Management, Tools, and Docs Flashcards
Components of the project management plan
_ scope statement _ project schedule _ communication plan _ resource plan _ procurement plan _ project budget _ quality management plan _ risk management plan
Purpose of the project management plan
_ to determine whether the project was performed within constraints (time, scope, cost)
_ to determine whether milestones were completed
_ to validate change requests
Three types of change requests
_ corrective actions - actions to bring the work of the project into alignment with the project management plan
_ preventive actions - actions to help reduce the probability of a negative risk event
_ defect repairs - correct or replace substandard or malfunctioning components
* not a comprehensive list
Change control system
_ a documented procedure describing how the deliverables are controlled, changed, and approved
_ describes/manages documentation required to request and track changes and updates to the project management plan
_ provides a process for analyzing impact of changes and for deciding whether they are worth making
Integrated change control
_ looks at the overall impact of change
_ manages updates across all elements of the project
Aspects of a change management system
_ identifying, documenting, and tracking change requests
_ evaluating the impact and justification of the change
_ “dispositioning” the request “at the change control board (CCB)” for approval or denial
_ implementing the change
_ validating the change and performing a quality check
_ updating the project management plan and the project documents, applying version control
_ coordinating/communicating changes with stakeholders
Change request
_ mini business case describing justification, alternatives, and impacts of a proposed change
Regression plan
_ a plan for rolling back changes to a previous state, should the change not perform as expected
Change control board (CCB)
_ reviews all change requests and approves, denies, or refers them
_ might include stakeholders, managers, team members, outsiders
_ might be organization- and project-wide, or might be established per project
_ board typically meets at scheduled intervals
_ emergency changes should have their own procedures to allow a project manager to immediately implement a change
_ sponsor often must approve the changes
Procurement planning
_ process of identifying needed outside goods and services
_ includes a make-or-buy analysis
_ project manager buys for the project
_ involves the legal department (was on a quiz)
Staff augmentation
_ contracting with outside folks to meet needs of project
Statement of work (SOW)
_ details goods or services you want to procure from a vendor _ project description _ major deliverables _ success criteria _ assumptions and constraints
Kinds of vendor solicitation
A process of obtaining responses from vendors for a SOW. The most common: _ RFI (request for information) - requests general information for the purpose of developing a list of qualified vendors _ RFB (request for bid) - used when asking for a formal bid for a deliverable that is a commodity and the price is the primary decision factor _ RFQ (request for quotation) - used when collecting quotes (but not asking for a bid) on a deliverable that is a commodity and the price is the primary decision factor _ RFP (request for proposal) - for when you’re ready to procure and the deliverable is not well defined or criteria other than price are important; involves submitting the SOW, receiving bids, evaluating responses, making a selection _ IFB (invitation for bid) - like an RFP, but for a large quantity of a commodity
Bidder conference
_ meeting with a prospective vendor for they have completed an RFP response
_ vendor can get clarification
Some non-obvious criteria for evaluating vendor proposals
_ vendor’s understanding of the requirements
_ warranty period
_ experience with projects of similar size and scope
_ vendor’s approach to project management
_ vendor’s financial stability
_ intellectual property
contract
_ legal, mutually binding document
_ goods and services that will be provided
_ costs of goods and services
_ penalties for noncompliance
Three types of contracts
_ fixed-price contract - risky for buyer and seller, but riskier for seller
_ cost-reimbursable contract - riskiest for seller, but the buyer can easily change the scope
_ time and materials contract - agreement on unit rate (e.g. hourly rate), but total cost is unknown; often used for staff augmentation
Letter of intent
_ outlines intent or actions of both parties before entering into a mutually binding agreement
_ negotiable
_ considered an agreement on terms and conditions
Memorandum of understanding (MOU)
_ agreement between parties that isn’t legally binding
_ done when it isn’t possible to create a legally binding agreement, such as between governmental organizations
Service level agreement (SLA)
_ service level performance expectations among parties
_ e.g. how quickly IT dept handles critical tickets
Purchase order (PO)
_ written by the buyer
_ describes goods and services being purchased and the price
_ legally binding once accepted by the seller
Agile project management
_ manages projects in small, incremental portions
_ increments are easily assigned, easily managed, and completed within short periods of time
_ the periods are called “iterations” or “sprints”, usually 2 weeks
_ each sprint produces a deliverable or a “tangible portion of a deliverable”
_ requirements can be continually gathered, defined, and refined based on feedback from the product owner
_ keeps stakeholders involved
_ continuous reviews and approvals throughout project
Agile backlog
_ list of requirements for a project
_ reviewed at the beginning and ending of each sprint
_ items in the backlog are called “user stories”
Scrum master
_ coordinates the work of an agile sprint
_ educates people on the agile process
_ runs interference for distractions
_ assists product owner on work backlog, prioritization, defining completion
_ facilitator, not a manager; members do not report to the scrum master
Product owner
_ liaison between stakeholders and the scrum master
_ “voice of the customer”
_ should only be one per team
_ determines scope and schedule
_ requests funding
_ manages and prioritizes the work backlog, even adding or removing requirements
_ communicates progress and milestones achieved to stakeholders
Agile team
_ members sign up for tasks based on work priority and their skill sets
_ they establish estimates for work
_ they take on enough work to fill the sprint
_ self-directed, self-organized, self-managed
Sprint planning meeting
_ beings every sprint
_ members break requirements into manageable portions
_ members choose items to work on during the sprint
Scrum board
_ white board for managing sprint items with sticky notes
_ a table with columns of user stories
_ columns for tasks in the current sprint, tasks in progress, tasks in review, and tasks completed
Burn-down chart
_ chart showing remaining time or effort for a sprint
_ x-axis is usually time in days
_ y-axis is backlog effort in days or hours
_ at the end of each day, team members update their estimates for the remaining amount of work
Daily standups
_ aka scrum meetings
_ same time, same place every day
_ time limited, usually at most 15 minutes
_ team members discuss:
_ _ What each accomplished yesterday.
