Module 5 Process Flashcards
Plan and Manage Scope
Enablers:
Scope is all the work necessary to complete the process. AKA specifications. Need to determine and then prioritize requirements. Product scope and project scope are not the same—product scope is the widget, while project scope is the work needed to complete the widget.
Verify all requirements are documented—do this regularly. Need to be conscious of scope creep.
Break down the scope into pieces you can digest. This helps make sure you don’t miss anything. Use WBS to break down all the scope of the project. The level of decomposition should be based on project needs.
Tools:
Agile estimating.
Product backlog.
Document change requests.
Update requirements documents and the project management plan.
Deliverables:
Requirements register (Predictive)
Typically have a project scope statement. These say what you will do and not do. Can be a page or more.
Work performance reports.
Updates to the WBS.
Requirements traceability matrix—these were popular for a while. Can help with RFPs.
WBS and Scope
This is all predictive.
WBS is a graphical and hierarchical diagram showing the work necessary to complete the project. Uses decomposition. Starts with the name of the project or product, and then breaks it into different areas. It then describes the work needed to complete each of those areas.
Avoid excessive decomposition. You stop at the work package level. A work package is a group of related tasks; typically, tasks are grouped into work packages based on geographic area, engineering discipline, technology, or the time needed to accomplish them.
WBS dictionary—document that provides detailed information about deliverables, activity, and scheduling.
Code of accounts—as you add layers, you add a layer of numbers. So you have item 1, then 1.1, then 1.1.1, etc.
Should be able to add all the different items in WBS dictionary together to get the project cost.
Agile and Scope
Scrum.org is a good resource.
Product backlog leads to sprint planning, which leads to the scrum team, to an increment, to a sprint review, and either back to the backlog or to a sprint retrospective.
Plan and Manage Budget and Resources
Enablers:
Estimate budgetary needs based on the scope of the project and lessons learned. Create estimates for the appropriate stage of the project. Could be a Rough Order of Magnitude, Definitive, or Phased. A ROM is making a guess. Definitive, aka bottom up, is the most accurate. You roll up costs in the WBS. Phased cost estimation has a detailed estimate for the immediate stage and an overview for the remaining stages.
How to estimate a ROM? This is a top down estimate. For example, you are basing it on prior projects. Anticipate future budget challenges.
Monitor budget variations and make adjustments as necessary. Example: during the pandemic, costs changed dramatically—had to adjust. Measure cost performance against the baseline.
Use the WBS and resource requirements document to help with planning.
Tools:
For making estimates, use t-shirt sizing or planning poker.
PMIS is the project management information system—use it to keep track of cost. Not just MS Project—it is the total process for managing information for the project.
Use change control. When people make changes, they often cost money.
In a predictive environment, consider competing constraints (budget, scheduling, risk, specifications, quality, and resources).
Deliverables:
The cost baseline
Contingency vs management reserves. Contingency reserves are for anticipated issues, while management reserves are held by senior management for “unknown unknowns.” Example—in Florida, you could have a contingency for hurricane-related expenses, but management reserves would be for something like terrorism.
Resource management plan. Everything you are using should be in there.
Earned value:
A way to monitor and control your spending.
—Earned value (EV) is the budgeted cost of work performed; you use it to calculate cost variance.
—Actual cost (AC) is what you actually spent
—Planned value (PV) is what you planned to have by a given point at time
—Budget at completion (BAC) is what you expect to spend
—Estimate at completion (EAC) is based on actual experience
—To Complete Performance Index (TCPI) is a formula for determining what you have to do
Formulas that are needed for the exam:
—Cost Variance (CV): CV=EV-AC
—Schedule Variance (SV)=EV-PV
—Cost Performance Index (CPI): CPI=EV/AC
—schedule Performance Index (SPI): SPI=EV/PV
—TCPI: (BAC-EV)/(BAC-AC)
Agile Considerations:
Iron Triangle Paradigm. In Predictive, you have a fixed scope, and you estimate cost and time. In Agile, there is generally a fixed cost and time, and you estimate scope.
You will have velocity data and analysis. Features accepted vs features remaining.
