As the word denotes guidelines are the rules of policies, procedures to be followed to complete their part of the project. Guidelines are different than resources. Resources are the materials, tools and systems to complete the activity. Guidelines enforce the business rules, the quality standard, governance and compliance in place for the activity or project to be completed successfully.
In many cases, we may be relying on the subject matter expert to provide compliance with certain guidelines. For example, we expect that the electricians working in residential or commercial marketplaces to be licensed and understand the rules and regulations for that particular country or state. We assume what they recommend and implement do on the job will meet code, as we are neither electricians nor familiar with that code. We are expecting them to ensure that our project follows these important guidelines.
Many aspects of a project have safety, security or legal implications. Many of these will not rely solely on the knowledge of the subject matter expert to make sure that the job is completed satisfactorily. External or government licensed inspectors will be checking to make sure that’s the case.
Whether we’re looking at projects to ensure that financial systems are meeting legal requirements for reporting or insurers who are following state or country guidelines each project is governed by some level of guidelines. As project managers, we need to understand what they are and determine how they are going to be met.
In other cases the guidelines provide specific instructions for an activity within a project. Assume that some field maintenance is occurring in an engineering project, we need to ensure that the field maintenance technician has the most up-to-date information. These guidelines could be instructions for a maintenance procedure; they might be an engineering change; or a material safety and datasheet indicating that some procedure has to be followed. This information needs to be included as part of the project plan, if it is the chances of meeting the requirements and being following is increased.
Guidelines included are often directly related to the expertise knowledge and experience of those doing the job. For example, if you are removing and reinstalling a toilet in your home chances are you will need some specific instructions on how to do the project. If it is the first time you have done this job guidelines will provide step-by-step instructions of what to do and check. Each guideline should be completed before moving to the next step or activity.
Excerpted from Finish What You Start by Michael Cunningham
