Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Projects
Sub Code 438
Developed by
Prof. Sathya Tirumala
On behalf of
Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research
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Advisory Board
Chairman
Prof. Dr. V.S. Prasad
Former Director (NAAC)
Former Vice-Chancellor
(Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University)
Board Members
1. Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe 2. Dr. B.P. Sabale 3. Prof. Dr. Vijay Khole 4. Prof. Anuradha Deshmukh
Group Director Chancellor, D.Y. Patil University, Former Vice-Chancellor Former Director
Welingkar Institute of Navi Mumbai (Mumbai University) (YCMOU)
Management Ex Vice-Chancellor (YCMOU)
NOT FOR SALE. FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY. 1st Edition, January 2015
CONTENTS
Contents
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Chapter 1
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Learning Objectives
Structure
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Projects
1.3 Project Management
1.4 Project Management Phases
1.5 Examples of Projects
1.6 Project Management Systems and Tools
1.7 Systems and Tools in Projects
1.8 Project Management Systems - Present and Future
1.9 Summary
1.10 Self Assessment Questions
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1.1 INTRODUCTION
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1.2 PROJECTS
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Complexity: Some projects are extremely complex due to its nature and
requirements. It is imperative to identify the level of complexity of the
project and confirm if technology and resources are available to achieve
the project objectives.
Size and Nature of Task: There are some enormous projects which run
into months and years; for these projects there is a step-by-step plan of
action. Project Management Systems and Tools are used to identify the
unique tasks and allotted to the appropriate personnel.
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Each project is unique in terms of the purpose of the project, problems that
arise, priority of the project for top management, resources assigned to it,
environment in which it operates, impact of success of the project and the
project manager's attitude and working style used to guide and manage
project activities. Hence the organizational structure for the project must
be designed to fit within that project's operating constraints. Changes in
priorities, availability of resources, laws, regulations and other
contingencies may lead to change in the organizational structure of the
project during the project life cycle. Regardless of the project management
structure in place, top management must realize that a balance between
available resources and meeting the objectives of the project is of utmost
importance if project management is to be successful for their
organization. Various project management systems and tools help in
managing the project and facilitate its success.
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Project management uses a set of tools and methods to direct the use of
varied resources for the accomplishment of an exclusive, complex, one-
time task within the given constraints of time cost, and other factors. Each
task is executed as per the project plan and these tools and techniques
used are structured to fit the task environment and life cycle of the project.
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Project
Management
Phases
Project
Execution & Project
Project Initiation Project Planning
Control Close Out.
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Here the scope of the project is defined. Once it is clearly and explicitly
spelt out what the project is intended to achieve, it can be a yardstick for
the quality of what is actually achieved at the end of the project. Cost,
resources and time to be spent can be estimated and budgeted by the
organization to complete the project. The purpose of this phase is to
develop a high level project plan and conduct a risk assessment for
assessing the strategic viability of the project. Due emphasis is given to the
project sponsor's strategic requirements as well as immediate needs.
The high level deliverables form the basis for the Project Charter and for
estimates. Project charter is a statement of the scope and objectives in a
project. It serves as a focal point throughout the project and can be a
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Establish project management environment: Here the concern is
with developing team communication, reporting procedures, job
assignments, roles definition, project change procedure, how project
funding and billing will be handled. Establishing the project management
environment will enable to focus on the use of appropriate systems and
tools that assist in Project Management.
Review with Project Owner: The project charter is reviewed with the
Project Owner who gives the go ahead signal to the Project Manager to
proceed with the Project Planning phase.
The purpose of the Project Planning Phase is to have an accurate plan and
schedule. The infrastructure that is established during the planning phase
is critical to effectively manage the project's success. At no other time
during the life of the project is the success of the project more vulnerable.
During this phase, infrastructure is established and responsibilities are
assigned. The project team will break down the high level structure into
measurable tasks, communications are established, expectations will be
developed and presented to the project team. Scope of the project, team
size, impact, risk assessment, visibility will determine various tracking
systems and use of tools for the project.
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Project scope, alternatives, and feasibility: Understanding of the
content and complexity of the project is a fundamental activity. Items
include expectations, goals, problems, opportunities, success criteria,
team member responsibilities, schedule, budgets, results expected,
completion measure and the schedule for communication plan.
Task Allocation: The team should work on defining the scope and
objectives by creating a detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
Detailed WBS will help to establish responsibilities and roles for each
individual by sub dividing tasks and serves as a basis for planning.
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Determining project standards and procedures: The specification of
how various deliverables are produced and tested by the project team is
determined. Status Meetings and Management Review Meetings are held
to get project status, tackle issues that surface suddenly, for updating
action items and making changes as necessary.
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Project Management is 20% planning and 80% execution and control. This
is the longest period where the project is carried out and the progress of
the project is tracked. Monitoring the project team is a continuous activity
to accomplish project goals. Executing, monitoring and controlling project
progress is significant to spot issues and solutions as early as possible to
get the project back on schedule to meet the objectives. Systems and Tools
are used in Project Execution and Control Phase to ensure that each
deliverable achieves the desired results, in the defined period, within the
designated cost, and using the allocated resources. The project manager
ensures that all the plans are in place and updated to be implemented as
soon as the circumstances necessitate.
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Project Documentation: The project management office generates
reports relating to quality issues and conformance. This is in nature of
project status report and " become one of the top priority risks Quality
Audit.
Adjust Schedules: There are several ways to update the schedule. The
goal is to provide adequate details to accurately compare the current
project status to the planned target. Sometimes actual start and end
dates including completion dates are reported imprecisely. This is
because of the supposition by the person providing the status of progress
that it is only important to report completion of the work. Actual progress
information is required as accurately as possible to analyze the current
status of the project and for project benchmarking. Project managers
should ensure to update their scheduling tool and project plans at least
on weekly basis.
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Closing down the project: The project manager is responsible for the
administrative closure at the end of the project. It is key to notify all
related parties of the completion of the project. All project
documentation and records are finalized so that final review of the
project can be conducted.
Closing the customer contract: The final activity is to ensure that all
contractual terms of the project have been met. This includes closing out
all customer and client contracts, paying and matching up invoices,
conducting performance reviews for the team members and obtaining
appropriate signatures to confirm completion of the project.
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Lessons learnt: Every effort is made to avoid the mistakes and pitfalls
experienced in prior projects and the teams are geared towards a well
organized project implementation. Reference to prior documentation
helps to estimate the time for various tasks, the expertise and skills to be
sourced, any uniqueness or exclusivity arising on the project and
prepares the team to perform better in future. The project manager is
responsible for developing the lessons learned for the project with
coordination of the project team members and project owner. All project
information should be sent to the repository for future reference, if
needed. Project information includes the project notebook (with all
project plans, schedules, SOW, contracts and meeting minutes) and the
lessons learned. This information will be useful on future projects to
assist other project managers and team members by minimizing and
eliminating past issues.
Educational Institutions
At educational institutions like schools and universities, a project can be an
assignment given to a student which requires more effort and independent
work. Students might have to work additional hours to do fact-finding,
analysis, refer to books from library/internet, research or from gathering
data empirically. They may submit a thesis or conclusion which is a written
report of their findings.
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Engineering project
Engineering projects are carried out by companies with license to carry out
engineering works. This could be for design of power plants, industrial
facilities, transportation infrastructure, etc.
Construction Projects
The project produces an object like malls, buildings, warship, millennium
dome, customer call centre, IT system office.
Research Projects
A research project produces knowledge; it may be an expansion of past
work in the same field. The primary purpose of research project is to
discover, document, interpret social, business, economic, etc for
advancement find for the benefit of humanity. There are severd kinds of
research, scientific, technology, humanity, arts, military, intellegans.
Software projects
This is different from other projects since this is based on logical work and
there is some level of invisibility since customers cannot see the outcome
in the middle of the project. There is coding, configuration and other
technical work for which skilled programmers are hired. Hence the project
management system needs appropriate tools and management skills to
cater to these kinds of projects.
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Hence the need to understand basics of project management and use the
systems and tools to help with each step of the process. A project
management system is useful to manage all the projects, milestones and
tasks associated with the activities in the business on a daily basis. It
functions as the center point of the virtual office for enterprises.
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Project management systems and tools are techniques that assist in the
organization with its project throughout its life cycle. Most project
management systems provide the basic features like:
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sub dividing it into units which include all steps necessary to achieve the
objective.
Client: Finally client satisfaction is a key factor and determines the level of
success of any project management system.
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The relationship between these is not always simple. Low value projects
can be complex and might involve significant risks to the business. Also a
construction industry might be into building a complex mall with a high
budget and high risks attached; but they might have a well-established
project management method due to being in the construction business for
many decades; so the level of complexity might be lower than for a
software industry going through change management project with a lower
project budget. Project Assessment is carried out to ensure all factors are
considered and geared towards success. Below is a diagrammatic
representation of the factors in project management.
Complex
Client Risks
Industry Budgets
Systems and Tools used in Project Management have evolved from simple
spreadsheets to advanced software. These tools continue to advance in
terms of user capabilities, integration and reporting. Project management
via the cloud and SaaS (software-as-a- service) are very productive
systems in today's scenario. These are different from on- site systems that
are only accessible locally. Web based project management systems allow
projects to be managed from any kind of device with internet access. This
enables centralization of project data and provides remote access to all
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1.9 SUMMARY
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Project management process can be classified into four phases: Project
Initiation, Project Planning, Project Execution & Control and Project Close
Out.
- During project initiation phase the scope of the project is defined and a
high level project plan is developed after risk assessment. Project
Charter which is a statement of scope and objectives is derived from
high level deliverables. Key Features of Project Initiation Phase include
understanding the customer and developing a good rapport with them.
Project Manager develops solution after review of client requirements.
Roles of team members are defined as a core project team is formed.
Estimated Costs is communicated to the client and project
management environment is established. Project Charter is prepared
and reviewed with the Project Owner who gives the go ahead signal to
proceed with the next phase namely Project Planning.
- Project Execution and Control Phase is the longest period where the
project is carried out, monitoring is done and the progress is tracked.
Key features of Project Execution Phase include executing the baseline
project plan and tracking the project. Change Request Form is
implemented for scope changes to project. Project Workbook and
reports take care of documentation needs and the project plan is
communicated to the entire project team and related parties. Key
Features of Project Control Phase include monitoring deviation from the
plan, risk control and taking corrective action. The project manager
proactively works with the project team to avoid conflict amongst team
members and adapting resources as necessary. Schedule adjustments
are sometimes required and the dynamic environment requires project
managers to adjust the project scope as well. The success or failure of
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Systems and tools used for project management differ in terms of the
complexity, risks and budget availability of the project. It also depends
on the nature of industry and client approvals.
Complex projects may have a low value but involve significant risks to
the business which means that relationship between the various factors
is not necessarily simple. Project Assessment permits review to make
sure all factors are taken into account and focus on success of the
implementation.
Over the last many years, Systems and Tools used in Project
Management have progressed from simple spreadsheets to advanced
software due to enhancements in user capabilities, integration and
reporting features. Cloud and SaaS (software- as-a-service) provide
project management with opportunities to collaborate from anywhere in
the world.
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2. Define Project Management and list out the phases involved in Project
Management with couple of key features of each phase.
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REFERENCE MATERIAL
Click on the links below to view additional reference material for this
chapter
Summary
PPT
MCQ
Video Lecture
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Chapter 2
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Learning Objectives
Role of Specialists
Structure
2.1 Introduction
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2.16 Customers
2.17 Vendors
2.20 Specialists
2.21 Summary
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2.1 INTRODUCTION
The foundation for the success of any project depends on the people
working on it. Every project has a supplier side and a customer side to it
with their own list of goals and set of roles with responsibilities. In order to
avoid communication barriers and minimize errors on a project, it is best to
assign clear roles and responsibilities to each person in a project. Since all
the members work very closely with each other, it helps to define roles at
the outset of the project.
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their business who can help the project to become successful: the project
sponsor, portfolio managers, the project management office, project
coordinators and many more.
Collectively, these ensure that the people involved know what they are
doing, when they are doing it, why they are doing it. This sets out clear
lines of communication and reporting and supports the management with
expectations of result within the time, cost, quality and risk factors.
There are many different roles and positions within the field of project
management.
Each of them has its own set of duties and responsibilities. Having an
interdisciplinary team with the right mix of skills is essential to the smooth
and successful execution of any project. Team members may be able to
cover multiple roles or there may be a sub- team focused on a particular
area. Conversely, individuals may play one or more roles depending on the
dimension of the project.
There are many groups of people involved in both the project and project
management lifecycles. Resource allocation depends on various factors like
the expertise of the team members, the skill set, scope of the project and
budget available.
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The role descriptions below represent typical position titles and primary
roles and responsibilities. The success of a project is very much dependent
on the clear definition of roles and understanding of associated
responsibilities by every team member.
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titles may also vary depending on what stage the project is and ensure the
skills and expertise of members is effectively utilized.
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Project
Sponsor
Project Business
Facilitator Visionary
Project Steering
StakeHolders Committee
Project
Manager
PMO Technical
Team Lead Co-ordinator
Business Solution
Analyst Developer
Solution
Specialists Tester
Coach/Change Customers
Manager
Portfolio
Vendors
Manager
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The Project Manager is responsible for all phases of the delivery of the
solution. This role is focused on providing high-level management direction
to the project team(s) and managing the working environment in which the
solution is developing. Project Manager coordinates to ensure that the
Project Team meets deadlines at all stages of the project. The Project
Manager develops the Project Plan with the team and manages the team's
performance of project tasks. The Project Manager can delegate the step
by step detailed planning of the actual delivery to the Team Lead and key
members of the Solution Development Team.
Sourcing for the role of Project Manager will depend on the project type
and ability and level of knowledge required. It is vital that the Project
Manager takes responsibility throughout the duration of the project from
start to finish. This must include both business and technical delivery
aspects of the project, from establishing the foundations of the project
through to the Deployment of the solution. The Project Manager is
responsible for the entire project including communication, status
reporting, risk management, escalation of issues, resolution of issues and
making sure the project is delivered on budget and schedule within scope
and constraints.
Project Managers require a varied skill set which range from leadership
qualities to communication skills to developing people. The hard skills of
project management are generally assumed to be a part of the aspiring
project manager.
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The success or failure of any project rests on the shoulders of the project
manager. Below are some of the key responsibilities of a Project Manager.
Define the project objective - The PM must have a clearly defined goal
and establish a plan of action which will determine what the final
outcome will be and how success will be measured. If there is an unclear
direction from the project sponsors in any of the area, the PM is to
perform due diligence.
Obtain Client agreement - The PM must present the goals, plans and
outcome to the customer to arrive at a consensus. By following a "buy-
in" policy at key points at various stages of the project there will be less
tension and frustration.
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Communication - Contact with the senior management, project
sponsors, stakeholders, steering committee and the project governance
authorities is to be maintained with the desired frequency and formality
as necessary. The PM must ensure updating everyone on the project
status even if it is informally or at board meetings. Establishing and
following a communication plan will provide a means to prevent surprises
at inopportune times.
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sets the right tone and plans to keep the momentum even if there are
unexpected disruptions. PM needs to ensure to continue providing
ongoing motivation and direction to the team.
Hand off - Finally the business takes over the new process, product or
solution that was implemented by the project team. The PM will
coordinate the transition, ensure appropriate training and knowledge
transfer happens properly. While the PM monitors the results, there is
also the responsibility for analysis of project success.
The project manager is responsible for one or more projects that may be a
part of a larger project portfolio. To become a project manager there are
training programs that range from elearning to podcast and traditional
classroom to formal coaching and mentoring. Apart from gaining
certifications and degrees, it is imperative to have on-the-job training and
understand the role properly.
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Apart from hard skills, project managers require soft skills like leadership,
communications, conflict resolution, problem solving, issue resolutions,
out-of-the-box thinking, and time management. There is no limit to soft
skills and the person who wants to be a project manager has to understand
the duties, enjoy the role and discharge the functions diligently. When the
concepts and skills are practiced on a daily basis, the person can become a
great project manager.
