It is important to plan the project with the team so that their contributions and commitment are included and developed. Hold a 'Project Start-up Meeting' and run through the Aims, Objectives and Scope of the project. Get the team to identify all the tasks and create the work breakdown structure.

The Project Definition (PD) is the starting point for this exercise. Run through the PD and make sure that it is well understood by all the team. It is possible that the PD may have to be clarified or even redefined as a result of this exercise, although that should be exceptional if the work in producing the PD has been well done. If so, authorisation will need to be sought and gained from the Project Sponsor for any changes.

Assign at least one team member to review each task in detail and bring their conclusions to the next project meeting. The team members should report on the feasibility, risks, resources and timeframe of the tasks under their control. For a large project, the review may take all day (or several days) with each team leader making a presentation to the Project Manager in turn. The Project Manager must draw all the information together and present the plan to the project team for review. Only when the team has signed up to the plan should it be presented to the Project Sponsor for authorisation. For a large project of high value the Senior Management Team will often require regular phase reviews so that they can be sure that they are satisfied with the way the project is running. A planning phase review may well be the first of these.

Work undertaken by more that one person requires co-ordination. If many people are involved it requires organisation and structure. This is especially true for projects because they often involve innovative forms of work and work patterns that differ from the norm. In particular, normal patterns of communication may not be appropriate and the structure of the work may be unusual.

A section of the Project Start-up Meeting should be dedicated to creating the appropriate structure and organisation of the project. The team should review:-

The process by which the project is delivered is as important (sometimes more so) than the planning of the tasks. It should be carried out in conjunction with the project planning.

Project Planning often includes the production of a PERT or Gantt chart. These will be of use to different viewers only if they show varying levels of detail. Senior managers and team members need only the overview. Project leaders and planners require much more detail. Ensure that you tailor detail and complexity of your plans for the intended audience.

Although the project work is completed and delivered by the project team, this work needs guidance and control to ensure it stays on track. This is the primary function of the project manager during the implementation phase.

The project manager must have sufficient understanding of the issues involved in the work to guide the team but need not be an expert at any particular type of work. Often it is detrimental to the project if the project manager has a particular expertise because there will be a natural tendency to concentrate on that element, to the detriment of the project as a whole. It is better that there is a peer review meeting with an expert from outside the project (a senior technical manager or business process expert) to review elements that require special expertise.

The project manager must use the project organisation that has been created (reporting and communications structures, work review and performance testing) to report on and control the project. Swift and decisive action must be taken if the project does not stay on course or work to plan and budget. The project manager must be a diplomat who can persuade but also a force to be reckoned with if the situation demands it. The higher authority of a programme manager, project sponsor or even the senior management team should be invoked if necessary to ensure that the timely decisions, necessary resources and removal of obstructions.

Implementing the project

It is the project team that delivers the implementation, not the project manager. But it is the responsibility of the project manager to ensure that the team's output meets the performance requirements stated in the project definition and delivers the goals of the project. How the implementation is managed has a direct relationship to the quality, time scale and cost of the project.

Regular reviews of tasks outcomes from the work being done, training methods and their effectiveness (where applicable), and the comparison between the work completed to date with the project definition and plan are the important items to monitor. Ratios are very useful for monitoring. For example, if your team estimates that half the work has been done (on any stage or task) and you know that 3/5 of the budget has been spent, then you have a problem that must be addressed immediately and action taken. The project sponsor (or budget owner) should always be kept informed because surprises are more detrimental than budget over-runs. If this pattern is being repeated elsewhere than the cost over-runs could spiral out of control.

The same goes for time scales. Maybe you are ahead on time but over budget. Cutting back on labour may balance this out. If the extra expenditure has reduced the project risks then maybe no action is necessary. If you are over time and over budget you have a serious problem that must be addressed, probably at a very senior level. Always report bad news at the earliest possible time and seek authorisation for remedial action, even if that means stopping the project. Better to stop the project than drive the organisation into budget over-runs or even into receivership.

But project management is not just about time and money (important though they are), it is about the performance of the business process, product or service being developed. A compromised performance may ultimately be more damaging than a budget overspend. It's about balance and who has the authority to make that judgement. Sometimes it can be a team member, often it's the project manager but, sometimes, it has to be the CEO.