Liv's Weak Points Flashcards
What does stakeholder analysis do?
-Enables PMs to identify a project’s key stakeholders, their interests in the project and the ways in which those interests affect project riskiness and viability.
-Supports stakeholder influence and engagement by identifying the views of the stakeholder towards the project.
-Provides an understanding of who project stakeholders are, their relationship to the project and their objectives which may impact the project.
-Enables the development of an appropriate engagement strategy appropriate form each stakeholder group.
What are the benefits of a communication management plan?
-Enhances stakeholder engagement
Identifies target audience
-Tailors communications according to individual preferences, and power/interest/attitude
-Ensures relevant information is provided to stakeholders
-Records the best method of communication for stakeholders, e.g. use of appropriate technology, opportunities for in-person meetings etc.
-Avoids misunderstandings/conflict
-Ensures a consistent approach to communication
-Assigns responsibilities for communications
-Provides a structured and systematic approach to communications
-Ensures project team understands requirements of communication
What four things should be identified to enable effective stakeholder engagement actions?
-Ensuring a productive team is formed
-Using and sustaining positive interest
-Minimising and reducing negative interest
-Building relationships, partnering with stakeholders
What three things should be identified when wanting to increase the likelihood of a project being accepted?
-Matching the agreed scope with the outputs to ensure stakeholder acceptance and satisfaction
-Fulfilling stakeholder needs by ensuring these have been fully identified and understood as early as possible
-Reducing risk of misunderstanding through regular reporting and communicating of the intended project outputs
What are the six factors that can affect communication?
-Physical location/time zones
-Cultural diversity and language
-Skills and technical capabilities
-Physical environment
-Body language
-Personal circumstances and personality traits
What does the Hackman model state?
5 conditions need to be implemented and maintained for the team to be effective:
-Be a real team
-Clear direction of work
-Structure must support teamworking
-Supportive organisation
-Available coaching within the team
What 3 things does the Katzenbach and Smith model state?
-Better team = better performance
-Leader can support by developing the level of commitment, accountability and skills in the team
-Team members need to be clear on specific goals, right mix of skills and clear accountabilities
Give 4 benefits of effective teamwork
-Enable trust and avoid conflict (e.g. regular team meetings)
-Overcome cultural differences (e.g. build project team identity)
-Overcome communication challenges (e.g. acknowledge time zone differences)
-Facilitate contribution of all team members (e.g. encourage equal participation)
Give 5 factors to be reported on to ensure successful project outcomes
-Progress against the schedule
-Actual spending against planned spend
-Earned value
-Audit findings and number of non-conformances
-Risks and issues
Give 6 reasons why activities may be re-planned after a review
-Achievement of planned scope isn’t to the required quality
-Motivation and satisfaction of team is low
-Performance of contractors and relationships is poor
-Committed costs and cash flow are above original forecasts
-Changes to the risk profile or cost contingency are needed because of new/changed risks
-Effectiveness of communication with stakeholders is lacking
What does assurance provide?
-Confidence to the governance board that the project is on track
-Support to the decision making and change control processes
-Improving accuracy of risk assessment
-Increased probability of projects meeting their primary objectives
What are the types of assurance activity?
-Controls
-Compliance
-Independent Review
What are the 4 stages of CPD?
-Identify current and future needs
-Set objectives and targets
-Plan activities
-Record activities
List two of the five criteria an assurance plan must meet
-Independent
-Greatest risks
-Accountabilities
-Timings of activities
-Governance routes for reporting
What are some value drivers that should be considered when assuring a project?
-How to Increase delivery speed
-How to Remove delivery cost
-How to Reduce business cost
-How to Accelerate benefit delivery
-How to Avoid business risk
-How to Increase business value
State the key factors of transition management in the linear and iterative lifecycles.
Linear Lifecycles:
-Transition planning should be continuous
-The final output is only available during the transition phase
-Monitor progress and alignment of deliverables
Iterative Lifecycles:
-Opportunity for stakeholder buy-in on an ongoing basis via collaboration or ideas from BAU
What are the actions that can support a smooth transition?
-Manage stakeholder expectations from the outset
-Identify and engage with users throughout
-Align needs with outputs and communicate digression
-Familiarise stakeholders with deliverables from the outset
-Ensure clear communication
What is the Change Impact Analysis?
A method of analysing the scope and scale of the change to the new BAU. It helps to understand the organisational impacts on people, performance, processes, systems and culture.
State the four key steps of Change Impact Analysis.
1.Define the change
2. Identify impacted areas
3. Evaluate the Impact Level
4. Develop an Action Plan.
What is the purpose of the Stakeholder Impact Analysis?
To understand how each stakeholder is impacted by the change, the scale of the impact, and identify any support required as a result.
What are the five stages of benefits management?
