Summary

Project execution is an exciting time as you finally get to see results of the hard work from the Initiating and Planning phases. But just because you are executing against a well-defined plan does not mean that you can sit back and just watch the project phases complete. The project manager is very busy during this phase.

Project execution is where the people assigned to do the project work need to work as a team. Successful team development includes ongoing team building and management, appropriate team member training, and a meaningful rewards and recognition system.

Although you will spend the most time with the project team members , there are other critical relationships you must establish and maintain with the client and your sponsor.

An effective working relationship between the IT department and the business client requires the use of numerous management skills, especially consensus building and frequent communication.

The role of the project sponsor is to act as a mentor for the project manager and remove roadblocks that are beyond the authority of the project manager. If you see signs that the sponsor no longer supports the project, you need to determine the cause of these doubts and work to a satisfactory resolution, even if the ideal solution means canceling the project.

Staffing issues may arise with the functional managers who provide your human resources. You need to attempt to resolve these issues with the functional manager, but if a compromise cannot be reached and the project is in jeopardy, escalation to the sponsor may be required.

As the work on the project progresses, you need to collect data through team member progress reports , timesheets, spending requests , and the documentation of issues. The data you collect can be used as input into analysis of how the project performance compares to the schedule and cost baseline and the scope statement.

There is a great deal of project information, and distributing that information can be accomplished in a variety of means. Project meetings provide a regular point for team members to share progress, solve problems, and update issues. Status reports keep all stakeholders informed on a regular basis, while a formal project review can provide an opportunity to interact face to face with the sponsor, the client, and other executive stakeholders.

Contract administration is an additional process for those project managers dealing with vendors . Although a procurement specialist may handle much of the contract work, the project manager must work with the vendor to obtain progress reports and to resolve disagreements between the vendor and team members. The impact of vendor delays on the project plan must be assessed. The project manager also needs to be involved in the approval of payment for vendor invoices.