you want in one easy procedure.
About project management
Personal qualities
The qualities needed for managing projects vary according to the kind of project. And you will probably be weaker on some things.
If you're still learning, work on developing realistic expectations. In reality, it's hard work.
Absolutely critical:
Good communication skills (Good technical skills won't make up for poor communication.)
Good organizational skills.
Assertiveness: You need to be able to take control because it's your job to make sure things happen.
Able to work long hours, which can be difficult on families and relationships.
Willing to learn.
Able to deal with multiple stakeholders.
Good multi-tasking skills.
You will need planning and organization skills such as:
conceiving what will happen
conceiving how long things will take
conceiving what might go wrong
delegating
scheduling
operating within deadlines
building networks of clients
building networks with training institutions and other Project Management professionals.
Other personal attributes:
willing to consult others
effective as a public face
able to work with employees and other organizations
gain people's trust as a leader
able to be very busy at peak demand times
able to relax and not worry
doesn’t easily panic
able to learn from experience.
You will need general business skills in:
contracts
finances and budgeting
legal requirements
Ethics
Topics in project management ethics include:
Will you pay commissions to other people or organizations? If so, how much? What if they don't have a prior agreement?
Defining your limitations so you don't accept work outside your expertise.
Confidentiality
Cancellations
Overbooking (booking more than you can handle based on probable cancellations)
Sub-contracting
Principles of fair competition
Pricing (whatever the market can bear?)
Knowledge acquired from competitors (Do you need a knowledge policy?)
About planning
Project assumes that most of what you will as project manager is planning and preparation. The better you plan:
the more professional the project will be,
the less it will cost,
the fewer mistakes you’ll make,
the easier the project will be to run at the time (less stressful, less extra work, and less problems to fix),
the better you can handle any unexpected problems and emergencies that might arise, and,
the less conspicuous you’ll be. (People only notice if you make a mistake.)
If you're new ...
If you're new to to the study of project management, can I recommend the following textbook:
Making it Happen: A Non-Technical Guide to Project Management by Mackenzie Kyle
John Wiley and Sons Canada (Etobicoke, Canada, 1998)
Before you start ...
Define your business structure
Your role depends on your business structure. The tough question is Where does the buck stop? Who makes the agreement with subcontractors? Who is liable if you fail to provide services?
Are you an employee? For example, you might be working for a hotel and responsible to a manager. Or you could work for a sports association, or a community organization. It might be their project and your job is simply to coordinate it.
Are you a separate business? If so, you might be employing subcontractors for specific tasks and your business might be liable. There is the possibility of higher profits, but also higher risks.
Are you an agent acting on behalf of the project organization? You put the project together, but contractual relationships are between the project organization and the subcontractor.
Define your accountability structure and check what authority is delegated to you.
It normally means that:
You will be making decisions independently, although you will probably have to consult other people. You might have broad guidance from your supervisor.
You might have to follow some set routines, but you may have some freedoms to adjust as circumstances change.
As an project manager, you will probably be a team leader.
Your accountability structure will reflect not only the way decisions are made and held accountable, but also where people go to for help if they get stuck, and guide communication. It will vary according the nature and size of the organization, but might look like this.
Head of operations
|
Project Manager
and management committee
|
Task teams, contractors, etc.
Building effective task teams is essential for larger projects:
Make sure that they do real work, not just hold discussions.
Decide how often they need to meet.
Build people into teams; planning and working together is a good team-building exercise.
Make sure people get the big picture: the vision of what the project is supposed to achieve.
Write out your job description as project manager
Does your employer have a policy basis with which you must comply?
To whom are you accountable?
Exactly what for? For example:
Who will incur debts?
Who must approve the final plan?
Who must approve the budget?
Who must sign cheques?
Who must bank income?
Who must keep records?
In your job description, clarify what you do not do. For example, unless you work in a small organization, you will probably not be: the graphic designer of brochures, the sales-person at the kiosk, the security guard, the website designer, the accountant, or many other things. You will most likely be responsible to liaise with them, and each of them has their own expertise.
What is a project?
A project is a complex task that requires:
leading the work of a team
setting and achieving a set of goals to get the project done
meeting a set of criteria
working within a set of parameters (e.g. time, budget)
Projects always have a beginning and an end, and always go through the stages:
Planning
Execution
Monitoring and iterating
Reporting
Simple projects
Simple projects tend to have the following characteristics:
The whole project is on one site.