Plan and Manage Schedule
Enablers:
Estimate project tasks. Include an appropriate amount of detail. Might need to estimate to the hour, day, etc. Leverage Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs) and consult experts.
Prepare the schedule based on methodology. For Predictive, this is Critical Path; for Agile, it will be sprint planning.
Measure ongoing progress. For Predictive, this is EV; for Agile, it is sprint review.
Tools:
Top down or bottom up estimating. Use PMIS. Factor in expert judgement.
Deliverables:
Activity duration estimates. Project schedule. Network diagrams.
Agile:
Sprints are basically mini projects. Each one should have value. Make sure to define the goal of the sprint. Select ideas from the backlog. Create an increment that meets the definition of done.
Critical Path
Critical Path:
This must be done in order.
—Define activities and do decomposition
—Sequence activities. There may be dependencies—what has to be done first?
—Estimate activity resources. Resource and cost management.
—Estimate activity durations
—Develop schedule
—Control schedule
Dependence of activities:
—Finish to Start is something that must be completed before you can start something else. Example—you need to finish pouring concrete before you can start the framing.
—Start to Start is something you must start (but don’t have to finish) in order to start something else. For example, you have to start the drywall before you can paint it, but not all the drywall needs to be done.
—Finish to Finish is something that you must finish before you can finish everything else. You must finish powering off a set of routers before you can finish restarting the set of routers.
—Start to Finish is rarely seen. Something you must start before you can finish something else.
Leads are things you can get started early. For example, while you are painting, someone can started on cleaning. Lags are enforced waiting times; for example, you have to wait for the concrete to dry.
Activity on Node (AON): Allows you to have different relationships. This is also known as the Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM).
Activity on Arrow (AOA) must be finish to start. This is also known as the Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM).
Critical path is the longest path to the network, and it represents the minimum time to finish the project. It also shows you where you have some slack. For example, if one part takes 9 days and one takes 14 days, you have 5 days of float on the first one.
You always start at zero.
Plan and Manage Quality of Deliverables
Enablers:
The definition of quality is the conformance of deliverables to customer requirements. You need to plan for it. This can include internal standards, external standards, and government-imposed regulations.
Although quality can seem expensive, it’s cheaper to do it right the first time.
Recommend options for improvement based on quality gaps. Perform quality audits. Continually survey project delivery quality—inspect deliverables. Prioritize corrective actions that have the greatest impact.
Pareto principle—roughly 80 percent of consequences come from 20 percent of causes.
Tools:
Cost benefits analysis. Cost of quality. Quality of audits. Process analysis.
Quality assurance is proactive, while quality control is about inspection.
Seven basic tools/charts:
—Cause and effect diagram
—check sheet (aka tally sheet)
—Control chart (with upper and lower limits)
—Histograms (bar charts)
—Pareto charts
—Scatter diagrams—draw a line at a 45 degree angle. Things closer to the line are more correlated
—Fishbone/Ishikawa diagrams—breaking problems into equipment, process, people, materials, environment, management, and primary vs secondary causes.
Deliverables:
Quality management plan. quality metrics and charts.
Plan and manage quality of leaders
W. Edward Deming talked about the PDCA cycle—Plan, Do, Check, Act. Said there are 14 steps to have quality in whatever we do. Also seven deadly diseases.
Joseph Juan promoted the Pareto Principle. Also had the Juran Triology (quality management, quality assurance, and quality control). Talked about quality by design.
Philip Crosby pushed for zero defects. DIRFT—Do It Right the First Time.
Integrate Project Planning Activities
Enablers:
Consolidate the project and phase plans. Think and work holistically about schedule, budget, risk management, eric
Assess plans for dependencies, gaps, and continued business value. For example, schedule depends on scope and budget.
Collect and analyze data to make informed project decisions. Utilize facilitation techniques to collect the information.
Determine critical information requirements.
Plan and Manage Procurement
Enablers:
Define resource requirements and needs. Consider what you need internally vs externally. Communicate resource requirements. Create provisions for working with vendors in the communications plan, and communicate the procurement process to vendors.
You might to negotiate mutually beneficial contracts.
Verify the complete scope, schedule, and cost is detailed in the contract.
Plan and manage a procurement strategy.
