1. Effective Project Management
Presentation Title
Effective Project Management
Barbara Stone
September 27, 2007

2. Agenda Elevator Speeches Prioritization Evaluation of alternatives
Presentation Title
Agenda
Elevator Speeches
Prioritization
Evaluation of alternatives
Approach to project
WBS
Define
Sequence
Duration
Schedule
Barbara

3. Elevator speeches You are: Standing
Presentation Title
Elevator speeches
You are: Standing
Informal
Informative
Brief
Include: Business issue you are tackling
How company benefits
Why you are excited to take part
What the listener can do*
* if you need something
Jodie

4. Presentation Title
Elevator speech
Prepared presentation
Articulates in 3-4 minutes
Who are you helping
With what problem
How company benefits
Practicing is a good idea
Jodie – can you give an example?

5. Barbara Presentation Title
Charter business case feasibility study product description
Scope planning high-level skills analysis
Scope statement
Scope definition assumptions scope in/out alternatives
WBS
Cost estimating
Cost budgeting
Resource planning
Risk Mgmt planning
Activity Definition
Barbara
Cost baseline Time-phased budget
Resource requests
Risk Mgmt plan
Activity sequencing
Activity duration estimating
Communication Plan
Schedule development
Network diagram
Project schedule
Project Plan development
Project plan

6. Prioritization Waterfall Agile Timing determines likelihood
Presentation Title
Prioritization
Waterfall
Timing determines likelihood
Developers instead of customer
Agile
Value determines likelihood
Reassessed throughout project
Jodie, Barbara: anecdotes

7. Presentation Title
Kano

8. Presentation Title
Kano conclusions

9. Alternatives review & decision
Presentation Title
Alternatives review & decision
There may be multiple ways to fulfill the Requirements
Eliminate alternatives that don’t meet external constraints
Evaluate remaining alternatives against selected criteria:
time/budget requirements
Team skillset and interest
Other criteria as team requires
Jodie

10. Traditional, agile, extreme?
Presentation Title
Traditional, agile, extreme?

11. Presentation Title
Cone of uncertainty

12. Presentation Title
Project sizing

13. PMBOK: process to create project schedule:
Presentation Title
PMBOK: process to create project schedule:
Process
Output
Activity Definition
Detailed WBS; activity lists
Activity sequencing
Project Network Diagrams
Activity Duration Estimation
Activity Duration Estimates
Schedule Development
Project Schedule
Jodie
These processes can be combined, and iterative, if need be

14. Presentation Title
The what

15. Work Breakdown Structure
Presentation Title
Work Breakdown Structure
“A hierarchical description of the work that must be done to complete the project as defined in the Project Overview Statement.”
Inputs
POS
Requirements Document
Terms
Activity: Chunk of work
Tasks: Smaller chunk of work. Activities are made up of tasks
Work Package: Complete description of how the tasks that make up the activity will actually be done

16. Uses for the WBS Thought Process Tool Architectural Design Tool
Presentation Title
Uses for the WBS
Thought Process Tool
Architectural Design Tool
Planning Tool
Project Status Reporting Tool

17. Presentation Title

18. Presentation Title

19. Activity Definition experience of your team possibly duration of task
Presentation Title
Activity Definition
Decomposing the task areas / sub-projects
‘tasks in appropriate level of detail’ – what does this mean for your project? Think about:
experience of your team
possibly duration of task
# of people performing the task: if hand-off, new task
Only needs single person to oversee work
Team creating the WBS should have appropriate level of expertise to assign approximate duration to each task(because they will, later).
Jodie

20. Brainstorming Recorder – writes all ideas where visible to team
Presentation Title
Brainstorming
Recorder – writes all ideas where visible to team
Allows people to build on others ideas
Participant knows his/her contribution is valuable & heard
Facilitator
All ideas accorded consideration – no editing
keeps discussion focused
Sets time limits
Barbara

