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PM Mini-Method


SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

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PM Mini-Method


SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

About PM Mini-Method

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SPOCE's Mini-Method v4


Foreword

Welcome to SPOCE's Mini-Method for effective Project Management.

This Guide describes a Project Management method founded on PRINCE2® principles but specifically intended for smaller projects. It is intended for people or organisations wishing to bring their smaller projects in line with PRINCE2® doctrine but accepting that the burden imposed by the full implementation is not warranted or economically viable.

Please feel free to pass on this resource to your friends and colleagues. Further information on Best Practice in Project, Programme & Risk Management, PRINCE2 methodology, Qulaifications, Accredited Training, eLearning/Self-Study, Corporate PM Guides, Video Bytes and other free and evaluation resources, please visit www.spoce.com


Paul Bradley
Managing Director
SPOCE Project Management Ltd.




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SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

About SPOCE

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   About SPOCE



SPOCE Project Management Ltd. is an Accredited Training Organisation for Project and Programme Management Best Practices such as PRINCE2® Project Management, MSP® Programme Management, M_o_R® Risk Management, APM Project Management, ITIL® Service Management, P3O Support Offices, MoV™ Value Management, MoP™ Portfolio Management, DSDM Agile Framework, Agile Project Management, etc.

We are passionate about best practice in project management and are constantly working/innovating to assist/help individuals and companies learn, adopt, apply and implement best practice in their projects and programmes.

We provide accredited training events through an open public schedule as well as bespoke on-site company training events. The Delivery methods range from Instructor-led classroom training, Self-Study eLearning, Blended Learning, Virtual classrooms etc.

SPOCE eLearning also offers bespoke eLearning development services.


Contact details

Tel: +44 (0)1202 736373
Email: support@spoce.com
URL: www.spoce.com


SPOCE eLearning Implementation | © SPOCE Project Management Ltd. 2011

All registered trademarks acknowledged. No claims are made to these trademarks which are used for reference and identification purposes.
APM is a trademark of the Association for Project Management
PRINCE2®, M_o_R®, MSP® & P3O® are registered trademarks of the Cabinet Office (# erstwhile OGC - Office of Government Commerce).
MoV™ & MoP™ are trademarks of the Cabinet Office.
DSDM® & DSDM logo are registered trademarks of the Dynamic Systems Development Method Ltd.
Atern is a trademark of the Dynamic Systems Development Method Ltd.
SPOCE and the SPOCE logo are trademarks of SPOCE Project Management Ltd.
# The Office of Government Commerce (OGC), former owner of Best Management Practice, has been the custodian of the portfolio on behalf of Her Majesty's Government (HMG) since 2000. In June 2010 the Minister for the Cabinet Office announced a reorganization of some Government activities and confirmed that the Best Management Practice functions have moved into Cabinet Office, part of HM Government.

SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

Mini-Method Principles - Intro

Mini-Method Principles

Introduction

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Five steps are involved in creating a Mini-Method plan and tracking progress through to completion. These are:

  • Project Positioning
  • Product Description
  • Management Summary
  • Collection of Actuals
  • Close-Out

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SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

Principles - Project Positioning

STEP 1 - Project Positioning:

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The proposed project must first be sized to ensure that it is appropriate to use this mini-method rather than a full PRINCE2® project management environment.

This is done by reference to the cost/effort, the duration of the project and the assessed level of risk posed by the project.


For example, a relatively long duration project (6-9 months) with a low value (say, less than £50k) AND a low risk would be a suitable candidate for the Mini-Method. A similar project but with an assessed medium risk might be better approached using the full PRINCE2® structure. A low risk project with a high value (in excess of £50,000) and / or long duration (in excess of 9 months) might be judged to expose the organisation to potentially excessive financial loss and be more suited to the full PRINCE2 structure.

The actual financial and timescale figures used are selected by the implementing organisation, with guidance as illustrated above.

The risk can be either assessed using experience and judgement or a formal risk analysis carried out to provide a more structured measurement of the risk.

