2.4 Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Closing Projects

Unlocking Project Secrets: Planning, Executing, Monitoring, Closing Ever looked at a massive project, maybe building a skyscraper or launching a new app, and just wondered how on earth do they even start something that huge? Oh, absolutely. Or maybe you know, you started a personal project full of enthusiasm and then halfway through it just sort of fizzles out or goes completely off the rails. Speaker 2 Indeed, that journey from just an idea to a finished thing. It's almost never a straight line, is it? No, it's usually full of unexpected twists, turns, really tight deadlines, complex teams working together. But there is actually a powerful framework underneath it all. Kind of like an internal GPS you could say. It guides you through, keeps things clear, gives you control even when things feel chaotic. Speaker 1 A method to the madness. Speaker 2 Exactly A method to the madness. And maybe surprisingly, it's not always as rigid as people might think. Speaker 1 That's exactly why today we're doing a deep dive into these foundational stages, the core of any successful project planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing. Think of it as us unlocking the operational secrets, how projects big or small actually get done effectively. We want to get into the why behind each step and maybe share some, you know, surprising pitfalls. Look at real world situations that show what makes a project truly succeed versus just limping over the finish line. Speaker 2 And the insights we're drawing on today, they're distilled from really the best practices out there, the kind used for top project management certifications. But we're giving you the shortcut, OK? This isn't about memorizing jargon. It's about getting the underlying wisdom, the mindset that helps projects actually thrive. And we'll also unpack how these core processes look really different in, say, traditional waterfall versus agile setups. Speaker 1 So that's a key difference. Speaker 2 Huge difference. And we'll touch on some essential concepts too, things that really empower our project managers. Speaker 1 OK, let's kick things off with planning. Now everyone knows you need a plan. This isn't just like a quick sketch on a napkin. Not at all. It's crafting A detailed living road map. You hear that phrase? Fail the plan? Plan to fail. Sounds obvious, right? But what people often miss is just how vital that robust planning is to stopping utter chaos down the line. It's like trying to build, I don't know, a complex engine without a blueprint. Speaker 2 Precisely. And the real insight here, I think, is something called progressive elaboration. Speaker 1 OK, what's that? Speaker 2 It means you don't actually try to nail down every single tiny detail right at the very beginning, because honestly, you probably don't know them all yet. Speaker 1 Right, things change. Speaker 2 Things change. So instead you start with a clearer high level vision and then you iteratively add more detail to your plans as you learn more as things become clearer. This whole phase is about refining the scope, what's in, what's out the objectives, the overall. Speaker 1 So it's not like a static document, you just write once and then, you know, file away. Speaker 2 Absolutely not. It's dynamic during planning. You're creating all those subsidiary plans, the detailed requirements, the schedule, the budget quality standards, how you'll communicate risk strategies, even procurement if you need external help. And the project management plan. That's the master document it. It integrates everything. It's like your project's constitution. Gotcha. And crucially, this is also where you set your baselines, scope, schedule, cost. Think of these as your project's North Star. You lock them in at the end of planning, and then any deviation later becomes immediately obvious. Speaker 1 So you can see if you're drifting off course. Speaker 2 Exactly, it lets you correct course before you get completely lost at sea. Speaker 1 OK, so once that detailed blueprint that North Star is set, then the real work starts. Let's talk about executing, making the vision a reality. Speaker 2 Right. This is where the rubber really meets the road. Most of the project's budget, most of the time it gets spent right here. Makes sense. It's about bringing that plan to life, doing the actual tasks, creating the things you promised, the deliverables. And the PM's role here is really pivotal. Coordinating people resources, getting the team together, developing them, keeping them motivated. Speaker 1 And I'm guessing it's not just about managing your internal team, is it? There are others involved. Speaker 2 Oh, definitely not. A huge part of executing is managing stakeholder engagement, keeping everyone who has a stake in the project informed, involved, feeling invested, and what's often really challenging, maybe where projects stumble a lot, is handling changes. They always come up. Speaker 1 Always someone always wants something extra. Speaker 2 Exactly. A stakeholder asks for a new feature, something pops up. The critical insight. The thing you absolutely must do is make sure all change requests go through a formal review and approval process. Often there's a change Control Board or CCB. Speaker 1 So not just