1.1

Ensure a project, job, or cost code number is opened for the project. For internal projects, check that the correct authority level has authorised the project.

1.2

Make sure the proposal costs are cut off from the project costs. You may get stuck with proposal costs, but make sure they are recorded separately.

1.3

Organize space for the project. Try and maximise the number of people in the same location. If there will be a client in your office, it is necessary to strike a balance between integrating them into the team and task force area and preventing them from interfering at the working level.

1.4

Set up a job register system to monitor that only people working on your job can book to the job. Be ruthless about getting rid of hangers on. Update it on a regular basis.

1.5

Establish a weekly and/or monthly project calendar that will remain as the standard for the duration of the project. It should include public holidays, prearranged meetings and reporting cut‐off dates. Update it and distribute it on a regular basis.

1.6

Fix key meetings in advance (see Section N Project Meetings). Publish a meeting schedule. Reserve a conference room for the required dates for the duration of the project.

1.7

Prepare organization charts. Issue a list of job titles and descriptions. Update them regularly throughout the project so that everyone knows who reports to whom.

1.8

Inform the client of any proposed changes in key personnel and, if necessary, obtain their approval.

1.9

Set up any necessary employee orientation programmes.

1.10

As part of team building (Part V, Section Q subsection 2), consider using and developing a project motivational phrase to be used on all project documentation. Succinct phrases, as used by many large corporations, do make an impact. They work.

1.11

Review plans for project use of computers, software, and data processing. If you are buying software, do not buy it on the basis of a presentation from a vendor. Give them a problem or live data to use in real time.

1.12

If you are going to make a film/video of your project, plan it now.

2.1

Set up a numbering system for letters, e‐mails, facsimiles, conference notes, telephone conversations, and so on. Ensure all communications with clients are recorded for protection down the road!

2.2

Set up a master document register and establish the associated document distribution matrix. Take care – too wide a distribution can cost a fortune (remember it may be your money). Too small a distribution can cause communications to break down. See Part V, Section B, paragraph 2.17.

2.3

Maintain an action list on a daily basis and issued weekly as follows:

• Item No.
• Subject
• Action to be taken
• Date on list
• Completion date
• Responsible for action – company individual/client?

2.4

Set up the project filing system (see Part V, Section F). You may need an origin/destination system for letters and a subject system for other documents. Think about it carefully – you may spend an inordinate amount of time looking for papers in the future. You may need to produce letters and documents in your defence. A separate file with all documents relating to a specific problem can be very useful.

3.1

Initiate the development of the responsibility matrix (see the project management model Figure I‐B‐1). The matrix can take a number of forms, from that indicated in the description of who does what, to forty to fifty line items of documentary processes (listed down the left‐hand side). The list will show who initiates activities, who performs the actions, and who has the ultimate approval. These activities will be distributed under the headings (along the top of the chart) for the relevant corporate and project roles. It can also be used to show who reports to whom. The vertical column under a particular job title shows every contribution that is to be made by the person with that role. For each of the tasks listed on the left side of the chart, a horizontal row shows the division of responsibility for the task listed. Examination of the vertical columns will indicate where there are bottlenecks in the system.

3.2

If project personnel, who have been granted approval authority (for example, procurement commitment, cash advances, expense reports, or travel authorizations) no longer need this authority for any reason or are reassigned, make sure that the manager of projects sanctioning the authority is informed so that their delegated approval can be cancelled.

3.3

Set up effective, regular appraisals of personnel in the project team. If appraisals are carried out by functional managers, ensure project management has an input into the appraisals. The functional manager may have little knowledge of a person's abilities/performance on the project.

4.1

Write the project procedures and, if necessary, approved by the client (if not fully detailed in the contract). If the key team members write the procedures for their areas of responsibility, review them in detail before signing off on them.

4.2

Ensure that quality assurance procedures are prepared and implemented and that regular audits are carried out. Make sure that these cover all aspects of the project, particularly areas of high technology.

4.3

Ensure that team members know the procedures and stick to them.

4.4

Publish a project language policy. For example, perform the project in English and then translate documents into the foreign language when they are complete. Alternately, translate the documents at the end of the project when they have to be handed over.

5.1

Review lessons learnt from other projects with the team (perhaps as part of a team‐building seminar). Develop, with the team, what you are going to do differently to avoid previous mistakes.

5.2

Develop the project execution plan and get the team to agree to any changes. The plan should have been developed during the tender or proposal phase (see Part III Section E, Tendering and Proposal Phase, paragraph 2.7) and should only require minor updating. Alternatively, the PEP may have originated during the feasibility stage, Part III, Section A, paragraph 4.3.

6.1

Establish relationships with any regulatory bodies involved in the project.

6.2

Define all approvals, which must be obtained from regulatory bodies, for example, planning permission.

6.3

Review and approve proposed permits, regulations, taxes, duties, insurance, royalties, licensing, and so on.

6.4

In a foreign location, check the requirements for visas and driving licences.

6.5

Make sure that public relations, in conjunction with the owner, handles releases to the media and reviews data, statistics, and background material.

7.1

In conjunction with legal and insurance departments determine the insurance coverage required and authorise it.

7.2

Ensure that the client or owner arranges any project insurance policies that they are contractually responsible for. Ensure that your own insurance expert has seen and approved the policies.

8.1

Start and maintain your project diary. I still believe in an A4 hard cover, lined paper book.

8.2

Try to persuade people to spend five or ten minutes at the end of the day, filing and keeping their desks clear. This not only assists security but also means that people have to be organized, resulting in greater efficiency.