The policies and many procedures are already in place.
Staff are already in place.
You already have a network of suppliers and purchasing arrangements.
WHS and emergency procedures are already established.
Develop a proposal or bid
You may wish to place a tender or a bid for a brief for which the specifications are already written.
Either way, you are drawing up a formal document to claim that you or your organization can manage such a project.
The bid or proposal may be for the whole project or only some aspects of a larger project:
technical support
financial support
marketing and promotion plans
A. Interpret the brief
Find out exactly what the brief means. You will need to read between the lines and check ramifications.
Consider risks
Consider regulatory compliance load
Assess whether you have the capacity to meet its requirements
Identify what you would need to do to develop a proposal or bid.
Plan what you will do.
Speak with the client to clarify requirements if you need to do so.
B. Develop proposal or bid details
Consult suppliers and other relevant agencies
Develop details for inclusion in the proposal or bid . These may vary but. in the event management industry, they often include:
general concepts and themes
business program
social program
costs
touring
accommodation
entertainment
staging
special features
sample promotional materials
references and details of other successful undertakings
organizational information (e.g. structure, personnel etc)
support statements, information from other organizations
approach to environmental impacts and issues
Develop options to meet and where possible exceed the expectations of the client
Seek support for the proposal or bid from significant individuals and agencies
Evaluate possible competitors and develop strategies to address competitive issues
C. Develop bid materials
Prepare bid materials that meet or exceed the requirements of the brief
Present materials in a format that communicates effectively and makes a good impression. This may involve:
Written proposals
Colour photographs
Table-top models
On-on-one meetings
Presentations to groups
Answering questions
Audio-visual displays.
having technical information on hand.
Get the big picture
Define the big picture of your operating context. If you can see the whole, you will be better able to anticipate anything not covered in Project. That way you can fit the purpose, people, planning implementation and closure into a harmonious whole.
Even so, it is quite likely that some things will need to be done that you will not anticipate. Unless you have someone to whom you can delegate them, they are now your job, no matter how menial they are.
You will need to integrate and balance the overall project management functions of scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk and procurement. You will also need to align and track progress toward objectives.
Identify overall objectives and scope
Get a very clear idea of why this project is needed. It may be simple, but it may be more complex, and a needs analysis may be necessary. Perhaps you will need to consult widely to identify the objectives of the project and the scope of its activities. This is likely to be the case if:
Your client or supervisor did not have existing specifications.
Your client needs help to define them.
You are developing a proposal or bid.
It might sound odd, but purpose and objectives may be quite varied. You may need to decide:
how you can theme and leverage the project for optimal outcomes
how entrepreneurial you must be in management and financing
Any differences between corporate and government marketing practices
The steps
The steps are basically as follows:
Consult with stakeholders and reach agreement on the key objectives and the broad scope of the project.
Identify and analyze factors that could affect the project. These might include any of the following:
marketing and promotional issues (e.g. potential for and value of media coverage)
Parallels and Gantt charts
During most projects, the overall project manager has a number of things going on at once. They might be quite separate from each other, even if they are all essential to achieving the same project outcome. In other words, you need to keep track of a range of simultaneous activities.
Here's a diagram (called a Gantt chart) of a 9-week project, with a row for each activity. You'll notice that:
More than one kind of activity is usually going on at one time.
Some activities must end before others can start
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Dependencies
A project consists of a series of tasks. Some can be done simultaneously, but some depend on other tasks to be finished first. That is, you can’t start one task until another task is finished. These are called dependencies.
For example, you are building a house:
Get a building permit.
Clear the block and prepare the surface. (For example, you might need to remove trees and their stumps, bring in extra soil, or bulldoze the block.)
Put in footings.
Build walls or pillars.
Put in a roof frame.
Apply roof covering
This example is very simple; for example:
To get a building permit, you might first need to have evidence of the dimensions of the block, a plan drawn up to suit their specifications, and a zoning check. You might also need a geological check if the soil has problems.
To put in a roof frame, you have to have tradesmen contracted and the right materials delivered.
A PERT chart contains all tasks in the project, with arrows connecting tasks with those on which they depend. (PERT stands for Project Evaluation and Review Technique.)
Critical path
Critical path is a way of calculating the minimum time that a project will take, in other words, the fastest it can possibly be done. To illustrate, let’s say the project consists of three tasks: A, B, and C:
Task A takes at least one month, and you can’t start task B until task A is finished.
