Source: IMAGE OF 3D ARROW, HOUSE, COUPLE, ARCHITECT IN HARD HAT, MAN IN TIE HOLDING FOLDER, WORKING IN HARDHAT, WORKER WITHOUT HARDHAT, WORKER HOLDING PLANS, CALLOUT DIALOG, BROWSER WINDOW, SMARTPHONE, SQUIGGLY ARROW, RIGHT ANGLE ARROW, YELLOW HIGHLIGHT, IMAGES BY VIDEO SCRIBE, LICENSE HELD BY JEFF CARROLL; IMAGE OF STATUS REPORT, RISK MATRIX, CHANGE REQUEST, CREATIVE COMMONS, JEFF CARROLL; IMAGE OF THUMBS UP, CREATIVE COMMONS, KELLY EDDINGTON; IMAGE OF APPROVED STAMP, PUBLIC DOMAIN, HTTP://BIT.LY/MA4TAU.
Hi, I'm Jeff, and in this lesson, we'll continue our discussion of the case study for a real world project. We're going through all four phases of the project life cycle, covering each in the lesson. This lesson will cover phase three, managing the project. So let's get started.
A reminder that the case study that we'll use today is the development and construction of an energy efficient house for a couple. Once the planning phase is complete, it's time to put the plans into effect and begin the work creating the project deliverables.
To make sure everyone understands the work involved in our home construction, the project manager organizes a kick-off meeting at the building site. The architect, the homeowners, and the leads for the construction crews attend. At the meeting, the project manager leads the group through the plans created during the planning phase. The project manager also presents each crew leader with an accountability statement, which outlines the expectations for their work.
The communication plan is also reviewed during the meeting. Over the course of our house construction, the project manager will communicate often with all levels of the construction crews and with the homeowners and the architect. All available methods of communication should be used.
Email updates are sent every day to the stakeholders detailing the progress made on the home and alerting the stakeholders of any issues encountered. As we noted in another lesson, for our project, the project manager creates a website where the schedule can be viewed and where the homeowners can provide feedback on the work. And phone calls, in-person meanings, and videoconferencing from the building site are used to communicate about the project with the architect.
It's the project manager's responsibility to make sure every team member is aware of the communications that should be used and for the project manager to use the communication methods as well to set a strong example.
The project manager also formally communicates project progress with the homeowners and the architect. Through weekly status updates. These contain updates on the schedule, budget, and deliverable. Any issues are highlighted using a red color.
In order to provide detail for the status report, the project manager closely monitors the schedule and budget for this project. For each task and each individual working on the task, the project manager tracks the percent complete on the work and the actual time and effort already put into the task completion. The schedule and the budget are updated based on this information.
The project manager also oversees the quality of the work in our project. The project manager notes that the wrong type of shower head was installed, and that it would result in more water used for the homeowners. He discusses this with the crew and the shower is changed. Without this quality review, it might have been the homeowners who discovered the problem, and that could have led to frustration.
In addition to monitoring the schedule and budget, the project manager actively manages risks during this phase. All risks are categorized using the risk matrix, evaluating each risk based on the likelihood it would occur and the impact of the project if it did occur.
One risk on our project was the danger of the house becoming too hot in summer due to the number of windows used to gather solar heat. After the installation of the windows, this risk is triggered as the crew finds the house becoming too warm. The architects adjust contingency for this risk. Tile should be installed in some areas to absorb the heat and release it more slowly.
However, any change this large to the project scope needs approval from the homeowners. Change management is the responsibility of the project manager. So a change request is prepared and submitted to the homeowner and architect for approval. The change request describes the issue and the recommendation to address the issue. Impacts to the schedule and budget are also documented. The homeowners review the material and agree to make the change. The project manager then schedules the tasks.
While overseeing the work, the project manager continues to communicate with all individuals in the project. When team members suggest ways to save money for the homeowners or provide more energy efficiency, the project manager praises their efforts and recognizes their work during the daily progress meetings. The project manager also conveys feedback from the homeowners and the architect to the project team. This motivates the team since they understand their efforts are appreciated.
As a result, the house is finished within the budget and schedule approved by the homeowners, and the project is ready to move on to phase four, closing the project.
Nicely done! In this lesson, we discussed phase three, managing the project using an actual case study. Thanks for your time, and have a great day.
