GR1 - Governance Arrangements

Question 1

Why do organisations need to change?

Answer 1

1. New government policies or initiatives (legislation & policies)
2. Meeting new standards (new legislation & improving services or products offered)
3. Improving competitiveness
4. Changes in technology
5. Upgrading systems or tools
6. Gaining more market share
7. Customers’ changing expectations
8. More efficient in use of resources

Question 2

What happens if an organisation doesn’t change?

Answer 2

-it would stagnate…
-could lead to failure
-customers would move on
-it would not meet the relevant standards
-may be penalised

Question 3

What would need to be changed in an organisation?

Answer 3

-what we work with
-the tools used
-who we use as suppliers
-how we communicate w/ customers, suppliers & other stakeholders
-how organisation is structured
-the organisation’s culture (how we behave, when & where we work)

Question 4

How do we deliver change in an organisation?

Answer 4

-through projects

Question 5

What is a Project?

Answer 5

-a unique piece of work, with a start & end point
-specific objectives
-often has a cross-functional team
-have constraints to work around
-have targets to achieve
-enables change
-delivers an output or deliverable

Question 6

What are the objectives of a project (6)?

Answer 6

-scope
-quality (standards)
-cost
-time (scale)
-risks
-benefits

Question 7

What is scope (objectives)?

Answer 7

-describes what the project has to deliver & all the work involved in doing it (what will or will not be delivered)
-delivered to stated standard known as ‘quality’

Question 8

What is quality (objective)?

Answer 8

-the standard we require
-how good does it have to be?

Question 9

What is cost (objectives)?

Answer 9

-the budget (a constraint)

Question 10

What is time (objectives)?

Answer 10

-duration of the project (a constraint)

Question 11

What are risks (objectives)?

Answer 11

-delivering something new/different
-amount of risks prepared to accept dependent on the relative importance of the other objectives of time, cost & quality

Question 12

Project pyramid objectives…

Answer 12

• Quality
  / \
  / \
  / \
  Scope - - / - - safety - \ - - Risk
  / \
  Cost ———————– Time
  Benefits

Question 13

What are the benefits?

Answer 13

-the purpose of the work
-benefits usually realised post project (after project ends) when the final deliverables have been handed to customer
-they are outside the scope of a project

Question 14

Who realises the benefits?

Answer 14

-the business areas concerned will BUT the SPONSOR needs to make sure that happens
-needs to manage the change of the projects’ outputs into every day use

Question 15

How are benefits achieved?

Answer 15

“Benefits are achieved by the business using the outputs of the project”

Question 16

What is important about safety?

Answer 16

-it shouldn’t be compromised to achieve one of the other objectives
-reduce risk to acceptable level (as low as reasonably practicable)
-conduct risk assessment

Question 17

Project? (Bok Definition)

Answer 17

“A unique, transient endeavour undertaken to bring about change & to achieve planned objectives”

Question 18

Project Management? (Bok Definition)

Answer 18

“The application of processes, methods, knowledge, skills & experience to achieve specific objectives for change”
-making it happen & driving plan forward (scope delivered to right standards, on time, on budget, safely & having taken into consideration the risks such that the end result is capable of being used by the customer to realise the benefits)

Question 19

What does Project Manager have to ensure?

Answer 19

-the project team have the required information & resources, & are in a position to start upcoming work

Question 20

When does the change in a project happen?

Answer 20

-once output created, needs handing over to operational environment
-the use of this output in the operational environment is the change

Question 21

Why might users not adopt a new output?

Answer 21

-if not involved in defining the output, it might not meet their needs
-might object to how or when the output was released

Question 22

Why does the Project Manager need to engage with all stakeholders?

Answer 22

-to understand any objections & resistance
-to deal with the above during the project
-this ensures the important stakeholder engagement

Question 23

Programme? (Bok Definition)

Answer 23

“A unique, transient strategic endeavour undertaken to achieve beneficial change & incorporating a group of related projects & business as usual, or steady-state activities”
-Change management & Benefits realisation (key difference w/ project vs programme)

Question 24

Programme Management? (Bok Definition)

Answer 24

“The coordinated management of projects & business as usual (or steady-state) activities to achieve beneficial change”