All CAPM Qs Flashcards
A key output of the monitor communications process is:
Change requests.
Overall explanation:
Change requests may be generated based on the communication monitoring activities. These changes will become an input to the perform integrated change control process.
What is the primary role of customers in adaptive project management?
To provide ongoing feedback and requirements to guide the project team.
An established skincare company has a long history and excellent brand recognition. Sunny has recently been hired on as the project manager for this company and is facing some challenges. Even though the company has a history of doing well, the industry has evolved to become very saturated in the last few years. The company is constantly competing against new skincare lines backed by celebrities, something Sunny’s company does not currently have at its disposal. What type of external enterprise environmental factor is this?
Marketplace conditions.
What are the key differences between a traditional hierarchical organizational structure and an adaptive, cross-functional organizational structure?
Traditional: employees have specialized roles and responsibilities
Adaptive: employees have more diverse and flexible roles.
What is the main purpose of engaging stakeholders in project management?
To increase project buy-in and support.
What is the main characteristic of a hierarchical structure in project management?
Team members report to a single manager.
How does the presence of a business analyst in adaptive project management lead to enhanced stakeholder communication?
By serving as a liaison between technical and non-technical team members.
Business analysts have a deep understanding of the technical aspects of software development as well as the business needs and objectives of the stakeholders. They bridge the gap between these two groups and ensure that the project stays aligned with the needs of the stakeholders.
There are six resource management processes. Which three resource management processes are a part of the executing process group?
Acquire resources
Develop team
Manage team
In adaptive project management, what is the main difference between internal and external roles?
Internal roles are performed by the project team, while external roles are performed by external stakeholders.
What are the three main challenges associated with managing diversity in a global, cultural, and team environment?
Power dynamics, cultural misunderstandings, and ethical issues.
What is the role of a portfolio in project management?
A portfolio is a collection of projects and programs that are managed at a strategic level to achieve organizational goals.
What are the project document updates?
- Team Charter
- Stakeholder Register
- Assumption Log
- Cost Forecasts
- Cost Estimates
- Basis of Estimates
- Resource Requirements
- Resource Calendars
- Resource Breakdown Structure
- Requirements Documentation
- Requirements Traceability Matrix
- Project Team Assignments
- Physical Resource Assignments
- Duration Estimates
- Project Schedule
- Schedule Data
- Activity Attributes
- Milestone List
- Change Log
- Risk Register
- Risk Report
- Test and Evaluation Documents
- Issue Log
- Lessons Learned Register
Selena is assigned a new project with her firm to manage the construction of a building addition to the local community college. The building project will add forty onsite classrooms as well as twenty-four faculty offices to the campus. To prepare for the project, she begins working on developing a project charter. While she is in the process of developing the project charter, Selena is working in which process group?
Initiating.
What is the primary purpose of maintaining a risk register in a project?
To document and manage risks in a project.
What are some best practices for optimizing performance in adaptive approaches in project management?
- Continuously monitoring performance and making adjustments as needed.
- Encouraging stakeholder engagement and collaboration
- Embracing change and risk
- Being flexible and responsive
The first step in initiating a project is to:
Identify the need for a project.
To ensure that a project’s benefits are being realized, it is important to:
Monitor and assess the benefits of a project.
A benefits management plan should include:
- Clear definition of the expected benefits
- Measurement metrics
- Who is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the benefits
What is the primary role of the sponsor in adaptive project management?
To provide strategic direction, funding, and support for the project.
Gabriel works for a remodeling company and is heading up a project that encompasses remodeling a home’s kitchen and bathrooms. Gabriel is about to begin planning the costs of his project. When should the plan cost management process occur?
During the project, when there are changes to the project.
It would be impossible to plan cost management before the project begins. It would not be beneficial to complete the cost management process once the project is finished.
Determining the project budget is a separate process that results in the cost baseline and the funding requirements for the project. PCM7.1.72
What does the project budget result in?
- Cost baseline (all activity cost + Contingency Reserve)
- Management Reserve
- Funding requirements
What is the primary role of customers in adaptive project management?
To provide ongoing feedback and requirements to guide the project team.
What does the term “competency” within resource terminology in adaptive project management refer to?
The role’s depth of skills, knowledge, and experience.
What is the role of assumptions in project management?
Used to make predictions and estimations, play an important role in determining the feasibility and success of a project.
Project managers should carefully consider and document all assumptions, regularly review and update them as needed, and communicate any changes to the project team and stakeholders. PMFCC37
What are disadvantages of using a predictive, plan-based approach in a project?
- Lack of flexibility
- Requires significant amount of resources, can be cost-prohibitive
What are major advantages of using a predictive, plan-based approach in a project?
- Clear expectations
- Ability to more accurately forecast project timelines and costs
After nailing down her activity list, a project manager has to put all of the activities in an order that makes sense. As she is sequencing the activities, she notes that one activity cannot proceed until the local government agency grants consent. This is an example of what sort of dependency?
External.
What is a mandatory dependency?
B must come after A for A to start
- Successor must come after the predecessor and is internal to the project (not external).
What is a discretionary dependency?
Sequence of activities does not necessarily have to be done in particular order, is at the discretion of the person doing the work. Often if a schedule requires compression to shorten the duration.
What is the primary role of the product manager in adaptive project management?
