KEEPING
THINGS MOVING:
A “To Do” List and Items to Help You
Execute, Control, and Close Out Your Project
(This is a sample tool from The
Project Manager's Partner, by Michael Greer.)
(Get here by mistake? Return to Michael Greer's Project Management Resources
home page.)

Instructions: After your project plan is
approved and you are up and running, you can use the checklist below and related
items to help you keep things moving according to your plan. Go through this
list at least weekly for each project you are managing.
CHECK YOUR PROJECT’S SCOPE.
Refresh your memory about your project’s goals and
boundaries. In particular, make sure you have a clear picture of what the
desired results should be at this point relative to deliverables, schedule
costs, quality, and so on.
(See Worksheet: Project Scope Statement* under Action
Item: Describe Project Scope if you don’t already have a formal scope
statement.*)
CHECK YOUR DELIVERABLES.
Analyze the status of each project deliverable. Are they
evolving as planned? If appropriate:
1. Locate lists of quality criteria that may be applied to
inspect the quality and completeness of the deliverables at this stage of the
project.
2. Check contractors’ proposals or contracts to make sure
you know what they should be supplying at this point.
3. Inspect all project deliverables.
4. Decide whether to accept inspected deliverables or to
require rework.
(See Worksheet: Project Deliverables Status Analyzer.*)
CHECK YOUR SCHEDULE.
Examine your milestones, key dates, and critical path. Are you
where you need to be?
ANALYZE VARIANCES (DEVIATIONS FROM PLAN) BY COMPARING
“ESTIMATED” TO “ACTUAL.”
1. Are activities taking longer than planned? (Are you
exceeding estimates of duration?)
2. Are you using more resource hours than you planned?
3. Are your actual costs exceeding your estimated costs?
4. If minor variances are discovered (variances that can be
resolved easily without changing the plan or scope), then resolve them.
5. If major variances are discovered (variances that change
the scope or constitute significant project issues), then handle them as
described in the steps below.
(See Worksheet: Variance Analyzer.*)
ADDRESS SCOPE CHANGES.
1. Identify changes in scope (changes in deliverables,
schedule, costs, etc.).
2. Handle scope changes, if necessary.
(See Guidelines: Handling Scope Change* and Worksheet:
Project Scope Change Order.*)
LIST, TRACK, AND TRY TO RESOLVE OPEN ISSUES.
1. Make a list of all the unresolved issues, or
2. Revisit the list of open issues from the last inspection
period and try to resolve them.
(See Worksheet: Project Issue Tracker.*)
REVISIT POTENTIAL PROJECT RISKS.
1. Locate the Risk Management Plan, if one has been created.
2. Note particularly whether any of the ongoing events or
upcoming events are identified in the risk management plan as particularly
vulnerable to risk.
REPORT PROJECT STATUS.
1. After completing the checks above, if you haven’t already
done so, talk to your team members and determine their perspective on project
status.
2. Create and circulate a project status report.
(See Worksheet: The Project Status Report.*)
DRIVE FOR CLOSE-OUT OF ACTIVITIES AND SIGN-OFF OF
DELIVERABLES AS APPROPRIATE.
1. Ask yourself, “What activities can I close out? Which
deliverables can I get formally approved and signed-off?”
2. Prepare and get signatures on sign-off forms as
appropriate.
(See Worksheet: Sample Project Sign-off Form* under
Action Item: Close Out Project Activities.*)
DECIDE WHETHER IT’S NECESSARY TO KILL THE PROJECT, THEN
DO SO IF APPROPRIATE. (See Appendix E: Guidelines—When to Kill the
Project.*)
CREATE A LIST OF LESSONS LEARNED.
Create a list of lessons learned that describes the ways
subsequent project activities must be modified in order to prevent the
difficulties encountered up to this point.
COMPLETE APPROPRIATE EVALUATION CHECKLISTS.
Complete evaluation checklists, if applicable, and file them as
part of the official project records.

* This item is located in The
Project Manager's Partner, by Michael Greer

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(C) Copyright 2004 from Michael
Greer's Project Management Resources web site.
The URL is http://www.michaelgreer.com.
For more information, send e-mail to info@michaelgreer.com. -- Feel free to copy and distribute for
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