Project management checklist

A to-do list for succesful project management

• Getting started

  • Develop a business case for the project
  • Make sure the project fits company agenda
  • Overview any key risks avoiding details
  • Identify all concerned in the project
  • Consult a finance expert
  • Get the business case approved by senior managers
  • Business cards

• Closing down

  • Set a date for a post project review meeting
  • Invite senior managers and project team
  • Consider debriefing the project team at the meeting
  • Check whether you have the same results as in the original plan
  • Check budget, quality requirements and deadline meeting
  • Make a list of unfinished tasks
  • Write final project report and share it with all concerned
  • Inform all involved in the project about its closedown
  • Write personal thank you notes to project contributors
  • Celebrate the close down within your team

• Monitoring the project

  • Agree monitoring and reviewing process with senior managers
  • Decide on how and what will be monitored
  • Keep records of the project
  • Choos the type of control that is needed
  • Agree monitoring and approving changes system with senior managers
  • Have a formal approval from senior managers before action on a change
  • Appoint someone to be responsible for the project quality
  • Review the project quality with the client
  • Make sure someone can sanction changes in senior management absence
  • Set an agenda for project meetings to review progress
  • Define action points against each item on the agenda
  • Review the items on the critical path
  • Report if cost or time limit exceed
  • Report progress at the end of each stage of the project
  • Monitor issues that may be causing concern

• Planning the project

  • Make your project planning checklist
  • List all the activities in work breakdown structure
  • Group tasks under different category headings
  • Write down dependencies of all activities
  • Estimate how much time each activity will take
  • Identify activities that have to be completed by the due date
  • Prioritize planned activities
  • Make a communication plan and communicate it with all concerned
  • Carry out a full risk analysis
  • Appoint a team member to manage each risk
  • Filter your project for slipping tasks
  • Make a Gantt chart to monitor the project progress
  • Make a milestone plan for the stages of the project
  • Check the project by the milestone dates
  • Set a realistic deadline for the project

• Defining the project

  • Write project definition statement
  • Send project definition statement to all concerned
  • Define areas to be included in the project scope
  • Describe what each person does in the project
  • Specify responsibility of each project team member
  • Think who should be in the project team
  • Ensure each team member has the skills required
  • Form a group of project managers
  • Hold a meeting with all concerned