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SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

Principles - Product Description

STEP 2 - Product Description:

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The 'technical' content of the work must be established. This involves the creation of a Product Description similar to the format used by PRINCE2®. The main headings are:

2.1 Purpose / Description:

This provides a brief description of the project and its main outcome. It should be confined to just one or two brief statements sufficient to give a high-level summary of 'what and why'.

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2.2 Content

A series of bullet-points or brief statements providing the main headings for the work which will be addressed during the project. This part of the Product Description is a key element of the whole document and vital to the ultimate success of the project. Essentially the Content of the project described here defines what the project will deliver and summarises the eventual outcome. The Project Manager (or anyone else responsible for doing the work) will use the Content as the major source for direction towards a successful outcome.

2.3 Format

What form the initial outcome will take. This is especially relevant where the project deliverable is a report or must conform to specific size, shape or form constraints.

2.4 Derivation

Reports, Papers, People, Organisations etc. that will be approached, used or consulted during the project to produce the required result.

2.5 Quality Criteria

The basis upon which a judgement will be made on the final acceptability of the project. Quality Criteria should be measurable wherever possible, although some subjectivity is inevitable in some areas (e.g.. In judging whether a project outcome is suitable for use). The Quality Criteria may be interpreted as 'Acceptance Criteria' for the project.

2.6 Quality Method

How the project outcome will be measured, using the Quality Criteria above. The Quality Method may take a variety of forms from a formal meeting to a walk-through of the outcome to a simple switch-on / switch-off test to establish a working product.

2.7 External Influences

Any element or feature outside the Project Manager's influence or control that needs to be identified at the outset of the project. It serves as a record and reminder of such issues.

2.8 Project Manager's and Project Authority's Signatures

To show commitment and record and authorise the expenditure of resources against the project.

2.9 Additional Information

Any additional information about the project that the Project Manager believes would contribute to a successful outcome, or which would record a situation that the Project Manager considers relevant to the project.
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SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

Principles - Management Summary

STEP 3 - Management Summary

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The decision support information and proposed management and control aspects of the project must be recorded. This involves the creation of a management summary which will sweep up the PRINCE2® requirements for identifying Business Benefits & Risks, Controls Structure and the Project Plan. The main headings for the Management Summary are:

3.1 Introduction

A general statement covering the genesis and background to the project, undertaking or initiative. It will identify the sponsor, funding source, and organisation / department from which the project stems and include any rationale or positioning within the organisation.

3.2 Project Authorities

A statement of the main sponsor(s) for the project. It will also be useful to include the Project Manager.

3.3 General Approach

The intended approach that the Project Manager will take to the project must be described including how the undertaking will be brought to a successful conclusion. The rationale and reasons for the approach to be taken must also be explained and recorded.

3.4 Estimated Duration

An assessment of the project's expected duration based on an outline plan. A simple Gantt chart might be useful, although not strictly necessary, or a simple diary calculation might do just as well. The Project Manager is responsible for making the assessment of duration based on his/her knowledge, experience and plain common-sense.

In some projects, a fixed delivery date will be required by the sponsor or management. Where this is the case, the Project Manager must use his/her experience etc. to decide whether or not the deadline can be met. In the event that a required date cannot be met, the project manager must discuss the options with the sponsor and agree a revised delivery date or reject the project (if necessary by referring upwards through the project authority).

3.5 Estimated Costs and Resource Requirements

These must be calculated by the Project Manager on the same basis as for the estimated duration of the project. In many cases a similar situation will exist with regard to fixed budgets and available resources. Again, it is the Project Manager's responsibility to either assess the costs and resources or confirm that any imposed constraints can be met.

3.6 Assumptions and Prerequisites

Should the Project Manager identify any prerequisites to successful delivery of the project's outcome (for example, purchase of some general equipment for the organisation in order to carry out the work within the timescale and cost) the requirement must be identified at the outset and recorded.

Similarly any assumptions made by the Project Manager (for example, availability of existing facilities to the project) must be recorded.