- Overseeing the product backlog and prioritizing features
- Ensuring that the project stays aligned with stakeholder needs/maximizes the value delivered
- Work closely with project team (including business analysts and technical team) to understand the requirements/needs of the stakeholders
Why is it important to clearly define roles and responsibilities in adaptive project management?
- Helps to minimize confusion and misunderstandings among team members and ensures that everyone knows what is expected of them
- Increases accountability and transparency within the project team (each team member knows what they are responsible for and what they can be held accountable for)
- Ensures that project processes are followed consistently and efficiently (each team member knows what steps they need to take in order to achieve project goals)
What are differences between a goal and an objective in a project?
Goals:
- Overall purpose/long-term intent of a project
Objectives:
- Specific and measurable time-constrained steps needed to reach goals
- What should be achieved by end of project (including deliverables)
What is the primary purpose of defining goals and objectives in a predictive, plan-based methodology of project management?
To establish measurable criteria for success.
What does SMART stand for?
Expectations that are:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bound
What are the potential consequences of changes or variations in the environment or inputs of adaptive approaches in project management?
The project team may struggle to maintain control and direction.
What are process manager roles in adaptive project management?
- Responsible for ensuring that project processes are followed consistently and efficiently
- Accountable for the day-to-day operations of the project
- Works closely with other members of the project team to ensure that all project activities are completed in a timely and effective manner
- Ensures that the project is following established best practices and industry standards
- Ensures all stakeholders understand their roles and responsibilities
- Helps to minimize risks, improve efficiency and ensure that the project stays on track to deliver high-quality solutions that meet the needs of the stakeholders.
- Works with the process owner to ensure that project processes are aligned with the organization’s goals and objectives.
BAF8
What is the primary role of the product manager in adaptive project management?
To understand and represent/advocate for user needs.
Why is optimizing performance important in adaptive approaches in project management?
So project team can quickly identify any potential issues/inefficiencies and make necessary adjustments to stay on track to ensure project goals are met on time and within budget.
What are key aspects of project scope management?
- Defining and controlling what is and is not included in the project
- Defining and documenting the project’s objectives and deliverables
- Establishing the project’s boundaries and limitations
- Negotiating changes to the project scope with stakeholders
What is the primary purpose of using scales of probability and impact in project risk management?
To measure likelihood of a risk event and severity of consequences in order to to prioritize the risks in a project
What is Probability?
- Likelihood of a risk event occurring
- Can be measured on a scale of low to high
**
What is Impact?
- Potential consequences of a risk event
- Measured on a scale of low to high
What is a major disadvantage of using an adaptive approach in a project?
The adaptive approach requires a significant amount of resources and can be cost-prohibitive.
What are advantages of using an adaptive approach in a project?
- Ability to respond to changing circumstances
- Ability to improve results through continuous adaptation
Assigned as the project manager to the PLK project, Ashley is working through the develop team process. The team is beginning to work together and is adjusting to working habits and behaviors to support each other. Ashley is proud of her team’s progress as they are increasing trust levels and working well together. What stage of team development is the team currently working?
Norming
What are roles of a project manager in a project management context?
- Provide leadership and direction to the project team
- Ensuring project is executed effectively and efficiently
- Setting project goals and objectives
- Creating project schedules
- Assigning tasks and responsibilities
- Monitoring project progress
- May be involved in hands-on tasks and responsible for reporting on project progress to stakeholders, PMFCC2
What is the primary purpose of identifying and managing assumptions and constraints in a project?
- Provide a clear understanding of the project environment
- Provide framework for decision-making and problem-solving
- Develop contingency plans and risk management strategies to minimize the impact of potential problems
Constraints:
Limitations or restrictions that must be taken into account in the planning and execution of the project
Assumptions:
Statements about the project that are believed to be true, but have not been verified
What are focuses of the Initiating stage?
- First stage in the project management life cycle
- Defines the project’s objectives and identifies the need for the project
- Obtaining stakeholder buy-in
and securing approval
Planning stage:
Developing a detailed plan for executing the project.
If a PMO has guidelines for all projects advising that projects should have a balance between risk-taking and risk avoidance, this policy is implemented using:
Risk responses.
What is the primary role of the project team in adaptive project management?
To work together to deliver high-quality solutions that meet the needs of the stakeholders
What is the difference between accepted deliverables and verified deliverables?
Verified deliverables: inputs to validate scope
Accepted deliverables: outputs from validate scope (needs cx acceptance)
Overall explanation:
Verified deliverables:
- Internal project activity created in the Control Quality process
- Inputs to validate scope
Accepted deliverables:
- Outputs from the validate scope process
- Requires that the customer formally accepts and signs off on verified deliverables
PRM11.1.124
Accepted deliverables:
- Outputs from the validate scope process
- Requires that the customer formally accepts and signs off on verified deliverables
Verified deliverables:
- Internal project activity performed/created in the control quality process
- Inputs to validate scope
How does the presence of a business analyst in adaptive project management lead to increased efficiency?
By streamlining the requirements gathering and analysis process
When is it appropriate to use an adaptive approach in project management?
- When the project requirements are expected to change
- When the project goals and requirements are unclear
- When high degree of collaboration and stakeholder engagement is required
- Allows for iterative and incremental delivery as the project is refined and adjusted as needed based on feedback and new information.
AFM1
What are the advantages of using project management in organizations?
- Improved alignment of projects with organizational goals and objectives
- Increased efficiency and effectiveness in project delivery
- Improved decision-making and resource allocation
- Helps organizations to effectively plan, manage, and control their projects
- Helps organizations to manage risks and uncertainties more effectively
What is the importance of detailed plans and budgets in predictive projects?