Task B takes at least two months, and you can’t start task C until task B is finished.
Task C takes at least three months.
That is, you know that this case, from the beginning of Task A to the end of task C, takes at least six months (1+2+3).
However, it can be more complex, because a particular task might depend on multiple other tasks that might finish at different times. In the building example, putting in a roof frame requires (1) having tradesmen contracted and (2) able to be present, and (3) the right materials delivered. However, these three conditions might not all be met at the same time, so you can't start putting in a roof frame until you meet all three conditions.
In that case, the critical path is the shortest path through the network of dependencies.
Planning questions
Is the project feasible? You may need to conduct a specific study, including a trial budget.
Who are the stakeholders? Do you need to carefully analyze their opinions? For a complex project, you might soon lose track of all the different kinds of people and organizations with whom you are dealing. You might need to deliberately identify your stakeholder groups, for example:
Suppliers
Services (accounting, legal, etc.)
Clients
Government departments
Lobby groups
What is the overall operating climate?
Do you need to analyze the impacts of your project? (Impacts may be social, economic, environmental, legal, or in public relations.) Will analyses be part of your preparation, or as part of your review afterwards, or both?
What planning needs to be done six months in advance?
What planning needs to be done three months in advance?
What needs to be done one month in advance?
What roles will you delegate? Who to?
Will you meet with a planning team?
If so, how often?
Check people have done delegated tasks
Handle problems
Handle things that could fall between the cracks
What kinds of team-building will you do?
Who will check your plans?
What contingencies will you plan for? Who will be responsible for them?
Who will you need to brief beforehand on their role or how they will be cued?
Build your project-specific checklists.
Identify and document the Critical Success Factors for this project. Write a strategy to ensure that each one is met.
Are your notes good enough for someone else to use? (There is a risk that key people might drop out.)
Your stakeholders' contact details
The more complex the project, the more necessary it is to organize everybody's contact details. For most people you will need to have:
Their full legal names
Their official job titles
Phone numbers: work, after hours, fax, mobile.
Addresses: email, street, postal.
Emergency contact details
For organizations, you will normally also need:
official addresses
names and contact details of official contact personnel
details of communication protocols (e.g. if you need to be paid, will you need an authorized job number for each payment?)
business registration numbers for tax purposes. (In Australia, it can be unadvisable to work with an organization with no ABN if there is a risk of incurring their GST tax.)
Plan the project
Do some research to find out what issues and requirements affect your project.
If necessary, establish a management group or a steering committee and define its terms of reference
Get agreement (in writing if necessary) of stakeholders
Identify who will make decisions and delegate authority to do so.
Develop a plan that includes:
statement of the project objectives and outcomes
strategies
timelines
indicators, milestones, or measures of progress
activities
budgets
resource requirements
communication strategies
merchandising (if applicable), and
risk analysis
Decide on evaluation techniques to monitor progress.
Decide on systems for recording and maintaining records
Communicate the project plan
in technical form for specialist personnel
in public relations form for non-experts
Allocate resources
The project plan may may be:
a single document
a covering document which integrates the requirements of the nine functions of project management using appropriate formats and procedures. (Some venues require your documentation to cover a large number of facets.)
Develop systems and procedures
Identify the procedures and systems that you will need for the project, and discuss it with your colleagues and clients to be sure you have it right.
Find out what procedures you need for dealing with your suppliers.
Go through Project and develop the systems and procedures that you need. Get them written down in a way that would be easy for someone else to take over if you fall sick etc. (Hint: sometimes the form is the procedure.)
What is your hierarchy of control for communications?
How will you manage stress and time during the project?
Systems must do an effective, efficient job of managing and administering any of the following relevant to your project:
organizing committee;
health and safety;
risk assessment;
general record keeping and reporting;
communications with staff (e.g. walkie-talkie options, meetings etc.);
site management;
contractor communication protocols, e.g., main liaison person within a site
cash management;
recording and processing results;
loss prevention;
food services.
Check that you have adequate resources allocated for system set up and monitoring.
If necessary, get approval for systems.
Brief your colleagues on the systems and procedures long enough before the project to be useful for them.
Give people any needed training and support.
Decide what access you will give the media
Develop and implement systems and procedures.