Cricket teams have coaches to lead them to victory, ships need captains to
steer them safely to a destination, similarly project managers (PMs) are
needed to manage deadlines in dynamic environment within budget
guidelines and on timely basis. Without a project manager to lead the
project team, chaos reigns because there will be no single person to
monitor progress to meet the overall objective. In the absence of
coordination by a project manager, there is lot of confusion, duplication and
sometimes competing interests due to which project delivery suffers.
Leadership plays a crucial role in the success of any project; and the
project manager, as the leader of the team needs these skills. Some of the
key leadership qualities are listed below:
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members, and assigns work based on their strengths while helping them
to improve upon their weaknesses
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Simplicity - The project manager's role should be to keep the job as
simple and basic as possible, without getting into unnecessary
complication.
The project manager wears many hats like taskmaster, problem solver and
motivational coach and has numerous responsibilities. While some are
standard and expected of any project manager, there are some surprises. A
project manager is not expected to work miracles but is responsible for
completing projects within deadlines and provide quality results. However,
an individual with the right qualities and the support of a good team will
find the experience very rewarding.
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worker to change their way of working on the project for the success of the
team.
They are individuals who help out with a project to complete tasks such as
documentation, paperwork, filing, communication, coordination with team
members etc. They work with a Project Manager and are sometimes
certified as Project Management Associates.
Open discussion about the project with all team members, keep them
involved and agree to disagree with them when required. This will gain
their trust and support at all times and respect for the facilitator.
Job rotation by changing individual's job tasks from time to time helps to
enhance team's skills. Seek expert advice for complicated assignments
and introduce them to the team if it's a new task. Ensure team members
are accountable to the facilitator and not upper management. Make sure
they understand the facilitator's role.
Listening and make sure team members are hearing each other.
Inculcate value of paying attention to other members as well.
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Freedom in facilitating is important to ensure focus on a process so that
everyone can get on with the task at hand. Allow the team to learn from
mistakes and from one another.
Guide the team and give them freedom to think and analyze. Hold
meetings to assess the progress, give everyone a chance to provide their
input, be approachable.
People tend to resist change so talk to the team and communicate with
them the benefits of having a facilitator on board so that they are happy
to work with the facilitator.
Focus on the end result at all times, team project success is dependent
to a great extent on the guide it receives from the facilitator.
The project sponsor (project champion) is the individual who identified the
business need for the project and acts as a liaison between the business
executives and the project manager. This role is similar to a project
facilitator, but on a higher level since Project Champion is the ambassador
between the project and the management. A project sponsor is chosen by
the management to ensure supervision of the project right from its
initiation phase to its completion phase.
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Launch the project - Responsible for ensuring funds and resources are
available for the project. Has a definite interest in the outcome of the
project, legitimizes the project's objectives, keeps abreast of key project
activities, is a decision-maker for the project and accepts responsibility
for seeing an improvement project through to completion.
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Inspire and motivate the team to get best performance at work,
should have the ability to handle the team and delegate work by
identifying the team's areas of strengths.
The project sponsor has general responsibility for keeping the project on
track toward a successful completion. To that end, the sponsor must
fulfill several key duties related to the project.
Another key decision making factor is the level of risk for which risk
management needs to be conducted during the process of project
selection. If some external factor is ignored during project selection, the
risks may be much higher. For example, the project involves implementing
a new software package. After spending time on careful project execution
and risk management, the project is completed successfully. At this stage
the project has to provide value to the project sponsor. However, during
project selection if the stakeholders did not consider the risk of technology
advancement it will make the software implemented obsolete. The entire
implementation would be an absolute waste. The money, time and
resources spent on this project could have been used on another project
with greater returns. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct Risk
Management and Project Selection simultaneously.
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This is a senior level business role that is responsible for interpreting the
needs of the Business Sponsor, and ensuring they are properly embodied in
the Business Case. More actively involved than the Business Sponsor, the
Business Visionary typically provides the team throughout the project
lifecycle with tactical direction to ensure that the solution delivered will
facilitate to accomplish the benefits as per the Business.
Define the business vision for the project at large and translate it into a
working practice. Communicate the business vision to all interested
parties to ensure there is awareness. The Visionary owns the implications
of any business change from an enterprise side.
Monitor progress of the project and check if results are in line with the
business vision. This will ensure there are no surprises at the end of the
project.
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The Project Stakeholders are all those individuals, units, groups, and
organizations that have a vested interest in the successful completion of
the project. They can influence the outcome of the project and are like
project sponsors, project team, investors, customers, client, vendors /
suppliers. They are an important part of the project life cycle and have a
profound impact on the progress and completion of the projects.
Identifying project stakeholders is a major area of any project and every
project manager needs to identify project stakeholders and verify their
needs and expectations of the project. Maintaining an effective
communication between stakeholders will ensure that everyone is on the
same page and helps in success of the project.
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Primary and Secondary Stakeholders:
Secondary stakeholders also help with project success. They do not have a
primary role but assist with administrative processes, financial and legal
aspects of the project. A good communication process between primary
and secondary stakeholders will ensure that everyone is on the same page
and working towards the same objective. Absence of communication can
crash the project.
Direct stakeholders are concerned with the day to day working of a project.
Team members are direct stakeholders as their work schedule is based on
project requirements.
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Get support of stakeholders as the project would fail without their back
up.
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The project team is key and responsible for successfully carrying out the
tasks that are assigned to them by the project manager. Project team's
size varies depending on the type of project and consists of the Project
Manager, Team Leads and a variable number of Project Team members who
are brought in to deliver depending on the project phase and project plan.
Some teams can be very big which will require a great deal of coordination
to perform activities in the correct order and attain efficiency. Team
meetings are held regularly to keep everyone on the same page and
ensure project deadlines are attained. Each member of the project team is
a resource who performs tasks assigned as per the Project Plan and
directed by the Project Manager / Team Lead.
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Skills and Experience - Team members must have the skills, expertise,
experience, knowledge and familiarity necessary to complete the tasks
assigned to them. Determining the requisite project management skills
will help to have the best candidates on board.
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Resourceful - They know how to make the best use of tools and
materials to succeed in their job. They can transfer thoughts and idea
with the client's perspective and provide innovative concepts to devise
solutions.
Organized - Teams are organized to perform tasks and track the job
allotted. Organizational charts per project explain the roles and
responsibilities of each member.
!
Project teams are created for managing different tasks and activities in the
project. Team members are categorized in different groups and activities
are assigned to each team and its members depending on project
deliverables. Identify the teams that are highly performing and
collaborative to handle the complexity and the project issues. Creating
teams and assignment of roles and responsibilities to all these team
members is a fundamental step in meeting the project deliverables
successfully and smoothly.
The project team members are in a position to find out about the project
from users and hearing the concerns of employees. With regular and
frequent communication with project team members, the project manager
can remain well informed of ground level aspects and equipped for
potential issues. For a project to remain in control across all phases,
participation and contributions from all members is a must. For this a
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strong project team is required with all members being aware of the of the
value addition of their active participation and involvement.
On larger projects, some Project Team members are Team Leads who
provide and technical and functional leadership, and sometimes maintain a
portion of the project plan. Team Leads have a leadership role and report
to the Project Manager to ensure that the Solution Development Team
meets its objectives.
The Team Lead works with the team members to plan and co-ordinate all
aspects of project deliverables at a detailed level. The most suitable person
is required to lead the team through a particular stage of the project. Team
Lead also perform Solution Development Team role like Business Analyst or
Solution Developer in addition to their team leadership.
Ensuring that team work integrates into the project plan, all testing and
review activity is carried out as per schedule
Managing risks and issues faced by the team, escalating to the Project
Manager as required, liaison between Project Manager and team
members
Hold daily team meetings ensuring they are focused and brief as well as
productive.
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The Technical Coordinator has the Technical Plan responsibility for the
Project and ensures that the Solution Development Teams work to deliver
the results. This role ascertains that the desired technical quality standards
are maintained and rational solutions are implemented. All technical team
members are advised by the Technical Coordinator.
The Business Analyst focuses on the relationship between the business and
technical roles, translating business needs to the technical solution team.
BA works towards ensuring precise and vital direction is provided to the
Solution Development Team on a day-to-day basis to devise their solution
which can be fully integrated with Solution Development Team. This role is
particularly relevant to IT projects.
The Business Analyst ensures that the business needs are properly studied,
correctly reflected in the specification, documentation provided to the
technical team and guides the team to generate the solution. Active
involvement of the business users is required for the success of a project,
hence it is imperative to ensure that the Business Analyst supports and
facilitates the communication between the key business personnel and the
developers.
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Ensure all business needs and implications are considered and translated
to the technical team
Ensure adequate testing of the solution with the other teams and
approval from business side
Be a good listener which will help to determine business needs and user
requirements which will be provided to the project team
Build rapport with the heads of departments in the business which will
make it easier to bring teams to work in harmony
Ensure the new project solution is more efficient and effective for the
business and users.
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Work closely with users & members from business, business analysts,
solution testers to develop a model of the deployable solution
Carry out testing of their own work output and solution prior to prototype
testing with the testing teams and client teams.
Create Testing products, define test cases and test plans for the evolving
solution in accordance with the Testing Strategy
Carry out all types of technical testing of the solution like unit testing,
integration testing, regression testing, user acceptance testing
Assist the Business teams to enable them to carry out their tests so that
all areas are covered.
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Use good communication skills; ensure thoroughness and accuracy in
their work.
A PMO follows industry standards and plays a sizeable role in the project
life cycle like project initiation, execution, monitoring and closure activities.
When stakeholders have questions or inquiries, the Project Manager refers
to the PMO for appropriate answers.
The PMO estimates the size of the project, time and resources
requirement, lays down the project methodologies and makes available
tools and resources to achieve this.
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PMO has the duty to collect and archive project experiences, learning and
reusable data to improve project management methods in the future.
The PMO roles and responsibilities include providing support for the
smooth execution of the project by addressing client and stakeholder
concerns.
PMO project audit governance has a primary task of identifying the audit
type for the relevant projects and analyze audit report findings.
The PMO is concerned with the audits of projects to ascertain the level of
compliance with organizational processes, project management
processes, new product and software development process, etc. PMO
plans and coordinates the audit; analyzes the audit report and ensures
audit feedback is implemented for necessary corrective and preventive
actions in the organizational process.
The PMO determines the nature of a project, the parameters for resource
utilization, gives guidance on methodology, best practices and facilitates
the working of a project. It follows the current applicable industry
standards and all necessary governmental and environmental
regulations.
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The best PMOs play the role of supervising and supporting the project
effectively to facilitate project completion within the budget, schedule,
resources and objectives determined by the management. The ideal PMO
aims to bring all persons involved in a project together to take mutual
decisions. The main roles of a PMO are:
The PMO would identify the need for change request on the project and
facilitate the process.
Keep track of the financial needs of the project and prioritize the funding
The best PMO model acts as a mentor and perform the role of an advisor, it
should be trustworthy and serve as an interface between the project and
all other parts of the organization. People skills are of great importance
because managing people well can lead to improved morale in the team
which disseminates in better performance and success to the project.
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2.16 CUSTOMERS
Customers are members who provide the project team with their subject
matter expertise. Customer Representatives have a responsibility to
accurately represent their business needs to the Project Team, to review
processes, validate the deliverables, and share project information with the
Customer community. They also test the service or product and provide
feedback to the project team. Some customers are key Decision-Makers
who have been designated to make decisions on behalf of the business. It
is their responsibility to get consensus of their business unit on project
issues and results and communicate it to the Project Manager.
2.17 VENDORS
Vendors are third parties who provide a product and or contract to perform
agreed works on a project. Procurement processes to be followed depends
on the size of the project. For large organizations, there may be supplier/
procurement management team and they adhere to strict processes to
contract for the services or goods required for a project. However in
smaller organizations, the process may be handled by one person or a
small team. There are supplier / vendor management frameworks in place
to help project teams to leverage relationships and identify preferred
vendors. Project strategy for suppliers and vendors defines their selection
process, tendering, review and selection criteria, kind of contractual
relationship, performance standards expected (e.g. Service Level
Agreements), Statement of Work.
It is important that there is work ethics from both sides and clear rules of
engagement exist and both parties maintain respect and professionalism.
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Ensure to keep work in order and remain on task with the various projects.
This includes taking stock of all available resources and align them with
prioritized projects and address business aspirations.
Provide information and data across all active projects to organize, realign
priorities and goals which enable to keep project in order and minimize
costs.
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This role helps the team to work collaboratively and cooperatively to meet
the project objectives. At some projects this role is done by Project
Manager and in some large complex projects a Coach or Change Manager
is appointed. This person is responsible for:
Assess scope of change - how big the change will be, how many
people will be affected, etc.
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2.20 SPECIALISTS
In some projects the solution developer may not have all the skills needed,
hence a Specialist may be brought into the team for a specific period for a
specific solution. This might be on ad hoc basis and they must have a clear
understanding of what is expected from them.
2.21 SUMMARY
This chapter deals with various roles in Project Management and key
responsibilities of each of these roles.
The success of any project depends on all the people working on it. To
avoid confusion it is best to assign clear roles and responsibilities to each
person in a project.
There are many different roles with their responsibilities in the field of
project management. Well defined roles with duties and responsibilities
help to provide clarity to the client and project.
The Project Manager's role is the most challenging role within project
management. A PM is like a leader who is required to successfully
manage the project with a full-time commitment. The project manager
wears many hats, must be flexible and adapt to the dynamic and
changing demands of the project and the team. The PM has many
responsibilities and is crucial to the success of the project.
Project Facilitators work with the Project Manager and help the project to
complete various tasks. Good facilitators motivate the team to achieve
success by facilitating the process and progress of the project. Being an
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The project sponsor (project champion) identified the business need for
the project and is responsible for funding for the project. Project
Champion is the ambassador between the project and the management
and supervises the project right from its initiation to completion phase.
Has good understanding of the management's needs and customer
expectations and committed to ensuring the ongoing viability of the
project in line with the Business Case and realization of benefits of the
project.
Project Stakeholders are an important part of the project life cycle and
have a vested interest in the successful completion of the project. There
are various types of stakeholders like internal employees and owners or
external vendors, primary stakeholders like end users and customers or
secondary stakeholders. Direct stakeholders like team members are
concerned with the day to day working of a project and indirect
stakeholders are various customers. Managing stakeholders and
maintaining an effective communication between them ensures that
everyone is on the same page and helps in success of the project.
The Project Team is responsible for successfully carrying out the tasks
that are assigned to them by the project manager. Project team's size
depends on the type of project and consists of the Project Manager, Team
Leads and a number of Project Team members who deliver depending on
the project phase and project plan. Each member of the project team is a
resource who performs tasks assigned as per the Project Plan and
reports to the Project Manager / Team Lead.
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Team Leads provide technical and functional leadership, work with the
team members to plan and co-ordinate all aspects of project deliverables
as per the project plan. Additionally Team Leads also perform Solution
Development Team role and motivate their teams to perform while
reporting progress to the Project Manager.
The Solution Tester has experience with various testing tools and test
phases and performs testing in accordance with the Testing Plans and
Strategy, they need to know about the system software and configuration
and be able to solve issues.
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Vendors are third parties who provide a product or service on a project.
Project strategy for suppliers and vendors defines their selection process,
tendering, review and selection criteria.
Specialists may be brought into the team for a specific period when the
solution developer does not have all the skills needed for designing the
solution.
