Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Project Charter - Project Management For Road Racing

One goal completed, one goal started. 

Now that the first go through the PMBOK® Guideis complete it's time to start a second read through. This time with notes. This time relating various pertinent elements from the Guide to the Closter 5k. But even as I was finishing up the materials, and being introduced to the subjects of Risk and Stakeholder Management, I understood that these elements were crucial to the Project Charter. While a Risk Register Matrix is being created (for a future post), and a Stakeholder Register is being populated with info (which will remain private). The Project Charter is presented here. 



Project Charter: 2017 Dom Mircovich Memorial Closter 5k & Kids Fun Run


Background
The 5k has been conducted in Closter since 1981 and the event is part of the town’s larger annual Labor Day weekend festivities. The Closter 5k is now named in memory of Domenick Mircovich, a resident of Closter who was killed in the attacks of 9/11/2001. “Dom” was an active participant in the town’s recreational activities, and this event is named in its memory. The fun run for kids 12 and under is conducted prior to the 5k.


Goals
- Plan and safely conduct the 36th edition of the Closter 5k and the Kid’s Fun Run.
-    Create and complete a project which can be used as a model and basis for subsequent road running events.

Scope
Plan and safely produce the Closter 5k and kid’s fun run for 200-400 expected participants. This project will be organized by the Closter 5k Organizing Committee within the established parameters defined by the project sponsor, the Closter Recreation Commission. Included in this project are engagements with volunteers, sponsors, vendors, local law enforcement, and EMS.


Key Stakeholders
Clients     
Closter Recreation Commission, Event Volunteers, Event Participants, Sponsors (providing money, space, and consumables), Vendors (timing, trophies, and apparel), and the Mircovich family, Closter PD, Closter EMS, Runners’ House.
Sponsor
Closter Recreation Commission
Project manager
Stephen L. Miller
Project team members
Closter 5k Organizing Committee, MA, DB, ES (Coded for privacy. See contact info document for those who have access.)


Project Milestones
Project kickoff meeting with the Closter 5k Organizing Commitee on 2/2/17
Online and Mail-In Registration Open: March 1, 2017
Sponsor Submission Deadline (TBD)
T-Shirt Design Completion (TBD)
Online Registration Close Date: Midnight 9/1/17
Paper Registration Close Date: Prior to 10AM event start on 9/4/17
Event Day: Sunday 9/4/17
Project Close: 9/18/17 with
Documented event summary
Thank yous
Confirmation of payments to vendors


Project Deliverables
Scope Statement
Monthly Progress Reports
Monthly Issues Reports
Monthly Meetings Through July
Semi-Weekly Meetings Through August 14
Weekly Meetings Through August
Meeting Notes
Closter 5k and Kid’s Fun Run Event


Project Budget
The The Closter 5k and Fun Run includes these major sources of income and expenses:
  1. Income 1: Participant Registrations - Estimated Income: $3,000
  2. Income 2: Sponsor Donations - Estimated Income: $2,500
  3. Expense 1: Timing Company - Estimated Expense: $1,750
  4. Expense 2: Apparel - Estimated Expense: $2,500
  5. Expense 3: Trophies - Estimated Expense $450
  6. Expense 4: Signage - Estimated Expense $200


Additional costs are small , will be defined in the Procurement Management Plan. Both of these expense are non-recurring. There is no monthly recurring billing.


Constraints, Assumptions, Risks and Dependencies
Constraints  
The date on which the Closter 5k is held, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, will always constrain its attendance by entrants and participation by volunteers. To produce a 5k like other area 5ks has a significant time and financial cost.