21. Affinity diagram (Ishikawa)
Presentation Title
Affinity diagram (Ishikawa)
Barbara – problem perspective

22. Mind-mapping – user story nodes
Presentation Title
Mind-mapping – user story nodes
Barbara – user story perspective

23. Adding task details
Presentation Title
Barbara

24. Presentation Title
Tips
Person who has experience in doing something similar better at defining sub-tasks and duration. No team member with experience? Adds to risk & needs safety Try to get someone with experience to help with planning if you cannot have them on the team for execution
May not know all detail – as work through the plan and the project, scope will shift – hopefully only slightly
Jodie

25. Presentation Title
Activity Sequencing
Process of determining both order and possible overlap of tasks - start with task constraints
Examples:
Task A needs to be complete before task B may start
Tasks C, D, & E may be done in parallel, but all must be complete before task F may begin
Task X may not begin until milestone Y has occurred
Task Q must start at the same time as task R
Jodie

26. PERT – activity on arc Barbara
Presentation Title
Barbara
Source

27. PERT – activity on node Barbara http://www.rff.com/sample_pert.htm
Presentation Title
PERT – activity on node
Barbara

28. Activity duration estimating
Presentation Title
Activity duration estimating
An art, with a little bit of science
Best estimators are those who have done similar work
Beware of confusing duration and effort
“The duration of most activities will be significantly influenced by the resources assigned to them”
Jodie

29. PMBOK: Activity Duration Estimating
Presentation Title
PMBOK: Activity Duration Estimating
Inputs
Tools/Techniques
Outputs
Activity List
Constraints
Assumptions
Resource Requirements
Resource capabilities
Historical information
Identified risks
Expert judgment
Analogous estimating
Quantitatively based
durations
Reserve time
(contingency = safety)
Activity duration
estimates
Basis of estimates
Activity list update
Jodie

30. Pert (one network diagram technique)
Presentation Title
Pert (one network diagram technique)
Formula
Task Duration
O = most optimistic estimate
M = most likely estimate
P = most pessimistic estimate
O+4M+P 6
Barbara – statistically favors ‘most likely’ and adjusts for extremes in minimum/maximum estimates
Others are cpm, pdm
Sample
Optimistic Most Likely Pessimistic Risk adjusted
1 week 3 weeks 6 weeks 3 weeks
16 weeks 17 weeks 30 weeks 19 weeks

31. Presentation Title
Sizing

32. Presentation Title
Story points

33. Presentation Title
How much, how fast

34. Presentation Title
Planning poker
Barbara

35. Presentation Title
You’ve been infected with spy wear and suspect it’s a root kit – have to do a clean install
Barbara – you’ve been hacked – and must reinstall
Reinitialize hard drive
Reformat drive
Reinstall windows – just downloading security patch on broadband connection – 2 hours + 2 hours
All software back on machine
Network snafus – locations – license code – less than 15 minutes before computer hacked better be behind firewall – first thing is patch upgrades – install firewalls and antivirals

36. Six Criteria to Test for WBS Completeness
Status/Completion is measurable
The activity is bounded
The activity has a deliverable
Time and cost are easily estimated
Activity duration is within acceptable limits
Work assignments are independent
Seventh Criteria – Project manager’s judgment that the WBS is not complete

37. Exceptions to the Completion Criteria Rule
Stopping Before Completion Criteria Are Met
Decomposing Beyond Completion of the Criteria

38. Factoring in constraints
Presentation Title
Factoring in constraints
Factor if multiple working on task together? – discuss XP example.
Also factor if do not have resource 100% of time. Why this is a bad idea.
Adding ‘Project Management’ factor
Do Jodie and Barbara do this?
Jodie

39. Putting it all together
Presentation Title
Putting it all together
Tasks
+ Duration
+ Sequencing
+ Start date
= Project Schedule
Does it meet Deadline / Scope / $ constraints?
Jodie

40. Gantt chart Does not show task interdependencies or resources assigned
Presentation Title
Gantt chart
Does not show task interdependencies or resources assigned
Do not help organize project as effectively as WBS & network diagrams
Completed after WBS
Effectively show progress & time
Barbara

41. Presentation Title
Agile
Barbara

42. Common scheduling pitfalls
Presentation Title
Common scheduling pitfalls
Planned downtime – calendar events, team needs
External interfaces – contractors, external teams
Constraints – duration, access, etc.
Time to come up to speed
100% optimization
Just plain missed it
Barbara