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REFERENCE MATERIAL
Click on the links below to view additional reference material for this
chapter
Summary
PPT
MCQ
Video Lecture
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Chapter 3
ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR PROJECT
Learning Objectives
Structure
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Budgets
3.3 Project Plan
3.4 Work Breakdown Structure
3.5 Gantt Chart
3.6 Critical Path Method
3.7 Program Evaluation Review Technique
3.8 Flow Chart
3.9 Histogram
3.10 Cause and Effect Diagram
3.11 Check Sheet
3.12 Conclusion
3.13 Summary
3.14 Self Assessment Questions
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3.1 INTRODUCTION
A set of systems and tools help a project manager and the business to plan
a project carefully and execute it successfully. These can be common tools
used regularly by many companies or specifically designed tools to be
adopted for project management work. Use of such systems and tools
makes the project managers work easily manageable as it standardizes the
work and compiles a routine for the project manager and the project team.
3.2 BUDGETS
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S-Curve
Cost
Time
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It is prepared before the period in which it commences and is for a fixed
period of time.
Helps planning as budgets force the manager to think about the project
and company's competitive and financial position and how to improve it.
Information from the budget can be used to plan for funding needs to
support project operations. Permits thinking to make operations and
resources more productive, competent, viable and profitable which leads
to cost reduction.
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Provides an accurate analytical technique and fosters cautious study
before arriving at decisions. Projects can use the budgeting process to
find bottlenecks and concentrate on actions to be taken to work around it
for success.
Budgets are primarily concerned with financial outcomes and do not deal
with more subjective issues, like the quality of products or services
delivered to clients or end users. It will be advisable to have these issues
also as part of the budget.
Budgets can become a reason for rigidity if the management keeps its
focus entirely on meeting the targets outlined in the budget.
Environmental changes and market shifts will require projects to be
flexible with changes in original budgets.
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3.2.4 Conclusion
Budgeting involves cost and time to prepare and hence the benefits of
budgeting must outweigh the drawbacks. It should be coordinated,
comprehensive, organized, integrated and clear to accomplish best results.
Budget is a tool that aids in anticipating problems before they become
serious and aids planning and identifying the best course of action.
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It details out the project scope and the strategy for meeting project
objectives. The strategy is the core of the project plan and could vary
depending on the project purpose and unique requirements.
The scope baseline consists of all the deliverables on the project and
identifies all the work to be done. The deliverables confirmed in the
scope statement are to be developed into a work breakdown structure.
Baseline management plans are created to manage variances to these
plans.
The resource allocation and delivery schedule are other two main
components of the project plan. Roles and responsibilities are defined for
key players like project sponsor, project manager, project team, end
users, auditors, etc. This consists detail of each activity as well who
executes the task and activity and when it is to be performed.
Analyze project quality and risks where it consists of ensuring that the
end product not only addresses the customer needs but is one that the
sponsor and end users actually want to use, Risk management includes
assessing the risks, minimizing errors and developing risk management
plans to communicate response to the high-risk events.
It helps the project teams and concerned parties understand from initial
stages itself the type of work to be done and the kind of questions they
need to answer about the project.
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dispute the team can refer to the plan and charter, which has been
agreed to and signed and this allows them to use their own prior
judgment to resolve many disputes.
A Plan provides the ability to clearly track progress and hence teams are
unlikely to miss something major which avoids confusion at later stage.
Plans are of little use if they are not created with genuine effort, this
process can be time consuming, and many meetings could be needed to
create project planning documents.
One disadvantage that teams find with using project plans is that they
are sometimes created and then never used. If a document is created at
the beginning of a project and then filed away and never looked at again,
their occasional lack of use can convert the whole process into a waste of
time.
Getting bogged down in the details of the plan can cause one to lose
sight of the big picture.
If too much time is spent tweaking other tools like Gantt charts to get
everything lined up, the project plan takes a great deal of time to
update.
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Increases the risk that time is spent managing the plan instead of
managing the people and resources and accomplishing the tasks.
3.3.4 Conclusion:
A well-developed project plan is one of the critical factors and a
prerequisite for project success. The project plan provides a roadmap for
project managers to follow and is the project manager's premier
communications and control tool throughout the project.
The work breakdown structure visually classifies the project scope into
manageable activities that the team can comprehend. Each level of the
work breakdown structure provides further classification and detail. These
smaller units of work with details help to deliver better scheduling, costing
and resourcing for the project. Figure below depicts a sample work
breakdown structure with three levels defined for a social networking site.
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Project work is well defined and better organized. Allocating time and
cost estimates enable to develop a project schedule and budget quickly.
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Project work breakdown structures can also be used to identify potential
risks in a given project.
Tool for better forecasts for project can be used for ongoing risk
management monitoring. If an activity is not well defined then it
represents a scope definition risk which can be tracked via log and
reviewed depending on project progress.
Sometimes it is difficult to find the correct level of detail and all relevant
tasks to include in the WBS and decide what tasks should not be part of
WBS. Grouping of non-similar tasks should be avoided.
The WBS can become outdated quickly when the project schedule
changes during the execution of the project but WBS is not up to date.
Hence it is imperative to keep track of the project status and
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When deciding how specific and detailed to make the work packages,
care must be taken to not get too detailed. This will avoid the risk of
becoming cumbersome and unmanageable.
3.4.4 Conclusion:
The overall advantages of using WBS as a project tool outweigh the known
challenges. The WBS cannot be used as a replacement for the project plan
or schedule. Having a good WBS makes project planning, execution,
managing and controlling easier and lays the foundation for tracking and
accountability for the project team and all key stakeholders.
Now Gantt Charts are regarded as a common charting tool, however they
were considered extremely revolutionary when first introduced. There are
many ways to create a Gantt chart. For a small project Gantt chart can be
created in Excel template. However for a project with hundreds of
activities, it can be a complex task.
In today's world there are many computer applications supporting the use
of Gantt charts for project management, information technology projects,
employee scheduling, etc. Below is a visual illustration of a simple Gantt
Chart for SAP project implementation that follows the ASAP methodology.
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All of the activities needed for a project are to be identified and tasks
required for completion to be established. For each task its earliest start
date and its estimated duration is noted.
Identify which tasks are parallel and which are sequential. Where tasks
are dependent on others understanding their relationship will help to
organize your project which is required to start scheduling activities on
the Gantt chart.
Left of the chart shows a list of the activities represented by a bar and
along the top is a time scale. The position and length of the bar reflects
the start date, duration and end date of the activity.
At a glance it shows the various activities, the beginning and end for
each activity, how long each activity is scheduled to last and overlap of
activities.
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These Activities are input into a template or Software. Some of the tools
are cloud-based which means the project manager and team can access
the document simultaneously from any location.
Gantt chart is updated to reflect changes as soon as they occur and keep
track of project progress. This is a good tool to help keep plans, team,
and stakeholders up to date.
Project can get status report to show how much of the plan has been
accomplished as Gantt Charts display the progress of an activity in a
parallel bar or using color.
Teams can see complex ideas represented in the form of a picture which
greatly aids in understanding of the various critical and complex
deliverables for the project.
The length of the bar depicted is not an indicator of the amount of work.
Before the chart is drawn the estimates must be completed and they
need to be constantly updated.
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It is difficult to show two sets of dates when using earliest start and
latest start, there are challenges to reflect slack and critical path or
highest risk of stoppage.
It is hard to see the chart on one sheet of paper and some resource
assignments cannot be easily illustrated.
3.5.4 Conclusion:
Gantt chart shows what activities have to be done and when they are
scheduled. They show the relationship between the tasks in a project as
some tasks will have to be completed before the next one can begin and
others end when the preceding ones have ended. For example, project
team will have to ensure internet or Wi-Fi is available at the location to
access WebPages at a project site. So the relationship between access to
web and updating work on the web is dependent on availability of internet.
As any other tool, it has limitations and can lead to drifts. Gantts can be
used as a tool to visually breakdown the project, to order and specify
dependencies between tasks and to review completeness of deliverables
expected from the project and team. It is useful when the project
management team is able to show relevant information about the various
tasks during different phases of the project, how the tasks relate to each
other, their progress and resources being used for each task.
The Critical Path Method (CPM) also known as Critical Path Analysis is an
important tool for effective project management. CPM is a visual
presentation of a mathematically based algorithm for scheduling a set of
project activities. It can be used with various forms of projects like
construction, aerospace, defense, software development, research, product
development, engineering, plant maintenance and many others. This
method of scheduling was developed by U. S. Navy in 1950s and can be
applied by any project with interdependent activities.
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List all activities required to complete the project along with the time
duration for each activity to complete and the dependencies between the
activities.
Calculate the longest path of planned activities to the end of the project
and the earliest and latest that each activity can start and finish without
delaying the project longer.
CPM analysis tools allow the project team to select a logical end point in a
project and quickly identify its longest series of dependent activities which
will be its longest path. These tools can display the critical path that flows
from the project's start to the selected logical end point.
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!
Each activity's duration is measured in weeks and the arrows depict how
each activity is dependent on other activities to complete before they can
start themselves.
A must finish before C can start, C must finish before D can start and so
on. Also activity C can only start once both A and B have finished.
Since the critical path is defined as the longest, here it will be path B-C-D
with a critical path of 9 weeks. That means if one of the activities on this
critical path is delayed the entire project is delayed!
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But if activity E is delayed by 1 week it will not delay the project as the
path that E is on will now be complete in 8 weeks and still be done one
week ahead of the BCD path at 9 weeks due to delay.
The critical path is made up of activities and delay in any of them will delay
the finish of the entire project.
Now if activity E is suddenly delayed 3 weeks then in that case the path B-
E-F becomes the new critical path of 10 weeks and the entire project finish
is delayed. Now the project manager has to determine how to handle this
delay or work with this as the new critical path.
A project can have more than one critical path and it is essential for the
project manager to know all of them.
The critical path is a critical tool for Time Management and correct use of it
will be helpful to manage the project.
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Charting in a CPM makes it easier to evaluate parallel activities, handle
delays and judge the outcome of a task. It enables the managers to
minimize the project length by monitoring the critical path.
With this tool the project managers can determine the duration and cost
of the project. It helps to predict completion date of every phase,
anticipate problems if any, and address the issues accordingly.
It is very difficult to redraw the entire CPM chart if the project plan
suddenly changes halfway.
The project managers have to spend a lot of time to calculate the critical
path very carefully.
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Estimating activity completion times can be difficult due to various other
external factors.
3.6.4 Conclusion:
The Critical Path Method has been used for decades now and today the
modified and improvised forms of CPM benefit several projects around the
world. Critical path method is not the solution, it is just a tool and the
solution lies in making use of this tool properly.
With critical path method, even the most difficult tasks look easier and all
the factors that could delay the project can be handled properly in
advance.
It has been proven over time that critical path method helps smaller and
bigger projects equally and hence critical path method is an invaluable
tool for project management.
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While CPM is easy to understand and use, it does not consider the time
variations that can impact the completion time of a complex project. The
PERT is a network model that allows for randomness in activity completion
times and has the potential to reduce both time and cost required to
complete a project.
PERT charts and Critical Path Method (CPM) charts are often used
interchangeably; the only difference is how task times are computed. Both
charts display the total project with all scheduled tasks shown in sequence.
The displayed tasks show which ones are in parallel and those tasks that
can be performed at the same time. A graphic representation is called a
"Project Network" and is used to portray the interrelationships of the
elements of a project and to show the order in which the activities must be
performed.
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1. Identify the activities and milestones - The activities are the tasks
that are required to complete the project. The milestones are the events
that mark the beginning and the end of one or more activities.
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There are 9 milestones from start to end including A to G for the entire
project of 28 months. In case of PERT specific nodes cannot be reached
until previous nodes have been accessed which depicts the various
milestones and how all the key dependencies are inter-related in a project.
The PERT model usually includes three time estimates for each
activity:
Most likely time - the completion time having the highest probability.
Based on this, the expected time for each activity can be calculated using
the following weighted average:
It is helpful to determine the following four times for each activity if the
Critical Path is not obvious. Expected time for the relevant activities are
used to calculate these.
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ES - Earliest Start time
EF - Earliest Finish time
LS - Latest Start time
LF - Latest Finish time
The earliest start and finish times of each activity are arrived at by
determining the earliest time at which an activity can start and finish
considering its predecessor activities and is a forward approach.
The latest start and finish times are the latest times that an activity can
start and finish without any delay to the project and these are arrived at by
working backward through the network.
The difference in the latest and earliest finish of each activity is that
activity's slack. The critical path is the path through the network in which
none of the activities have slack.
Better planning and scheduling of activities as the early start, late start
and slack for each activity is identified.
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PERT provides for potentially reduced project duration due to better
understanding of dependencies which allows for enhanced overlapping of
activities and tasks where feasible.
The network charts tend to be large and bulky and involves a lot of time
from the project management.
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3.7.4 Conclusion
PERT is a variant of Critical Path Analysis that takes a more skeptical view
of the time needed to complete each project stage. CPM uses a single
estimate for the time that a project can be completed while PERT uses
three estimates for the time that it can be completed.
Flowchart is one of the basic quality tools that can be used for analyzing a
sequence of events. The tool maps out a sequence of events that take
place sequentially or in parallel. It can be used to comprehend a complex
process in order to find the relationships and dependencies between
events.
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Different flow chart symbols have different meanings. Some basic flowchart
shapes are:
A simple flow chart showing the symbols described above can be seen
below:
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3.9 HISTOGRAM
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Cause and effect diagrams (Ishikawa Diagram) are mainly used for
understanding organizational or business problem causes. There are
problems everyday in businesses and understanding the causes of these
problems will help to solve them effectively. Cause and effect diagrams
exercise is usually teamwork. Brainstorming sessions are conducted to
come up with an effective cause and effect diagram. The main components
of a problem area and possible causes from each area are listed. Most
likely causes of the problems are identified to carry out auxiliary analysis.
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Cause and Effect diagrams are useful as a project tool for early planning
notably when gathering and organizing factors during brainstorming and
the like. They identify hidden factors which can be significant in enabling
larger activities, resources or processes.
Cause and effect diagrams are also referred to as Fishbone diagrams and
Ishikawa diagrams. Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese professor specializing in
industrial quality management and engineering devised the technique in
the 1960s. And it got the name as a fishbone diagram because its
appearance is like a fishbone.
There is a central spine from left to right around which a map of factors is
built and which contributes to the final result. For each project the main
categories of factors are identified and shown as the main bones leading to
the spine.
The cause and effect diagram is a very effective planning model and tool -
especially for 'mapping' an entire operation. This concept is still considered
one of the seven basic tools of quality control For project planning the
'Effect' is shown as an aim or outcome or result and not necessarily as a
problem. The diagram above is a very simple one where the causes are
depicted as bones leading to the spine and the effect is
"Miscommunication". One of the causes is a language barrier on the project
and sub cause is lack of accent training.
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Some of these diagrams can become very complex when plotted for
specialized quality management areas with computerized systems.
Check sheet is a versatile tool for both qualitative and quantitative data
gathering and analysis. The check sheet can be called a tally sheet when
the data is quantitative. Data are recorded by making marks ("checks") on
it. A typical check sheet is divided into sections, and marks made in
different sections have different importance. Data are read by observing
the location and number of marks on the sheet.
A check sheet is an appropriate tool when the data can be observed and
collected repeatedly by the same individual or the same location. It is also
an effective tool for collecting data on frequency and identifying patterns of
events, problems and defects.
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Check sheets aid in systematic collection and organizing data and are a
useful tool in all phases of the project like Lean Six Sigma DMAIC (define,
measure, analyze, improve and control) framework.
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3.13 SUMMARY
There are numerous systems, tools and techniques that are used to aid
project managers in their overwhelming task of planning, executing and
controlling project activities. These tools and techniques are used to
facilitate project implementation and meet client requirements. Some of
the project tools that are available include:
Gantt Chart is an illustrative bar chart that charts the start and finish
dates of each element in the project. It is most commonly used for
tracking project schedules and an excellent tool to present activities,
milestones, resources and set time frames.
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PERT charts and Critical Path Method (CPM) charts are often used
interchangeably, however PERT considers the time variations that can
impact the completion of a complex project. PERT also gives a visual idea
of the relationship of activities and is useful for projects with
unpredictable activities.