3.7 Review and Controls Proposed

The frequency of any reviews by the Project Manager and the Project Authority must be stated, together with a statement of any other controls that will be imposed on the project's outputs.

Examples of controls that might be imposed on a minor project are:
  • Stage reviews upon the completion of a major Product/Milestone/Deliverable, these will include project closure on completion of a project, or where there is no longer any business sense, or user requirement for the outcome of the project.
  • Tolerance (trigger figures on time and cost) to ensure that the project continues only within predefined limits. Tolerance will be defaulted at plus/minus 10% of the approved cost and plus/minus 1 working week of the agreed timescale.
  • Quality Reviews of the project's Products to ensure that Products comply with the Quality Criteria stated within the Product Description that will accompany the Management Summary.

3.8 Main Benefits and Risks

This is a simple statement of the business rationale for the project. It is intended to record why the project is being undertaken in respect of the benefits and risks that are expected to be delivered.

A simple narrative statement is sufficient, although where appropriate the Risk Analysis Checklist content will be used as the driver.

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3.9 Summary

The objective of the Project Manager must be to provide an overall description of the project and the reasons for undertaking it to the Project Authority. Essentially the Management Summary is written to provide a justification and audit document which will support the decision to authorise the expenditure of the resources long after the original approval date.
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SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

Principles - Collection of Actuals

STEP 4 - Collection of Actuals

The Project Manager is responsible for tracking progress of 'actual performance' against that planned. This will normally be carried out informally by whatever means is appropriate provided it is acceptable to the Project Authority.

Actuals will not be reported on a regular basis but will be recorded on completion of a minor project using a Close-Out document. The purpose of the form is to measure out-turn against estimate and to provide a basis for closing down the project. It will also be used to help in the estimating and planning of subsequent projects within the organisation. Estimates of actual performance are acceptable and the Project Manager should not expend undue time and effort to secure a measure of accuracy.

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SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

Principles - Close Out

STEP 5 - Close-out

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To record final out-turn against planned and to identify any shortfalls in the final delivered outcome, a Close-Out document is completed. This is a simple one-page summary which will be sent to the original sponsor of the project and copied to file for future reference.

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SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

II. Postioning

Mini-Method Project Positioning

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Projects can be sized or divided into three bands:


BAND 0:

Low-Risk minor projects of less than £20k estimated cost.

BAND 0 Projects will not normally be subject to full project management approaches but should be documented, and their progress controlled, using the Mini-Method approach.

BAND 1:

Mainstream, medium-to-high risk projects, initially estimated at less than 9 months elapsed duration and less than 6 months effort, with non-capital costs of more than £20k, but less than £50k

BAND 1 Projects have been identified as exposing the company to significant risk. The company may determine that a medium or even high risk, but low-value project does not justify handling the project under PRINCE2® and may opt to use the Mini-Method.

BAND 2:

Major, High-risk, effort consuming, contentious projects in excess of BAND 1 levels, or any project where senior management believe it prudent to exercise full project control procedures.

BAND 2 Projects are those which may be contentious or where the company has decided that rigorous documentation of the project may be required. This would definitely be the case where the project or its outcomes may be subject to external scrutiny.
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SPOCE Mini Method - Project Mgmt. Guides

III. Risk Analysis

Mini-Method Risk Analysis

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The risks that the project is likely to be exposed to must be assessed using either formal or informal approaches.

A mainstream 'business-as-usual' project with no known unusual or novel features, would not necessarily need to be measured using a formal risk analysis technique.

If, however, there is a degree of uncertainty about the levels of risk that the project might encounter then it is advisable to measure the risk using a more structured appraoch.


A straight-forward, semi-formal risk analysis can be carried out using an Excel spreadsheet provided with this Mini-Method. This contains six major elements addressing:
  • Project Management
  • Project Staff
  • Nature of the Project
  • Maturity of the Organisation
  • Customer and Contract
  • Third Party Supplier

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A completed spreadsheet is available under Risk Analysis.

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