saying yes on the spot. Speaker 2 Never. You have to assess the impact first. It's not about stopping change. It's about managing that ripple effect across scope, budget, timeline. You have to control it to prevent chaos. Speaker 1 OK. Now this next part, this is where I think it's really interesting monitoring and controlling because it's not just a check in at the end, right? It runs alongside execution. Speaker 2 That's absolutely right. It's continuous concurrent. Your analogy of a project's continuous health tracker and GPS, that's perfect. It's running constantly in the background. Speaker 1 So what's its main job? Speaker 2 Its core purpose is tracking progress, comparing how you're actually doing against those baselines we set back in planning, and then making adjustments when you need to. OK, you're constantly measuring things, scope, schedule, cost, quality metrics. You're not just passively getting status reports, you're actively doing variance analysis. How far off budget are we? Are we ahead or behind schedule and forecasting, predicting where you'll end up? Speaker 1 And that gives you real, actionable insights. Speaker 2 Exactly. Let's you issue change requests. If you need corrections or if you need to propose scope changes based on performance, then you implement the approved ones. Speaker 1 So it really is about vigilance, isn't it? Not just looking at dashboards, but like actively steering the ship. Speaker 2 Precisely. The emphasis is all on preventative and corrective action. You're actively controlling scope, preventing that dreaded scope croup where little things just get added without thought. Speaker 1 Yes, scope creep kills projects. Speaker 2 It does. You're managing the schedule, delays, costs, quality, risks, the key insight. You cannot just set and forget a plan. Continuous vigilance, continuous monitoring and controlling. That's the only way to actually hit your objectives and stop things from spiraling. Speaker 1 OK. And then finally we get to the finish line. Or do we? Because closing sounds simple, just stop working. But I sense there's more to it. Speaker 2 You're right to question that because honestly, a lot of projects just sort of fizzle out. They don't get a proper closure. Speaker 1 Right, people just move on to the next. Speaker 2 Thing exactly, and project management best practice really warns against that. This final phase, closing it formally ends the project, or a phase with as much rigor as the start. Speaker 1 OK, So what does that involve? Speaker 2 Well, obtaining formal acceptance, getting that sign off from the customer or sponsor, saying yes, this meets the criteria we agreed on. It also involves crucial admin tasks, closing out contracts, paying all the final bills. Speaker 1 What stands out to me there though is the learning aspect. That feels like something that gets skipped way too often. Speaker 2 Oh, it absolutely is critical and often overlooked. A vital closing activity is the Lessons learned session, a retrospective with the team. You document what went well, what didn't, what could be improved. Next time you archive everything, all the documents results so the organization actually learns. Speaker 1 So you don't make the same mistakes again. Speaker 2 Hopefully not. And of course you formally release the team members, thank them, celebrate what you achieved. Even projects that get terminated early, they should still go through closure to capture why and what was learned. The real value isn't just finishing, it's making sure you're smarter for the next one. Comparing Predictive and Agile Project Management Approaches OK, so we've walked through these 4 pillars, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing. But what's really fascinating is how different they look depending on your approach. Traditional waterfall versus agile. It's like 2 totally different playbooks for the same game. Speaker 2 Precisely. Let's take planning in a predictive or waterfall world. The whole philosophy is basically plan the entire journey before you even take the first step. Speaker 1 Get it all figured out upfront. Speaker 2 Exactly. Detailed scope, requirements, schedule, budget, all defined. Often locked down early on and changes generally discouraged because they mess up the whole beautifully crafted plan. Think about building a house. You need those detailed blueprints before you pour the concrete. Speaker 1 Right, A big, upfront, comprehensive plan. So how does agile planning compare? Speaker 2 Agile is almost the opposite. It embraces continuous iterative planning. You start with high level vision, sure, but then you plan in much smaller burst cycles called sprints. Speaker 1 Like week by week or every two weeks? Speaker 2 Typically, yeah, it's very much just in time planning, like knowing your overall travel destination, but maybe only planning the specifics of tomorrow's route tonight. OK. This allows requirements to evolve. It allows for rapid adaptation as you learn things. It build in learning. Speaker 1 Wow, that's a fundamental difference. So how does that carry through into the executing phase? Speaker 2 Well, in a predictive project, execution is usually one big long phase. It flows sequentially. You finish design, then you build, then you test, etcetera. And often the actual deliverables only appear right near the