The project management team uses a tool they believe is the most
accurate and best for the project and one which satisfies the client.
Ultimately this is a judgment call based upon their understanding of the
project and the fulfillment of goals.
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2. What advantages does the project get from using WBS and what are the
pitfalls to be aware of?
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Chapter 4
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Learning Objectives
Structure
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Project Initiation Activities
4.4 Checklist
4.5 Project Charter
4.6 RACI Matrix
4.7 Stakeholder Register
4.8 Project Requirements Document
4.9 Project Vision Statement
4.10 Project Scope
4.11 Conclusion
4.12 Summary
4.13 Self Assessment Questions
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4.1 INTRODUCTION
The project goals and objectives are directly linked to the business
strategies. These are different for each business and subject to changes
with the evolving environment and time. Approval of project by
stakeholders is based upon a combination of the organizational structure
and the priorities involved.
Once the project manager and team are oriented with the organization,
they will need tools to help in project management work. This is a very
important phase and should not be rushed through since various tools
enable to develop a solution into a project.
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There are various things that the Project Manager and project team need
to consider during initiation phase of the project. The diagram below shows
the different areas that require planning during initiation; this is not
exhaustive and there may be other areas as well to consider depending on
the type of project.
Key features of project initiation phase have been discussed in the first
chapter of this book. Activities that are undertaken at this phase require
the use of systems, tools, techniques and methods.
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A small or a weak matrix organization may not likely have a formal project
management methodology. In an average sized organization probably at
least a Charter, Plan and Status Report templates may be available and
implemented. These tools are a plus to help with establishing a proper
methodology for the organization and project.
There are many instances where Microsoft Project is the tool used by
projects. As long as it's facilitating the project in various phases, it's ok to
use it as a tool. Whichever tool is used for project management application,
it must be only after a detailed methodology and process is established to
make sure that the project is right and done right. An established and
stable baseline helps to avoid the inevitable re-work imposed by changes.
The Project Management Institute has identified several outputs from the
project initiating processes which are namely the Project Charter, a Project
Stakeholder Register and a Stakeholder Management Strategy. On smaller
or plain projects all these could be rolled into one document. On bigger
more complex projects each of these are created as separate deliverables
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A start up check list is a good administrative tool to ensure that all start up
tasks are completed prior to starting the project. Once the check list is
developed, it can be used by the project team to ensure that the tasks
necessary to the project are completed.
While the check sheets discussed in previous chapter are all for capturing
and categorizing observations, the checklist is intended as a mistake-
proofing aid when carrying out multi- step procedures, particularly during
the checking and finishing of process outputs.
For large scale projects, some of the tasks related to start up like the initial
planning steps and the initial phase can be faced with impatience. Hence
use of the project check list can be a trigger to complete tasks that teams
tend to overlook.
The check list is a blend of action list and a tool to verify that required
tasks and steps have been accomplished. A system within the project team
to use check list as a tool that ensures prioritization of items to be
completed and all information has been reviewed and approved must be
lauid out.
Project Manager is the owner of start-up Check list with inputs from the
entire team. The format of check list can be according to the needs of the
project and can be modified as required. Each item on the check list should
have an area for status (Y=Yes, N=No, P=Pending) and additional
comments.
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The project charter would consist of new offering request or a request for
proposal and is part of the project management process required by
Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
The charter document is used by the project team to assist in the planning
process. Development of a project plan with the potential of achieving the
project objective within the project schedule and budget boundaries can be
found in the charter. It should state clearly who is responsible for what on
the project. This statement will frequently become very handy for the
project team and a good reference.
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RACI matrix is a great tool which can be used after arriving at the high
level deliverables of a new project and after identifying the key
stakeholders. The RACI is a visual depiction of who is responsible and
accountable and who should be consulted or informed. This tool can help
the project manager to have a sound and thorough communication plan at
the initiation phase of a project.
It is incredibly vital to identify the various tasks and identify the roles of
people or teams and finally their responsibilities for every task. All roles
may not have a responsibility towards a task and a given task may not be
related to all roles. A task is usually associated with at least one role or in
some cases multiple roles. Connection of a role with a task can be divided
into four key types:
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Informed - Informed are the people/roles who are informed after the
task is completed. It is important to make sure the right people/roles are
informed after the task is performed successfully and kept up to date on
the progress.
The above four key links of a role to a task are shown in a simple task vs
Role diagram which is called RACI matrix. It is a responsibility assignment
matrix to assign tasks, activities, responsibilities, accountability, decision
making, supporting to team members of a process/project and clarify
expectations on the level of their participation.
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This is one of the most important process tools where all stakeholders
engage with the manager to know and understand each other better.
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Once the project is initiated, the business analyst team collects the project
requirements with various methods which are then converted into technical
requirements after which the project implementation begins.
In some cases the business analysts are unable to capture all the
requirements or tend to overlook some requirements related to the project
and even the client does not recognize the requirements gaps of the
project at this stage. The missing requirements have a significant impact
on the cost and schedule of the project. Hence the requirement collection
process is a very important phase of any project.
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Involvement of end-users involved from the start will help to get their
support
Requirement document is the main way to get the client's agreement and
it is better to get client sign off at this stage. Hence there should not be
scope for any gray area in this document.
Until the requirements are crystal clear it is better not to commit about
the solution or deliverable to the client.
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The project vision statement is a tool used by the project manager / leader
to create a common vision for the team. This also enables to motivate the
team to do their best for client satisfaction and achieve project excellence.
The vision statement should include objectives from the client's side, be
clear and have measurable criteria for success. By building the case for
undertaking the project, negotiating the scope and providing guidelines for
teamwork, the statement is able to align and gain consensus with the team
on project definition.
Customers are identified and what benefits the project deliverables must
provide to them is listed out.
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As the project goes forward, the vision document helps to ensure all
team members are staying true to the project's goals in every phase.
When it comes to project planning, defining the project scope is the most
critical step.
Without a good and well defined project scope, project execution is almost
impossible. Clearly describing the scope boundaries with the client's
agreement will keep the project in control.
There are a set of defined objectives for the project to get funding and
project objectives can be used for arriving at the project scope.
Having successfully defined the scope of the project getting the sign-off
from the related and applicable parties will be a key item for proceeding
with the next phases of the project like requirements gathering.
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4.11 CONCLUSION
The project initiation process will allow the Authority Group to decide
whether or not the project should continue to the implementation stage
based on the forecasted benefits and whether or not it is aligned with the
corporate strategy. The Project Initiation process should include input from
customers, end users, relevant stakeholders, project team members and
management team.
When planning the project during initiation it is always useful to use the
various tools and systems as these can be invaluable to prevent from
making a mistake in the longer run. Lessons learnt and reviews from other
similar projects can be used to make some sound judgments in the
initiation phase.
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4.12 SUMMARY
The project charter provides outline for the project and gives the project
team and management a sense of direction for the project from start to
finish. It is an effective tool to articulate and evaluate key aspects of a
proposed project, and to provide information necessary to review and
determine whether the project should be initiated.
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Defining the project scope at initiation phase is very crucial as it lays the
foundation of the project. Having a clear scope is fundamental to the
project to get funding and go further.
All the above systems and tools used in initiation phase help to launch
the project and avoid any inaccuracies in scope or objectives.
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1. Name any 3 project initiation tools and briefly describe their features.
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Chapter 5
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TOOLS
Learning Objectives
Tools and Techniques used in Project Schedule like Milestone Chart, Task
List, Calendar View, Critical Chain, Resource Leveling and Schedule
Acceleration
Tools and Techniques useful for Project Risk Management with details on
Delphi Technique, SWOT and Tollgate (Phasegate).
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Structure
5.1 Introduction
5.9 Summary
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5.1 INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter we have seen some essential systems and tools.
However there are many more tools that can be used by Project Managers
and Leaders depending on the project needs, client requirements, project
phase and the type of implementation. Software projects are different from
construction or defense projects due to the inherent nature, complexity,
risks, security, timeline, cost and various other factors. In this chapter we
will look at some more systems and tools that are used at various stages of
the project life cycle. It is possible that the Manager might decide to use
one or few tools or may need more tools than what is discussed here.
Nonetheless some of the common and useful tools are discussed here in
project phases like planning scope, schedule planning, resource planning,
budget planning, management estimating and communication tools. Key
tools used in project risk management are also dealt with towards the end
of the chapter.
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Systems and Tools are used in each of these cases to maximize the
benefits and success of projects. These are not to be ignored as they are a
noteworthy aspect in the success of projects.
The project scope includes all the deliverables and all the activities required
to create the deliverables. Project scope planning is linked with schedule
planning, resource planning and budget planning since each task or activity
must be scheduled to occur at a particular time within the allocated budget
and requires an individual or organization be assigned to do the work.
The project scope includes many additional activities that are unique to
managing the project like preparation for meetings, reviews, supplier
management and documentation. If a project manager considers only
product scope while planning the project, there is tendency to under plan
the amount of time, budget and resources needed to complete the project,
hence they have to consider beyond the product scope to arrive at project
scope.
Some organizations have customized tools to assist the project team with
scope planning. Following scope planning tools or techniques are helpful,
depending upon the uncertainty and complexity of the project.
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This is a scope planning technique for intense projects where the starting
point is to identify the deliverable of the project and then work on
requirements and resources to create that deliverable. This technique is
very powerful when the project deliverable changes which calls for a
revised scope. The key project is broken down into actionable activities and
a diagram or many diagrams are produced to show sufficient detail to
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Project Schedule is a key part of project management and tells when the
activities should be done, in what sequence and what has been
accomplished. The schedule is reviewed periodically due to uncertainty on
the project and various changes. The project schedule is a time-based
sequenced description of all the project activities. It functions as a time-
based plan of the project's vision and becomes a basis to monitor and
control project activities.
Time is a constraint for most projects and hence use of various tools allows
the project to meet its goals within the scope, schedule, resources and
budget. These systems and tools help to determine time delays, resource
reallocations, impact on project and tracking the progress. Some of these
tools are discussed below.
There are an array of tools and techniques for displaying and analyzing the
project schedule. Depending upon the project objectives and risks,
different techniques are used to focus on the relevant aspect of the project.
Some of the commonly used techniques for displaying the schedule are the
Gantt Chart, Network Diagram, Milestone Chart, Task List, Calendar View.
Gantt Chart and Critical Path Network diagram have been discussed in
Chapter 3, so we will briefly look at the other tools here.
Schedule analysis tools used are Critical Path Method, Critical Chain
analysis, PERT analysis, Resource Leveling analysis and a variety of
Schedule Acceleration Techniques.
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This is one of the best tools the project manager can use to verify whether
the project progress is on track. The milestone chart is portrayed on a
project time line and displays the key project milestones. These milestones
are used by project manager as major reporting points to the sponsor and
senior management. Large complex projects may have several hundreds of
tasks and rather than providing senior management with status reports at
that level of detail, the milestones provide interim reporting points. A
focused sub-project for each milestone gives the Leads a framework for
planning and tracking project activities. A simple Excel template can also
serve the purpose of a milestone checklist for a small project. The
milestone chart of checklist should be a live document that should be
updated once or twice a week.
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critical chain to ensure that the tasks and sequences complete prior to the
need for their results by a critical chain task.
Hence resource leveling technique is used to smooth out the peaks and
valleys with the required and available project resources. The best
allocation of resources assigned to the project can be determined which
leads to changes in the project schedule and this is applied when the
project has been planned with a high degree of parallelism. The float in
case of the different parallel paths is used to reposition tasks so that the
resources required to conduct that task are not needed simultaneously on
another task.
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Schedule acceleration tools and techniques are used to shorten the overall
duration of the project. As they reduce the planned total duration of the
project, some other aspect of the project might become risky. Hence they
need to be deployed carefully with an update to the project risk
management plan. There are different schedule acceleration tools and
techniques, selection of one or a combination depends on the uniqueness
of the activities to be accelerated and the general risk sensitivity in the
project.
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The project resource plan gives an account of how the various resources
will be applied to the project activities. Resourcing plan includes the
identification and deployment of human capital and the impact of their
hours worked and activities on the project progress. Resource planning is
connected to schedule planning and scope planning since the resources are
required to perform the activities within the project scope at a particular
schedule.
Many organizations have customized tools to assist the project team with
resource planning which can be safely used depending on the complexity of
the project. Some of the resource planning tools are Team List,
Responsibility Matrix and Staffing Management Plan, all of which deal with
assigning and managing human resources on the project.
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The Project Budget shows the team's objective to utilize the resources on
project activities. It can be in the form of a spreadsheet listing the project
activities row wise and designating each column as a time period. The total
for each column is shown and a cumulative total is arrived at that shows
the total budgeted costs from project start through time period in each
phase. This Project Budget data is transferred to the business's financial
planning and management system and to project financial tracking
systems. Budgeting templates, forms and screens are used to assist the
project team with the budgeting process.
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calculation, depreciation schedule for the asset, asset's residual value once
it is fully depreciated.
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Team members who are from a different country or culture and do not
understand the acronyms or whose native language is different than the
normal communication language within the project may not fully
understand the message although they can hear the message clearly. The
project manager or team leader can have a direct conversation to ask them
what they think the message requires them to do.
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Project records are the method that the project team uses to communicate
to the future business team members, the next generation project, or
archive as records for lessons learned.
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All projects have risks and it is the job of the Project Manager to identify
and analyze these risks as well as develop appropriate response and
monitor the risks as part of the Risk Management Planning Process. While
these personnel are often key participants for risk identification, all project
personnel should be encouraged to identify risks Risk identification is an
integrative process and risks can be positive or negative. Negative risks are
the ones that are likely to result in project failure and hence the tendency
is to focus on these more. However positive risks might be identified early
in the planning phase as they provide opportunities for the project team to
perform better and the project manager can take advantage of them for
the benefit of the project. Negative risks also referred to as threats can be
circumvented if addressed early.
Various systems and tools are used to monitor and track the risks
throughout the life of the project. Some of them are - Delphi Technique /
Root Cause Analysis / SWOT Analysis/ Cause and Effect Diagramming /
Influence Diagramming / Flow Charting / Brainstorming
/ Interviewing. We shall look at few tools here.
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The experts at each round have a full record of what forecasts other
experts have made, but they do not know who made which forecast.
Anonymity allows the experts to express their opinions freely, encourages
openness and avoids admitting errors by revising earlier forecasts.
SWOT analysis is one of the most useful management tools for assessing a
project and the factors that will help or hinder them in realizing the
objective.
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3. With the objective or direction that these all suggest, the results are
displayed in a simple matrix that can be arranged in various ways as
shown in the diagram earlier.
Potential items may happen which is exactly the same as risks (can be
opportunities or threats). There is a link between SWOT and risk
management. Threats and Opportunities in SWOT analysis will be
directly applicable to risk assessment.
The advantage is that SWOT analysis and risk assessment are completely
integrated and the items identified can be managed with Actions.
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mentioned have been achieved. For projects based upon the DMADV
methodology, tollgate reviews would be established after each of the 5
phases: Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify.
Some of the tools that can be utilized to assist Tollgate planning and review
are Check Sheets, Project Deliverables Document and List of Milestones.
The Tollgate planning tools are excellent for managing risk because as eac
h phase completes, a business decision meeting (tollgate) is scheduled to
review the results of the work from the preceding phase to determine
whether the risk has been adequately mitigated. This is shown in the
simple illustration below.
Depending on the risk mitigation level, the project may continue to the
next phase or continue to complete the current phase. If the organization
needs have changed and the activities needed to resolve the risk are more
than the sponsors are willing to undertake the project is canceled.
Tools like network diagram or Gantt Chart help to create a schedule of the
tasks supporting each of the milestones. Purpose is to conduct tollgate
meetings at appropriate points in the project and decide to continue,
rework or cancel the project.
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5.9 SUMMARY
Various tools are used in different phases of the project to aid with
implementation. The project manager might decide to use a few or all or
just one tool depending on the project needs, size and client
requirements.
