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Lesson 2 of 5Leadership, Projects and Technology
Unit 4 · Lesson 2 of 5

Managing a Project

A project moves through five stages (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and closing), and clear goals, KPIs, shared tasks, a timeline, backup plans and a balanced budget keep it on track.

4 min read9 practice questionsAsk AI about this →

Key things to remember

  1. 1The five stages: initiating (goals), planning (tasks), executing (do the plan), monitoring (track progress), closing (deliver and reflect).
  2. 2A KPI (key performance indicator) is a number you track to see whether you are reaching your goal.
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5Delegating gives each task one owner, matched to their strengths, with a deadline.
  6. 6A backup (contingency) plan says what you will do if a risk happens.

Have you ever been in a group project where nobody knew who was doing what, and everything got done the night before? Project management fixes that. A project is a piece of work with a clear goal, a start and an end. Project management is the process of planning and guiding that work so it gets done on time and on budget. In this lesson, five Grade 9 students plan a charity car wash to raise money for a local food bank.

The five stages of a project

next projectoff track? adjust and keep executing1. InitiatingDetermine the goalse.g. goal: raise $5002. PlanningIdentify the taskse.g. list tasks, dates, roles3. ExecutingImplement the plane.g. bake, advertise, sell4. MonitoringTrack progress of the taskse.g. check sales vs. the plan5. ClosingDeliver project and reflect onthe processe.g. hand over funds, reflectExample:a school fundraiser
Fig 1The five stages: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and closing. Monitoring loops back to executing when the team needs to adjust.
StageWhat it meansCar wash example
1. InitiatingDetermine the goals: what are we trying to achieve?Raise $600 for the food bank with a car wash on a Saturday in May.
2. PlanningIdentify the tasks: who does what, by when, with what money?List tasks, assign people, make a timeline and a budget, plan for rain.
3. ExecutingImplement the plan: do the work.Buy supplies, put up posters, wash cars on the day.
4. MonitoringTrack the progress of the tasks and fix problems.Check the car count at noon. Behind? Send two people to wave signs at the corner.
5. ClosingDeliver the project and reflect on how it went.Count the money, give it to the food bank, thank volunteers, ask for feedback.
VideoWatch the five phases (initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closure) and match each one to a stage of the car wash plan.Watch on YouTube

Goals, KPIs and delegating tasks

A good goal is specific and measurable. "Raise money" is vague. "Raise $600 for the food bank by washing cars on May 16" tells everyone exactly what success looks like. A key performance indicator (KPI) is a number you track to see if you are on the way to your goal. Delegating means giving tasks to team members, ideally matching each task to someone's strengths.

KPITargetHow we measure it
Cars washed70 carsTally sheet at the pay table
Money raised (after costs)$600Revenue minus costs, counted at the end
Volunteers who show up10 peopleSign-in sheet
Customer happiness4 out of 5 or higherQuick thumbs-up card at the exit
Four simple KPIs for the car wash. Each has a number target and a way to measure it.
Units soldbracelets this month172target 20086% of targetcloseRevenueunits × $8 each$1,376target $1,60086% of targetcloseCustomer ratingaverage review out of 54.6target 4.5102% of targettarget metSocial-media followerstotal on our account615target 500123% of targettarget metRepeat customersshare who bought again24%target 30%80% of targetcloseHow to read it% of target =actual ÷ target × 100e.g. 172 ÷ 200 × 100 = 86%Upright line = target (100%)100%+ met80–99%<80%
Fig 2A KPI dashboard for a student bracelet venture. Each tile compares the actual result to its target.
TaskWhoWhy this personDue
Get permission to use the school parking lotZoeShe is the club president and knows the office staff.April 24
Make and put up postersJordanHe is great at design apps.May 8
Buy supplies and track the budgetSofiaShe is careful with money and likes spreadsheets.May 14
Recruit volunteers and make the scheduleLiamHe knows lots of people on two sports teams.May 8
Run the pay table and tally carsBenHe is organized and friendly.May 16
Delegation: one owner for each task, chosen for their strengths, with a clear deadline.

