Module 6: Life Cycles, Development Approaches, and Common Elements Flashcards
Project Life Cycle
A series of phases that a project through from start to finish. It is the lifespan of a project where each phase has its specific objectives, activities, and deliverables
Stages:
Aspire - developing the idea
Business case - justifying the idea
Create charter - authorizes and starts the project
Develop project plan - details of every aspect of the project
Executive project plan - cycle of working through the plan
Finish plan - project is completed & results reviewed
Project Phase
A collection of logically related project activities that culminate in the completion of one or more deliverables. They are logical and sequential
Phase Gate
A point for deciding whether a project should be continued or not
(Aka stage gate, review checkpoint)
Predictive approach - steering committee may review and decide
Adaptive approach - product owner may review and decide
Product
An artifact that is produced, quantifiable, and is may be a final outcome/deliverable from a project
Project life cycles intersect with product life cycles
Project Governance
The framework, functions, and processes that guide project management activities to create a unique product, service, or result to meet organizational, strategic, and operational goals
Can govern…
change management
communication & documentation
decision making
stakeholder alignment
risk & issue management
phase gates & reviews
strategic alignment
project lifecycle & approach
roles & responsibilities
success criteria
stakeholder relationships
Hierarchical Project Leadership Structure (Project Governance)
Used primarily in a predictive approach, leadership follows a structured hierarchy to ensure strict change control
Structure:
Change Control Board - highest authority, reviews, and approves/rejects
Integrated Change Control Process - evaluates change requests ensuring consistency
Project Manager & Team - identify and submit changes
Stakeholders & Sponsors - provide input on changes
Delegating Authority Leadership Structure (Project Governance)
Used in an adaptive approach, it enables autonomous/semi-autonomous decision making fostering flexibility and responsiveness – aligns with agile mindset and practices
Organizational Structure
How an organization organizes its people and processes and their relationships to one another
Functional Organization Structure (Project Organization Structure)
A framework where projects are assigned to distinct departments based on a specialized function (e.g. marketing, finance, IT, HR, etc.). Department heads have primary authority and project work is within functional silos rather than across teams
Projectized-Oriented Organizational Structure (Project Organization Structure)
A framework where projects drive the organization and resources are fully dedicated to project work. Project Managers have full authority over resources, budgets, and decision-making with minimal involvement from functional departments
Ex: movies/film, construction companies
Matrix Organizational Structure (Project Organization Structure)
A blend of function and projectized structures
Allows resources to be shared across multiple projects with dual reporting relationships – functional manager (oversees their role-specific expertise) & project manager (directs project work)
Ranging from…
Weak Matrix
Balanced Matrix
Strong Matrix
Project Management Office
A centralized department that standardizes project management processes, provides governance, and ensures alignment with organizational goals
Supportive PMO (Types of PMOs)
A type of PMO that provides a consultative role when it comes to projects by supplying artifacts, facilitating training, and providing access to information from other projects
Controlling PMO (Types of PMOs)
A type of PMO that provides support and requires projects to comply with a set standards (eg adopting certain frameworks, using templates, or other conformance)
Directing PMO (Types of PMOs)
A type of PMO that takes control of a project by directly managing the projects and/or shared resources
Note: a relatively small number of PMOs fall in this category
Agile Center of Excellence (Type of PMOs)
A type of PMO with a large focus on coaching and mentoring efforts primarily seen within organizations with decentralized structures
(aka Value Delivery Offices)
Steering Committee
A high-level decision making body that sets the project’s direction, aligns it with business objectives, and oversees major decisions
Organizational Process Assets (OPAs)
Plans, processes, policies, procedures, and knowledge bases that are specific to and used by performing organization.
Different assets, such as templates, business plans, processes, policies, protocols, and knowledge may be used
In adaptive approaches, OPAs from SMEs are critical
Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs)
The conductions not under the immediate control of the team that influence, constrain, or direct the project, program, or portfolio
Internal - arise from within the organization
( org structure, culture, infrastructure, resource availability, employee capability, etc.)