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- Task List contains all the tasks assigned to a team member who is
responsible for its completion. It is like an action list and good tool for
ensuring accountability as well.
- Critical Chain is a scheduling tool used when there are delays in project
results. Sequence of tasks is the critical chain and its tracking approach
helps to accelerate the project schedule.
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- Estimating based upon project end date begins with end date
estimation and going backward to the present time to work on the
deliverables to be met. For example in Y2K projects the end date was
set and scope, budget and resources are allocated to meet the
schedule on the specific date.
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Projects are faced with positive and negative risks and risk identification
is an ongoing process. Risk Management Tools are used to identify
opportunities and risks early to enable project manager to make rational
decisions to perform better.
Various tools are available for use by project managers, they can be
supplemented with other option-generation tools where appropriate or
used independently depending on the circumstances.
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1. Identify any two Project Scope Planning Tools and Techniques that are
used on projects.
3. Team List and Responsibility Matrix are resourcing tools in Project, what
is the purpose of each of them and how are they different?
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Chapter 6
TOOLS FOR PROJECT CONTROL
Learning Objectives
Pulse Meetings
Project Dashboard
Structure
6.1 Introduction
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6.8 Reviews
6.13 Summary
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6.1 INTRODUCTION
The way a project is managed and executed is the key to its success.
Particular attention must be paid to update all related with project status,
execution of work, manage quality control and monitor risk. This must be
done in parallel to other processes to ensure all activities are executed to
meet project requirements. Monitoring and Controlling ensures the team is
working on correct tasks on schedule and within budget. Further the
quality of work must be acceptable to the client and control activities must
be performed if deviations happen as these will keep the project organized.
Here we will see some of the tools to use through the Project Control
stage.
Project Control and Monitoring is the process whereby the project manager
tracks, reviews and revises the project activities to ensure the project
produces the deliverables in accordance with the project goals. Active
control is required on projects because of their unique and temporary
nature and to guide work towards effective utilization of resources and
correct problems.
Projects are inherently unstable as the tasks are unique to each project
and the sequence of activities; and resources are only temporarily assigned
to be associated with the project and are redeployed when the project
completes. This is unlike a process where the same sets of activities are
performed repeatedly which keeps the expectations stable.
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The main results of the Monitoring and Controlling procedure are the
project performance reports as well as implementing project changes.
Project management focus is analyzing the project performance to decide
whether a change is needed in the plan for the rest of the project activities
to achieve the project goals and objectives.
Tools and techniques are used by project managers for Monitoring and
Controlling of a project. In this chapter we will look at some of the systems
and tools that are used in this phase of the project for different purposes.
Control chart is one of the best tools that projects can use for monitoring
the performance as they can monitor any processes related to any function
of the organization.
Control chart is a great tool for use within an improvement project and is
effective in the following situations:
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Different types of control charts are used to help projects for any
monitoring situation depending on the need and requirement. Depending
on the data type charts can be:
!
TYPICAL CONTROL CHART
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3. Time Management
Time Management is a very effective tool with regard to project cost
control. Inability to meet project deadlines lead to increase in cost of the
project on various fronts like resources, manpower, consequent costs, etc.
The longer the project is dragged on, the higher the costs incurred which
results in exceeding budgeted costs. The project manager has to constantly
remind the team of the critical deadlines of the project and facilitate
completion of work on time.
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5. Earned Value
To identify the value of the work that has been carried out, it is very useful
to use the accounting tool commonly known as 'Earned Value'.
Conclusion:
A watchful eye on the actual costs remaining close to the figures in the
initial budget is a key technique. Risks associated with cost escalation are
to be prevented and use of the above tools and techniques help to
constantly monitor the project costs.
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Identification Of Activities
Choice of Appropriate
Evaluation and Assessment
Measures
Analysis of Data
!
1. Identification of activities
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4. Analysis of Data
Appropriate analysis of data collected is of foremost importance. The data
collected is to be presented well preferably in graphical format for easy
reference and results of data can be used for future projection by the
business. Identifying the root cause for performance gaps in processes can
be carried out based on the scrutiny of data.
5. Implementation
Ensuring that the management and concerned staff are fully committed to
the process is critical in making the benchmarking process, a success.
Sufficient resources are required to be in place to facilitate the necessary
improvements required as a result of benchmarking. Changes are to be
implemented so that performance gap between the ideal and the actual is
narrowed and eliminated wherever possible to achieve desired results. A
formal action plan can be formulated and circulated within the team so that
there is better awareness and acceptance of the process.
Benchmarking as a project control and monitoring tool can add value to the
organization's workflow and structure by identifying areas for improvement
and rectification. It is indeed invaluable in an enterprise's quest for
continuous improvement and enhancement of processes.
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Variance analysis can uncover both positive and negative project risk.
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Project variance reports are a great tool to indicate how well the resources
were able to perform project activities in accordance with the project plan
and throughout the project lifecycle which is very useful information for
project management.
6.8 REVIEWS
Project reviews are learning and control tools to generate information and
feedback that contribute to a continuous improvement framework in the
execution and delivery of the projects. It is critical that the findings of
reviews are made relevant to related people within the organization.
Values and encourages end user input and innovative ideas to the project
requirements.
Meetings are held with the project team members and team leads to
review the current status of the program and it is compared with the
original program plan. On complex and large scale projects this is a very
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useful tool that focuses on the big picture and integration between
activities and sub-projects within the project's program. Any interference
or lack of assimilation between the program activities and the sub-projects
are identified.
Frank and honest appraisal of the status of program work from project
team members is key to ensure this tool meets its objective. Reviews are
conducted to evaluate the cost, schedule and performance status of a
program and provide senior management with status reporting. This
functions as a forum for feedback and an exchange of improvement ideas.
The Project Manager must cover all relevant information on the status of
the program or project as this is on a much broader area.
Formal meetings are conducted with subject matter experts who are
typically members outside of the project team. The SMEs have in depth
knowledge, experience and skills on the technical aspects within the
project.
The reviewers who are qualified perform an in-depth analysis of the project
deliverables and activities to determine whether the project work has been
accomplished fully and correctly. A list of actions that are pending will be
revealed which may require additional testing or analysis. In extreme cases
it could lead to redesigns of systems, software or processes to meet the
project objectives and client satisfaction.
The results of these reviews are most effective when they are completed
before a project can proceed to a toll-gate meeting and the reviews are
reported to senior management. Some instances where technical reviews
are inevitable are process design, technical code reviews, security reviews,
or risk strategy reviews.
Formal meetings are held with the project manager and leads along with
key stakeholders to review the current status of the project vis--vis the
original project plan. Management Reviews are with key stakeholders and
the emphasis is on whether the project performance and progress are
satisfactory to deliver on the overall project objectives. Results of these
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These meetings address the topics that are most important to the
stakeholders and project sponsors. Review can be a formal meeting or an
informal discussion with a written report or project dashboard. In the case
of a formal meeting, the project manager must be well prepared and
prepare an Action Item list or Issue log for any questions that are raised in
these reviews. Taking down minutes from these meetings should be
mandatory to be retained as part of the project records.
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Project and program managers need to know exactly how the projects
they're responsible for are doing. But they are loaded with many
responsibilities and priorities that they may not have the time to go
through detailed status reports for every area of the project.
Dashboards are used by project managers to focus the project team on the
few key items that are critical and drive project performance. They contain
a small subset of project status information that is treated as indicator of
whether the project is on track. For example, the critical path activity is
tracked for schedule status or the most demanding activities are tracked
for project performance and quality. The dashboard is a tool that provides
information useful to make decisions for changes to projects or to the
portfolio. Dashboards have flourished as more organizations are managing
projects within the context of a portfolio of projects and they are an
excellent tool when working with a virtual project team.
The top management team and Project Management Office use the
Dashboard to monitor status, make appropriate decisions, control
deviations and to have Project Management Reviews.
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The Change Management Log is for tracking changes across the sub-
projects. It is also used to track the implementation of the change and its
impact on the project. In bigger project the activities are spread across
multiple locations and are conducted in different phases. Use of the Change
Management Log enables to track the activities completion stage and
serves like an Action Log for the project manager.
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This is a project management tool that can objectively status schedule and
cost performance in real time. EVA tracks costs and schedule in an
objective, reliable and easy to use model for the project deliverables. It
provides "project at a glance" model with easily understandable visual
display of quantitative information.
Some of the traditional project reporting tools and charts tend to bury or
conceal schedule and cost problems. EVA negates these situations due to
the following factors:
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EVA compares the calculated value of work performed and what has been
earned, to actual cost and projected cost of work performed. There could
be deviations in the form of cost, time, or both, and can be expressed in
currency terms (like Rupees / Dollars / Euros), time or calculated further
as per cent complete or a performance index. EVA is a tool for the project
management of scope, cost and schedule based on earned value of tasks
performed in time.
Sometimes traditional planning, monitoring and tracking tools do not fit the
project framework. For example, the traditional financial tools are linked to
budgeting cycles and not project schedules. Traditional financial tools are
based on the assumption that the business will be in the mode of
continuous operation leveling the resource requirements and eliminating
spikes and valleys in resource needs. However, projects do not necessarily
operate in this way all the time. Project resources are assigned and
reassigned from the project plan throughout the project life-cycle activities.
As a result some of the major assumptions on which financial tools are
based are invalid in the actual project control and operating environment.
EVA can be done by calculating how much time the work has taken and the
resources utilized to complete the work. These values are compared with
the time and resource values planned. If the time taken for the particular
task is greater than the plan, it means that the project is running behind
schedule. Similarly, if the utilization of resources exceeded the plan, it
shows that the project has not been managed efficiently in terms of
resources.
A baseline with a plan with some scope for approved changes is a good
benchmark to determine whether and how well the project is meeting its
goals.
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A tolerance point for the constraints in a project namely time, cost and
scope is maintained. If the actual values exceed these threshold values, it
is like a warning signal and required steps should be taken to address it
immediately by making changes to future plans to contain the
discrepancies without much aggravating the situation.
This is where Earned Value Analysis is a useful tool for cost control. It is
helpful in determining how the project is progressing in terms of cost,
scope and time like whether the cost is under control and in how much
time the project would be completed.
Thus Earned Value Analysis supports the project plan and facilitates to
make changes depending on the current scenario and other internal and
external factors which influence the project deliverables. Below is a
diagram showing time on X-axis and cost on Y-axis.
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It was expected to cost 100, actual cost is 92. However how much work
actually was completed or "performed" is not available.
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The next 3 rows give a better picture. There is a schedule variance of -20
since schedule was to complete 100 of work, and only 80 is completed. In
addition, the value of work accomplished is 80 thereby creating a cost
variance of -12.
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6.13 SUMMARY
Projects are unique in nature and temporary with tasks and sequence of
activities unique to each project. Resources are temporarily assigned to
the project and are redeployed on project completion. Project monitor
and control processes and tools are significant to assess project meets
completion criteria.
Project Managers need to have Cost Control for various costs along with
meeting project goals. Methods of Budgetary Planning, Cost tracking,
time management, change requests and earned value aid in monitoring
the actuals and controlling as required.
Pulse Meetings are short term status meetings of less duration to discuss
with project management about the status of activities that are
happening.
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Variance Report is a tool to compare one set of values to another which
leads to analysis of how close actuals are to forecasts. They can indicate
variations of actuals from budgets and also how well resources were
utilized in accordance with the project plan.
Project reviews are a form of learning tools which encourages user input
and recognizes key lessons learned.
Management reviews are for comparing the current status of the project
with the original project plan.
They address the topics that are key to stakeholders and sponsors and
can be done in a formal or informal way.
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EVA is a great cost control tool which forecasts and tracks the project
progress regarding work completed and resources utilized. Value Analysis
calculations can be done at any point of time in the project life cycle.
EVA helps to make quick changes that are essential for the success of the
project. It is a good practice to review the budget, trends, reports on
financial information on a constant and regular basis to keep track of the
progress and minimize overspending before it is too late.
1. Which are the two types of control charts that are used to monitor
performance?
2. Name any three tools or processes that aid in Project Cost Control and
briefly describe them.
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REFERENCE MATERIAL
Click on the links below to view additional reference material for this
chapter
Summary
PPT
MCQ
Video Lecture
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Chapter 7
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Learning Objectives
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Structure
7.1 Introduction
7.12 Summary
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7.1 INTRODUCTION
Project closure is the last stage of a project's life cycle and a major stage
too. When all defined project tasks and milestones have been completed
and the project has launched it can be termed as completion of project
closure.
Some essential tools make this project closure phase smooth and
satisfactory. These tools and techniques are used by the business
management team and the project management team to enable
completion of all necessary project activities.
Project Closeout is the process of finalizing the hand off of the project
deliverables to the business team and finishing the administrative aspects
of closing the project. At this time the project management activities are
mostly administrative and are unique to the organization. In this phase of
the project life cycle the project is closed formally and its overall level of
success is reported to the sponsor. While handing over the final
deliverables to the client, all the documentation is also given to them; staff
as well as equipment if any are released and stakeholders are informed of
the project closure.
As can be seen below, project closure is the last phase in the project life
cycle. Providing support to the client and troubleshooting might continue
for some time after completion of the project and this depends on the
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terms of the contract. However for all practical purposes, project closure is
the final phase.
In every project there are two deliverables - One is the final product or
service that the project is to deliver and the other is the knowledge
acquired and the learning process while executing the project.
The problem with a PM getting into a relaxing mode while the project is
getting nearly completed is that the project team members will also tend to
follow and relax. This will impact the final deliverable as there is still plenty
of work to be accomplished to ensure project is hundred percent complete
and successfully handed over to the customer.
In fact during the final stages of a project, there is a lot to be done to keep
the team motivated. The Project Manager must continue communications
with the team as well as customer management / stakeholders /sponsors.
PM has to discuss final issues and be present for all the meetings and final
implementation as well as go live and support.
There are some systems and techniques that are useful when managing
the Project Closeout. It can be an overwhelming process to manage closure
and hence the below tools and methods smooth the process of closure.
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The Project Closure Report aims to provide confirmation that the project
has met success standards and project sponsor does the sign-off to close
the project.
Sometimes there are some tasks that can't be completed in a project due
to factors beyond control or that need to be done much later. Hence it is
crucial to identify responsible person to whom outstanding issues are to be
handed over. After all activities are complete, a Post Implementation
Review as well as Post Project Audit is undertaken to measure success of
the project and record lessons learned for future projects.
The purpose of a Project Transition Plan is to layout the tasks and activities
that are to take place to efficiently delivering a project from development
to production, operations and maintenance environment.
The transition plan identifies the organization, transition team and its
responsibilities. The plan also identifies the process, methods, systems and
tools needed to perform an efficient and effective transition. Contingency
planning and risk mitigation are also included in the transition plan. The
potential impact of transition to existing infrastructure, operations,
personnel and user community is also clearly stated.
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The transition plan is used in conjunction with the Project Charter and
Requirements Documents and does not intend to repeat information
already appearing in those documents.
The activities for project close out depend on the type of organization and
the nature of the project being implemented. However the following are
included in project closeout approach.
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After completion, the project team meets with stakeholders to review the
deliverables of the project, ensure there is consensus and the deliverables
are acceptable to the stakeholders. Acceptance Meetings are as much
about attainment of consensus as sharing of information. Adequate project
visibility ensures that all stakeholders, from sponsors to staff, share a
common aim and sense of purpose and commitment.
This meeting may be held by Program or Project Managers with all sub-
project teams if it is a complex program. This is also useful when doing
projects under contract to ensure that there is a clear endpoint to the
project.
The format of this meeting is often based upon the Project Charter where
the deliverable for each item from the Charter is presented and explained
to the stakeholders.
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Stakeholders must attend meetings and give input during the change
management process itself.
They are decision makers who assist in evaluating the need for change.
