Used to compare how your project is currently tracking against a particular baseline. E.g. "We are tracking 3 weeks behind schedule against the last approved baseline"

Activities in this phase of the project include sourcing components of the solution (such as purchasing hardware or software), the actual configuration and standing up of the solution as well as end user testing.  

In IT project management, usually applies to a freeze on any changes made on production systems. Usually applied during the Christmas period.

This is where the project team gets disbanded and the project manager completes any last remaining activities in the project. 

This phase could contain activities such as a lessons learnt session, archiving project documentation, closing out project codes and celebrating project success. 

Used to help ensure that projects are delivered within the agreed schedule, particularly if hard dates need to be met. 

Project managers use scheduling tools such as MS Project to help identify which exact tasks and activities are on the critical path of their project, so they can manage them accordingly.

E.g. “We absolutely need to receive that equipment from the vendor by 14th October, otherwise there is no way we will be able to meet our go-live date - this activity is on the critical path of the project”

These are usually provided by the project owner or sponsor and are used  to determine if a project can be considered as being a success.

Activities in this phase often include documenting and agreeing what the work instructions are, the solution design, who is doing what, what time frames, what the risks are, what user acceptance testing needs to occur, how the solution will be rolled out, business change management aspects, etc.

Activities in phase often include requirements gathering, design workshops and design documentation.

As a project manager, you would usually request document approval once all the relevant project team members and stakeholders have provided their endorsement to the document. 

Document approval is usually requested from a key project stakeholder who has appropriate levels of delegated accountability, such as your project owner or project sponsor.

E.g. "We will need to get the Chief Financial Officer to provide final approval of our Project Implementation Plan before we can progress with the finance system upgrade project - however we will never get this without obtaining full document endorsements all the key finance team stakeholders"

As a project manager, you can request relevant project team members and key stakeholders to provide their formal "endorsement" on document deliverables.

This is usually requested once the document is in a finalised state.

E.g. "Roger - please can you review and provide your endorsement of the Detailed Design Specification before we request the Chief Operating Office to provide final document approval for us to go head?"

Endorsement of a document can be provided in several different ways such as:

• Physically signing the document

• Digital signature

• Email approval

It really depends on organisation preferences / what a project manager deems acceptable within the context of the project and it's risk classification. 

Activities in this phase include requirements gathering, agreeing solution selection criteria, tendering, and selection of a recommended solution by key project stakeholders.

(see Implementation Phase)

Often used as a nimble way of getting the project off the ground without having to commit to providing a solution or asking the project sponsor to commit to large budgets. 

E.g. “We estimate the project may cost by cost up-to $750k however there is some uncertainty if vendors can actually meet all the requirements and associated costs”

…”Let’s get a Feasibility phase funded so we can perform an Request for Proposal and firm up both what is technical possible and what it will cost”

Setting Finish-to-Finish dependencies is done within a project scheduling application such as MS Project by either the Project Manager of a Project Scheduler.

Finish-to-Finish is one of the less common task dependencies.

Setting task dependencies is an integral part of working out the planned duration of your project as well as critical to both the sequence order and timing of all project tasks.

Setting Finish-to-Start dependencies is done within a project scheduling application such as MS Project by either the Project Manager of a Project Scheduler.

Finish-to-Start is the most common type of dependency.

Setting task dependencies is an integral part of working out the planned duration of your project as well as critical to both the sequence order and timing of all project tasks.

Project Managers that use HERMES usually undergo training and can also obtain certification.

Activities in this phase include end user training (if required), business change management, making the solution part of the live production environment as well as handover to operations.

Activities in this phase include discovery of what the project is about. 

Key items to identify include, budget, schedule and scope constraints, project team members, project sponsor, project owner, project steering groups and governing committees as well as a skeleton framework of what project phases and activities will be undertaken over the course of the project.

It works on the premise of having a Kanban Board that has predefined swim-lane stages of the required lifecycle and having task items (in the form of sticky notes) move through these stages as they progress.

Often spoken by project managers to express that no matter what they have planned for, Murphy's Law will most probably still strike their project with something of relative certainly not panning out as expected. 

E.g. “We got the best person in the country to do the design, a week later they won the lottery, decided to retire and now we’re back to square one – that’s Murphy’s Law”

Project Managers that use PRINCE2 usually complete training and have to pass an exam to become certified.

Used to break the project into smaller logical parts. E.g. Initiation Phase, Design Phase, Implementation Phase etc.

Project managers tend to use RFIs to narrow down the list of potential vendors that will participate in a much more expansive tender such as an RFP or RFP.

E.g. “We have identified 21 potential vendors that can provide services required - lets perform an RFI to narrow it down to 5 based on some agreed selection criteria such as local presence and those that do not subcontract their technical support capability."

Project managers tend to use RFPs where several specific business requirements have been provided and various different vendor solutions are potentially capable of meeting those requirements.

E.g. “We have gathered a total of 75 different requirements across the various business groups in relation to the Business Process Automation system - lets put it together and issue an RFP to the panel of those 3 pre-qualified vendors”

Project managers tend to use RFQs when they want to obtain an 'apples for apples' best pricing for standard off-the-shelf type items where quantities are already known. 

RFQs often have quick turnaround times and vendors can respond with a simple quotation. 

E.g. "We need 250 of those wide screen monitors - let's perform an RFQ to see which of our providers gives us the best pricing and lead times"

(see Evaluation Phase)

An example of usage is as follows: 

Concerned Stakeholder: "What about a rollback plan if there are unexpected issues?"

Project Manager: "Don't worry, she'll be right"

Often spoken by project managers to express that no matter what they have planned for, Sod's Law will most probably still strike their project with something of relative certainly not panning out as expected. 

E.g. “We were all on track to do the big cutover on the night, when the network admins got trapped in the elevator - then fell ill from some dodgy take away they treated themselves before coming in – that’s Sod's Law”

Setting Start-to-Finish dependencies is done within a project scheduling application such as MS Project by either the Project Manager of a Project Scheduler.

Start-to-Finish is the least used task dependency.

Setting task dependencies is an integral part of working out the planned duration of your project as well as critical to both the sequence order and timing of all project tasks.

Setting Start-to-Start dependencies is done within a project scheduling application such as MS Project by either the Project Manager of a Project Scheduler.

Start-to-Start is one of the less common task dependencies.

Setting task dependencies is an integral part of working out the planned duration of your project as well as critical to both the sequence order and timing of all project tasks.

Used as the more optimistic counter of Murphy’s law, however you don't seem to hear it that often.