By David Larson

Presenters: Megan Bixler, Stacy Banker, Steve Leese

This was an incredibly thorough, down and dirty, presentation on project management concepts geared toward emergency communication center professionals. Megan Bixler broke down project management into easy to understand process groups. First, she explained why project management was so important. The triple constraints of cost, time and scope were discussed as their balance, or imbalance, directly affect the quality of the project’s results. Each process group was then identified. Initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing were examined sequentially in ample detail.

Megan discussed the importance of work breakdown structure, which dissects the project into manageable sections. Despite all of the work in planning and execution, the need for monitoring and controlling of the project remains. “No matter how hard you try, you cannot plan for everything,” stated Megan.

Stacy Banker took the reins and showed project management in action via a case study of a CAD/MDC procurement and replacement. She unpacked the relationship between goals, planning deliverables and key success factors. Stacy discussed the value and utility of a steering committee, the unencumbered project manager, the project management team, and the groups of subject matter experts, end users, and technical staff. Negotiation teams, use cases and project milestones as they related to the case study were also discussed in depth.

Steve Leese followed up with his experiences of the pitfalls and perils of undergoing a project without using the previously discussed project management principles.

Megan closed with a informative discussion on the relationship between resources, time, planning and implementation throughout the traditional project lifecycle.