5001 - Project Management - Project Brief (Lecture 2) Flashcards
Factors leading to an increased use of project management
- Compression of the product life cycle
- Global competition
- Knowledge explosion
- Corporate downsizing
- Increased customer focus
- Small projects that represent big problems
What are the 5 main areas of a project brief?
- Background
- Project Definition
- Outline Business Case
- Customer’s Quality Expectations
- Known Risks
What is the background to a project?
Brief outline of any background to the Project / (business / political) context
. Include brief outline of rationale, who commissioned by, drivers etc.
Where does the project fit within wider picture? E.g. drivers for Liverpool One
Things to consider regarding a project
- Objectives
- Scope
- Deliverables
- Exclusions
- Constraints
- Interfaces
When setting an objective you must ask the six ‘W’ questions, what are these?
- Who is involved
- What do we want to accomplish?
- Where is the location?
- When does it need to be done by (timeframe)
- Which requirements and restraints are there?
- Why is the project being done? Purpose or benefit of accomplishing the objective
What is the scope of a project?
The scope of the project is everything that is going to be done. Anything else is Out of Scope.
What is happening, why is it happening
What is the project specification?
The project specification is the precise definition of what will be delivered – the output:
•Products
•Quality standards – including how testing or commissioning will be done
•Documentation and information
•Training
•After sales service
•Warranty
What are Project Deliverables?
The quantifiable goods or services that must be provided upon the completion of a project
Things to consider regarding project deliverables
- Any deliverables that fall out of scope
- Consider: Opportunities lost or missed if the project did not happen
- What should be included in the deliverables, what will be delivered aka:
- Inclusions: A description
of tasks, items, and actions
that are specifically
“included” in the project
scope.
- Inclusions: A description
Why might the scope of a project be reduced to include less? (Exclusions)
- Budgetary constraints
- Overlapping with another project
- Objective in question may be completed or included in the scope of another project phase.
What are exclusions?
Things not in the project for one reason or another
What are the Constraints of a project?
- Resources - Materials, Labour, Skills
- Time
- Quality - Best minimum standard upon delivery
- Cost - What is the max the project can cost
What is an interface in regards to project management?
An interface is defined as a point of contact between entities working on a common project or with people who have an active interest in the project, like a stakeholder but not to be confused with one.
What to consider in regards to interfacing on a project
Job Titles of Primary and Secondary contacts, names remembered secondarily as job can change during the course of a project.
What is a Business Case?
The reason for a projects existence or initiation, evaluates whether the forecast effort and time will be worth the expense; and whether the desired benefits are worth the risks to achieve them