Tools:
Decide whether to make or buy things you need. do you have intellectual property you can’t share? what is most efficient?
Conduct market research. Hold bidder conferences. Hold negotiations.
Consider how to handle change requests during the contract process.
Deliverables:
Procurement SOW.
Procurement management plan is subsidiary to the project plan. It should contain the source selection criteria. How are things weighted? What are critical/minimum criteria?
What are the different types of contracts?
On the example, you are always the buyer.
On fixed price contracts, the seller bears the risk.
—FFP is where the seller bears the most risk.
—Fixed Price with Incentive Fee (FPIF) gives the seller a bonus for finishing early or surpassing other metrics
—Fixed Price with an Economic Price Adjustment (FP-EPA is where the seller draws a line on cost overruns. It uses the Point of Total Assumption (PTA). You have a target price, a target cost, and a ceiling price. Above the ceiling, the buyer cover some of the cost. The formula is PTA= (Ceiling price - total price)/buyer share, all plus total cost.
Cost reimbursable contracts s where the buyer bears the risk. You do this when you don’t know what you don’t know. Also, sellers may give you a better price.
—Cost plus percentage (CPP) is that you get 10 percent above costs
—Cost plus fixed fee (CPFF) is a set fee; not tied to performance.
—Cost plus incentive fee (CPIF) is like CPFF plus is tied to performance.
—Cost plus award fee (CPAF) is like CPFF but there is a fee based on evaluation of the seller’s performance. There are thresholds; not as incentive-based.
Time and materials—you don’t know how many units will need made. Should only be done for short periods.
Determine Project Methodology
Assess the project’s needs, complexity, and maturity. Is this a long-term project with well-known requirements? Probably Predictive. Software development? Probably Agile.
The large the scale and size of the project, the more likely it will be Predictive.
Recommend a project approach.
Whichever one you choose, you will need to do risk analysis, stakeholder management, and lessons learned.
Establish Project Governance Structure
Enablers:
Determine appropriate governance for the project. Involve the stakeholders. Keep goals simple. Keep goal transparent.
Have clear escalation paths and thresholds. Define criteria for moving through gates. Make it clear who needs to decide.
Tools:
Expert judgement. Use focus groups. Set SMART objectives.
the Agile Suitability Assessment:
Define the lifecycle of the project. How does it assess the suitability of the approach? Organizational and project attributes are assessed under three main categories:
Culture. Is it a supportive environment with buy-in for the approach and trust in the team?
Team. Is the team of a suitable size to be successful in adopting agile; do its members have the necessary experience and access to business representatives to succeed?
Project. Are there high rates of change? Is incremental delivery possible? How critical is the project?
Iterative, incremental, and agile approaches work well for projects that involve new or novel tools, techniques, materials, or application domains. They also work well for projects that:
Require research and development
Have high rates of change
Have unclear or unknown requirements, uncertainty, or risk; or
Have a final goal that is hard to describe.
By building a small increment and then testing and reviewing it, the team can explore uncertainty at a low cost in a short time, reduce risk, and maximize business value delivery. This uncertainty may be centered on:
- Suitability and requirements (is the right product being built?)
- Technical feasibility and performance (can this product be made this way?)
- Or process and people (is this an effective way for the team to work?).
All three of these characteristics — product specification, production capability, and process suitability — typically have elements of high uncertainty.
Deliverables:
Project business case—how are you going to do things, estimated time, people involved.
Project overview.
Project implementation plan
How do you handle project closure?
Communication is crucial.
Determine the criteria for when a project or phase can be considered closed. How do we know when we are done? What if we fail? What is the definition of done? how do we verify we are done?
How do we manage communications?
Enablers:
No matter what kind of project you have, you will be communicating. Consider:
—what level of detail do you need? Be conscious of over/undercommunicating
—timeliness
—cost
—technology
Confirm receipt. use active listening skills.
Determine communications channels, frequency, and level of detail. Specify those methods. Document communications types and frequencies. Reassess effectiveness.
Tools:
Stakeholder analysis. use the communications channel formula. N(N-1)/2. N is the number of stakeholders. So if I have 10 stakeholders, I have 45 channels.
Deliverables:
Communications plan.
stakeholder analysis plan.
Work performance update.
