final exam

Project:

Project:

a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique products, service, or result” (Deliverable)

3 Major/Distinct Aspects of a project:

Temporary, Unique, constraints

Examples of Projects

1. Developing a new product, service, or result.

2. Conducting research that yields documented results.

3. Changing the structure, staffing, or style of a company .

4. Developing an information system (hardware/software).

5. Constructing a building, industrial plant, or infrastructure.

6. Implementing, improving, or enhancing existing business processes and procedures

Program

A group of related projects, subprograms, and program activities managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits not available from managing them

Work Package

Work defined at the lowest level of a work breakdown structure for which cost and duration can be estimated and managed.”

Work packages are divided up into smaller components called

activities that represent the work effort required to complete the work package

6 Competing Constraints:

Scope, Quality, Schedule, Budget, Resource, Risk

Activity

A distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during the course of a project.”

Milestone

A significant point or event in a project, program, or portfolio. (Instantaneous)

Project Management Process Groups:

A logical grouping of project management inputs, tools and techniques, and output

Project Management Process Groups are

not project phases

Initiating Process Group

The ins performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project by obtaining the authorization to begin

Planning Process Group

The planning process group consists of those processes performed to establish the total scope of effort, define and refine objectives, and develop the course of action

Executing Process Group:

The executing process group consists of those processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the project specifications.

Monitoring & Controlling Process Group

The monitoring and controlling process group consists of those processes needed to track, review, and coordinate the progress and the performance of a project or phase.

Closing Process Group

The closing process group consists of those processes performed to conclude the activities across all the PM process groups to formally complete a project or phase

Deming Cycle:

A continuous quality improvement model consisting of a logical sequence of four repetitive steps for continuous improvement and learning... (PDCA).

Predictive Life Cycle

Traditional approach, most of the planning occurs upfront, then executing in a single pass

Predictive Life Cycle Example:

Designing and manufacturing a new plane model

Iterative Life Cycle

Approach that allows feedback for any unfinished work to improve and modify that work

Iterative Life Cycle Example

Software updates

Incremental Life Cycle

Approach that provides finished deliverables that the customer may use immediately

Incremental Life Cycle Example

Fully functional website and then adding features

Agile Life Cycle

An approach that is both incremental and iterative to refine work items and deliver frequently. The increment to produce is approved before starting a given iteration. The iteration is used to address uncertainty on the requirements and the potential for plans to get rapidly out of date by only planning for the upcoming iteration in detail.

Agile life cycle example:

(Construction of an Apartment): Constructing a building

Scrum

An agile framework for developing and sustaining complex products, with specific roles, events, and artifacts

Project Manager’s Responsibilities stakeholders

Parent company, project and client, team members

Parent company

Proper conservation of resources, timely and accurate project communications, and the careful, competent management of the project.

project and client

Preserve the integrity of the project in spite of the conflicting demands made by the many parties who have legitimate interests in the project

team members

Provide support to the project workers when transitioning between old/new projects or going back to their functional homes (concerned with future)

The majority of a PM’s time is spent

communicating with the many groups interested in the project

The PM is the project’s

 liaison to the outside world

Management Styles: Three Categories

Autocratic, democratic, Laissez-faire

Autocratic

Follows the top-down approach, with one-way communication. It is the most controlling, with management making all the workplace decisions and holding all the power

Democratic

Managers encourage employees to give input but are ultimately responsible for the final decision. Team cohesiveness is increased by using two-way communication

Laissez-Faire

Management takes a hands-off approach to leadership. Employees are trusted to do their work without supervision; control their decisions and problem-solving

4 values of ethics

Responsibility, respect, fairness, honesty

Organizational Structure

is an enterprise environmental factor, which can affect the availability of resources and influence how projects are conducted

The organizational system is comprised of

both human and nonhuman resources

Project coordinator

power to make some decisions, have some authority, reports to higher level manager

Project Expeditor

works as staff assistance and communications coordinator

Project Management Office (PMO)

An organizational structure that standardized project related governance processes and facilities the sharing of methodologies, resources, tools, and techniques

The main purpose of the PMO

is to assimilate good project management practices into the entire organization

Conflict in the project life cycle generally fall under one of three categories

goals, authority, and interpersonal

Categories of conflict with goals

include schedules and priorities

Categories of conflict with authority

include technical

Categories of conflict with interpersonal

include personality

Withdraw/avoid

retreating from an actual conflict or a potential conflict situation

smooth/accomodate

emphasizing areas of agreement rather than areas of difference

compromise/reconcile

searching for solutions that bring some degree of satisfaction to all parties in order to temporarily or partially resolve the conflict

force/direct

pushing one's viewpoint at the expense of others

collaborate/problem solve

incorporating multiple viewpoints and insights from differing perspectives

Conflict between PM and Project personnel

confrontation, compromise, smoothing

Conflict between PM and Superior

 compromise

Conflict between PM and functional personnel

withdrawal

Sponsor

person or group who provides resources and support for project/program and is accountable for enable success

Creating WBS

is the process of subdividing the project deliverables and project work into smaller, more management components