- Provide a clear understanding of the project scope, schedule, and budget upfront
- Minimize changes to the project plan
- Minimize risks by anticipating and planning for potential issues
- Helps stakeholders understand what is expected of the project and how resources will be allocated
In a predictive, plan-based methodology of project management, how should a project manager adjust their plans as needed in unforeseen circumstances?
Modify the original plan to incorporate changes in circumstances.
What are outputs of the perform qualitative risk analysis process?
Project Doc updates:
- Issue Log
- Risk Report
- Risk Register
Is a risk management plan an input or output to the perform qualitative risk analysis process?
Input
Which project stakeholder management process sets ground rules as one of its tools and techniques?
Manage stakeholder engagement.
Overall explanation:
Ground rules set the expected behavior for team members relative to stakeholder engagement.
After the damage from Hurricane Katrina, the City of New Orleans had an abundance of projects to repair the city and improve conditions for residents. Many of the projects on their list were related to stormwater management, including repairing or replacing the levees, clearing and repairing drains, and implementing IoT technology for better monitoring. What type of project environment is this scenario describing?
Programs.
- Related projects in a collection managed in a consistent method to achieve a shared objective
Operations:
The ongoing production of goods and services and the core business functions of the organization
Portfolio:
A group of projects or programs that may or may not be related
What are tools and techniques used for sequencing activities?
- Leads and lags
- PMIS
- Dependency Determination and Integration
- Precedence Diagramming Method
What is the relationship between project goals and deliverables?
Project goals: what end results the project aims to achieve
Deliverables: specific tangible outputs produced as part of the project, used as evidence of progress and success towards the project goals
Plan Scope Management:
Creating plan that defines and controls scope and how to manage scope
= Scope Management Plan + Requirements Management Plan
What are formal acceptance documents part of?
Close Project/Phase process
What is the primary goal of resource management in an organization?
To allocate resources (time, money, manpower, technology, materials) in the most effective and efficient way possible
What are outputs from the Plan Communications Management process?
- Communications Management Plan
- Project Management Plan updates
- Project docs updates
What is the most common method of estimating project costs in resource management?
Bottom-Up Estimating.
Bottom-Up Estimating:
- Detailed, task-by-task estimate of the cost of a project.
- Breaks down the project into smaller, more manageable components, estimates the cost of each individual component
- Provides more accurate cost estimate as it takes into account the cost of every task and resource required to complete the project
- Time-consuming, requires a great deal of detail
- Best suited for smaller projects or projects with a well-defined scope.
What projects is Bottom-Up Estimating best for?
- Smaller projects
- Projects with a well-defined scope
Alan works for Uptown Sales Company, Inc. and is engaged in a project that involves a sales and marketing plan for a chain of hotels. Currently, Alan is working on the cost management plan for the project. To estimate the project costs, Alan is using information from a previous project that was very similar. What is this approach called?
Analogous estimating.
Top-down estimating:
- Relies on historical information to predict the cost of the current project
- Fast, cheap; not very accurate
Analogous estimating is:
Top-Down Estimating
Relies on historical information to predict the cost of the current project
- Fast, cheap; not very accurate
Parametric estimating:
Takes a mathematical model based on known parameters to predict the cost of a project
Ex. Regression analysis, three-point/PERT estimate
Bottom-up estimating:
Accounts for and breaks down each work component, then aggregates to find overall duration
Very detailed/accurate, not fast or cheap
Regression analysis:
- Statistical method that helps understanding of relationship between variables and make predictions
- Type of parametric estimating
What is the main factor that determines the level of decision-making ability within resource management in adaptive project management?
Authority granted by the project manager.
Which analytical technique looks at recurring problems, threats, and opportunities to assist with a data-driven reaction?
Trend analysis
Alternatives analysis
Looks at various corrective and preventative actions to take.
Monitoring & Controlling
Variance analysis
Examines the difference between what was planned and what was experienced.
Monitoring & Controlling
Earned value analysis
Formulas that tell status update/project performance on time and costs
Monitoring & Controlling
Functional manager
In charge of PM, resources, scheduling - groups staff according to expertise/function
What is the project management environment?
- The set of physical, technological, and organizational conditions under which a project is executed and managed
- Includes factors such as the organizational structure, existing systems and processes, cultural and political environment, legal and regulatory requirements, and available resources (such as technology, personnel, and funding).
After a lengthy process, a community aquatics and fitness facility is finally approved, and the community is eager to get the project started. Lisa is assigned as the project manager and is passionate about the long-awaited project. As she preps for the project, she works with the stakeholders to meet their needs and expectations. What stakeholder management process is Lisa currently working?
Manage stakeholder engagement.
Plan Stakeholder Management
Focuses on developing involvement strategies for stakeholders.
Monitor Stakeholder Engagement
Focuses on monitoring if and how communication is happening, if it is correct or needs to be changed
Identify Stakeholders
Focuses on identifying project stakeholders iteratively.
What is the most critical factor for a project to be successful?
Quality management.
If the project lacks quality, it will likely result in rework, delays, and increased costs, which could negatively impact the project’s scope, schedule, and resource management efforts.
