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(see also main text section 3.3)
Project management is a large subject with a literature of its own. Some relevant topic headings are listed below, and those responsible for managing archaeological projects may usefully pursue these and other management skills further.
It is essential that a team with appropriate knowledge and skills is appointed to undertake a project. Once the team and its manager have been appointed the success of a project will largely depend on how effectively its members communicate with one another.
Representatives of the project team should be selected to attend regular meetings. All relevant areas of interest should be represented (eg archaeological scientists, artefact specialists, etc). Project sponsors may also be invited to attend team meetings .
The purpose of team meetings is:
Records should be kept of the progress reported and the decisions made at team meetings for circulation to all concerned.
It is of fundamental importance to establish accurate forecasts of time and costs required. In order to achieve accuracy:
It is necessary to formulate a work plan to ensure that a project operates effectively within its time and cost constraints. The work plan will detail:
There are a number of different ways of representing the work plan for example Gant Charts, Pert Charts. The size and complexity of the project will dictate the best methods of record and display.
Regular review will be necessary and should be undertaken to ensure that the work plan is adhered to. The effects of planned or unplanned deviation must be considered and steps taken either to return to the original plan or make agreed necessary adjustments.
Adjustments may necessitate rescheduling or reallocation of resources. The work plan must always be updated to reflect any changes made, and when necessary approval for this must be sought.
Expenditure of time and money can only be successfully controlled if it is recorded. All members of a project team should maintain an appropriately detailed record of time spent on project tasks. It should be the project manager's responsibility to define the task headings under which activities are recorded, and the appropriate level of record, so that task records can be grouped and general trends observed. Tasks will range from project specific activities to more general headings, for example attending team meetings.
The project manager should also be responsible for ensuring that an appropriate record is kept of cash-flow.
Project sponsors may well wish to satisfy themselves that a project is being run efficiently and to the agreed specification. The level of monitoring will vary in accordance with the sponsor's requirement and the needs of specific projects. The level and form of monitoring should be agreed between the sponsors and the project manager at an early stage. Monitoring may be carried out by a representative of the sponsor attending some or all team meetings, by regular contact with the project manager, or by other more or less detailed involvement.
The purposes of monitoring at every phase are:
Monitoring of an archaeological project will principally take place during phases 2 to 4 (fieldwork, assessment, analysis and report preparation). In order to monitor a project effectively the project monitor must have at each stage:
If monitoring reveals that any of the necessary criteria are not being fulfilled, steps must be taken to establish the reasons for this. Consideration must be given to whether or not the project design is still valid, and where appropriate adjustments must be made to the work programme to ensure that the re-defined targets can be met.
Records of monitoring should be kept and circulated to all concerned.
A large number of project management software packages are now available. These packages provide an effective tool for planning, controlling and adjusting project programmes.
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Last updated: Thu Oct 8 1998