Project Planning and Management - Design and Dissemination - Lecture Notes, Study notes of Development Economics

Download Project Planning and Management - Design and Dissemination - Lecture Notes and more Study notes Development Economics in PDF only on Docsity! Project Planning and Management Is planning compatible with creativity? People may think planning inhibits creativity…not so. In reality, planning frees you up to be creative when it matters. The so-called “stage/gate process” breaks the overall planning process into several discrete stages, with tests at the end of each stage before moving to the next stage. The tests, or “gates,” serve as decision points about whether to revisit previous work, stop the project, re-prioritize, or proceed with the project. The stages include Design, Develop, and Refine. Walk through some scenarios: • Realistic/Laid back – stuff happens along the way, and you wind up pulling panic all-nighters at the end. End result not as good as you might have wanted. • Realistic/Planned is a little better. Docsity.com • Prepared/Laid back. You may have ordered parts in advance, but unforeseen design changes get in the way…not fully realized final result. Note: one cannot overemphasize the importance of teams. Successful projects always involve (1) an enthusiastic champion, and (2) a coordinated team effort. • Communication/Laid back – discover near the end that people weren’t on the same page; misunderstandings come back to haunt you. • Communication/Planned approach – allows you to verify understandings and catch gaps early on. The benefit of planning is that you’re most likely to satisfy the customer. The stage/gate approach creates opportunities early in the process to get customer feedback, make sure the design stays in touch with customer expectations. Think about real timeframe commitments. When are people on vacations? Docsity.com