PMFCC5
PESTLE
Political
Economic
Social
Technological
Legal
Environmental requirements to consider
TECOP
Technical
Environmental
Commercial
Operational
Political requirements to consider
VUCA
Volatility
Uncertainty
Complexity
Ambiguity requirements to consider.
SPECTRUM
Socio-cultural
Political
Competitive
Technology
Regulatory/legal
Uncertainty
Market requirements to consider.
In project management, what is a risk?
A potential event or condition that may have an impact on the project’s objectives.
PMOs
Project Management Offices
What do PMOs do?
Project Management Offices
- Provide support and guidance on how projects should be managed
- Can assign project managers, assist with procurement
External enterprise environmental factors
Government and industry standards
Laws and regulations
PE2.1.11
Internal enterprise environmental factors
Specific to the business
Ex. organizational structure, employee skills and capabilities, software
Organizational Process Assets
Things that can benefit projects: information, procedures, guidelines, financial controls, policies, centralized knowledge bases, templates
Organizational governance framework
Organizational structure that outlines what is acceptable and what is not
- Broad organizational management (vs project governance for specific support)
What is the relationship between project resources and budgets?
- Budget determines the amount of resources available for the project
PMFCC20
Project resources
Personnel, equipment, and materials required to execute the project and achieve the project goals.
Budget
Determines the amount of resources that can be made available to the project and helps in determining the feasibility of the project.
Project Procurement Management
The process of acquiring goods and services necessary to complete the project in a timely and cost-effective manner while maintaining the project’s quality and scope.
This involves identifying, sourcing, and selecting suppliers and contractors, negotiating contracts, and managing the procurement process to ensure that the project has access to the resources it needs to be successful.
What is the primary purpose of an issue log?
To record and track identified problems and issues. It serves as a central repository for the project team to track and monitor the status of each issue, prioritize issues based on severity and impact, and ensure that all issues are resolved in a timely and effective manner. PMFCC36
Manage communications process
Uses the communications management plan to gather, store, and distribute project information and communications.
Not for change requests so no communication and stakeholder management plan changes
What process produces the communications management plan?
Plan communications management
What process produces the project management plan?
The develop a project management plan process
What is the main output from the plan communications management process?
The communications management plan.
Operations
Ongoing and repeating activities that are essential to the organization’s daily functions and support the delivery of its products or services, typically performed on a regular basis and are designed to maintain the organization’s current level of performance and to meet customer needs.
Requirements documentation
Helps define the priorities of the requirements as part of the collect requirements process and includes everything the project is expected to create by the time the project closes.
Plan cost management
Planning and choosing which estimation techniques to use to estimate costs.
Control costs process
Comparison of planned costs to actual costs and corrective action taken if variances are found.
In a predictive, plan-based methodology of project management, what is the best practice for monitoring progress with schedules?
Measuring actual results against the project plan.
Regularly updating the schedule to reflect actual results is a good practice, but it should be done in conjunction with measuring actual results against the project plan.
What is the primary role of a User Experience Designer (UX) in adaptive project management?
To design and implement user-centered solutions that meet the needs of stakeholders
What is the primary difference between adaptive and predictive, plan-based projects?
Predictive projects follow a predetermined plan, while adaptive projects rely on continuous adjustment and adaptation
What is the tool or technique used to evaluate stakeholders and the difference or gap between their current level of engagement and their desired level of engagement?
A stakeholder engagement assessment matrix
What is the main purpose of project integration management?
To oversee all aspects of the project and ensure that they are properly coordinated
Osmotic communication
Occurs when team members are constantly in each other’s presence and information is passively absorbed without the need for formal or intentional communication.
Formal communication
structured and deliberate
Temporary efforts
Refer to the time and effort spent on a project that is not expected to continue after the project is completed
Identify stakeholders process
Part of the initiating process group directly after the develop the project charter
Salience model
Used in Planning stage. Uses three circles to show stakeholders’ influence, urgency, power, and legitimacy
Stakeholder cube
Three-dimensional cube that combines the influence, power, and impact grids
Direction of influence model
Illustrates a stakeholder’s influence on the project in one of the following ways: upward, downward, outward, sideward, and prioritization.
Power/influence grid
A chart that displays the amount of power and influence the stakeholders have over the project decisions and objectives.
What is the primary role of the process owner in adaptive project management?
To ensure that project processes are aligned with organizational goals and objectives
Collect requirements process tools/techniques
Prototypes, interviews, and brainstorming
Distributed team
Team members who work from different locations, but are employed by the same organization and work on the same project
Outsourced team
Team members who are employed by a different organization and work on a project for the organization that has outsourced the work
Earned value management
Project cost management technique, provides a clear view of project progress
Initiating process group
Involves tasks that define the project and its objectives, including identifying stakeholders and ensuring the project can launch
Scope management plan
Input to defining the scope, which produces the project scope statement
Project charter
Ensures a mutual understanding of deliverables and milestones.
Project scope statement
Document where the context and the framework of the project are appropriately defined, documented, and assessed - is verified/appproved by stakeholders
Earned value analysis (EVA)
The primary tool used for monitoring progress In a predictive, plan-based methodology - combines the actual work performed and the planned work to determine the current status of the project in terms of cost and schedule performance
System dynamics
Relationship between organizational components, including departments
Governance
What you can and cannot do within an organization.
Framework
Structure in which you operate
Configuration management
Type of database documenting issues or errors
Matrix structure
Team members report to multiple managers
Resource calendar
Input to the estimate activity resources process, and it clearly shows when and where resources will be available to the project.