-Identification - from requirements
-Definition - benefits management plan; how to manage, roles and responsibilities and measurements
-Planning - capture baseline measurements and agree targets
-Tracking - ensure outputs are adhering to scope
-Realisation - outputs embedded; change manager possibly assigned
What are the six phases of a Benefits Management Lifecycle?
-Identify and Quantify - identify stakeholders and align benefits to strategy
-Value and appraise - produce OBC and establish targets
-Plan - establish responsibility and categorisation
-Realise - evaluate benefits
-Review Results - identify additional and ones possible
-Review - review process
What does DOAM stand for?
D - Described
O - Observed
A - Attribution
M - Measurement
What are the success factors of Benefits Management?
-Active
-Evidence based
-Transparent
-Benefits led
-Forward looking
-Lifecycle Management
What are the four stages of the Requirements Management Process?
-Gather - get from stakeholders
-Analyse - functional cost analysis (time and cost)
-Justify - prioritise with MoSCoW
-Baseline - baseline them against requirements
What are the five stages of Configuration Management?
-Plan - processes, role and responsibilities
-Identification - give products UIN
-Control - control the products and process
-Status Accounting - record keeping and ensure they’re accounted for
-Verification Audit - ensure change to requirements goes through
List two things to consider when evaluating and prioritising requirements
-Priority objectives and requirements
-Acceptance criteria
-Priorities of end user
-Potential stakeholder pressure for a certain solution
-Life cycle approach
-Value of alternative solutions
What five sets of criteria should be considered when defining options?
-Technical
-Social
-Procurement
-Management
-Transition
Solutions Development - How is prioritisation be achieved in a Linear Lifecycle?
-Early analysis of options
-Selection of preferred solution
-Scope definition and confirmation
-Change Control
Solutions Development - How is prioritisation achieved in an Iterative lifecycle?
-Opportunity to explore options for longer
-Deliver Must have requirements early, defines Minimum viable product
-Gain feedback from users, defines Minimum Marketable product
Name the core 3 things the PMP demonstrates
-Essential management processes
-Project team intentions
-How the project will be managed
Name the 7 contents of the PMP
-Scope
-Cost
-Resources
-Time
-Benefits
-Delivery
-Management
Why is schedule management used?
-Defines when activities are to be completed, their duration and order
-Reduces likelihood of delays
-Coordination of resources
What does a Product Breakdown Structure define?
-Acceptance Criteria
-Quality Control Methods
What are the three benefits of a Product Breakdown Structure
-Helps to clarify the project’s products and their components
-Makes it easier to spot omissions and unnecessary inclusions
-Used as a basis to identify activities
List three benefits of Re-estimating
-Increased accuracy through technical expertise
-Increased confidence in delivery against success criteria
-Remove reserves no longer needed
-Increased situational awareness
-Increased confidence in project’s performance
Why are Gantt Charts used?
-Provides a schedule view
-Enables Progress Review
-Enables forward planning
What is the Critical Path?
Sequence of activities, from project start to finish, with the least total float.
What is the Critical Chain method?
Places an emphasis on resources attempting to keep them at a constant utilisation
What three things should be considered when creating a budget?
-The different types of costs involved and when they will need to be paid
-Information required from external sources (e.g. supplier costs) and how these align to the plan
-Project assumptions and how they underpin the cost estimates
Give 4 reasons why cost control techniques are used
-To minimise costs where possible
-Identify areas of overspend
-Correct unacceptable levels of overspend
-Inform future projects by providing insight for lessons learnt
What is EVM?
-Method of reporting
-Assesses project spend against value of work achieved
Budgeting - give four steps in project closure
-Reassign resources
-Close contracts
-Update accounting and management systems
-Return surplus funding
State the three key aspects of risk management.
-Allows individual and overall risk to be understood and managed proactively and reactively
-Influenced by risk appetite of investing organisation
-Iterative
What are the three key aspects of issue management?
-Understand the issue to prioritise and assign an owner
-Support needed from PS
-May require re-plan of PMP
What are the benefits of issue management?
-Provides structure and escalation routes
-Raises visibility among senior stakeholders
-Provides a consistent way to document issues
-Enables re-prioritisation and decision making
-Enables issues to be resolved efficiently
-Informs continuous learning and improvement
What are the five stages of the risk management process?
Identification, Analysis, Monitoring and Escalation, Response, and Closure.
What are the four stages of the issue management process?
Log and Analyse, Escalate, Assign Actions, and Apply Change Control
What is the Change Control process?
-Request - document relevant information
-Initial Eval - change worth analysing?
-Detailed Eval - impacts on success criteria
-Recommendation and Decision - accept, reject or defer
-Implement - update in change log and update plans
Give 5 considerations in justifying change
-What areas of the project will be affected?
-Sufficient budget or additional needed?
-Capacity to accommodate additional resources?
-Can delivery time be maintained?
-Benefits be impacted?