External - arise from places outside of the organization
(economy, political climate, regional customs, public holidays, legal restrictions, etc)
Predictive Approach (Project Development Approaches)
(aka waterfall, linear, plan-based, stable)
A structured, plan-driven methodology where project scope, cost, and timeline are defined upfront
Characteristics:
Follows a generally sequential structure from start to finish
Well planned steps
Delivers output at end of project
Recommended Context:
If templates from previous, similar projects are available
Planning can be done upfront
Scope, schedule, cost, and resources are well defined and stable
Project Development Approach
A method used to create and evolve a product, service, or result during the project life cycle, such as predictive, adaptive, or hybrid
Benefits:
Delivering value
Improved responsiveness during a project
Hybrid Approach (Project Development Approaches)
A combination of predictive and adaptive methodologies, balancing structure and flexibility
Characteristics:
Uses stable project components
Uses adaptive methods for evolving aspects
Recommended Context:
There is a need for preliminary research
Projects that need iterative adaptability and structured planning
Adaptive Approach (Project Development Approaches)
(aka agile)
A flexible, iterative methodology that allows for continuous changes and evolving requirements
Characteristics:
Use an interactive approach that has repeated phases
Recommended Context:
Initial requirements are not well-known
Requirements may change
There are opportunities to receive frequent user feedback
Team has flexibility to change, refine, or replace requirements
Project Performance Domain
A group of related activities that are critical for the effective delivery or project outcomes
Domains:
Stakeholders
Team
Development Approach Life Cycle
Planning
Project Work
Delivery
Measurement
Uncertainty
Project Scope
Defines the boundaries, deliverables, objectives, and requirements of a project. It outlines what is included to ensure that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of what the project’s purpose and outcomes are
Predictive Approach:
Requirements are elicited through stakeholders
Scope is measured and monitored
Changes to scope must be approved by stakeholders before they are made
Adaptive Approach:
Product Scope vs Project Scope
Product Scope: the features, functionalities, and characteristics of the final product, service, or results
Project Scope: the work required to deliver the product, including tasks, processes, and constraints
Fixed Scope vs Flexible Scope
Fixed Scope: we know the details of the product, service, or result
Flexible Scope: the team understands what they need to build, but they are still considering some of the finer details
Hybrid: combined aspects of predictive planning with the flexibility of an adaptive approach
Critical Path Method (Scheduling - Predictive Approach)
The sequence of activities that represents the longest path through a proejct, which determines the shortest duration for a project
Used in predictive approaches
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (Scheduling - Predictive Approach
A diagram that shows all project work broken down into individual squares, which are arranged on a hierarchical diagram
Used in predictive approach
Roadmap (Scheduling - Adaptive Approach)
A strategic plan outlining how work will progress over time including key milestones and target dates
Focuses on big-picture goals rather than specific task-level scheduling
Used in adaptive approach
Story Mapping (Scheduling - Adaptive Approach
A method for organizing user stories that describes the work qualitatively rather than over specific periods of time
Helps prioritize features ad plan incremental development
Used in adaptive approach
Backlog (Scheduling - Adaptive Approach)
A flexible to-do list of features, tasks, and fixes that provides a starting point for the team to self-organize and choose what they want to work on next
Used in adaptive approach
Sprints (Scheduling - Adaptive Approach)
Short periods of iterative, work cycles that ensures a consistent, sustainable pace where each spring delivers a useable product increment
Used in adaptive approach
Feedback Loops (Scheduling - Adaptive Approach)
Frequent reviews to identify what works, what doesn’t, and what needs adjusting to reduce waste and align with actual user needs
Used in adaptive approach
Repetition (Scheduling - Adaptive Approach)
Work is done in cycles until the product meets customer expectations
Used in adaptive approach
Funding limits and baselines (Budgeting Processes)
When the Project Manager reconciles a funding limit, sets a cost baseline, and figures out the budget at completion (BAC = represents the total planed budget for the project)
Earned Value Management (EVM) (Budgeting Process)
When the Project Manager uses metrics to assess how the project is using the budgeted amount
Metrics include:
Planned Value (PV)
Earned Value (EV)
Actual Cost (AC)
Adaptive Budgeting (Budgeting Process)
