Integrated Project Management

By Earl Hall, Juliane Johnson

The Major IPM Steps: Project Meetings and Between-Meeting Activities

The following are the major IPM steps:

1. Kickoff meeting: As previously described. The project manager will schedule a second meeting if the first runs over two hours.

2. Task list meeting: The team creates a task list using the affinity diagram procedure. It may require two meetings to complete the list. The last meeting should produce the task list, which is organized under the work packages with the tasks listed in their expected sequence order.

3. Task time sequence and resources meeting, Gantt chart meeting: The team collaboratively creates the Gantt chart. It may take two or three meetings to do so. Capturing this Gantt chart requires assistance from a computer, using project management software.

4. Critical path between-meeting activity: The project manager uses the Gantt chart information to create a critical path arrow diagram.

5. Time buffer analysis (risk analysis) first meeting: The project manager explains risk analysis procedures to the team.

   Project team between-meeting activity: The team members individually gather risk factor contribution data, calculate task contributions, and submit their results to the project manager.

   Project manager between-meeting activity: The project manager compiles list of contributions and distributes it to the team.

   Second team meeting: Insertion points for the risk factors are selected and the duration of each risk factor is calculated.

   Third team meeting: A Gantt chart with the risk factors inserted is redrawn.

6. Activity to assure team member availability as scheduled: The team members meet with their respective supervisors to review their time commitments to the project to assure their availability.

7. Team meeting to redraw the Gantt chart, reflecting team member availability: It should generally be not more than a one-hour meeting.

8. Customer review meeting: The project manager, supported by the key project team members, presents the project plan to the customer(s) for their consideration.

9. Meeting to revise the Gantt chart per customer input from customer review meeting: This may take several meetings. It may even require going back to task listing and Gantt chart redevelopment if the customer requires major adjustments.

10. Meet with customer for signoff: This confirms a clear agreement between a customer and a project manager on the project goals.

11. Project launch meeting: The project manager and team review the Gantt chart. Task leaders whose tasks have no predecessors start today!

12. Project manager walkabout management activity: The project manager keeps in close touch with the active project teams, provides support when needed, and maintains an up-to-date project effort report in the form of an actual task time Gantt chart.

13. Milestone meeting: The project manager convenes the team at pre-selected progress points to review their accomplishments and to look ahead.

14. Project achievement of objectives demonstration, customer acceptance meeting: This brings closure to the effort to achieve project objectives.

15. Share project report, and review achievements, discuss with team, "What did we learn?" team meeting. It is very important to reinforce the learning that the project team members have experienced.

16. Project closure celebration: This is the closure of all project effort and a morale booster for future projects.