OBJ 2.0

Client TOR (terms of reference)

often focuses on a relationship rather than the deliverables

common when dealing with consultants

Mutually exclusive collectively exhaustive (MECE)

Ensures that each element in the WBS is distinct and represents the entire scope of the project

a work breakdown structure design guideline that seeks to avoid overlaps and gaps in tasks improving efficiency

Predetermined client

refers to a client who has been identified or selected in advance for a specific purpose or project

based on certain criteria such as the clients needs, preferences, industry, or potential for business growth

Kickoff meeting

has a number of goals:

lettings people know about the project

managing and setting expectation

letting team members get to know each other

answering initial questions from stakeholders

Communication artifact

can include dashboards, snapshots, presentations, press releases, and any other tangible document that provides communication

Initiation phase

The scope, objectives, and deliverables are defined, the team is brought together, existing artifacts are reviewed, access requirements are defined, and communication channels are established

a phase that identifies and evaluates stakeholders

builds the:

project charter, stakeholder engagement plan, RAM

Return on Investment (ROI) formula

(Total revenue - Total cost) / Total Cost) x 100

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)

RACI chart

project management tool that clarifies roles and responsibilities for tasks or activities

lists individuals involved in the project and specifies their roles in completing each task

designates who is:

responsible

accountable

consulted

informed

Business Analyst

acts as an intermediary between the company and the teams

understands the company’s needs and its business requirements

understands the technical aspects of the project

qualified to keep the project aligned with business requirements

Preparation phase

phase in which business case is created and contracts are reviewed

phase in which return on investment (ROI) is created and used to justify the project

Reconciling the budget

closing activity

carefully examining expenses and costs ensuring their accuracy and comparing expenses to the budget, the project manager, and others ensure that value is delivered and the money was spent responsibly

Project kickoff

live meeting that usually takes place during the initiation phase of a project

Breach of contract

occurs when one party fails to fulfill the terms and conditions specified in the agreement

Legally binding document

Planning phase

defines the units of work

determine budget considerations

Backlogs are created and then refined during the execution phase

The phase in which the initial risk assessment is the first attempt to list and assess the events that may impact the project

Monte Carlo Analysis

assesses the likelihood of a project estimate covering actual project expenses

used to determine whether the money allocated for a project will be enough the cover the actual expenses

Executive summary

a synopsis of the business case

few sentences long

recommended to be written last so it provides a good summary of what is contained in the business case

Organizational Change Management (OCM)

should involve training and lots of support from within the company

facilitates the transition

Identifying what people will need to do differently

Goal is to get users to accept the change produced by the project

commonly referred to as “the people side of change” as it recognizes that people are critical to the success of change

Ex: Meeting with office workers to explain the benefits of the new software

The options

explores three to five potential solutions providing advantages and disadvantages of each

includes the approach that explains what happens if nothing is done

Communication plan

includes goals, outcomes, channels, and artifacts

Communication Goals

build clarity early in the process and include choices about the appropriate amount of communication

EX: deciding to provide reports on progress of a project that will be sent to stakeholders every two weeks by email so that stakeholders remain informed about the project but will not be overrun with emails

Communication outcomes

what you hope will happen as a result of the communication you have sent

Communication channels

methods by which information is sent
includes email, text, websites, shared folders, and other way in which artifacts are delivered to stakeholders

Resource cost estimation

details the costs associated with each resource required for the project is resource cost estimation

involves calculating the total costs based on the cost of each resource needed for the project

Level responsibility

involves having the appropriate level of detail for the work element

focuses on breaking work down to the point that it can be completed in set amount of time and results in a measurable deliverable

managing conflict

an activity for the execution phase

these may arise among team members or with other stakeholders

During which phase is seeking feedback apart of?