end. Some call it a Big Bang delivery. Speaker 1 All at once. Speaker 2 Right, and the project manager tends to have a more directive role guiding that sequence. Speaker 1 OK. And agile execution. I'm picturing lots of small bursts of activity. You got it. Speaker 2 Agile breaks execution into many short iterations or sprints. Cross functional teams work together collaboratively to build a usable piece of the product in each Sprint. Speaker 1 Usable. Speaker 2 OK, yeah, value gets delivered incrementally, maybe working software every couple of weeks, which means you get rapid feedback from users. Teams are often self organizing and the PM or maybe a scrum master acts more like a servant leader, clearing roadblocks, coaching rather than dictating tasks and change. It's not just tolerated, it's expected, baked right into the process. Speaker 1 Right now, monitoring and controlling in the predictive world, I'm imagining spreadsheets, formal reports, meetings. Speaker 2 You are spot on. Predictive relies heavily on formal control mechanisms. Detailed status reports, earned value calculations comparing performance to the baseline, those change control boards we mentioned monitoring often happens in scheduled formal meetings. It's very plan driven. Speaker 1 Always checking back against that initial blueprint. Speaker 2 Exactly. Speaker 1 And agile feels like it would be more visible, more real time. Speaker 2 It really is. Agile monitoring is much more transparent, much more continuous. Teams use things called information radiators, highly visible charts like brain down charts showing work, remaining task boards where anyone can see what's in progress. Speaker 1 Like a big board on the wall. Speaker 2 Often, yeah, or digital equivalents. And those daily stand up meetings are key. A constant quick sync up for the team to make adjustments on the fly. Instead of heavy change request forms during a Sprint, they adapt by reprioritizing the work for the next Sprint. Changes are welcomed between iterations. Speaker 1 OK. And the very end closing. At least two differ when it's time to wrap up. Speaker 2 For predictive closing is usually a very distinct separate phase. Right at the end after all the work is done, you get formal sign off. Maybe you do a big lessons learned session for the whole project then. Speaker 1 Makes sense. It follows the the sequential flow, right? But Agile is all about that continuous improvement loop, so I'm guessing closing is woven in somehow. Speaker 2 You've got it. Agile incorporates closure activities all along the way. Each Sprint ends with a kind of mini closing the Sprint retrospective where the team reflects and learns immediately. Speaker 1 Learning as you go. Speaker 2 Exactly. And since deliverables are often potentially shippable after each Sprint, you're getting value out continuously. Now. Agile projects still need a formal final closure for the whole product. Final acceptance admin tasks, but some things like knowledge transfer often happen more fluidly within the final sprints rather than being a big separate step at the very end. Speaker 1 So taking all this in, what does it mean for your projects listening out there? Applying PMP Principles to Real-World Challenges Yeah, it clearly means there's rarely just one right way a single size fits all. Which brings us nicely to the hybrid approach. Speaker 2 Absolutely. The smart approach is often hybrid, mixing elements of predictive and agile. You'd use it when different parts of your project just naturally fit different styles. Speaker 1 Can you give me an example? Sure. Speaker 2 Maybe you have a fixed contractual scope. That part needs predictability, so you might manage it more traditionally, but within that maybe you're developing innovative new features where the requirements aren't fully known. That part benefits hugely from Agile's flexibility. It's about tailoring. Look for that mix of fixed elements and changing elements in your project. You know the real test isn't just knowing these terms, Lanning, agile, whatever. It's knowing what to actually do when you hit a snag. Project management isn't just rules, it's really a mindset. Proactive, commutative, process driven. Let's maybe walk through a few scenarios. Speaker 1 Yeah, let's make it real. OK, Scenario one, your mid project, the client may be casually in a meeting says, hey, can we add the significant new feature? It wasn't in the plan, but it'd be great. What's the PMP mindset tell you to do? What's the insight? Speaker 2 OK, the absolute key insight is you do not just say yes right away, or worse, just start implementing it. Speaker 1 Even if it seems easy. Speaker 2 Even then, so many projects get derailed right there. The proper PMP approach is first stop, evaluate the impact. What does this really mean for our scope, our timeline, our budget, even quality? Speaker 1 Assess first. Speaker 2 Assess first, then you take that request with your impact assessment through the formal change control process. Maybe that's presenting it to the change Control Board. Only if it gets formally approved do you then update the plan and implement it. The rule is never bypass the process, no matter how small it seems. Speaker 1 OK, that makes total sense. Protect the plan. It's scenario two. Team conflict happens all the time. Let's say two key