RAM

a grid that shows the project resources that are assigned to each work package - used to illustrate connections between work packages or activities and project team members 

RACI Matrix

a common type of responsibility matrix that uses responsible, accountable, consult, and inform statuses to define involvement of stakeholders in project activities

Project charter elements

business case, scope description, strategic plan, schedules, resources, personnel

The purpose of the launch meeting

bring everyone up to speed, not to discuss every item in detail. Every attendee (sponsor, team members, and stakeholders) needs to see the PM taking charge and leading

WBS

Hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish project objectives and create the required deliverables

Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

Technique used for constructing a schedule model in which the activities are represented by nodes and graphically linked by one or more logical relationships (i.e., sequence of performed activities)

PERT Formula

RE = (O + 4M + P) / 6

Scheduling Flexibility

Measured by the amount of time a schedule activity can be delayed or extended without negatively affecting other scheduling constraints (slack)

Lag example

You have two scheduled activities, including: (1) Install server into computer lab; and (2) Move server into the data center. The second task cannot start until the server has run in the computer lab for five days without failure

Schedule Compression Techniques

Used to shorten the schedule duration without reducing the project scope, in order to meet the schedule constraints or imposed dates

Crashing principles

1. Focus on critical path activities 2. Select the least expensive approach

Fast-tracking principles

1. Always start with this techniqie first 2. Fast-tracking only works if the activities can be overlapped in order to shorten the project duration

Gantt Chart

A bar chart of schedule information where activities are listed on the vertical axis, dates are shown on the horizontal axis, and the activity durations are shown as horizontal bars placed according to start and finish dates

Gantt charts are mostly used to

follow project schedules. Data about the various tasks or phases of a project are shown; one can observe how they relate to one another and their progress

resource

skilled human resources (specific disciplines either individually or teams), services, equipment, supplies, commodities, material, budgets, or funds

Time is

a constraint

When scheduling, PMs consider resources in terms of:

1. Those that are needed in a specific amount for an activity 2. Those that are needed to accompany the labor for as long as the labor is used

Time Limited

The project must be finished by a certain time, using as few resources as possible.  It is time, not resource usage that is most critical.

Resource Limited

The project must be finished as soon as possible, but not exceeding some specific level of resource usage or some general resource constraint

System constrained

task requires a fixed amount of time and known quantities of resources

Resource Loading

Defines the amounts of the individual resources a schedule requires during specific time periods.  It gives a general understanding of the resource demands

Resource Calendar

Identifies the working days and shifts on which each specific resource is available. Specifies when and how long the identified project resources will be available

Monitor:

Collect project performance data with respect to a plan, produce performance measures, and report as well as disseminate performance information

Control

Comparing actual performance with planned performance, analyzing variances, assessing trends for process improvements, evaluating possible alternatives, and recommending proper corrective action as needed

Constraints to monitoring and controlling

cost (budget), time (schedule), and performance (scope)

Routine

Reports issued on a regular basis (not necessarily on calendar basis)

Exception:

Reports distributed to the team members who are responsible for PM decision-making and distributed to inform other managers of the decision (have a clear ‘need to know’)

Special Analysis

Reports used to disseminate the results of special problems that arise during a project. Generally cover matters that are of interest to other PM (analytic methods)

Earned Value Management (EVM)

is a methodology that combines scope, schedule, and resource measurements to assess project performance and progress (common)

Actual Cost (AC)

is the total cost incurred for the work to be accomplished for an activity or for a WBS component. It is the actual amount spent to date to complete work.

Cost Variance (CV)

is expressed as the amount of budget deficit or surplus at a given point in time.  It is a measure of cost performance on a project

Schedule Performance Index (SPI)

measures the schedule efficiency (how efficiently the project team is using time), it compares the actual progress to the planned progress

The primary purpose of evaluation is

deciding whether the project is “successful.”

The secondary purpose of evaluation is

translating the achievement of a project’s goals into contributing to the parent organization’s goals

General Audit:

Normally most constrained by resources and time and is usually a brief review of a project

Detailed Audit

A typical detailed audit is conducted when a follow-up to the general audit is required. This occurs due to  unacceptable level of risk or performance in project area/s.

Technical Audit:

Typically performed by a qualified technician under the direct guidance of a project auditor.  Although not always the case, the technical audit is often the most detailed

Post-Project Audit

Often a legal necessity because the client specified in the contracta.  It is a major part of the post-project report, which is a main source of managerial feedback.  It is needed to account for all project property and expenditures

The first audits are usually done

early in a project’s life.  Early audits are often focused on the technical issues in order to make sure that key problems have been solved.

Audits done later in the life cycle of a project are

of less immediate value to the project.  As the project develops, conformity to schedule and budget are the key concerns.

Management issues are major matters of interest of the audits made

late in the project’s life (e.g., disposal of the equipment or the reallocation of the project personnel)

Project Audit Report sections

introduction, current status, future status, critical management issues, risk management, limitation and assumptions

Termination by Addition

projects are “in-house,” that is, carried out by the project team for use in the parent firm. If the project is a major success, it may be terminated by institutionalizing it as a formal part of the parent firm