_ _ What each will work on today
_ _ What roadblocks or issues they’re dealing with
Scrum retrospective
Meeting at the end of each sprint to determine:
_ overall progress
_ work that was completed
_ work that was planned but not completed
_ work that needs to carry over to the next sprint
_ lessons learned for future sprints
Waterfall methodology
_ completes each phase of the project before moving on to the next phase
_ risky because it doesn’t support adding new requirements
_ risky because doesn’t reflect until end of project
_ even so, it is iterative to complete a large project (we’re told this is on the exam)
Project management tools
(just be familiar with the list) _ project scheduling software _ charts _ dashboard reports _ status reports _ knowledge management tools _ performance measurement tools _ SWOT analysis _ RACI matrix
Fishbone diagram
_ aka Ishikawa diagram
_ shows relationships between the causes and effects of problems
_ shows every potential cause of a problem as tree with the root at the right, arrows going right, with each branch indicating a precursor to a problem (and their precursors, etc.)
80/20 rule
_ aka Pareto’s Law
_ 20% of causes create 80% of problems
histogram
_ “displays frequency distributions of variable data”
Pareto chart
_ a histogram that shows the causes of problems in their order of severity
_ may orders bars by the frequency over time, one bar for each factor
_ factors might include costs, delays, defects
_ prioritizes what should be addressed first
_ “calculates the individual value and cumulative total with the help of bar and line graphs”
Run chart
_ a plotted line of some data item over time
_ e.g. sales on the y-axis, days on the x-axis
Dashboard report
_ succinct real-time report of a project
_ usually with graphs, charts, numbers, level indicators
Status report
Progress to date:
_ scope
_ cost
_ budget
Meeting agenda
Goes out a day or two before meeting, reporting (just be familiar with the list): _ overall project status _ schedule updates and changes _ milestone achievements _ budget status _ change requests this period _ major issues and risks that could impede progress _ action items _ questions
Action item
_ tasks that arise during a status meeting
_ usually meta in nature
Action item log
_ action item ID _ date recorded _ description _ owner _ progress _ closed date
Key performance indicator (KPI)
Measurable value showing whether a project is reaching its intended goals. E.g.:
_ costs must not exceed 5% of baseline
_ quality standards will meet or exceed industry standards by no more than .03 standard deviations
_ increase page visits by 10% over 6 mos.
_ increase shared links on social media by 15% over 12 mos.
_ increase number of bookings using self-service to 70% over 2 years
Key performance parameter (KPP)
_ KPI for an operational goal or for a system performance level
_ specifies minimum acceptable value for a system
_ used by DoD and the U.S. Army for systems and equipment
_ mnemonic: parameters are for software/systems
Balanced scorecard
_ strategic tool for determining whether performance of organization measures up to its goals
_ monitors a small number of important data elements
_ e.g. financial goals, business processes, innovation, customer satisfaction
Steps for closing a project
_ obtain formal sign-off and acceptance
_ transfer results to operations and maintenance
_ release resources + final performance appraisals
_ close out contracts
_ archive historical information for legal reasons and for future projects
_ document lessons learned
_ prepare project close report
Lessons learned review items
Best to document after holding a review meeting:
_ review each process group
_ review team performance
_ review risk events and the effectiveness of the response plans
_ document unanticipated risk events that occurred
_ evaluate the estimating techniques for costs and resources
_ review schedule performance and critical path
_ review effectiveness of the change management process
Project closing report
Final status report sent to all stakeholders:
_ recap of original goals and objectives
_ statement of project acceptance or rejection
_ summary of schedule and costs
_ lessons learned
_ historical data
