(^174) 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
Effectively Manage the Deliverables
Ernani Marques da Silva, MBA, PMP, PgMP
Mairipora, Sao Paulo, Brazil
PRojECTS ARE CoMPRISED oF A SET oF DElIvERABlES that, when com-
pleted, constitute the completion of the whole product, service, or result. For
software development projects, integrating all of the components is crucial for
the final result to work properly. The components, of course, vary depending
on the kind of software you are building. So, the deliverables are the major
components that should actively be planned, controlled, monitored, and man-
aged by following these tips:
• Identify the deliverables. Identified deliverables outline the full solution,
identify the order in which they should be created and delivered, identify
metrics that should be used to monitor and control their development and
delivery, and actively monitor their progress against the planned baseline
and metrics defined.
It is very important to break deliverables into partial packets of code, each
created to provide a special software function. This is especially important
for complex projects/environments and projects developed by third par-
ties. Do not wait to receive the full work package at the end. It is a good
practice to arrange for the delivery of project parts bit by bit, and follow
a preplanned process to deploy them to other members of the software
team for use in their own development work.
• Monitor and control the deliverables. Once you have defined the means
by which the work packages (functional code bits) will be built, moni-
tored, and controlled, you must actively monitor and control the building
phase to check whether the work is being done as planned. Checkpoints,
metrics, and key performance indicators (KPIs) should be shared with all
project team members.