Closing phase

Collaborating

involves working together, sharing ideas, and utilizing expertise to arrive at a mutually satisfactory solution

Smoothing

involves minimizing differences between conflicting parties and highlighting common interests to maintain team harmony

Execution phase

work is done and the team decides the outcomes have been met, and the product can be delivered

tacks and reports items like risks, budgets, cope, and defects

project timeline is updated

organization overview

identify stakeholders, customers, project roles, team members, and the projects organizational chart

Tools and techniques

part of the transition that lists processes and means that are needed to allow the foundation laid by the project to last into the future

25% or more change in velocity or throughput across sprints

indicates that the team should take a look at what is causing significant change

Stages in Glasls stages of conflict escalation

9 stages of conflict escalation in Glasl’s stages of conflict escalation

Stages 1-3 = “win-win” situations

Stages 4-6 = “win-lose” situations

Stages 7-9 = “lose-lose” situations

identify stakeholders

essential at the start of a project to recognize all individuals or groups who can affect or be affected by the project

Major Milestones

most appropriate topic for external stakeholder meetings

these meetings provide high level updates on the project

transition schedule

part of the transition plan that ensures people know when work on the project ends and what the go-live date is

stakeholder engagement matrix

designed to gauge the influence and interest of stakeholders in a project

evaluates stakeholders significance and impact by considering their influence on the project and their level of interest or involvement

Closing phase

Project evaluation, validation of deliverables, releasing resources are part of this phase, and collect feedback from stakeholders

Address the gaps

final step in evaluating a projects resource pool by taking actions to bridge resource deficiencies or missing elements

Solution Design

involves the architext and project team choosing technologies that align with the projects requirements

architect evaluates various tradeoffs to determine the most suitable solution, even if no option meets all requirements perfectly

Decision tree analysis

for contingency planning particularly when trying to conduct quantitative decision-making

uses paths and uncertainty to create a picture of possibilities

Plan around outcomes

guidelines that recommends focusing on the outcome rather than the tasks

based on the idea that using task level work to organize a project is too detailed

Extended team member

brought into projects due to their expertise and work temporarily with the team to address issues

Project management artifacts

include budgets and plans that are used to organize and run the project

Implementation overview

will contain the timelines and milestones, resource requirements, risks, assumptions, and budget

Project management plan

includes:

Work Breakdown structure (WBS)

baselines

milestones

approvals

Operating expenses (OpEx)

costs to the company to keep it operating

ex: a cost of a subscription

project deliverables

what the team will provide through the project

they are activities included by the projects scope and are identified in the plan

Change log

used to record project changes that occur when the project activities deviate from the project plan

end of phase gate meeting

one of three decisions is made:

cancel project

begin the next phase

stay in current phase

project charter

an official document that specifies the projects objectives, scope, stakeholders, deliverables, and overall vision

project closure phase

it is important to review the contracts and close them and other legal documents which contain the companies obligations

project dashboard

place where a simple or detailed picture of progress can be placed

General project information

includes the names of the project manager and sponsor with project name and description

Burndown chart

focuses on tracking the remaining work each day until it reaches zero

makes it more suitable for projects with fixed timeslines and a more flexible scope

total float (TF)

calculated to guage the flexibility of activities not on the critical path

indicates how much an activity can be postponed without affecting the overall project timeline

business case

is the argument for the projects existence

it should be compelling, appealing, and easy to read

serves as the final project proposal

Maintenance schedule

is the part of the transition plan that indicates what activities are needed to ensure the work of the project continues

functional SOW

describe the requirements of the finished work

Allows vendors to determine how the work will be completed

problem analysis

provides greater context for the main issue and explains why the project should be undertaken before other projects

should provide context for the issue to be solved and should make an argument for why this project should be a priority

Contingency reserve

is a buffer amount in the project budget designed to cover unexpected events, risks, and potential changes during the project’s execution

Operational Training

part of the transition plan

identifies how ongoing skill development will occur to ensure the continued use, maintenance, and improvement of the foundation laid by the project

Design SOW

prescriptive, meaning that they state what absolutely must be done in the project

provides details on the processes and resources that must be used to complete the work

used most frequently when there are detailed design specifications for the work

ROE

Rules of engagement

provide guidelines for specific activates but do not define performance standards

Performance SOW

focuses on performance standards

often sets a minimum performance standard for the work to be completed

how the work is completed is up to the vendor, as long as it meets the performance standard

Product Documentation

part of the transition plan

includes playbooks, configurations, specifications, and other artifacts developed during the project

OCM steps

1 Identify groups that will need to do things different

2 Identify what people will need to do differently

3 Facilitate the transition

4 Monitoring and reinforcing adoption

the financial value of the project is $9,000 and the project cost is $3,000. Calculate the ROI.

ROI = 200%

SOW vs TOR

They are similar

one focuses on deliverables

the other focuses on relationships

Discovery phase gate review

considers whether a project is viable and the potential risk of the project

EX: a team deciding they should not expend any resources on the project based on the research they have done