Some Key Project Manager Actions and their impact in terms of results.
There are twenty key actions organized according to their support of the five essential project management lifecycle phases: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling and Closing
Phase |
Action |
Results of Successful Performance |
Initiating |
1. Demonstrate project need and feasibility. |
A document confirming that there is a need for the project deliverables and describing, in broad terms: the deliverables, means of creating the deliverables, costs of creating and implementing the deliverables, benefits to be obtained by implementing the deliverables. |
2. Obtain project authorization. |
A “go/no go” decision is made by the sponsor. |
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3. Obtain authorization for the phase. |
A “go/no go” decision is made by the sponsor which authorizes the project manager to apply organizational resources to the activities of a particular phase |
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Planning |
4. Describe project scope. |
Statement of project scope |
5. Define and sequence project activities. |
An activity list (list of all activities that will be performed on the project) |
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6. Estimate durations for activities and resources required. |
Estimate of durations (time required) for each activity and assumptions related to each estimate |
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7. Develop a project schedule. |
Project schedule in the form of Gantt charts, network diagrams, milestone charts, or text tables |
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8. Estimate costs. |
Cost estimates for completing each activity |
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9. Build a budget and spending plan. |
A cost baseline or time-phased budget for measuring/monitoring costs |
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10. Create a formal quality plan. (optional) |
Quality management plan, including operational definitions |
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11. Create a formal project communications plan. (optional) |
A communication management plan, including: |
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12. Organize and acquire staff. |
Role and responsibility assignments |
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13. Identify risks and plan to respond. (optional |
A document describing potential risks, including their sources, symptoms, and ways to address them |
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14. Plan for and acquire outside resources. (optional) |
Procurement management plan describing how contractors will be obtained |
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15. Organize the project plan |
A comprehensive project plan that pulls together all the outputs of the preceding project planning activities |
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16. Close out the planning phase. |
A project plan that has been approved, in writing, by the sponsor A “green light” or okay to begin work on the project |
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17. Revisit the project plan and re-plan if needed. |
Confidence that the detailed plans to execute a particular phase are still accurate and will effectively achieve results as planned. |
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Executing |
18. Execute project activities. |
Work results (deliverables) are created. |
Controlling |
19. Control project activities. |
Decision to accept inspected deliverables |
Closing |
20. Close out project activities. |
Formal acceptance, documented in writing, that the sponsor has accepted the product of this phase or activity. |