The project workflow from the project manager’s perspective

As project manager you should focus on the operational issues and the project objectives. The operational includes driving the project, leading the team and supporting each of the team members.

The Project operational plan (POP) gives support for the project manager and the project team. It clarifies the work in more detail, as well as how it should be performed.

A common way of creating an iteration plan is to select a subset of the product backlog, break that down and then apply rolling wave planning.

Status is reported regularly and communicated to all relevant parties, usually via a status report or visual board.

A decision log is a list of the issues and operational decisions during the lifetime of the project. The benefit being that they are then easily accessible rather than being distributed in separate minutes and protocols.

A Final Report details the degree to which the project achieved its objectives and communicates the experiences gained during the project. The final report clarifies who is responsible for evaluating the business objectives.

Milestones

Milestones mark results achieved along the way. They allow us to be more result-oriented during realization as opposed to being activity-oriented. In projects with high levels of uncertainty or complexity, milestones can give us greater flexibility and a good basis for rolling wave planning. Strive for clear acceptance criteria – what needs to have been accomplished in order to pass the milestone.

Milestones ought to be established to mark both larger and smaller achievements and should be reasonably frequent in time. In projects with high levels of uncertainty it can make sense to have more frequent milestones on the near horizon and further apart later on.

Upon reaching a milestone there is reason to celebrate and feel a sense of satisfaction. This will increase motivation among the team members and encourage them to tackle the next stage.

Each milestone also gives an opportunity to reflect and learn.

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