When a list is created, it forces the team and customers to think about the
terms of the contract and take note of anything that is not perfect. In
larger projects, it helps to clearly spell out expectations in the contract
before work begins.
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This punch list can be extended for use as an effective tool during closure
phase in all kinds of project.
Gaps often come up between what the stakeholders wanted from the
deliverables and what has been delivered by the project team. The Punch
List can be an excellent tool to manage the closure of those gaps. When a
deliverable is presented, any gaps or deviations are listed in the Punch List.
The project team estimates the impact on cost and schedule for completing
the Punch List items. Both the project team and stakeholders manage the
effort within the Punch List by reaching an agreement for the items that
are priority and that must be completed with end dates.
The Project Team strives to complete all the items on the list as per
contract and Stakeholders cannot keep on adding items to the punch list.
The term "punch list" was chosen by projects from the fact that earlier
people used to punch a hole in the paper next to completed tasks. In
today's projects these lists may be managed like a simple written checklist
or in electronic form. With the availability of advanced technology
electronic lists can be distributed to many people and may be updated
instantly, allowing everyone to see progress. For virtual and global projects
with multiple locations this can be important feature when multiple people
are responding to the issue and updates are to be online. Appropriate use
of this technique will smoothly and quickly drive the project to closure.
Yet, they all have some common features and the lessons learned from one
project can easily be incorporated in another project depending on the
circumstances.
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Lessons Learned
Evaluate the Business Case - The main question is whether the project
created the business benefit that justifies approving the project. The
focus is on project selection and approval process since the lessons
learned at this point improve the ability of the organization to select and
approve desirable and realistic projects.
Evaluate the Project Plan - Here the focus is on how well the project
was managed by the project manager and the project team. Extent of
adherence and impact to budget, schedule, risk mitigation, integration
and communication is evaluated and documented for future reference.
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Building good rapport and strong line of communication with the decision
makers will reap benefits in the long run.
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Get to know the customer and objectives of the project to be able to
deliver the result. Significant changes are made only after approval from
the customer or key business personnel.
Support the leader and their decisions even if it is contrary to one's idea
of what should have been done. It is fine to voice reasonable objections
to disagreements, but once an action has been decided upon, it is
appreciated if all support it and try to make it a success.
In order to effectively utilize resources and also make the people feel
valuable for the project, it is essential to know what resources are
available and how to procure required resources.
Study and understand the impact of all known facts. When things go
wrong, it is required to know who can help to tide over the crisis.
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7.8.3 Conclusion
This exercise can avoid repetitive mistakes and when the project lessons
learned are documented, the future team leaders can make use of the
varied learning experiences to avoid the same or similar pitfalls
themselves. Ultimately lessons learned should provide value to the project
manager as well as for future projects.
Future Projects
Lessons Learned
!
In real life how often do organizations apply the lessons learned from past
projects to new projects?
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The answer might be "rarely" and this is very discouraging. Although many
tools, systems and processes exist for capturing lessons learned at the end
of a project, very few organizations take the effort to use them. Most
common reasons were -lack of time, unavailability of key people, blame
culture, absence of team support, dearth of budget to support any good
closure, etc.
Active involvement of all team members in all phases will enable pooling
the ideas.
Set up a practice to capture lessons learned when they occur and not
later.
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Be polite in discussions to agreements and disagreements.
Work together for a way of making things better in self interest.
Appreciate the time and effort of the person providing feedback.
1. Absence of feedback
Even if the project is a success, project manager (or PMO) should not
neglect to solicit immediate feedback from the Project Team and other
stakeholders. Projects are full of challenges which are forgotten when the
final outcome is a successful project deliverable. As soon as the Project
Closeout begins it is imperative to seek feedback so as to get immediate,
honest and complete information regarding the project successes, failures
and anything relevant.
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2. Failure to review
Whatever be the outcome, there is a tendency to "close the chapter" and
move on. For the organization's benefit, and for all the other Project
Managers to come, it is important to spend the time to review the project
and understand what was done right and what went wrong. Review of the
approach and techniques with an objective standpoint of the project team,
customers and management is very much required.
Project Managers tend to avoid review if the project was a miserable failure
and they prefer to avoid review to put the wretched experience behind and
not provide an opportunity to the concerned to complain. Even if some
aspects on the project were ok, the PM may think better not to jeopardize
the situation by giving everybody a chance to bring up all the things that
could have been done better during the review sessions.
3. Absence of PMO
Sometimes Project Managers are tempted to facilitate the close out
meeting by themselves since it is their project being reviewed. This might
lead to lack of concentration on the purpose of the meeting and PM fails in
obtaining all relevant feedback. It is a good idea to have a PMO team;
dedicated resources or trained facilitators do the job of facilitating, be a
scribe and ensure all administrative aspects are taken care of properly.
There are situations where the project is a success and there have been
great Project Assessment Meetings with a host of brilliant strategies for
other Project Managers to emulate and list of pitfalls to avoid. These are
happily recorded into the project repository and filed away.
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Approaching the Project Sponsor to inquire about funds that may exist for
hosting a celebration function and appropriately taking time to celebrate
the success is an important aspect of Project closeout. It can be simple like
a coffee meeting or may be a sponsored party or event. In any case, the
entire Project Team should have good memories of their experiences on
projects management and feel excited with an opportunity to work with the
Project Manager and team again.
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7.12 SUMMARY
Projects are always temporary in nature and for this reason the Project
Manager must make sure a controlled and structured closure takes place
before officially declaring the project closed. Project closure activities
cover a range of tasks both from a management and a delivery point of
view. Post project activities are performed and tools and systems are
used for smooth management of closure.
The purpose of transition plan is to outline the steps to turn the project's
product or service over to the business unit and support staff. It is very
important as it pulls together the tasks necessary for handling the new
product or service to the client or customer.
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Lessons learned process is a formal process in the presence of a PMO or
it may be done informally. This involves evaluation of business case,
project plan, methodology and team performance and there can be a list
of lessons learnt depending on the project. Applying exercises that can
avoid repetitive mistakes, documenting the key points and avoiding
drawbacks in future are the value derived from this process.
Project teams must ensure that they can better use the lessons learnt by
documenting the critical items in a Project Log.
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1. What is project closure and what is the significance or need for closure?
3. List out at least six lessons that are learnt based on experience with
projects.
4. What are the project pitfalls and how can they be avoided?
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REFERENCE MATERIAL
Click on the links below to view additional reference material for this
chapter
Summary
PPT
MCQ
Video Lecture
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Chapter 8
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Learning Objectives
- Desktop
- Server
- Web based
- Integrated
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Structure
8.1 Introduction
8.9 Summary
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8.1 INTRODUCTION
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We can classify the types of project management software available for use
by project managers into the following types:
1. Desktop
All the involved people will have to update the same document on a regular
basis and care should be taken to ensure nothing is missed and any
duplication is avoided as well. Project needs to understand the limitation of
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desktop project management software and keep track of how and when it
should be updated and maintained if there are inputs by more than one
person.
2. Server
3. Web Based
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The nature of the system has the feature of multi-user capability, however;
web-based project software tends to be slower to respond than desktop
applications. Also project information is not available when the user is
offline but the data can be downloaded and referred to as required.
This model is best suited for globally spread virtual teams that can operate
on the Internet.
4. Integrated
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1. Collaboration
2. Scheduling
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Ideally, the project baseline once created should not be changed anymore,
but sometimes new requirements or schedule changes bring about major
change to scope or cost and make it inevitable to adjust the baseline set.
When requirements are changed and new requirements are added to the
project later, project management team can compare the new schedule
with the baseline schedule automatically to understand the project scope
and cost deviations. Hence this feature is a key consideration for projects
that could be subject to change and schedule variation.
3. Issue Tracking
Every project faces many issues that need constant tracking and
monitoring. Therefore, the project management software should have
options to track and monitor the issues that come up during the project life
cycle.
Web-based software are available that help to manage test cases and track
defects. Some tools provide a great user experience along with incident
and problem management, powerful ticketing, enhanced impact analysis,
change and release as well as Knowledge Management.
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For a smaller organization with only a couple of projects this feature may
not provide any value and it might just prove to be more expensive.
However for large organizations with several projects this feature results in
enhanced reporting and a better understanding of the probable
consequences of every change in project scope.
5. Document Management
Projects generate many documents and there are many team members,
client personnel and key stakeholders who need access to these
documents. Therefore, the project management software should be able to
provide document management system with appropriate access control
system. Some of the features available include centralized repository for all
documents, organizing capability, printing and distribution of documents
via email or fax, share documents and minimize the space required for
document storage. In addition, the document management feature should
support document versioning as and when they are updated.
Again this feature is useful for middle level and larger organizations as it
enables efficiency and automates business process workflow. Encryption,
access control and security governance are required to be in place when
such systems are implemented.
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6. Resource Management
Conclusion:
With current global projects that are highly modern and advanced, project
management practice requires the assistance of project management
software at various phases. The use of software helps the modern project
management practice which is complicated to a great extent.
It is not wise to choose one with more features than required, as usually
project management software comes with a high price tag. Also having
more than the required features could create more confusion from the use
of the software rather than be of help.
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They also allow employees at different levels to have an input into the
process as much as the project team or stakeholders.
Project management software thus does far more than just manage the
projects themselves. As seen in the earlier part of this Chapter, various
project applications can also carry out scheduling, resource allocation, cost
control, budgeting, collaboration, communication, quality management,
issue tracking, documentation and administration. Whatever be the kind of
software with as much number of features, the aim is to handle all aspects
and complexities of larger projects and help keep costs down. Not to be
disregarded is the fact that smaller projects are also able to use simple
software to help them manage projects well.
They assist with resource scheduling which can program resources (people,
finances, physical, any kind of resource) to work on various tasks and
detail the need for the resources. Business can also use project
management software to deal with uncertainties in the estimates of the
duration of each task and rearrange to meet deadlines and deal with
multiple projects simultaneously, as part of an overall organization program
objective.
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1. Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is a powerful desktop tool to analyze and plan resources,
budgets and timelines. It can estimate resource needs, measure project
progress and serves as an effective tool to collaborate project teams to see
tasks, flag issues and minimize risks. This software can plan easily for
projects and empower teams with real time reporting on project statuses,
effectively evaluate ideas, align vision and effort to prioritize initiatives to
choose optimal project portfolios to deliver the intended business value.
Microsoft Project is a widely accepted package offering a web interface and
deep integration which enables collaborating from virtually anywhere and is
the most popular tool for project managers, project teams and decision
makers.
2. Matchware MindView
MindView is a professional software that allows mind mapping and visually
brainstorm, organize and present ideas. It can turn ideas into action fast,
integrates with MS Office, has unique project management features and
enables productivity and efficiency. It has an easy to use spreadsheet with
professional templates available for use and can collaborate with team
members and clients in real time. Mind view is useful to visualize ideas and
concepts, turn brainstorming sessions into action plans and run meetings
more effectively. It can create work breakdown structures, Gantt charts,
timelines and export and synchronize tasks with outlook.
3. Project Kickstart
Project KickStart is an easy-to-use project management package that
easily specifies requirements, tasks and resources to generate a full Gantt
schedule including task dependencies. It integrates well with other
applications like PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, Word, Microsoft Project. This
tool helps to identify problems and provides potential solutions where the
entire project plan and schedule can update automatically based on revised
dates and other changes.
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5. Basecamp
The project management Web portal acts as the central place where all
activity around a project occurs. Each user has a profile, login credentials
and dashboard that show only the information relevant to the user. Within
Basecamp, project managers can create a project and manage all the
project work and accesses to the users to the information contained
therein along with tracking communication and assets to the project.
6. Smartsheet
This is a comprehensive solution to seamlessly manage the project team,
time and tasks and collaborate project management for projects of any
scale and size. Project managers use Smartsheet to coordinate a wide
variety of projects and processes ranging from complex to simple. It is a
tool that provides real-time visibility across people, projects and
deliverables. It has a familiar spreadsheet layout that makes it easy to get
started, is interactive and provides status updates, resource management,
automated workflows and file sharing features.
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7. AceProject
AceProject is a web-based project tracking software that streamlines the
project management process by viewing and reporting progress across the
entire portfolio. Visually tracks project and task progress, view deadlines
and task dependencies that help manage projects from end to end. This
online project collaboration and time tracking application is available as
software-as-a service that can be quickly implemented. It is ideal software
for project managers for tracking projects for successful planning,
monitoring and implementation and suited for small-to-medium sized
businesses as it provides many useful features at scalable and affordable
costs.
8. Assembla
This is a set of cloud based tool delivering innovative tools and processes
for software developers based on the idea of continuous delivery. Assembla
is instrumental for moving teams from the typical Scrum agile towards a
more continuous, distributed and scalable management tool. It integrates
tasks and code into one agile product and is used in more than 100
countries. Assembla provides tools and services to accelerate cloud- based
Agile development and has a track record of hosting repositories and
providing task management and collaboration tools to thousands of
projects.
9. Central Desktop
Projects are managed better as it can connect people well with Central
Desktop's web meetings feature to hold virtual meetings to discuss the
progress on the project. Being able to connect over the web rather than in
person is a big advantage of Central Desktop's collaboration platform as it
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exploits the power of cloud collaboration to simplify and improve the way
projects and teams work and deliver wins.
10.Copper
Copper is a web-based project management software tool that helps
projects to collaborate and manage client information, tasks, files, contacts
and calendars. Project tasks, timelines and progress can be reviewed and
teams including clients can actively contribute to this information.
11.Atlassian JIRA
JIRA provides planning, issue tracking and project tracking for software
development project teams to improve code quality and the speed of
development. JIRA Cloud provides advantage of a number of pre-
configured integration features like linking between applications.
JIRA can capture and organize project's tasks, issues, prioritize and take
appropriate action so the project manager and team can spend time
effectively building great software. This tool is used extensively by
Software project development teams and help desk systems.
12.Mavenlink
Mavenlink is advanced online project management tool with resource
planning and financials capabilities. It is a form of SaaS that provides
software to manage projects, people, resources, collaborate tasks and
profits. Mavenlink centralizes and prioritizes all activities, tasks and
financials at one convenient location which facilitates organizing and
utilizing time efficiently for the success of the project.
13.Microsoft Sharepoint
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The SAP Portfolio and Project Management application can help to invest
the right resources in the right projects to advance strategies while
completing quality work on schedule and within budget. Projects rely on
SAP portfolio and project management software tool to help link ideas and
strategies with project data, workflows and business processes. SAP is the
world leader in enterprise software and software related services.
Synchronize with corporate strategy for better insight into the pipeline of
projects
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Balance projects portfolio based on business objectives and investment
type
Get the most out of capital projects which have special challenges,
complexity and high risk
15.LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner is an excellent tool that helps project managers be more
strategic and seize control of their projects, manage their resources with
ease, and deliver schedules with confidence. It provides visibility at all
levels to projects, tasks, estimates, schedules and risks that help to
estimate schedules with confidence and manage and forecast resource
availability.
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16.Clarizen
17.Vorex
The Vorex Project Management Software is a web based project, time and
expense tracking tool that integrates everything to run the business
efficiently. It is a cloud based tool that provides visibility and complete
control through a single integrated interface that gives access to all
projects.
18.Teamwork
TeamWork is an intuitive, secure, web-based project management software
and online collaboration tool that facilitates to run projects more efficiently,
increase collaboration and accountability among team members. It
provides transparency, establishes responsibility, all teams members are in
sync and stay on track, reprioritizes milestones and improves productivity
for internal and client projects.
19.ZohoProject
The Zoho Projects toolset is a comprehensive cloud-based PM tool, and is
ideal for orchestrating projects across a virtual team of internal and
external resources. There's a built-in Chat option which is a nice add-on if
all communication is to be captured. There's also a meeting scheduler that
ties into the work calendar that offers more flexibility than simply setting
up meetings as tasks. Zoho Projects makes planning projects easy via use
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of web interface that allows to quickly defining tasks, set dependencies and
monitor progress of projects with dependencies which ensures deadlines
are met.