Develop a timeline and put it in writing
Define people's roles and responsibilities
Develop a contingency strategy
Develop databases of rostered staff, equipment hirers, and suppliers.
Plan transport
What transport will you need? What freight will you need? How much, and when?
Develop a transport and logistic plan
Identify the legal, safety and insurance issues
Identify budget factors, such as budget constraints for transport. Will you be able to recoup costs by charging passenger fares?
Liaise with stakeholders
Identify critical tasks and allocate timelines
Communicate the transport plan to staff and stakeholders. Define carefully what each of them needs to know and decide how you will inform them
Your plan might need to cover:
appointment of person in charge and lines of authority
communications protocols
contact relevant authorities for information and permission
retrieval, check and return vehicles to sources
available transport and timetables
parking
pick-up and drop-off points
timetables
refuelling procedures (where, when, who does it, how paid for)
back-up transport system (for breakdowns, etc.)
adequacy of informed taxi service
special conditions for consideration
staff of trained personnel
availability of emergency service
access and parking locality for emergency vehicles and suppliers
traffic problems, especially rush hours
What are the risks and how will you manage them?
Develop critical incident procedures within the logistics plan.
Ensure appropriate security for vehicles and keys when not in use.
Monitor weather conditions for outdoor activities and have contingency plans.
Write rosters and timetables, and allocate vehicles
Ensure efficient allocation of transport resources in terms of availability and variety
Monitor usage of vehicles
Monitor weather conditions and develop appropriate contingency plans
Provide maps of all site locations and routes to drivers and navigators
Your communication strategy
Who needs to know what?
People who need to be informed might include:
Your supervisor
Your home-office liaison person
Your bookkeeper
Site managers
Local on-location managers
Local support staff
Local suppliers and subcontractors
Transport providers/airlines
Insurance providers
Give people all information they need, normally in written form. Different people will need different combinations of information, and it is easy to swamp people with too much information at once.
You may need to provide a briefing and Q & A session.
You will want to talk some people through it individually.
Copy and distribute the itinerary or plan to everybody.
Make sure all documents are dated. (If a document is modified, people will need to be able to identify the most up-to-date version.)
Decide on a strategy
Decide how you will make housekeeping announcements during the project.
What do you need to tell and to whom?
Everybody
Staff only
Officials only
Committee members only
Others
When and how? (You will probably need more than one means of communication.)
Short daily meetings
Notice board
Two-way radio
Visit and talk
Email
Etc.
Who should staff go to if they need help? For example:
They lose instructions.
The instructions don't seem to work.
They are late or sick.
They need to leave early.
They get unclear or conflicting instructions.
Develop a risk management plan
Your risk management is a key component of all projects. In essense, it is asking: What could go wrong?How likely is it to happen? What harm could it cause?Could we prevent it?Could we limits its effects?
The list of possible risks is practically endless, but risk management is essential to all but the simplest project plans. You may be legally liable for negligence if you don't take reasonable care in identifying risks and something goes seriously wrong.
Risk management generally has up to six stages:
Define the context in which you operate
Identify risks
Analyze risks and evaluate them in terms of harm and probability
Manage risks by doing something about them
Monitor whether your approach has been successful
Report to your supervisor
Your risk management must be a written document. It may be done once for a generic kind of simple project, but may need to be reviewed in each planning meeting. Each complex project needs a new document. Caution: some managers memorize their entire risk system. Good if you can, but you should still write things down.
Here are the things you need to cover in your plan:
Analyze and interpret your position.
Read and interpret your policy on risk management.
Audit your organization to identify risk management context and potential areas of risk.
Analyze your organizational capability to reduce and control the likelihood of both incidents and consequences.
Develop a risk register incorporating a probability/ consequence matrix
Put your risk management policies into writing and include provisions for training of all relevant groups and individuals.
Write procedures to regularly review risk management activities (e.g. in team meetings.)
Identify access to external specialist assistance within the plan.
Establish procedures for on-going identification of risks.
Consider cancellation and posponement procedures:
Who will make the decision?
When is the last possible time for cancellation or postponement?
Who must be informed, and how?
Note: Consider allocating a percentage of the budget for contingencies.
Implement the plan
Now you have to put the plan into practice.
Monitor activities to continuously identify potential risk
Document and analyze sources of risk
Examine risks in terms of the criteria in the risk management plan
Place risks classified as low/acceptable on a monitor/review watch list
Eliminate unacceptable risks wherever it is practical.
