Discussion Questions on Project Execution

Project execution affords the opportunity to adhere the project plan and its various components. What are the key elements of project execution?

The key elements of project execution are the project scope, the project schedule and the project budget. The scope defines the work that must be done in order to achieve the objectives of the project. The scope items are broken down in WBS elements and time phased to develop a project schedule. Costs for each activity in the WBS are rolled back up to form the project budget.

What is the relationship between a project charter and the project manager's ability to successfully execute a project?

According to Kerzner, the primary purpose of the project charter is to assign authority and responsibility to the project manager and to define at a high level the business purpose for the project. The charter is used by the project manager to request resources from line manages and to ensure the project team is clear about the objectives and initial scope of the project.

As a project manager, what areas would you monitor to ensure project execution is on track?

As a project manager, I focus on scope, schedule and budget. For scope, I ensure the project team is working on the approved scope items and only the approved scope items. I also monitor the specific activities within the project schedule, giving additional attention to the activities on the critical path. Finally, I watch spending against the approved budget to ensure that costs will align with the approved plan. If the team is working on items that are in scope, completing their activities on time and staying within budget, I consider the project execution on track.

How often would you review the project's progress?

The frequency in which I monitor the project’s progress depends on the stage of the project. Typically I meet weekly with the project team and update the core PM documents (scope, schedule, budget). However, during some parts of execution I might meet daily with the project team to ensure the execution is going as planned. For example, I am just finishing a project to build a new showroom in Los Angeles. The project has taken about 8 months from charter approval to the current stage. During that time we had a 2 week period where our key resources were on-site installing the phone system, network, computers, audio/visual and office equipment. I met weekly with the team throughout the project except during the two week on-site installation—we met daily during the actual on-site implementation.