Virtual structures
- Team members are typically physically dispersed and work from remote locations
- Rely on technology for communication and collaboration
- Communication and collaboration are primarily asynchronous
- Decision-making processes are typically more formal and structured
Traditional structures
- Team members are co-located in a common workspace
- Have more opportunities for/greater reliance on face-to-face interaction
- Synchronous communication and collaboration
- Decision-making processes are more informal and based on personal relationships
Estimate costs process outputs
- Cost estimates
- Basis of estimates
Lessons learned register
Outlines what has worked well in the project and other projects in the organization
Resource breakdown structure
Hierarchical, shows how resources are used by category and type
Project management plan
Input to the manage knowledge process
Stakeholder register
Outlines what knowledge stakeholders bring to the project
Project scope
Defines what will be done in the project (incl deliverables and constraints)
Objectives
“Roadmap” - defines specific outcomes and methods of how the project will be accomplished
Quality management processes
- Plan quality management
- Manage quality
- Control quality
What is the main impact of team environment and politics on resource management in adaptive project management?
It reduces the efficiency of resource management (ex. miscommunication, lack of cooperation, and ineffective resource allocation)
In a predictive, plan-based methodology of project management, what is the primary goal of developing plans and schedules?
To allocate resources effectively
June is currently working on her next project’s approach, including how her team will achieve the objectives and scope. Her current goal is to create the project management plan and all associated subsidiary plans and project baselines. What is the process group in which June is working?
Planning process group - covers processes that define and refine the project objectives
What is an output of planning schedule management?
Schedule Management Plan
What are outputs of defining activities?
- Activity list
- Schedule baseline
- Milestone list
Phase
Collection of logically related project activities that culminates in completion of one or more deliverables
Deliverable
- Any unique/verifiable product, service, or result (tangible or intangible)
- Output of a project
- Must be accepted by customer/sponsor for the phase
IPEMCC
Initiating
Planning
Executing
Monitoring/controlling
Closing
When is a phase complete?
When it has been accepted by customer/sponsor
Governance
Allows project decision-making, unique to every company.
Includes structure, people, information
Milestone
- Significant event or achievement
- Marks key point/completion of major deliverable
- Shows progress, usually at end of each phase
- Task with zero duration
Stakeholder
Anyone who has or is perceived to have an interest in/are affected by the project
Project Management Office (PMO):
Org structure that standardizes processes and facilitates sharing of resources, methodologies, tools, techniques – in large orgs
Uses OPM (organizational project management) to align project/program/portfolio management practices w/ organization strategy and objectives
Iterative PM Approach
Build entire products, not releasing in increments; feedback given, then updated and rereleased
Incremental PM Approach
Build products in increments vs releasing all
ex. Scrum
Cadence
Timing and frequency of project variables
8 Performance Domains
- Stakeholders
- Team
- Development Approach + Life Cycle
- Planning
- Project Work
- Delivery
- Measurement
- Uncertainty
Project Governance
Framework used to make project decisions
Stakeholder performance Domain
- Identify: throughout project; internal and external
- Understand/Analyze: stakeholder beliefs feelings, values
- Prioritize: most power/interest
- Engage: introduce project, find out requirements/expectations, prioritize, negotiate, problem solve,
resolve issues - Monitor: throughout project – will change
Team performance Domain
Establishing safe culture/environment that enables collection of diverse individuals to evolve into high-performing team
- Management: works to meet objectives
- Leadership: influence, motivating, listening, enabling team
- Centralized: accountability assigned to one individual
- Distributed: shared
- Servant Leader: based on understanding/addressing needs/development of team members
- Develop by asking: Are team members growing? More autonomous? Likely to become SLs?
- Everyone knows vision/objectives, roles/responsibilities, team ops, guidance, growth
- Behaviors: obstacle removal, diversion shield, encouragement/development opportunities
Development Approach and Life Cycle performance Domain
Activities/functions associated with development
approach, cadence, life cycle phases of project – what works for the project?
Planning performance Domain
Initial/ongoing/evolving organization and coordination necessary to proactively develop an approach to create deliverables
- Resources, communication, changes, delivery, budget, monitoring, etc.
