Final Flashcards
T/F: The end of a project can be termination or failure
True
A project that never ends
Death March projects
T/F: It is ok to cancel a project
True
Name 5 reasons why you’d cancel a project
- No Funding
- No Value
- Obsolete Technology
- Different Prioritization
- Resource Constraints
T/F: Projects that end early still go through project closure?
True
When should you plan for project closure?
At the beginning of the project.
T/F: Transferring responsibility is part of the closure process
True
T/F: If there is no one to transfer a project to at the end, that is grounds for cancellation
True
What are the 5 main sections of the final project report?
- Project Performance
- Product Performance
- Team Member Performance
- Administrative Performance
- Benefits Realized
Describe a lessons learned session (short answer)
- All stakeholders and team members brought together to review the project
- what went well, what didn’t
- all members hear the same message
- reviewed plan vs actual
- document adjustments for future projects if there are variances
- review change control process - did it go correctly / improved / any changes avoided?
8 steps to close a project
- communicate final decisions and review closure checklist
- update project schedule for remaining work
- obtain final approvals / signatures
- conduct final audits if needed (financial, project, product and personnel)
- schedule and hold lessons learned workshop
- reassign remaining personnel
- return leased / borrowed resources and vacate facilities
- publish results across the organization
Inspection vs prevention
- prevention - attempts to keep errors out of the process
- inspection - attempts to keep errors out of the final product (after the fact)
Reasons why a project is not terminated when it should be.
- Fear of management retribution
- Superman / woman complex - believe they can complete the project even though it might be impossible
- Doesn’t want to cause drama / rock the boat
- doesn’t want to be the bearer of bad news
Who should be the one to terminate a project?
A stakeholder with authority
What is the difference between a tolerance and a limit?
- tolerance - a companies accepted range of error or failure of a project or process
- limit - the defined point of failure, specifying a max and minimum, which serves as an overarching control
When is a project “in control”?
When it falls between the max and minimum limit / does not have 8 successive values on one side or another.
When is the quality assurance plan created?
The planning stage of the project
What are some measurements used to test the quality of a project?
- testing
- gate reviews
- communication
- reporting
What do you develop as a PM to help improve quality through communication?
- risk matrix
- wbs
How do you perform a root cause analysis?
- Fish bone diagram (ishikawa)
- Five Y technique (ensure you are addressing the root cause over symptoms)
- People > Process > Technology
What is a control chart and how is it used in the context of quality control?
Created prior to project completion - used to identify and prevent problems before they occur. Utilize limits and project variability to determine if the project is “in control”. Also used to determine patterns and chance of fixing.
Types of patterns in a control chart that would be concerning to a PM
- single point falls outside control limits
- point patterns (successive) that suggest points aren’t acting independently
- excessive successive points (8+) aligned on a single side of the average line
- point trends - excessive sets rising and falling
- points outside the tolerance range
Peredo Analysis.
Utilizes 80/20 rule. Bar chart used by PMs to identify key contributors to a problem by evaluating project performance and issue frequency / prioritization.
Tool used to generate ideas of possible causes of a problem
Cause and effect analysis / fishbone/ ishikawa
6 steps to the monitoring and control process:
- set expectations with stakeholders
- automate collection
- determine frequency of collection
- determine format
- integrate into project process
- ensure approval of the entire process
80/20 Rule
Out of entire task list, completing 20% will result in 80% of the impact
Common problems during project execution
- HR problems
- scope creep
- insufficient planning
- poorly written requirements
- lack of user input
- not managing stakeholder expectations
What is quality assurance (qa)
- focused around producing expected results
- “testing” phase
- preventing errors - catching defects
- lots of monitoring and controlling of quality happens through entirety of project
Team maturation process stages (5)
- forming - get to know each other
- storming - tensions arise, competing goals and agendas
- norming- rules and standards are established, team starts to agree
- performing - focus shifts to task accomplishment
- adjourning - group is disbanded and project is done
Good team dynamics mean
- right skills for the job
- right people assigned to the right task
Categories of team conflict
- task oriented - poor requirements definition / misunderstanding of objectives
- administrative - authority and reporting structure
- interpersonal / relationship - personality discrepancies
What is a virtual team?
Members do not meet face-to-face but connect daily and check in w the larger team. Remote work.
What is the main goal of the manage quality process?
To define and mitigate errors or defects before they occur.
What is the quality audit used for?
A scheduled assessment performed by an external team used to ensure the project and its resources are adhering to defined quality procedures.
List activities a PM conducts to manage a team.
- acquiring and managing resources
- developing project teams
- assessing how people work together
- conducing team interviews
- estimating activity resources used for team building / training
- provide conflict management
Conflict management - what is it and why is it not always bad for a project?
- defining, assessing, preventing, managing and resolving conflicts before they occur.
- dynamic due to different types of conflict (3 types)
- beneficial because they can strengthen process, personal bonds and resolve project blockers
Goals of developing a team
- promote general teamwork between project resources to enhance project performance
- create improvement opportunities for the skills of each team member and resource
Areas of a project where conflict is most prevalent (in execution phase)
- scheduling
- technical issues
Principle goals of team-building activities
- Establishing innovative and constructive ways to work together
- help team become more interdependent
- teach team to be more accountable as a single unit over their individual skills and goals
What is the importance of managing stakeholder expectations?
- showing proper realism reduces scope creep and prepares them for any outcomes that might not align to plan immediately
What is involved in the Manage communications process
- identify stakeholders and distribute information in a timely manner (who, what and how) — utilize the communication plan and the stakeholder analysis to determine how to manage.
- collect and disseminate the data
- automate source collection
- ensure stakeholders have the proper info to make large decisions
