1. What’s a Project? AD642

2. Why the Emphasis on Project Management? Copyright 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-2  Many tasks do not fit neatly into business-as-usual  Organizations need to assign responsibility and authority for the achievement of their goals

3. Characteristics of Projects Copyright 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-3  Unique  Specific deliverables  Specific due date

4. Other Common Characteristics of Projects Copyright 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-4  Multidisciplinary  Complex  Often involve conflicts  Part of programs

5. Definition of a Project “A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.” Project Management Institute, 2007

6. Definition of Project Management 1-6 “The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of a particular project.” Project Management Institute 2007

7. The Triple Constraint

8. A more realistic view

9. And even more so…

10. The Life Cycle of Projects Copyright 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-10  All organisms have a life cycle (i.e., they are born, grow, wane, and die) … and so do projects  Some projects follow an S-shaped curve … they start slowly, develop momentum, and then finish slowly  Other project follow a J-shaped curve … they start slowly, proceed slowly, and then finish rapidly

11. PMBOK Process Groups PMI describes the project lifecycle in five groups Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring and controlling Closing

12. Initiating Defining a new project Developing charter Identifying stakeholders Obtaining authorization

13. Planning Scope Requirements analysis Work Breakdown Structure Define activities and milestones Estimate resources and duration Develop project schedule and budget

14. Executing Manage the project Perform quality assurance Manage stakeholders Manage team

15. Monitoring and Controlling Change management Monitor actuals and baseline Scope Budget Schedule Risk management

16. Closing Obtain acceptance Post-project audit Document and archive

17. Initiating a project: SOW Projects typically start with a Statement of Work Describes the business need Has fairly broad scope Overall strategic plan SOW is often part of the response to an RFP when a third party is to be involved

18. Business case Part of the SOW The justification for the project Might contain competitive analysis, high-level ROI, opportunities for market expansion, regulatory requirements, and more

19. SOW signoff A signed SOW is the document that kicks off a project In third-party arrangements (such as consulting) it is a contract Information from the SOW is used to develop the Project Charter

20. Time for Meetings! Once a SOW has been signed, the project formally exists If a PM hasn’t been involved yet, now is the time Initial meetings are to help the PM understand the project, the players, and the resources No project plan yet A kickoff meeting introduces all the players

21. Initial Project Coordination and the Project Charter Early meetings are used to decide on participating in the project Used to “flesh out” the nature of the project Outcomes include: Technical scope Areas of responsibility Delivery dates or budgets Risk management group

22. Outside Clients When it is for outside clients, specifications cannot be changed without the client’s permission Client may place budget constraints on the project May be competing against other firms

23. Project Charter Elements Purpose Objectives Overview Schedules Resources Personnel Risk management plans Evaluation methods

24. Starting the Project Plan: The WBS What is to be done When it is to be started and finished Who is going to do it

25. WBS Constraints Some activities must be done sequentially Some activities may be done simultaneously Many things must happen when and how they are supposed to happen Each detail is uncertain and subjected to risk

26. Hierarchical Planning Major tasks are listed Each major task is broken down into detail This continues until all the activities to be completed are listed Need to know which activities “depend on” other activities

27. 6-27 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) A hierarchical planning process Breaks tasks down into successively finer levels of detail Continues until all meaningful tasks or work packages have been identified These make tracking the work easier Need separate budget/schedule for each task or work package

28. A Visual WBS

29. Steps to Create a WBS 1. List the task breakdown in successive levels 2. Identify data for each work package 3. Review work package information 4. Cost the work packages 5. Schedule the work packages 6. Continually examine actual resource use 7. Continually examine schedule

30. Human Resources Useful to create a table that shows staff needed to execute WBS tasks One approach is a organizational breakdown structure Organizational units responsible for each WBS element Who must approve changes of scope Who must be notified of progress WBS and OBS may not be identical

31. 6-31 The Responsibility (RACI) Matrix Another approach is the Responsible, Accountable, Consult, Inform (RACI) matrix Also known as a responsibility matrix, a linear responsibility chart, an assignment matrix, a responsibility assignment matrix Shows critical interfaces Keeps track of who must approve what and who must be notified

32. Sample RACI Matrix

33. Agile Project Planning and Management When scope cannot be determined in advance, traditional planning does not work Agile project management was developed to deal with this problem in IT Small teams are located at a single site Entire team collaborates Team deals with one requirement at-a-time with the scope frozen

34. Interface Coordination Through Integration Management Managing a project requires a great deal of coordination Projects typically draw from many parts of the organization as well as outsiders All of these must be coordinated The RACI matrix helps the project manager accomplish this

35. Bottom line For a PM to succeed, it’s crucial for them to be involved as early as possible in the project lifecycle The reality is that PMs are often brought in well after the WBS and scheduling is complete It’s up to the PM to carefully balance the triple or quad constraints with the expectations of the stakeholders