Work performance Domain
Establishing processes, managing physical resources, fostering learning environment, performing work to deliver deliverables
Process Tailoring
Used to optimize process for needs of the project
Retrospective
How to challenge/improve process
Ex. Sprint retrospective
Lessons Learned
What to do better in the future
Project Delivery
Meeting
requirements, scope, and quality expectations
to produce the expected deliverable
Delivery performance Domain
What are requirements, scope, quality expectations and how to deliver expected deliverables
Measurement performance
Assessing project performance, taking appropriate actions to maintain acceptable performance and keep project on track according to plan metrics
Leading Indicator
Predict changes or trends in the project
Lagging Indicator
Measure project deliverables or events, info after the fact
Threshold
Acceptable measurement range
Uncertainty performance Domain
Activities/functions associated w/ risk and uncertainty, how to assess and handle
Project Life Cycle
Phases/steps/activities taken to move from start to finish of a project – all projects have unique life cycle
ITTO
Foundation/infrastructure of Processes
Input
Tools
Techniques
Output
Initiating Process Group
Used to authorize project and define project or phase of an existing project
Planning Process Group
Establishes scope, define courses of action required to attain objectives
Executing Process Group
Complete work defined in project management plan
Monitoring & Controlling Process Group
Track, review, regulate progress/performance; looks for areas
where change is required and then initiate corresponding changes
Closing Process Group
Formally completes/closes project, phase, or contract
OPA
Organization Process Asset
Central repository of previous lessons learned by other project teams
EFF
Enterprise Environment Factor
Things that impact project but are not part of project itself
Project Management Plan
18 documents that define how project is executed, monitored, controlled,
closed - can’t be changed except by change order
- 14 Plans
- 4 Baselines: scope, cost, schedule, performance measurement
PMIS
Project Management Information System
Info system used to manage the project
Change Request
Proposal to change document, deliverable, or baseline
Corrective Action
Action taken to ensure project gets back on track
Defect Repair
Action done to fix broken component
WPD
Work Performance Data
Raw data gathered in Executing Process Group
WPI
Work Performance Information
Analyzed WPD in Monitoring/Controlling Process Group - work performed compared to plan, actual deliverable status
WPR
Work Performance Report
Status report of actual project from WPI
Project Charter
- Formally authorizes and initiates project or phase
- Outlines objectives
- Defines PM authority
Project Benefits Management Plan
ITTO: common Input
Describes main benefits of project and how to measure
Business Case
ITTO: common input
Info that determines why work should be done, whether or not project is worth investment (market demand, customer request, org need, legal requirement)
Stakeholder Register
ITTO: Output
Who they are, how they feel, what is role/power, how does project impact them; active or passive stakeholders?
Has contact info, role, communication requirements, expectations, how they are affected, power influence
Assumption Log
List of things perceived to be true and things that might constrain project
Stakeholder Mapping
Methods to categorize stakeholders:
- Power/interest grid, power/influence grid, impact/influence grid
- Stakeholder cube: 3D map of interest, power, interest
- Salience model: power, urgency, legitimacy
- Directions of influence (Up: higher/senior management; down: team; out: vendors/gov/public end-users; sideways: peers)
- Prioritization
4 PMP Baselines
Scope
Cost
Schedule
Performance measurement
Gold Plating
Extra work not in scope - intentional
Scope Creep
Unauthorized work added to scope - accident
Prototype
Working model that can be shown to stakeholders
Requirements Documentation
What and how individual requirements will be performed and importance to project
Traceability Matrix
Table showing source of requirements
- Can show original stakeholder who provided requirement, why, description, status of requirement
Product analysis
Detailed understanding of how product/service/result will improve team focus,
knowledge base, correct interpretation of requirements
WBS Dictionary
Details WBS contents - ex. ID/defines work package nodes, shows assigned team members, time/cost
estimates, quality requirements, Scheduled Milestones, detail of tasks, site locations
Plan Schedule Managment
Guidance on how schedule will be created and managed
Work Package
Smallest unit of work in a project that cost/duration can be estimated for
- Takes more than 8 hours, less than 80 hours
- Can contain many activities
Activity
Unit of work that needs to be carried out – used to develop schedule, has start/end dates
Rolling Wave Planning
Progressive elaboration for undefined long-term work packages:
- Defining short-term work packages details, setting placeholders for long-term work packages that can’t be defined yet, then decomposing long-term work packages as more details become available
Activity List
All activities on project; includes work description and ID
Activity Attributes
Any additional info needed to execute activity list (point of contact, location, etc.)
Milestone List
Key dates
PDM
Precedence Diagramming Method: graph of all work, shows schedule/flow of project; how work packages relate/tie into each other
Mandatory Dependency
Hard logic – tangible/physical WP limitations
- WP must complete before subsequent WP begins (ex. Foundation before house build)
Discretionary Dependency
Soft logic – tied together WP but no physical limitations
- WPs can work in tandem (ex. Cooking dinner/dessert at same time)
External Dependency
WP relationship between project and non-project activities
- Non-project activities are usually outside team control (ex. Store out of paint)
Internal Dependency
Activities within team control
Lead
Overlap between first and following activity
Lag
Delay between activities
Basis of Estimates
How estimates were developed, can include assumptions/constraints
ex. confidence level of costs estimate
Three-Point Estimate
Calculates optimistic, realistic/most likely, and pessimistic duration
estimates (ex. PERT/Beta; triangle)
Triangle Distribution
Average of the three estimated values
E= (O+R+P)/3
Triangle Distribution Formula
E= (O+R+P)/3
simple average - best guesstimate for projects w/ little historical data
PERT/Beta Distribution
Program/Project Evaluation and Review Technique - weighted average based on historical data, more accurate estimate - good for costs
E= (O+[Rx4]+P)/6
PERT/Beta Distribution Formula
E= (O+[Rx4]+P)/6
Standard Deviation
Gives range of estimate
E= (P-O)/6
Standard Deviation Formula
E= (P-O)/6
Crashing
Schedule compression; adding resources to speed up project
– always adds cost, could increase risk
Project Schedule
Dynamic schedule, outlines activities, durations, planned completion dates
Early Finish
ES + Duration - 1
Free Float/Slack
Amount of time activity can delay start before it negatively affects another scheduled activity
Total Float/Slack
Amount of time activity can delay before it negatively affects entire project
LS - ES = ?
Total Float/Slack
LF - EF = ?
Total Float/Slack
ES of next activity - EF of current activity - 1 = ?
