Execute Your Project

When you receive an award, your proposal becomes a project

A Project is a set of interdependent activities planned to attain or complete a deliverable within a predefined cost, schedule, and technical scope. The four phases of a project are initiation, planning, execution/monitoring, and closeout. Project management is broadly defined as the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet stakeholder expectations. See the Brookhaven-specific Project Management course available online through the Training & Qualifications group.

Differing levels of project management rigor will be applied depending on the complexity of your project. Shown below are the basic steps that should be followed in all projects. Refer to the Graded Approach to Project Management in SBMS for additional guidance and tools.

Getting the Project Started

Hold a kick-off meeting with your team and all project participants to set expectations and define responsibilities to ensure efficient project execution. Review the approved Statement of Work and consider what aspects of the project will require coordination with other groups such as the Business Office, Research Operations, Facility Management, ESH Representatives, Procurement experts, the Project Management Center, Human Resources Managers, etc. (Note that the Research Partnerships and Technology Transfer Office (RPTT) may request or initiate a kick-off meeting for certain projects.)

Planning the Project

The Statement of Work encompasses the basic elements of project management—scope, schedule, and budget—and is a key planning document.  At a minimum, the SOW can act as the project plan for less complex, low cost, low risk projects. For more complex projects, a more detailed project management plan may be necessary. The Project Management Center can help you determine the level of rigor needed and offers project management specialists and tools to help with planning, tracking, and reporting.

When estimating project complexity, consider:

• Technical complexity
• Total project cost
• Partnering arrangements
• Funding source
• Importance to Lab mission

Execute and Monitor the Project

Execute and monitor your project to deliver what's described in the Statement of Work; within the cost budgeted, timeframe scheduled, and with the deliverables identified. Talk to your Business Operations Manager regularly to monitor costs, commitments, and account balances.

To help you stay on track, you'll have access to a Spendable Balance Report, a PeopleSoft Financials tool that lets you directly access your project's financial information. The report summarizes the funds available after commitments and requisitions are considered against funds that have been received. The report does not replace the professional analytical support provided by business staff, but it provides data-on-demand for project status. If you don't have access to the report, contact your Business Operations Manager.

Managing Changes

If any of the following conditions occur during the performance of the work, a new Proposal Information Questionnaire (PIQ) must be generated:

• The scope changes
• The cost changes by ±20%
• Any of the responses to the PIQ questions change

If you're not sure that the scope of work has changed significantly, contact the Office of Sponsored Programs for advice.