20.Citrix Podio
In agile model the entire team is a tightly integrated unit including the
project manager, developers, quality assurance and the customer
whereas in traditional project management the project manager is the
owner of the project.
Open communication is one of the key factors which ensure that
communication flows freely between all team members. Teams
experiment to see which solution works best for the project, hence
meetings are held more frequently to identify dependencies.
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Agile is cross functional, welcomes change, integrates and gets customer
involvement with less focus on formal processes.
Agile delivers short term work to clients to get rapid feedback whereas in
Traditional framework the solution or product is extensively planned,
executed and tested.
8.8.2 Scrum
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8.9 SUMMARY
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- Microsoft Project
- Matchware MindView
- Project Kickstart
- RationalPlan Multi Project
- Basecamp
- Smartsheet
- AceProject
- Assembla
- Central Desktop
- Copper
- Atlassian JIRA
- Mavenlink
- Microsoft Sharepoint
- SAP Portfolio and Project Management
- LiquidPlanner
- Clarizen
- Vorex
- Teamwork
- ZohoProject
- Citrix Podio
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REFERENCE MATERIAL
Click on the links below to view additional reference material for this
chapter
Summary
PPT
MCQ
Video Lecture
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SYSTEMS AND TOOLS CONSIDERATION
Chapter 9
SYSTEMS AND TOOLS CONSIDERATION
Learning Objectives
Structure
9.1 Introduction
9.10 Summary
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9.1 INTRODUCTION
The question is when there are so many systems, tools and techniques
available in the market how can projects or project managers decide to
choose and implement the right tool. Just because one organization was
successful with the use of a particular tool it does not mean that all
organizations will be successful with use of that tool. Every organization
and project has their own unique needs and the tool must be able to
enhance their productivity and success.
Although there are some specific expectations of the tools, some of the
following features will help to decide if the project is ready to pay and use
the tool:
Budget
The amount of funds available determines the kind of tool or software for a
project. Desktop tools might be able to achieve the expected at low cost. If
there are more funds or if project manager is looking to scale up across the
organization with a dedicated team, it could be worth considering a
collaborative cloud based tool. These tend to have more powerful
functionalities and are multi-purpose allowing various capabilities and
training.
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Project environment
Nature of the project, its size and complexity are major determinants of
deciding on the usage of any system or tool or technique. Practically all
projects are planned and implemented in a social, economic and
environmental context for a specific purpose. The end result may be a
grand success but the entire project lifecycle can have positive and
negative impacts. The project team especially the project manager should
always consider the project in its social, cultural, economic, international,
political, and physical environmental contexts. This will help the team to
determine the tool they need to use to be better prepared for any issues,
plan for risks, understand the factors at work and gear all efforts towards
meeting objectives.
Customer Organization
Knowing what one is getting into can sometimes be half the battle. The
climate and happenings in the customer organization tend to affect the
project positively or may inhibit the ability to be successful on it. Having
the right tools with the capacity to work on the client's requirements can
be a great help to the project's progress.
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Reporting features
A tool that supports the format and features of reporting required with
minimum customization will be a consideration while deciding on a project
tool or software.
Conclusion:
Not all project systems and tools are created equally, so the key is in
choosing the one that has the required programs to be able to work on the
project from start to finish and accomplish project goals. Some of the
different functions that a specific system could have include organizational
tools, budgeting tools, tables, graphs, applications for drawing diagrams,
add in charts, report generation, resource allocation and other helpful
features. Before deciding on the tool, it is better to spend time to consider
what feature is needed and what is not needed. Projects may already have
a tool that best handles the resourcing or budgeting needs in which case
they can save some money by choosing a project management system that
need not have such repetitive features but focus on the other requirements
for the project needs. This involves thinking about long term project goals
and how best to get there without having to spend a fortune.
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Adaptability
Project Management Software should be able to adapt to the organization's
unique needs. Project team and client must not have to change their
processes to adapt to the software.
Flexibility
The Software should be flexible enough to blend in with the organization's
different systems and address the purpose without requiring any
modification or major adjustments.
Further the pricing of the software needs to match the value to be derived
from the software use on the project.
Reporting
The main reason to use a software tool is the ability to access key data at
the right time and use the same to make decisions. Hence reports are a
fundamental part for any software tool. Ability of the project management
software to generate, modify and utilize the reports to make sound
judgment is a key criterion in selecting the software.
Database
Project management software that can provide solid database capability is
another feature that is sought by many project managers. It is useful for
storing and retrieving large amounts of data for analysis and presentation,
it can be referred to for facts and figures to be provided to stakeholders,
management and client members. It is imperative to ensure that the
software is able to maintain the security and confidentiality of the data.
Ease of Use
This is a common criteria desired in every software. Users must be able to
use the system without an overabundance of training. Typically software
vendors allow a trial run, this is when it can be found out how much
training users will need and the time that will have to be spent on learning
to use the software. In order to use the new software effectively, the users
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Future Expansion
Evaluation should be made of whether the software will meet future
expansion if any. If the project team bags more assignments with the same
client or group of organization or from different clients in same industry, it
would be prudent to invest a little more in the software that would
accommodate the future expansion needs of the project.
Add on features
Others
Input and experiences from other projects of the use of the software,
rating guides and online reviews can be looked into before making a final
selection of project management software.
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Even if the project manager's organizational skills are the best it is a boon
to have project-management software especially for complex projects.
Software can be used for a wide variety of tasks like storing data,
retrieving, analyzing and updating that information, preparing
presentations, generating reports and results of analyses. Availability of
online services is a boon for today's project managers as it not only
addresses project management needs but goes over and above to provide
the services online and accessibility is not restricted to office space or
working hours. Below are the criteria that we used to evaluate online
project management services:
Resource Management
The online tools will be effective if they can offer advance resource
management features like availability, staffing plan, search filters, tracking
plan and resource allocation to manage resourcing plan for the project.
Collaboration
Online tool or software must enable team interaction like file sharing,
announcements, discussion and facilitate project monitoring. It will be a
great feature if users can rely on one tool to collaborate effectively with
team members for attaining project goals.
Ease of Use
Project team members will tend to abandon difficult applications or not use
it to full capacity which makes the investment in online tools less valuable.
It must be easy to understand and have convenient features such as
project templates, import tools, customization and automated functions
with ample training from vendor through webinars or one-on-one training
to help the team learn to use the online tool quickly.
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Integration
The new project management online tool or software should work well with
all existing systems. Having features that matter most to the project team
is important and if it's a large team where many people will use the
software, it may be better to get on-site training and direct-support
options.
Security
Security of the project and client's data is an essential need especially in
case of sensitive data. By using a secure project management tool there
may be avenues for many more lucrative projects in future.
Document Management
Storing documents, keeping track of different versions, having a search
engine option for all electronic documents are great features that an online
tool can offer. This also helps audit trail and content management.
Some years ago the project teams had a central location where information
could be posted for all the team members, client team and stakeholders to
see the status. These were called "Project War Rooms" but in today's
scenario they are called Project Management Information Systems as they
are in electronic system. It can be a website, a common folder on a shared
drive or an e-room with different levels of access for review and update.
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PMIS help plan, execute and carry out management goals. During the
planning process, project managers use it for budget framework, cost
estimation, scheduling and baseline scope definition.
The PMIS describes the program and the projects' scope, cost, time and
quality. It characterizes the organization, project team and their roles.
During the close of the project, PMIS is used to review the goals against
tasks accomplished after which a final report of the project close is created.
Project management information system is used to plan schedules, budget
and execute work to be accomplished in project management.
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PMIS can be in one of the following forms depending on the project team
dynamics and organizational culture.
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There might be a bumpy startup as the team has to adjust to the discipline
of information management to realize the full potential of the tool.
Maintaining timely and reliable information flow is a challenge and top
management as well as the project manager must provide full support to
the team. PMIS has interfacing capability with different software which
makes it easy to maintain data and avoid duplication.
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There are some common pitfalls that one must be aware of in selecting the
software so that these problems can be avoided.
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Employees need to have the right hardware like desktop, laptop so that
they can do their jobs. But computers alone isn't enough, they need
software as well to work.
Remote machines owned by another company would run all programs and
this is called cloud computing.
The main thing required is that the user's computer must be able to run
the cloud computing system's interface software, like a simple Web
browser and the cloud's network takes care of everything else. This leads
to decrease in hardware and software requirements on the user's side.
The diagram that follows will enable to understand cloud computing better
and how end users are able to access applications.
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Cloud computing systems have a front end which is what the user sees and
the applications required to access the cloud computing system. All the
work is done at the back end which is the cloud section. They connect to
each other through a network which is usually the Internet. Cloud
computing systems do not necessarily have the same user interface. Email
services are web-based and leverage existing Web browsers like Internet
Explorer or Firefox. Other systems provide network access to the
customers through some unique applications.
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Cloud Computing Applications are practically limitless and with the right
middleware the system can execute all the programs that are run by a
normal computer. It is not an exaggeration to state that everything from
generic word processing software to customized computer programs can
work on a cloud computing system.
Ability to access their applications and data from anywhere at any time
using any computer linked to the Internet. Data is not confined to a hard
drive on any single user's computer.
Reduction in the need for advanced hardware on the client side is a great
cost saving facility. Cloud system would take care of memory needs and
client can just have an inexpensive computer terminal with a monitor,
keyboard and just enough processing power to run the middleware
necessary to connect to the cloud system. All client information is stored
on in cloud on a remote computer.
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Companies have the option of storing data on the service provider's
hardware so that the companies don't need physical space on the front
end and this reduces space need for servers and digital storage.
Savings for the clients since they don't have to have IT support or pay
for specialized services.
With a grid computing system the calculations can be sent to the cloud
for processing which can tap into the processing power of all available
computers on the back end, significantly speeding up the calculation for
various critical jobs.
Protection of the client's privacy is another concern since the client can
log in from any location to access data and applications. Cloud computing
companies will need to find ways to protect client privacy. Cloud
computing companies have advanced authentication techniques like user
names and passwords and they have authorizations in place so that user
can access only the data and applications they are authorized for. In this
way there is an assurance that privacy will not be compromised.
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People tend to use the two terms Saas and Cloud Computing
interchangeably. However they are not the same even though they are
related.
One of the key differences is that in the case of SaaS all the data resides
with the service provider and unless otherwise indicated the data can be
used in any way it sees fit. However the benefits of SaaS outweigh these
concerns of data ownership and security. For example, we use a free email
service that manages and stores all our data for us and we feel relatively
comfortable using the services even though we might want to know the
company's privacy policies.
With cloud computing the client has more control. Even if the servers are
not local, the customer manages the data and software and can take
backups and store data in the cloud. Data can also be transferred out of
the cloud environment to their own local repositories.
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!
Conclusion
SaaS is a type of cloud computing and is often better suited for smaller
companies that need inexpensive solutions. Cloud computing is preferred
by larger firms that require more control of sensitive data, have more
resources to deal with and can afford the higher cost.
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Team members might work in different time zones to support the client
or customer during go-live or support role. They need not be physically
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With team members working virtual, the need for a larger office space is
minimized leading to cost savings on logistical side.
The project work may require high level of creativity, so the resources
might be able to focus better when they work from a place they are
comfortable with (home).
Virtual teams are created due to different reasons and for varying
purposes. There are organizations that have most of their employees
operate virtually and can have them come to project sites as and when
required. At project, task teams are created for a specific assignment
and some resources with specialized skill set are in different locations so
here a part of the team is working virtual.
Flexibility - Team members can work from anywhere and in some cases
they can set their own work schedule and work any time of the day as
long as they deliver results.
Availability of skills - Project gains from the pool of people with skills
and suitability to the job. Since location does not matter, they can hire
people from anywhere to deliver the work.
Cost saving - Project saves cost as they do not have to pay to bring
resources to a office, the resources also save money as they don't need
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Preferences - Some people prefer to work from a physical office and
they are less productive in virtual environments.
Conclusion
We can see that virtual teams are on the rise due to the advantages and
technological offerings. Best resources can be recruited from across the
globe for ensuring project has the requisite skill set. Companies minimize
their operating costs and maximize the profit margins due to the remote
working pattern. On an average employees also tend to be happy and
productive while working in a flexible schedule from their home
environment. Hence projects should reap the benefits appropriately by
setting up virtual teams for the right project tasks whenever possible.
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9.10 SUMMARY
Existing systems and tools that can be used and are compatible with
new ones
- Adaptability
- Flexibility
- Cost
- Reporting
- Database
- Ease of Use
- Compatibility
- Support and Response
- Future Expansion
- Add on features
- Prior experiences
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With all the advancement such services are available online also which is
a fortunate thing in many ways.
PMIS is not without challenges and care must be taken to ensure that the
use is regulated and teams are in sync for its usage.
There are some pitfalls or problems as well faced with software tools like
declining user base, discontinuance of technical support, country specific
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With cloud computing architecture the user sees the front end and all
back end work is done in the cloud. Internet is the network used to
connect the front end to the back end.
The advantages of cloud are many like accessibility from anywhere and
employees can work from anywhere leading to increase in productivity.
Of course, there are concerns of security, data privacy and these things
can be tackled with authentication and authorisations
SaaS is typically accessed by users using a thin client via a web browser
and it resides in the cloud. Saas led to the development of cloud
computing which is much larger and offers additional services. Cloud
computing is preferred by bigger companies whereas Saas is suitable for
smaller concerns.
Virtual Teams are members of a project or group who are mostly working
remotely; they could be spread out geographically and may meet face to
face once in a while. Telecommuting enables them to have conference
calls and connect with each other.
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REFERENCE MATERIAL
Click on the links below to view additional reference material for this
chapter
Summary
PPT
MCQ
Video Lecture
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PROJECT RISKS, SUCCESS FACTORS AND FAILURES
Chapter 10
PROJECT RISKS, SUCCESS FACTORS
AND FAILURES
Learning Objectives
Structure
10.1 Introduction
10.8 Summary
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10.1 INTRODUCTION
Risk is a factor that may potentially interfere with the success of the
project. It is an uncertain event that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative
effect on the prediction of accomplishment of project objectives and goals.
Any good project has a number of risks, after all the character of business
is taking risks and dealing with uncertainty. There are some constraints in
projects along with uncertainty, so risk is a combination of constraint and
uncertainty. Risk in the project can be minimized either by eliminating and
minimizing constraints or by identifying and reducing uncertainty.
Projects have both expected and unexpected risks, they can be internal to
the organization or involve external factors that can hinder the success of
the project and lead to loss or embarrassment to the organization and
parties involved with the project. Risks can be quantitative or qualitative
for a project and can be defined at any time during the project life cycle.
Risk assessment is undertaken where the project manager identifies the
potential risks and the strategies to minimize the risk impact.
Every project and organization has different types of risks based on the
nature of the business, kind of product or service that the project is to
deliver and also depends on the management skill of the project team and
use of various tools and techniques. Some of the common characteristics of
risks are:
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Exposure: the magnitude of the risk.
Effect: project risk can be positive (a new market segment might open
due to some external factors) or negative (cost escalation, environmental
factors)
There are various types of risks that a project comes across. Complex
projects always see a variety of risks. The Project Manager has
responsibility to manage these risks and prevent them from disrupting the
project. The major risks involved in a typical project are:
2. Resource Risk
A big project might have hundreds of employees and there could be
various personnel related issues. It is essential to manage the attrition
issues and leaving of key personnel since resource turnover leads to delays
and cost overrun. Inability to secure adequate resources for the project can
slow down the project. Inexperienced candidates or members who are new
to the industry or profession tend to make more mistakes and productivity
is affected which can significantly slow down the project progress.
There is a skill related risk too when the project team needs new skills or
there is non- availability of training for specialized skills, the learning curve
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leads to delays and cost overrun. Resources may not be fully productive in
a new skill and perform below expectations.