If you cannot eliminate a risk, mitigate or minimize it according to the risk management plan
Put your strategies for risk minimization into writing
As you go, ask Is the plan working? Evaluate your risk management.
In particular, examine activities that do not achieve their objectives or performance outcomes. Find out why there were ineffective. (It could be that the plan did not perform, but could also be that your expectations were unrealistic.)
Analyze any incidents (as well as near-miss incidents) and review the risk management plan on each occasion.
Common risks in project management
You might find legal risk increases with increased government-regulated activities becuase it can be very easy to inadvertantly fail to comply. You should also be aware of civil and tort law, things that you could be sued for, even if there is no law against them. (Some of these are best managed through a register of contracts.)
The list of common risks is practically endless, but you should consider the risk areas below:
Public relations and adverse publicity
Emergency and public safety risks
fire
earthquake
bombing
chemical leak or spill
illegal entry
medical emergency
equipment failure
stage failure or collapse
Staff
Who is responsible for staff-related risks?
Do you need police clearances for anybody?
What if staff fail to show (e.g. sick?)
Is there a possibility of staff disputes?
Industry-related risks (e.g. the main risks in the music industry are scaffolding, temporary cabling, and loud noise.)
Security risks (e.g. theft of goods, intellectual property, data, or personal information)
Special risks related to children (e.g. boredom, getting lost, assault, sickness)
Advertising. If advertising is circulated before it is agreed upon, then you may be advertising falsely. And if advertising is ahead of your ability to provide what you advivertise, you are inadvertantly advertising falsely.
Insurance risks:
How will a claim affect your premium?
What kinds of incidents might not clearly be covered by your insurance?
What kinds of documented policies, procedures and training do you have in place to maximize your ability to successfully make a major claim if something goes wrong?
What kinds of incidents could affect your ability to get insurance in the future?
Financial risks:
Incorrect estimates of income
Incorrect estimates of costs
Theft
Vandalism
Bad debts
Supplier's non-performance
Legal risks
liability risks from accidents etc
How watertight are your contracts?
If you have locked the project in by contract, the possibility of cancellation or major change has been reduced. As a project manager, that is one of your biggest risks. But could they still get out of their commitments? If so, what compensation is due to you? And what are your chances of actually getting compensation?
Your contract commits you to supply certain services? What could prevent you from doing so?
Any other kinds of risks:
weather conditions (Get information on usual weather conditions and times of sunrise and sunset)
personnel (being late or sick or exhibiting behavior problems)
duty of care
legal considerations
catering
change of board members
equipment breakdowns
facilities being unready
funding failing to materialize
other factors outside the control of the organization
etc.
Other risk factors may involve:
human error
observance of local, state and federal regulations
commercial factors
marketing and promotion
finance
acts of nature
Crises may involve:
location problems
equipment difficulties
absence or illness of key staff
drugs and alcohol
natural events
contractual difficulties
major miscommunication
General legal requirements
First, identify all major elements of the project that are relevant to government regulations. In the context of projects, general legal requirements include any relevant legislation from all levels of government that affects what you do, as well as anything that you could be sued for.
Develop a register or database of all major government regulation requirements. To this, add background regulatory requirements (i.e. those for which you don't have to specifically make an effort to comply with, but which could affect what you do). You should at least have a list of:
Federal and state legislation (including licenses required), with which you must comply.
Local government laws.
Regulations and policy statements
Awards
Procedures for relating to government departments to which you are accountable in some way.
Consider whether these are relevant to you:
The location might be designated for specific purposes.
The location might have maximum capacities.
environmental clearances
public liability
duty of care, including police clearances
risk management
occupational health and safety
health regulations for providing food
adequate policy basis for decisions
authorization by board for all activities
fire egress
First aid
insurances, including professional indemnity and public liability
confidentiality of private communications
legislation affecting stakeholder relationships.
Other legal factors that might affect you are:
industrial relations, employment laws and regulations, award and enterprise agreements
taxation for suppliers and consumers
employee taxation
environmental issues
equal opportunity
anti-discrimination
specific industry codes of practice
Permits and licenses
Many activities require a permit or license of some kind. These may include permits for special traffic management arrangements, scaffolders' licenses, licenses for serving food, and licenses for security guards.