developers are really disagreeing, maybe quite intensely, on a technical approach. It's causing tension, slowing things down. What do you? Speaker 2 Do ignoring it is probably the worst thing you can do. It'll just fester. The project manager needs to step in, address it directly, promptly use conflict resolution techniques, maybe facilitate a discussion, help them collaborate, find the common ground, solve the problem together, try to resolve it at the lowest level possible between them. Speaker 1 So don't just dictate the answer. Speaker 2 Ideally not. You manage the team dynamics you facilitate. Never ignore conflicts. Resist that temptation to just jump in and tell them what to do unless it's absolutely necessary. Guide them to the solution. Speaker 1 Good advice. OK, scenario three. Another common headache. A critical supplier. Someone delivering a key component tells you they're running late. Your project timeline is now at risk. What's the immediate thought process? Speaker 2 First thought should be, was this a risk we saw coming? If yes, great, you pull out your risk response plan for that scenario and trigger it. Speaker 1 And if it's a surprise? Speaker 2 If it's a new risk, you don't panic. You quickly assess its real impact. You don't just sit there hoping they'll catch up. You actively analyze options. What can we do to minimize the damage? Is there a contingency plan we can use? Can we find an alternative supplier quickly? Can we speed up other tasks to compensate? Then critically, you communicate. Inform the key stakeholders about the issue and what your plan is to tackle it. The mindset is be proactive, not reactive. Deal with it before it becomes a full blown crisis, right? Speaker 1 Get ahead of it. OK, Last one closing phase. Everything's built, delivered, but one important stakeholder is suddenly unhappy. They're disputing whether the final product actually meets the acceptance criteria you agreed on way back when. Speaker 2 Yes they but I thought it would do X problem with the finish line classic challenge. Speaker 1 So what's the insight here? Speaker 2 Calmly go back to the documentation, pull out those agreed upon acceptance criteria. Review them with the stakeholder if they have a legitimate point. If you genuinely miss something against the criteria, then yes, you need to address it before you can formally close. Speaker 1 And if they're wrong, if it does meet the criteria? Speaker 2 Then you need to diplomatically but clearly show them how it meets the criteria. Maybe demonstrate with test results or walkthroughs. The goal is always formal acceptance based on the agreed criteria, backed by documentation. You need to prevent subjective feelings from derailing the formal sign off. Speaker 1 Listening to all this, it really sounds like there's some core do's and don'ts that define this whole PMP mindset, yeah. Speaker 2 Absolutely. The dough's Always investigate root causes first, don't just treat symptoms. Always consult or update the relevant plan, your road map, communicate transparently, proactively manage team issues with leadership, empathy and coaching. Ensure every change goes through proper evaluation and approval, and document things properly. The overarching principles really assess before you act. Speaker 1 Assess before action OK and the don'ts what should you absolutely avoid? Speaker 2 Don't ignore problems or negative feedback. They won't go away. Don't make snap decisions based on gut feeling without analysis. Never ever bypass your established processes. They exist for good reasons. Avoid blaming or punishing team members when things go wrong. Focus on solutions and try not to panic or resort to extreme measures unless the situation truly warrants it after careful assessment. Essential Concepts for Project Management Success OK, let's maybe pull back the curtain a bit on a few powerful concepts, things that, once you sort of get them, feel like project manager superpowers. You don't need to be a deep expert in all of these, maybe, but just knowing they exist and what they do gives you a huge advantage in understanding how the pros really operate. Speaker 2 Yeah, and what's cool is how these concepts help managers get beyond just a gut feeling about whether a project's on track or not. Take Earned Value Management or EVM. Speaker 1 OK, EVM sounds technical. Speaker 2 It can be, but the idea is simple. Imagine a dashboard that tells you not just how much money you've spent that's actual cost AC, but also the budgeted cost of the work you've actually completed. That's earned value EV. Speaker 1 So it compares spending to actual progress. Speaker 2 Exactly. It gives you quick metrics like cost variants, are you over or under budget for the work done and schedule variants, are you ahead or behind schedule in value terms, It can even help you forecast your final project cost based on current performance. It's like a really sophisticated financial health check for your project. Speaker 1 That sounds incredibly useful for knowing where you truly stand. OK, what about dealing with uncertainty? Projects are full of unknowns. How do managers get better estimates? Speaker 2 Well, instead of just one single guess, which is often too optimistic, smart PMS often use techniques like 3 point estimating 3 points. Yeah, you estimate an optimistic case, a