3. Team Attitudes
Team members with negative attitudes towards the project may actively or
passively sabotage project efforts. Long running projects face the risk of
low team motivation.
4. Technology Risk
There is a risk of delay arising out of defects in software & hardware or the
failure of a service provider or platform implemented no longer supports
some of the enterprise's functions. Technology components may be of
different quality and may not be scaled to meet performance demands.
Components might lack standard interface or may not be compliant with
best practices. Sometime technology lacks stability, may not be extendable
to new capabilities or may be difficult to maintain due to complexity and
these can become a risky situation for the enterprise and project team.
Similarly a technological invention will turn the current system into an
obsolete one.
5. Security vulnerabilities
These are another type of key risk. Some security incident like leakage of
critical information during the project can be damper on project
advancement.
6. Scheduling Risk
Due to numerous reasons the project might not proceed as per schedule.
Unexpected delays can happen due to natural factors, estimation errors,
delays in supplies from vendors or government sanctions. Use of systems
and tools like Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Gantt charts help in
better scheduling and taking care of delays.
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8. Change Management
A formal Change management is critical to project success which ensures
the personnel from the organization and project have visibility into changes
that impact the project. Lack of a proper change management system
might lead to complexity of the project and give way to stakeholder
conflicts. A large number of change requests might lead to perception of
project failure and lead to neglect of its original targets.
9. Communication
Misinterpretation of requirements by the project team creates a gap
between expectations, requirements and output. Communication is a
challenge whereby there has to be adequate and appropriate
communication and the same idea is explained many times in proper way
to different sets of people.
10.User related
Users have inaccurate expectations of the project results and may not
understand the product that's coming their way. If they are not informed
but impacted, the users might throw up project roadblocks.
11.Project Management
Lack of project management and dearth of effective project managers
leads to project failure. Lack of accountability can bring a project to a
complete halt. Learning to direct teams toward a common goal is an
important aspect of project management training. Project managers can
master best strategies through training programs and use of appropriate
systems and tools in project management.
12.Organization Culture
If the project fails to match the organization's culture there will an issue.
There could be significant organization changes like mergers & acquisitions
that need to be considered during project planning and implementation.
13.Architecture
If the architecture fails to pass governance processes and lacks flexibility, it
is incapable of supporting change requests and needs to be reworked. At
times architecture is infeasible because it might be very costly or does not
meet the requirements.
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14.Design
Infeasible or poor design does not support the requirements and makes
change requests difficult and costly. Review of the design by experts will
minimize the chances of faulty design.
15.Cost Management
If estimates and forecasts for costs and budgets are inaccurate the
enterprise is at risk of facing increase in actual spending. When costs are
incurred in foreign currencies, exchange rate variations can have a major
impact on imports and exports as well as salary and payments for staff
that travel internationally.
16.Integration
Failure to integrate with business processes is a risk that the product will
fail to integrate with the existing systems which means the project can
become a waste. When the project is focused on delivering something
specific and fails to look at the organization as a whole there is a big risk
that the project fails to integrate with the organization. Using appropriate
tools to ensure that all departments are involved with the project can help
to minimize the risk.
18.Vendor Relationships
Conflict with vendors lead to project issues and there is a risk of a late
start and delay for the project. At times vendor fails to meet specific
requirements, supplies low quality materials or even consulting services by
Contractors could be unfit which can be an item of risk.
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20.Regulations
Legal & regulatory changes that are to be complied must be considered
during project life cycle.
21.Acts of nature
Force Majeure like floods, earthquake and storms impact project if either
the organization or any project related parties are affected by these forces
of nature.
22.Commercial Risks
Changes like a market crash at national or international level can impact
business. There can also be demand risk for the new product, quality
issues harm customers and affects brand image and reputation. Users
might also reject the new system and software and want to go back to the
original legacy system. Using appropriate systems, communications and
techniques to prevent these risks is very important to project success.
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Identify Risks
Communicate Risks
Risk Log
Prioritise Risks
Response to Risk
Analyze Risks
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2. Identify Risks
The process of risk identification is to be conducted throughout the project
lifecycle to identify potential project risks. The severity of risks is based on
its threat to the project's success and impact to the schedule, cost, result,
productivity and quality. Risks can be known or unknown. Known risk can
be identified and analyzed like lack of resources. Examples of unknown risk
are natural disasters, unexpected regulatory changes which can be
managed proactively by keeping contingency plans. By using different
identification methods it will be possible to spot some unexpected risks
that can occur.
3. Risk Communication
It is a good idea to include risk communication regularly in the team
meeting and make project risks part of the default agenda. This can send
out a message that project manager is keen to manage risks and gives
team members a forum to discuss them and communicate new ones. It is
important to ensure that major risks are brought to the notice of client or
project sponsor and decisions are made by them and implemented by the
project manager accordingly.
4. Prioritize Risks
Some risks have a higher impact than others. Hence it is important to
spend time on the risks that can cause the biggest losses and gains.
Showstoppers can derail the project and are top priority. All the risks are to
be prioritized objectively based on a set of criteria. Project teams can
consider the consequence of a risk and the probability of its occurrence to
focus on the big risks.
5. Analyze risks
Analysis of Risk occurs at different levels to understand the nature and
extent of the risk. It is significant to think about the causes that give rise
to these risks and effects of the risks immediately after its occurrence and
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There are tools and techniques (some advanced) to assist with risk
identification which can be used depending on the project and the types of
potential risks. Some of these techniques are:
- Delphi Technique
- Root Cause Analysis
- SWOT Analysis
- Cause and Effect Diagramming
- Influence Diagramming
- Flow Charting
- Brainstorming
- Interviewing
!
The classic definition of a successful project is when it achieves all of the
agreed "project objectives". Perhaps because schedule, budget and
performance are the most visible dimensions these are used to assess wins
for the project.
Various studies have indicated that the stage of the project and life cycle of
the end item must be factored into project success criteria. In many cases
the success of the project is determined once a project is over and the
product produced by the project has time to be used because it is to be
seen if the end item addressed client needs or customer requirements. In
such situations the assessment of the project's impact on the profitability
of the business or increase in customer base can be measured after a year
or so of the project implementation.
The best criterion for project success is the satisfaction of both sides which
is the project manager with the team and the client or end user. If all their
expectations were met and exceeded the project is definitely a success.
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PROJECT RISKS, SUCCESS FACTORS AND FAILURES
roles and responsibilities, etc. When projects ignore the key factors it is
likely to result in:
Various tools and strategies exist for managing a project. The following
factors will ensure high level of success for the project at all phases from
initiation to completion.
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5. Solid Contract
It is always best to have agreements in writing rather than a verbal
agreement. This applies to contracts with vendors, project documentation,
payments, performance criteria, penalties, handling delays, documentation,
test system, training system, escalation policy and support during and
after go live. Defining these items contractually in writing will provide the
leverage to hold the right people accountable to their deliverables.
6. Project Schedule
Schedule is the essential tool to manage project's activities and keeping on
track. Documenting the tasks, with names and due dates to each task can
be a sound tracking mechanism and enables to report milestones. Items
that risk a delay should be completed as soon as possible and items on the
critical path should be monitored to ensure there is no holdup.
7. Issues Log
A central repository to log issues is invaluable. Sharing the issues list with
entire project team, tracking it actively and updating it with resolutions and
new items will be a useful tool for issue management. Issues should be
expressed clearly with assignment of name of person for resolution, due
date, status and priority.
8. Solid Testing
Testing is critical to understand how the final software or application or new
asset will work in the production environment. Testing is also carried out to
identify issues, to confirm if it performs as expected to identify problems
and provide an error free solution prior to the live event. Documenting the
type of testing (database, unit testing, integration testing, front end
testing, etc.), having detailed Test Scripts with all standard and non
standard scenarios and involvement of end users with testing and
validating the results will ensure product or service is accepted by client or
end user.
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9. Training Program
Identify all users to provide proper training so that they are prepared to
use the final deliverable, provide practice scenarios with user manuals and
tips to facilitate training programs.
10.Readiness Checklist
A review of all deliverables and tasks is to be done to prepare for the go
live date. Issues should be scrutinized so that decisions can be made
regarding their potential impact to the production environment. Provision
of support team and helpdesk ensures that issues can be tracked,
addressed or escalated as required.
11.Change Management
The objective of change management is not to prevent change, but rather
to manage change so that there is a clear understanding of the purpose of
the project, benefits, impact and justification of the funding of the project.
It is critical to manage change to have a better predictable project delivery.
Decisions about changes are to be transparent and are based on detailed
study whether it is a viable investment. All project team members, Project
Sponsor and key stakeholders must be involved in change process. Change
Management should be part of Project Plan so that it can be tracked and
controlled. A formal change control enables to determine the amount of
work and its affect on the project's cost and timeline and the project is able
to make informed judgments.
12.Communication
Communication Management is vital to a successful project. Ensure to keep
all teams informed including stakeholders, project teams, end users and
third parties. Team meetings should occur regularly as planned which is an
effective way to get everyone on the same page and provide a forum to
share information with all team members to assure everyone is in line with
what is expected. Status Reports should be completed and shared with all
concerned individuals. Users must be educated of the development of the
project because the more they are involved with the project, the more they
will accept the change. Communication is crucial to the success of a project
as it allows for establishing expectations and keeping everyone informed.
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Indeed the key factors are critical to the success of a project but there are
some less obvious but no less important keys as well to a project
management win. This means factors that tend to get overlooked or that
get short shrift when the going gets tough on a project like some of the
below listed factors.
2. Project Governance
Good project governance assures the people who are involved with the
project understand what they need to do. When project governance is
lacking there is inconsistent project execution which raises the risk of
failure.
4. Tough decisions
Peter Drucker, the management guru, quotes "Making good decisions is a
crucial skill at every level" and another one is "Whenever you see a
successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.
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5. Risk Management
Risk management is critical and should be incorporated in every phase as it
permits the project team to control the risks that might threaten a project.
7. Effective Documentation
Documentation is to be adequate and relevant, it is a form of
communication to help improve the visibility of a project's status to
respond better. Proper documentation ensures project teams capture the
right functional and technical requirements for a project.
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A project is considered a failure when it does not deliver what was required
in line with expectations. A successful project delivers on time in budget
within schedule and meets benefits as expected.
Results that are undesirable for those involved with the system like top
management, end users or clients indicate project is unsuccessful. A failed
project does not address the expectations or the situation is worse off than
before.
Failure does not happen in isolation, there are features or defects in the
system that allowed the failure to take place. It might seem like the
requirements for success are clear and absolute, however it's not that
simple. If key stakeholders agreed that the project had to exceed its
budget and schedule, the project may still be considered a success if it
finally provides value to the key members. Likewise, even if a project met
everything as per the detailed project plan, it might be considered a failure
if it didn't include fundamental elements to the satisfaction of the key
stakeholders. Project success and failure isn't just about the facts or about
what was delivered - it's also, critically, about how the project and final
result is perceived.
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3. Wrong requirements
If the business requirements are not obtained rightly, however well the
project is delivered, the client will be dissatisfied. It sounds harsh but this
is why it's important to conduct a thorough business requirements analysis.
The project manager and team should look at the project requirements in
detail and use expertise and judgment to ensure these are deliverable.
Making certain that all required resources are available like manpower,
hardware, software, budget, time and being realistic will help to prevent a
project from getting into trouble.
4. Governance
Lack of a project sponsor or absence of effective project governance lead
to costly delays and several obstructions in the deliverable. Hence Project
Sponsor who is key and committed to making the change happen through
the project is vital to ensure the project's success. Governance bodies like
steering group provide direction, regulation, and critical appraisal of the
project's progress. Governance groups can look at the project from a
different perspective. Good project governance is concerned with ensuring
that the project has processes, competent people, robust systems and a
progressive culture for facilitating the project execution and completion.
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6. Environmental changes
If the business's needs change due to external factors then the business
case can become outdated before the project is completed. This leads to
review of original requirements and goals partway through the project to
make a decision on how to proceed leading to scope changes or in the
extreme situation cancelation of the project.
If the environment is subject to changes then the risk of project failure can
be minimized by making timely decisions, appropriate communication,
considering smaller pieces of projects and managing expectations by the
involvement of key project stakeholders in critical decisions.
7. Team issues
Lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities results in confusion.
Failures to provide team with appropriate training, insufficient team
members, team weaknesses, dearth of Subject Matter Expertise are some
causes of project failure. Project Manager's irresponsibility to address poor
team dynamics leads to a low performing and under motivated team.
8. Risk management
Failure to proactively address potential problems is a classic reason for
failures on a project. Risk management is to be incorporated as an integral
part of the planning process and be embedded in every phase of the
project to overcome issues.
9. Information management
Failure to maintain documentation or versions control results in
misunderstanding over the current and compatible data which gives rise to
other issues that disrupt progress. Use of adept tools to organize and
manage information helps in better control of key information which is
essential to solid project management.
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12.Lack of communication
Communication between project manager, various teams, the
management, stakeholders, end users and external parties is always
important. There has to be an open environment where everyone feels free
to come forward to express their concern and give suggestions. Holding
regular meetings with concerned parties, broadcasting information are
some steps to manage communication effectively.
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For a project to be successful, it's not enough simply to manage the project
competently, and deliver a good quality product. To avoid failure, it is
important to identify the right business requirements, put strong project
governance into place, and have a well managed high-quality
implementation focused on goals and benefits. Managing the expectations
of stakeholders, end users, management and team members is essential
for their support. Finally it is the end users, stakeholders and management
who will decide on the success of the project.
Different perspectives on the success of a project are also the factors for
conflicts on projects. The differing perceptions dictate project success or
failure.
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providing some insight into challenges and also into areas that were
managed well. With this kind of detail, organizations can identify future
course of action so that mistakes are not repeated on upcoming projects.
Project Health checks cost time and money, so it is best to invest in them
only when they are needed. If the project is under pressure for deliverables
and meeting deadlines the health check can help to:
- Understand in depth all the areas that are crucial to the successful
delivery of the project
- Review of feedback from project team members and client key personnel
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There are various tools and techniques to help project teams assess the
'health' of their project. They are designed to help determine the
effectiveness of current project governance and highlight areas of the
project management process that need focus. An attitude of openness and
cooperation is indispensable to achieve an effective and valuable health
check report.
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10.8 SUMMARY
Risks can potentially interfere with the project success. Almost all
businesses deal with risks and uncertainty hence projects too have a
number of risks that interfere with their functioning and success.
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Threats and Opportunities can be both positive and negative on a project
where positive risks are beneficial to enterprise and negative risks are
threats that should be taken care of.
Tools and techniques can be used to aid with risk identification depending
on the project and the types of potential risks.
In many cases the success of the project is determined after the project
result has been used by the customer.
Many success factors in project lifecycle are key to its victory. This
includes items that may seem obvious or less obvious ones which are not
evident until the situation arises.
Some of the key factors for success of project are active involvement by
resources, having the desired project team with a formal Project Plan and
well defined project scope and schedule. Agreements and contracts must
be in writing, ensuring adequate testing, training and maintaining issues
log prevent breakdown of the project. Effective change management and
communication must be implemented and a readiness checklist before go
live will be valuable to the win of the project.
There are some less measured keys to success which must not be
ignored like having a clearly defined success and project governance with
well described roles and responsibilities. Project Manager may have to
make tough decisions which are right depending on priorities and
resources. Risk management is critical and so is quality assurance
process as well as effective documentation to improve the visibility. End
user training and support is important to enable them to adopt the new
system. The success factors are not exhaustive and it depends on the
expectations of the project and satisfaction of the client and end users.
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A failed project does not deliver what was required in line with
expectations or the situation is worse off than before.
Some of the reasons for project failure are undefined business goals,
impossible business case and wrong requirements.
Use of systems and tools help to organize and manage information and
address factors leading to failure.
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3. Define project success and identify key factors obvious for project
success.
4. List and explain 5 factors that are considered less measured keys to
project success.
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REFERENCE MATERIAL
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Summary
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