Tools and Techniques

Tools and Techniques that are worth learning

• Product Based Planning

Used in PRINCE2 and defined in the manual. Much better than work-based planning. Uses plain English and is a doddle to learn. Quicker and easier than planning tasks and dependency planning is far less effort. Instead of trying to imagine everything someone might need to do to complete the project, collaboratively break down the outcome into its components parts. Keep going until each part is an item that can be described and defined well enough to be delegated to an individual or team to produce, with agreed specifications and acceptance criteria. The plan is then the sequence of production and construction. Anything that is not making or checking part of the final product does not end up in the plan, and every component is in the plan. It is also a great method for project progress reporting by ticking off each component.

• Meeting agenda

Every meeting should have an agenda which is distributed in advance to all attendees. Then stick to it. That way people know what to expect, what to bring and whether they need to attend.

• Action minutes

Don't record meetings verbatim unless there is legal need to do so. Instead, action minutes record who is going to do what and by when. Also recorded should be decisions.