Used in adaptive approaches, budgets are adjusted based on changing project needs
Just-in-time: the budget is allocated incrementally based on immediate project needs rather than all at once
Burn Rates: how quickly a project is spending its budget over time
Costs within a Project
Labor
Materials
Equipment
Facilities
Services
Information Technology
Responsibility Matrix (Resourcing Tools)
A grid that presents the project team members assigned to each work package
RACI Matrix (Resourcing Tools)
A matrix presenting the stakeholders who are responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed
Procurement Contract
An agreement between the buyer and seller for goods, services, or results
3 Categories:
Fixed Price Contract - a set price is agreed upon regardless of costs
Cost Plus Contract - buyer pays actual costs + an agreed fee
Time and Materials Contract - buyer pays for labor and materials needed
Procurement Statement of Work (SOW)
A document that defines the work, deliverables, and requirements a vendor must fulfill under a procurement contract
Quality
The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements
Cost of Quality
The costs incurred when ensuring that a product meets the required quality checks
Cost of Compliance:
Prevention
Appraisal
Cost of Non-Compliance
Internal Failure
External Failure
Change Management Plan
A structured document that outlines how changes to project scope, schedule, budget, or deliverables will be identified, evaluated, and implemented
Also establishes a Change Control Board
Handling Changes - Predictive vs Adaptive
Predictive: a Change Control Board (CCB) is established and must approve any changes in the project (called integrated change control)
Adaptive: the product owner acts as the Change Control Board (CCB) as the sole approver of changes and new features
Constratints
Project boundaries or limits variables such as time, cost, or scope that is subject to change
Risks
An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive OR negative effect on one or more projects
Threat = negative risk
Opportunity - positive risk
Inherent Risk (Risk Vocab)
Any business endeavor will involve profit or loss where business risks can be competitive, legislative, monetary, and operational
Risk Appetite (Risk Vocab)
The degree of uncertainty an organization or individual is willing to take on in the pursuit of potential rewards or benefits
Risk Threshold (Risk Vocab)
The specific level of risk exposure at which an organization or individual takes action (below this level, risks may be accepted without intervention)
Trigger Condition (Risk Vocab)
An event or situation that indicates a risk is about to occur
Assumptions
Factors in the planning process that are true, real, or certain without proof of demonstration
Issues
When risks HAVE occurred, they are conditions or situations that may have an impact on the project objectives
Communication Model
How people communicate that includes the following:
A sender
A receiver
A medium (how the information travels)
A message (the info)
Types of Communication
Push - when information is sent directly to someone and lands in their lap
Pull - when information must be seeked out from a specific location or source
Interactive
Communication Blocker
Something that impedes the flow of effective communication. The two main ones are filters and barriers
Filter Communication Blocker (Communication Blocker)
A blocker that happens on the sender AND receiver side
Examples
Language, culture, and terminology differences
Psychology and sociological differences
Dysfunctional emotional behaviors
Educational background differences
Traditions
Talking past one another
Barrier Communication Blocker (Communication Blocker)
A blocker that may interrupt communication
Example:
Poor internet connection
Resistant mindset
Acceptance of misinformation as fact
Interpersonal conflict
Communication Methods
Formal Written - project charter, project plans, project reports, contracts
Formal Verbal - presentations, updates, and briefings
Informal Written - memos, emails, and notes
Informal Verbal - casual conversations
Communication Management Plan
A document that covers how communication will be handled and tackles the who, what, when, why, and how (usually in the project plan)
Includes:
List of communication deliverables
List of meetings required
Communication requirements analysis
Policies for communication
Procedures for technologies being used
Escalation procedures
Revision procedures
Glossary
Appendix
Critical Interpersonal Communication Skills
Active listening
Asking questions
Setting and managing expectations
Motivating to inspire action/provide support
Coaching for performance improvement
Negotiating to reach mutual agreements
Conflict Resolution
Summarizing, recapping, and identifying next steps
Problem Solving Artifacts
Predictive - issue log, risk management plan
Adaptive - impediments log (list)
Problem Solving Steps
Identify the problem
Define the problem
Identify the root cause
Generate possible solutions
Choose the best solution
Implement the solution
Verify the solution’s effectiveness