A timeline, risks and backup plans

TaskWeek 1 (Apr 20)Week 2 (Apr 27)Week 3 (May 4)Week 4 (May 11)
Get permissionX
Recruit volunteersXX
Make and post postersXX
Buy suppliesX
Car wash day (May 16)X
A simple Gantt chart: each row is a task and each X shows the week the work happens.

A Gantt chart is a timeline drawn as a table, with tasks down the side and time across the top. It shows at a glance what should be happening each week and which tasks overlap. A risk is something that could go wrong. A backup plan (also called a contingency plan) is what you will do if it happens.

RiskHow likely?Backup plan
Rain on May 16MediumRain date of May 23, announced on every poster.
Not enough volunteers show upMediumAsk 12 people so that 10 arrive; shorten each shift.
Run out of soapLowKeep $10 of the budget aside; a store is five minutes away.
Few cars comeMediumSign wavers at the busy corner; post reminders the night before.

The full car wash plan and budget

ItemCost
Car soap$18
Sponges and wash mitts$12
Towels$25
Poster printing$15
Poster board for signs$10
Water and snacks for volunteers$20
Hoses, buckets and parking lot$0 (borrowed or free)
Total costs$100
Planned costs: 18 + 12 + 25 + 15 + 10 + 20 = 100 dollars.

Closing: evaluating with feedback

KPITargetActualPercent of target
Cars washed7064
Money raised$600$577
Volunteers1011110%
Customer happiness4.0 / 54.6 / 5115%
Actual results. Revenue was $640 from cars plus $45 in the donation jar, and costs were $108.
  • What went well? Ask the team, the volunteers and a few customers.
  • What could be even better next time? Be specific: "start the sign wavers at 9:00 a.m., not noon."
  • Did we meet each KPI? Use the numbers, not just feelings.
  • What did each of us learn? Write it down while it is fresh.

Worked examples

Reveal one step at a time and try to beat it to the next line.

Example 1
The team's first idea is "Let's do a car wash to help people." Turn it into a clear goal with three KPIs.
Example 2
Check that the car wash budget adds up, then find how many cars the team must wash to give $600 to the food bank at $10 per car.
Example 3
On the day, the team washed 64 cars at $10, collected $45 in a donation jar, and spent $108 (they bought $8 of extra soap). Find the profit and evaluate the project.

Where marks get lost

  • Forgetting to add costs to the goal. Washing 60 cars at $10 gives $600 of revenue, but only $500 for the food bank after $100 of costs.
  • Writing a vague goal like "raise lots of money". Without a number and a date, no one can tell whether you succeeded.
  • Assigning a task to "everyone". When everyone owns a task, nobody does it. Give each task one owner.
  • Skipping the monitoring stage, so a problem (too few cars) is only noticed when it is too late to fix.
  • Ending the project without a reflection, so the same mistakes happen at the next event.

Flashcards 8

Project
The five project stages
Initiating stage
Monitoring stage
+ 4 more

Practice

1
Put the five project stages in order.
  1. 1Closing
  2. 2Monitoring
  3. 3Executing
  4. 4Initiating
  5. 5Planning
2
Match each car wash task to its project stage.
Decide to raise $600 for the food bank
Make a timeline and a budget
Wash the cars on Saturday
Check the car count at noon
Give the money and ask for feedback
3
A car wash brings in $700 of revenue and costs $100 in supplies. What is the profit? Give a whole number of dollars.
$
4
A team wants to give $400 to charity. Its costs are $80 and it charges $8 per car. How many cars must it wash? Give a whole number.
cars
5
The target was 70 cars and the team washed 64. What percent of the target did they reach? Round to one decimal place.
%
6
Which of these is a KPI for a car wash?
7
Which is the best way to delegate making posters?
8
What is the name for a backup plan you will use if a risk, like rain, happens?
9
At noon, the team has washed only 25 cars, but planned on 35. Which stage are they in, and what should they do?

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