Free Float/Slack
Forward Pass
Early start/finish values calculation
Definitive estimate
-5% - +10%
Indirect Cost
Shared costs allocated among several projects (ex. Manager salary)
Budget estimate
-10% - +25%
Rough order of magnitude estimate
-25% - +75%
Cost of Quality
Total of all costs to ensure product/service meets required quality level
Basis of Estimates
Range of possible estimates, confidence level of estimates, how estimates were
developed and by whom
Reserve Analysis
Estimating additional time or cost needed to mitigate risk
Contingency Reserve
Addressed cost impact of remaining or known/unknown risk - part of cost baseline, PMP
Funding Limit Reconciliation
Comparing project planned costs vs funding limits – sections may need to be adjusted/rescheduled
Cost Baseline
Cost of all activities + contingency reserve
Project Budget
Cost baseline + management reserve
Resource Management Plan
Used to manage physical and team resources: contains roles/responsibilities,
org chart, and project team resource management
RACI chart
- Responsible: person doing job
- Accountable: who’s held responsible for the job
- Consulted: person to ask for help
- Informed: who needs to know
Communication Requirements Analysis
Analysis of stakeholder communication needs – lack of leads to failure
Communication Channels
Each need for communication between stakeholders
Channels =
n(n-1)/2
- N: number of people on the project
Communication Management Plan
How to prevent misunderstandings and miscommunications
- Who should receive communications
- What they should receive, who sends communications
- How and how often communications will be sent
- Definitions of terms (for common understanding)
Individual Project Risk
If uncertain event/condition occurs, has positive or negative impact on one or more parts of a project
Overall Project Risk
Risk exposure of entire project; individual project risks + other uncertainty source
Risk Register
- All identified risks and root causes
- Categorizes each risk
- Potential responses for each
- Project doc (not PMP)
- Created before or with Risk Report
Probability and Impact Matrix
Outlines probability and impact – sorted by high, medium, low
EMV
Expected Monetary Value – how much money could be lost if risk happens
Risk x probability
Risk Report
- Identifies sources of overall risk
- Summary of identified individual risks
- Created with or after Risk Register
SWOT Analysis
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
Risk Probability and Impact Assessment
- Likelihood that each specific risk will occur
- Level of probability and potential effect on project cost, schedule, quality, performance, positive or negative
Hierarchical Chart
3D Bubble chart
x = probability
y = impact
bubble = more prioritized risk
Tornado Chart
Analyzes/ranks factors from largest impact down
Decision Tree/Make or Buy
Compares multiple plans, displays risks/benefits in tree format
Fixed Price
Buyer pays lump sum for all work (labor and materials) – scope is well-defined/understood, all risk with seller
IFB
Invitation for Bid
RFI
Request for Info
RFQ
Request for Quote
RFP
Request for Proposal
Fixed Price
Buyer pays lump sum for all work (labor and materials)
- Good if scope is well-defined and understood, controlling costs is priority
- Risk with seller: has to absorb extra costs
Firm Fixed Price
Price is fixed, unchangeable
Fixed Price Incentive Fee (FPIF):
Includes fee for meeting a target
Fixed Price Economic Price Adjustment (FP-EPA):
Cost is adjustable due to economic conditions
Cost Reimbursable
- Buyer pays for expenses, pays seller fixed fee (as profit)
- Good if scope is not well-defined, project is complex, schedule is priority
- Risk higher on buyer: covers any cost of overrun expenses, total cost is unknown
Time and Material
- Buyer pays for labor and material
- Good for small projects, variable/uncertain scope at beginning
- Risk with buyer and seller:
- Buyer covers all cost overrun for, no seller incentive to keep costs down
- No seller protection if provider costs go up
DFX
Design For X - what is being designed for, how to improve processes
- Used to help design a product for a particular characteristic
X = reliability, deployment, assembly, cost, or safety
Tuckman’s Ladder
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Adjourning
Co-Location/Tight Matrix
Team in one location (temporary or long-term)
Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation
Boost productivity by increasing motivational factors and improving
workplace hygiene
Hygiene Agents
Extrinsic factors influencing satisfaction at work
Motivating Agents
Positive influences (ex or intrinsic) that cause employee to want to do a better job
Conflict Resolution Steps
- Define cause of problems: not just symptoms – don’t take action immediately
- Analyze problem: what’s the root cause (Ishikawa diagram useful)
- Identify solutions: coach but let team come up with solutions
- Implement solution
- Review success of solution
- Confirm solution solved the problem
Emotional Intelligence
Ability to manage own emotions and understand how own emotions are affecting others
Biggest Cause of Project Conflict Management
Between PMs and functional managers – disagree over
schedules, priorities, resources
Ouchi’s Theory Z
Creating environment that motivates through long-term employment, employee respect, individual responsibility, informal managerial control
Change Control Board
Group that helps the project manager to assess and deny or approve changes
Y Manager
Assumes people are self-directed/creative to meet work/org objectives, will seek responsibility and be committed to quality if rewards are in place that fulfill higher-level needs
WPR
Work Performance Report
WPI
Work Performance Information
WPD
Work Performance Data
BAC
Budget At Completion - original budget of the project
EVM
Earned Value Management
Tools to determine cost and schedule variances
PV
Planned Value – dollar amount’s worth of work that should have been done
Most Important EVM Formula
EV
Basis of most EVM formulas
PV Formula
= Planned % Complete x BAC
EV
Earned Value – dollar amount’s worth of work that was actually done
EV Formula
= Actual % Complete x BAC
AC
Actual Cost – amount of money already spent on project
AC Formula
None
CV
Cost Variance – dollar difference between work done and money spent
CV Formula
= EV – AC
CPI
Cost Performance Index – planned budget vs actual costs; rate of spending to earning on project
CPI Formula
= EV / AC
SV
Schedule Variance – dollar difference between amount of work that should have been done vs
amount actually done
SV Formula
= EV – PV
SPI
Schedule Performance Index – percentage rate of how project schedule is being met
SPI Formula
= EV / PV
EAC
Estimate At Completion – dollar forecast of total project cost at end based on current spending
rate – new forecasted budget
EAC Formula
= BAC / CPI
ETC
Estimate To Completion – dollar forecast of amount needed to complete current project based
on current performance
ETC Formula
= EAC – AC
VAC
Variance At Completion – difference between original budget and new forecasted budget
VAC Formula
= BAC – EAC
TCPI
To-Complete Performance Index – performance percentage needed to be met to finish project
within budget
Rule of Seven
Plot samples, find average – if seven consecutive points fall on same side, process is out of control and needs adjustment (even if in control limits)
Claims Administration
Negotiating/settling disputed changes when buyer and seller cannot agree
Closed Procurements
Buyer (usually via authorized procurement admin) provides seller with formal written notice that contract has been completed and vice versa
Validate Scope
When deliverables are accepted (or not)
Change control board (CCB)
is a group that helps the project manager to assess, and deny or approve changes. The project team may help assess the change, but do not approve it.
