Next: Define "How"
Determining How We Will Create and Provide the Scope
Thus far, we've established the “Who’s?”, “Why’s?”, “What’s?”, and “How Good’s?” of our project. We’ve determined who wants this project, what their goals & objectives are, what we’re supposed to create and provide to satisfy those goals, and how good those things have to be in order to be accepted. Now it’s time to think through and plan the "How’s?" of the project—i.e., how are we going to create and provide the deliverables? Said another way: what is our scope acquisitions approach?
Establishing our acquisitions approach(s) is important for (hopefully) obvious reasons. To create the rest of our project plan, including the schedule and budget, we need to determine how we will design/analyze/purchase/assemble/test/prove/handover the deliverables listed in the WBS. Knowing this will help us establish how many team members we’ll need, including how to structure them into sub-teams. It will also allow us to determine how we will direct those people, measure progress, and make changes as needed. Additionally, we can begin to identify and assess threats to the approach (i.e., risks) and plan responses to maximize our chances of success.
Every project is unique, so the acquisitions approach(s) will vary widely. That said, there are four primary elements that need to be addressed:
First is to establish how we will actually acquire the scope listed in the WBS. Factors to include are procurements approaches, resource requirements, and EH&S plans. Will the scope be purchased from a vendor, built via contract with a specialty company, or created in-house? What size teams are required to support the plan? What risk does each approach entail? What environmental, health, and/or safety concerns are tied to considered approaches? As the saying goes, there are many ways to peel a potato; we simply need to find the most efficient and effective way that meets our specific situation.
Second is to determine how the day-to-day project work will be executed. Technically called “project control,” this includes how work is prioritized and assigned, how progress is measured, how changes will be performed, and how stakeholders will be kept apprised of the project status. For simple projects, these approaches may be casual and uncomplicated, but for more complex project, systematic methods that incorporate formal rigor and methods may be called for.
Third is to establish how information will be managed. This means all project “information,” including documentation, reports, presentations, communications, and other key materials. Even simple projects can generate a mountain of paperwork; how you will create, manage, store, and protect that information is a question all projects must answer.
And fourth is pre-establish how the scope will be delivered and the project shut down in a manner that satisfies both the stakeholders’ and projects’ needs. Again, the plans and methods should be tailored and scaled to the needs of the project. On big government-funded projects, the closeout process can be very involved and require multiple stakeholder sign-offs, while on less formal projects, the process can be simple. Regardless, the goal is to ensure no surprises. Or, as I like to say, the project closeout phase should be boring—so plan for that from the beginning.
This step is all about determining the best approach for creating and providing the deliverables on our project. Are we going to build the scope in-house, or do we need to outsource? Maybe we need to develop new technology or form strategic partnerships. For each element of our scope, we need to ask: What's the most efficient and effective way to get this done while meeting our quality standards? This might involve a mix of approaches - perhaps we'll use internal resources for some parts, contract with others, and maybe even look at potential technology acquisitions for specialized components. The key is to align our procurements and resource allocation strategies with our project goals and quality requirements. Remember, the "how" isn't just about getting things done - it's about getting them done right, on time, and within budget.