Aside from the human expense of conducting this kind of event, the budget has been a question in terms of actual expenses for the totality of the event. It is important to emphasize that the Organizing Committee has always been fully supported by the Project Sponsor. What we’ve asked for we’ve received (Ex. new course measurement, new timer, technical t-shirts). What could the event become if we put more revenue towards additional event features? That will at least be a topic of exploration during the planning phases of the event. Indeed having this plan in place will more accurately record and tally the event income and expenses.
Assumptions
Strong sponsor support has been provided to the Closter 5k and is expected to continue. The project is also supported by several volunteers on the day-of the event. These volunteers can be relied up to return to their annual roles.
Participant number: It can be assumed that on event day 175 - 275 people will register for the Closter 5k. The number varies year to year. In excess of 500 participants would overtax our capacity to serve them.
The successful completion of the event also relies on the timing company to drive from an hour away to set up and record the event.
Risks and Dependencies
The most significant risks to the successful completion of the project are the timing company not being present, day-of volunteers not being present, bad weather, and the safety of the volunteers and participants.
For the successful completion of the 5k, the timing company must make an hour drive, set up their equipment, and enter day-of registrations.
Strong attempts are made for participants to register and pick up their race bibs prior to the event. A large number of participant registrations could overwhelm the volunteers who work on the event.
Without the timing company the event would not have the imprimatur of being official, nor could age group winners be sorted or awarded.
To a lesser extent, good weather is assumed. Same-day registration, the actual events, and the awards, occur outside. The event is conducted during rain, but not if there is lightning.
The safety and well being of the runners/walkers is also a risk due to weather, falls, and traffic. While major roads are closed to traffic, some local cars inevitably find their way onto the course, posing a safety concern for the volunteers and participants.

Approval Signatures

Closter Recreation Commission, Project Customer

Jim Oettinger, Closter Recreation Commission Chairperson, Project Sponsor
Stephen L Miller, Project Manager



Stephen Miller’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlornemiller
Contact Email: Millerslm@gmail.com



Monday, January 30, 2017

Project Boundaries - Project Management For Road Racing



Thought I'd have a bit of fun with Google Drawings by essentially redrawing the Project Boundaries figure from the PMBOK® Guide. It's a way to practice other diagrams, Gantt charts, and other visual consumables that will be created for the 5KPM project.

Because the Closter 5k is part of a larger weekend of events, it quite often happens that we are asked to help out in areas separate from the 5k event. That's fine. We get great support and return that support. But our event can largely be categorized as a "projectized organization."

Still, it is interesting and useful to see the very real boundaries for this project, and how the scope must be defined clearly. As much as this was just a simple, but important exercise, and a guide of what's to come, it's instructive to see that we do have inputs from a real sponsor who gives us real responsibility and authority to conduct this event. That trust is repaid in the work that we do through planning, monitoring, controlling, and executing of the necessary steps. Finally, we provide a very real project deliverable in the form of the event for hundreds of participants, and keep the records of the event for use in future 5k events.

As always, your feedback is appreciated, so please share your thoughts about the 5KPM so far:

Stephen Miller’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlornemiller
Contact Email: Millerslm@gmail.com

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Personal Goals - Project Management for Road Racing

Previously I’d enumerated my professional goals for using an event at which I volunteer as a showcase of Project Management lessons. Reading the PMBOK® Guide made me understand how I could demonstrate my project knowledge abilities and applications prior to taking the certification exam, and use those lessons to benefit an event that is very dear to me.


These lessons in Project Management are more than just passing a test. Indeed I already have skills managing projects from previous work experience. These skills have been built on a career as a functional and operational manager As I embark on this new phase of my career, the 5KPM project emerged as a way to way to demonstrate those skills.


In this way, my professional and personal goals are aligned. If I properly apply the lessons in the PMBOK Guide to the planning of the Closter 5k, I’ll not only reinforce lessons necessary to pass the PMP certification, but I’ll also create a reference point for future similar road racing events.
Certainly the organizing committee has notes on events from prior years. But now the entire processes and will be systematically better planned, tracked, organized, and executed. My personal goals are listed here:
  • Better plan and conduct my town’s 5k event.
  • Create Project Management related systems as best I understand them, and test-drive these lessons in order to plan and manage a successful event.
  • Incorporate lessons into future event iterations.
  • Keep these developed project knowledge processes and results in one place for reference during future events.
  • Be a resource for other race directors who are looking to make their events a project with agreed-upon processes tools and techniques.
  • Set a direction for future event-support growth.
  • Increase efficiency of planning for town events. (Time, budget, and resources are always limited by dint of the volunteer nature of the organization and project.)
  • Give back to the road racing community.
  • Enhance the planning of race direction through Project Management principles.
  • Expand volunteer role to help with other events using tools developed through this project.