pessimistic case, and a most likely case for how long a task will take or how much it will cost. Then there's a simple formula to get a more realistic weighted average. It acknowledges uncertainty. Speaker 1 That makes sense. And for risks? Speaker 2 It's about identifying potential problems, threats and potential good things, opportunities early on. Then you decide on a strategy for a threat. Do you try to avoid it all together? Mitigate its impact? Transfer the risk like buying insurance or just accept it and have a backup plan. Proactive thinking. Speaker 1 These really do sound like ways to make planning much more robust. Less about guesswork. What about managing the schedule complexity itself? Big projects have tons of tasks. Speaker 2 Yeah, and that's where the critical path method CPM comes in. It's a technique to identify the absolute longest sequence of dependent tasks in your project. Speaker 1 The longest chain. Speaker 2 Exactly. And that longest chain determines the shortest possible time your entire project can take the insight. Any delay to any task on that specific critical path will delay your whole project's finish date. It tells you exactly where you have 0 wiggle room 0 float. Speaker 1 Wow. OK, so it highlights the tasks you absolutely cannot let slip. That's powerful. Speaker 2 It is. It tells you where to focus your monitoring efforts. Speaker 1 And shifting gears back to agile, what are some of the specific tools they rely on for that transparency and quick progress? Speaker 2 Agile teams have some really neat, often simple tools. Requirements are often written as user story, short simple descriptions from the user's view. Like as a shopper I want to save items to a wish list so I can buy them later. Speaker 1 Clear and focused. Speaker 2 Very. They have those quick daily stand ups, 15 minutes Max usually where everyone syncs what did I do yesterday? What will I do today and blockers keeps things moving. They often track progress visually on a burndown chart which shows the work remaining in a Sprint. Going down day by day tells you at a glance if you're on track and a clear definition of done. DoD acts like a quality quality checklist. Everyone agrees on what criteria must be met for a piece of work to be considered truly done. Speaker 1 So everyone's on the same page about quality and completion. Speaker 2 Exactly. It prevents misunderstandings. Integrating People, Process, Business Environment for Success You know, what's really clicking for me now is seeing how all these different pieces, the process groups, the tools, the mindsets, they all connect back to those three big PMP domains you mentioned earlier. It ties it all together. Speaker 2 It really does. You can think of almost everything in project management through these three lenses. The people domain that's all about leadership, teamwork, communication, stakeholders, conflict resolution. It's the human element, the process domain that's the technical, how to managing scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk, procurement, all those things. We talked about the mechanics of project management and the business environment domain. This connects your project to the bigger picture, the organization strategy, compliance rules, market changes, ensuring your project actually delivers real business value. Speaker 1 So they're all interconnected. Speaker 2 Totally integrated every process group planning, executing, monitoring and controlling closing involve aspects of people process and the business environment. Like when we talked about resolving team conflict during execution, that's using people skills within the executing process group probably impacting the process of getting work done all within the broader business environment. It's a holistic view hashtag #outro upture. Speaker 1 Wow, OK, that was quite a journey. We've really did a deep dive today, haven't we? Through planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing. Speaker 2 We covered a lot of ground. Speaker 1 Yeah. And seeing how different it looks in traditional versus agile worlds, getting into that crucial PMI mindset for handling real problems and even touching on some of those powerful concepts like EVM and critical path. Speaker 2 And hopefully the key take away for everyone listening is that this knowledge, this way of thinking, it isn't just for people with project manager in their job title, right? It's really a blueprint, a way to organize any complex task, whether it's at work or even a personal goal, a way to achieve things efficiently, understand how successful efforts navigate all that uncertainty. Speaker 1 It's about being prepared, making informed choices. Speaker 2 Exactly, and guiding whatever project you're facing, big or small, towards a successful end. Speaker 3 So here's a thought to leave you with thinking about a project you're involved in right now, or maybe even just a personal goal you're aiming. Speaker 1 For what's one single? Speaker 3 Change you could make, maybe borrowing from what we discussed today, perhaps a more thorough planning phase upfront to really define your North star, or maybe committing to a proper closing phase esecially that lessons learned part. What one thing could significantly boost his chances of success and justice? Maybe make you smarter for whatever comes next.