Business documents contain two parts:
- Business Case (why the project needs to get done)
- Benefits Management Plan (main benefits and how to measure)
Activity Attributes
Can be used to identify the place where the work is to be performed
Do Critical Path Method diagram
Find Critical Path, do forward/backward pass, find float
PDM: Finish to Start
B start depends on A finish – most often
- most often; successor start depends on finish of previous
PDM: Finish to Finish
B finish depends on A finish
– Successor finish depends on finish of previous
PDM: Start to Start
B start depends on A start
- Successor start depends on start of previous
PDM: Start to Finish
A must start before B can finish
- rare; successor finish depends on start of previous
Management reserve
Reserve used for unknown-unknowns (unspecific risks); not added to PMP
Schedule Baseline
Approved, fixed schedule used to measure progress against
- Original schedule baseline + approved schedule changes
Critical Path Method
Used to estimate the minimum project duration and determine the amount of schedule flexibility
Fast Tracking
Schedule compression - activities in parallel
- May not add cost, could increase risk
iteration burndown chart
Shows the work that remains to be completed in the iteration backlog
Cost Aggregation:
Aggregate individual costs of work packages to find entire project budget
Control Costs Process
Compares the project management plan with the work performance data to determine if the project is in “control”
- Monitoring and Controlling
S-Curve Graph
View of cost baseline showing budget vs actual spending over time
Grade
Items with same functional use but different technical characteristics/features
Cost of conformance
Resources needed to achieve quality requirements - includes training, equipment, appraisal costs, testing, inspections, etc.
Non-conformance costs
Resources required to fix failures/indirect effects from quality issues - includes rework, scrap, loss of business
Flowchart:
Graphical representation of process + any room for improvement
AKA process diagram
Ishikawa diagram
Shows reasons for potential flaws
Aka cause and effect diagram
Quality Management Plan
Quality standards
Objectives
Roles/responsibilities for project
Quality Metrics
Describes project or product attributes and how the control quality process will verify compliance
Ex. task completed on time, failure rate, number of defects identified per day
Manage Quality process
Process that ensures the project’s deliverables and work processes are being followed and meeting the project’s quality standards and requirements
- Uses the data/results from the control quality process (esp. quality control measurements)
Histogram
Bar chart that shows frequencies and a matrix diagram shows a relationship in a process
Scatter diagram
Shows the relationship between two variables
Plan quality management
Done to create the quality management plan and the quality metrics
Control Quality
Process that involves inspecting the deliverables to ensure they meet the quality requirements
Integrated Change Control Process
Where change requests are analyzed and approved (NOT created = Control Scope)
Control Scope
Process of monitoring/analyzing project status and product scope and managing changes (including creating formal change requests that go to ICC process for analysis and approval)
Resource requirements
Describe what and how many resources are needed for each activity on the project
Colocation
A place where team members meet in the same physical location to enhance their ability to perform as a team
Noise
Interferes with the receiver’s ability to understand the message
Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS):
used to categorize risks
SWOT Analysis:
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
Quantitative risk analysis
Numerical analysis of how the risk will impact the project
Qualitative risk analysis
Ranks risks from the most important to least important
Identify risks
Used to create the risk register and risk report, does not evaluate risks
Claim
Contested charge that occurs when a seller does additional work that is not listed in a contract.
The best way to resolve the claim is to negotiate a settlement.
Plan risk response
Using Risk Management Plan and Risk Register to plan responses to risk
Procurement Statement of Work
What from scope baseline will be outsourced.
For external sellers - describes required work and activities, including performance/quality, function, design.
Doesn’t define how work must be done
Procurement Documents
What is sent to potential sellers - contains SOW, response information, contractual provisions
Procurement Strategy
- Delivery of the procured section
- Contract types
- Procurement phases
Source selection criteria
Seller attributes required to meet or exceed to be selected for a contract
Work Authorization System
Used to schedule work in detail, authorize task start/end
Part of PMIS