As always, your feedback is appreciated, so please get in touch:

Stephen Miller’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlornemiller
Contact Email: Millerslm@gmail.com



Saturday, January 21, 2017

Professional Goals - Project Management For Road Racing

During the prior post I introduced the Closter 5k project and broadly outlined my professional and personal goals. Earning my PMP certification and getting a job is the greatest professional project driver. This post details the professional goals.


Professional Goals
  • Use my town’s 5k run/walk event as a basis for a sample project with three core connections:
    • study aid,
    • professional development tool, and
    • a durable event document.
  • Achieve Project Management certification in Q3 2017.
  • Connect the lessons from the Project Management Book of Knowledge to the practice of planning and executing the Closter 5k as a project.
  • Distinguish me in a field of PM aspirants and job competitors.
  • Demonstrate my work within the structures of the PM processes as I see them (ahead of taking the classes) so that I can:
    • Expose my work to criticism
    • Learn lessons to improve the project, and incorporate these lessons into the project planning and management
    • Learn how to fail quickly, and move on after applying appropriate with remedies
  • Share project as a case study after joining the local PMI chapter.


From what I've learned during the past seven years as a volunteer and co-race director for the Closter 5k, I can say that there has always been an informal charter. By “project-izing” the event, a formal example of a charter will be produced. The event has very real customers, the hundreds of people who show up on race day. The Closter 5k has very real  work that needs to be planned, and tasks which can be divided into small components (Work Breakdown Structures). It has procurements. It has risks. And a lot more.


That is why the different chapters from the PMBOK® Guide will be mapped to the relevant elements of the Closter 5k. I will go as far as possible into the weeds with the project scope, risk register, and other logs, plans, charts, inputs, and outputs. Through project management I’m going to push the event planning to be a better documented, more granular project than we’ve ever done. Look for my personal goals post next.


In the meantime, comment, or use this info to review, provide feedback, and to get in touch:


Stephen Miller’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlornemiller
Contact Email: Millerslm@gmail.com
Closter 5k on Closter Recreation Website: http://www.closterrec.com/closter-5k-runwalk.html

Friday, January 20, 2017

Project Management For Road Racing - An Introduction

Hello and welcome to 5KPM.


This blog is one of the elements which will be used to document the Closter, NJ 5k run/walk event as a formal project. My involvement with the event dates to 2010 when I first ran the race. Participating in this 5k was a goal which I’d trained to achieve in order to help maintain good health and because I enjoy running with friends.

My first running of the event was also my last. Since 2011 I’ve been a volunteer, and then a co-race director. In addition to help plan the event, I also help out along the course on race day. As a result of volunteering, and running my first marathon in 2011, I actually haven’t had a chance to run the Closter 5k a second time.   

As it happens, the planning for the 36h edition of the Closter 5k, and my upcoming Project Management certification are occurring in tandem. The application of principles and lessons from the Project Management Body Of Knowledge, (5th Edition) will give the project a structure for future events, and serve as a study and application tool as I prepare for my PMP certification later in 2017.

Additionally, this project will be a durable record of planning, managing, and conducting the event which can be used for future similar events. “Project-izing” the event will will also demonstrate my developed Project Management skills to potential employers as I look for new opportunities, by supporting my operational and functional management experience.

The blog, related documents, posts, and discussions, will appear under the banner of 5KPM - Project Management For Road Racing. This is part of my longer-term plan to help other people, other Race Directors make their events, um, run better. Posts will appear periodically as the project planning occurs and closes, and as my studies continue. The actual date of the 2017 Closter 5k is Sunday, September 3. This project will close September 18, when the last of the thank you letters to sponsors are sent, the final bills are paid, and the last trophies are given to the participants. Maybe you’ll register?

In the meantime, and throughout this project, I welcome suggestions and constructive criticisms.

Thanks and have a great day.

Contact:
Closter 5k on Closter Recreation: http://www.closterrec.com/closter-5k-runwalk.html