Transport has particular requirements:
driver's licenses (especially relating to special classes of vehicles) and not at the time supsended. Keep copies on file.
vehicle roadworthiness
vehicle registration
Licensing requirements more particularly for personnel can include:
builders and building work
electricians and electrical work
plumbers
gas fitters
handling hazardous materials
using forklifts
special effects and pyrotechnics
Keeping registers of agreements
During your project planning, you will probably initiate agreements and contracts with suppliers and sponsors. If so, you should have a list of all agreements to make sure that:
you keep all your obligations,
they deliver according to the agreement.
Give your accountant an up-to-date copy of the list (or keep it on an intranet) so the accountant knows what payments they must make and receive, and the terms of payment.
Involving government
Then identify all government agencies that are relevant to the project. These may be federal or state departments, local governments, sections, qangos, government owned corporations, or local teams.
Do you need a personal meeting?
Determine which are relevant to meet with personally and which are not. In some aspects, you might only need to know that you comply with all regulations, and may not need to work with government departments at all on those aspects. Checking their website information can sometimes be adequate.
You might not need a personal meeting, but you might still need clarification. You could make contact in writing (usually email) and ask them if you fall under legislation relating to their jurisdiction. However, public servants tend not to give direct answers, because they are generally reluctant to interpret the law (especially in writing) unless they are very sure of what they say. They will probably ask you for more information about what you plan to do, give you information over the telephone, send you written information checked by their lawyer, or give you an appointment to speak to them.
In some cases, of course, they might know very little about what you need to do and will be unable to give any useful advice. Alternatively, they might want to play it safe and could require you to comply with things that are not really necessary. (In those cases, an industry expert or lawyer might give quite different advice.)
They are generally quite helpful if you have the attitude of making the effort to comply with all relevant legislation. It is quite possible that there are different regulations that are not easily reconciled, and they might give you good advice on strategies to comply with both.
If you need a personal meeting ...
Identify the most relevant person in government to liaise with on relevant elements of the project. These may be:
politicians (your local MP is easy to contact and meet with if you have something more difficult or important to say, and, usually, in their best interests.)
heads of departments
Chief Executives (local government)
section heads
officers
Arrange a meeting to discuss the elements of the project within their area of responsibility. As you go, keep a record of the meeting, and develop a database of your government contacts.
Public relations
Will you need a public relations program?
What is your organization's current public profile? (How is your organization viewed?)
Does your organization already have a constituency or established brand? (That is, do you already have prospective customers, clients, or attenders?)
Does your organization already have an established medium to communicate with prospective customers, clients, or attenders?
Who will be in charge of public relations and any specific promotions?
Who will produce copy?
Who will produce layout and artwork?
Who will sight and approve copy and artwork
Logos
Are you authorized to use the organization's logo? If so, are there special rules about how it may or may not be used?
Will your product or conference have a logo of its own?
Should your logo be registered as a trade mark?
Do you have written permission to to use sponsor logos?
What will you outsource?
How will you handle the press
N.B. You must have your plan and budget approved by your supervisor before any advertising goes out.
Scheduling
You will need to manage time very carefully, that is, draw up and follow a schedule. You will also need to evaluate your time management outcomes.
Find out:
The scope of the project (what you are actually planning for)
How long the site will take to manage
The sequence of activities
What tasks depends on what other tasks
Write up a full schedule
How will you determine a schedule? For example, you might:
use personal experience
use subject matter experts
do qualitative and/or quantitative time analysis, such as schedule simulation, decision analysis, contingency planning and alternative strategy development
use specialist time analysis tools
Develop a time management plan that links to your resource allocation and financial requirements. Your plan might include, for example:
a project schedule
a project schedule with sub-schedules
a list of milestones
schedule management strategies and actions,
standardized formal arrangements,
responsibility assignment,
contingency plans and
assigned schedule management responsibilities
Consider logistics. Include in your plan:
What is needed where? When?
What must be got off-site? By when?
Transportation needs?
How much time travelling?
What records will you keep? They may include:
lists of variances and forecasts of potential schedule projects
Gantt, PERT and other scheduling charts
diaries, incident logs, occurrence reports and other such records
records of analysis, evaluation of options, recommended and approved courses of action
How long will people take to assemble and disperse?
Get agreement to the schedule from your supervisor before you go any further.
Schedule implementation
When you put you plan into practice, review progress as you go to keep on track. Keep an eye on variances, evaluate their impact, and forecast any changes to the schedule
Respond to perceived, potential or actual schedule changes. You might need to get your supervisors' agreement for them.
When you assess time management outcomes, evaluate the effectiveness of your approach, and compile a list of lessons learned on time management. Include them in your report to your supervisor for application to other projects.
Suppliers
What will you need from suppliers? Start by making a list or accurate summary of requirements for each project component.
What kinds of agreements with suppliers and contractors do you already have?
Do you need to find other suppliers and contractors to provide services for the project?
Can you get trade rates?
Do you trust them for reliable, good service?
Brief contractors on exactly what you need from them. For example, your specifications may include:
price
performance standards
timelines
quality
technical specifications for equipment etc.
regulatory and licensing requirements
previous experience
Get complete quotes in writing.
Choose contractors in consultation with stakeholders (e.g. your supervisor)
Confirm agreements with contractors in writing to include details and costs of all services. Agreements should be written, and should clearly specify time, location, exact services, exact costs, and record any holding deposit paid. (The exchange of money makes contracts binding.)
Will you need legal advice for complex contracts?
Add agreements to your register of agreements.
What will you do about keeping and monitoring a register of agreements? (See legal.)
Monitor suppliers and contractors during preparation
Regularly speak to stakeholders to check whether contractors are doing okay. (E,g. quality of work, how well it meets requirements, whether they are on schedule, etc.)
Check with contractor that it is okay. (Glitches might be caused by your organization.)
Identify the need for any changes, and negotiate and organize them.
Get confirmation of changes in writing
Evaluate work completed against project requirements and time schedules.
Fix any problems arising (delays, mistakes, etc.)
Personnel
Decide how your will recruit and/or select personnel.
Decide what payment and/or privileges you will give them.
Write out job descriptions and what you will put in them.
Decide what orientation and training you will provide.
Provide induction.
Note: If you don't know the current employment laws, you should familiarize yourself with them. Even if you are using volunteers, you still have some responsibilities to them as if they were paid employees.
One professional association suggested rounding up students and rewarding their work with a free association memberships, prizes (e.g. books), or free attendance when off-duty. It also inducts them in the professional network, which could be handy when looking for jobs after graduation.
Run the project
During this stage you monitor activites and evaluate the whole operation. Even if it is well-planned, you might be busy, especially attending to normal glitches as you go.
Check that service meets the client's needs and follows the plan.
Monitor sessions and activities throughout the project
Identify problems promptly and take action to resolve the situation (e.g. additional requirements that you need to organize promptly).
Liaise with your client throughout the project to ensure it is progressing to their satisfaction.
Liaise with all suppliers on an ongoing basis to ensure they provide services or products as agreed.
Monitor and review your systems and procedures:
While running the project, you should make notes of improvements based on glitches you experience.
Get suggestions for improvement from colleagues.
Make changes and implement them.
Keep your supervisor informed, especially in cases where procedures and systems needed supervisor approval in the first place.
By having written documents version-controlled, you will be able to be sure that you are using the most up-to-date version.
Closing the project
You need to get final approvals from various people. Make a list of the sign-offs as early in the project as you can. They usually have different, separate procedures because each one has a different, separate purpose (e.g. quality inspectors, contractors, suppliers, insurers)
At the end of a project, you need your supervisor to sign it off as all done.
You might also want to consider what you will do if someone refuses to sign off on something.
Financial completions
At the end of a project, you need to close the books on it. This will normally be a financial acquittal from your project accountantor bookkeeper. It's basically a document stating how funds were spent and closing off the the project books.
It might be your role to check that that reports are clear, concise and accurate. Then promptly send reports to the people they are supposed to go to. You will probably have a deadline and might also have to provide statistical information. You might also have an internal audit.
Evaluation
How will you get feedback from all stakeholders? (e.g.
Get feedback from staff and clients (usually informal interviews but could be a focus group or feedback form) for future planning
De-briefing with suppliers to discuss any difficulties or suggestions for future improvements
Did the project achieve its purpose and objectives effectively and efficiently?
Did you define the objectives accurately?
Were the original needs met effectively and efficiently?
Did the budget work? Suggest improvements
Evaluate your documents, and make any improvements.
What changes do you need to make to your master checklist?
Do you need to develop evaluation criteria and documentation for each identified objective?
Final reports
Prepare reports and make recommendations on areas of improvement that you and your team have identified. Reports may include: