Project Charter & Work Breakdown Flashcards
definition of project management
_ a series of processes executed to apply knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements
Five phases of project management
The phases are iterative rather than strictly sequential:
_ initiating
_ planning
_ executing
_ monitoring and controlling (feeds back into planning and execution)
_ closing/closure
Process group
A project management phase
Initiation
_ the formal authorization for a new project to begin
_ also the formal authorization for a project to begin its next phase
Initiation phase
_ all activities leading up to the authorization to begin the project, including the original project request
_ define and authorize the project
_ create a business case and justification
_ name the project and the project manager
_ define the scope
_ ascertain duration and resources
_ identify high-level risks
Documents produced in the initiation phase
_ project charter
Planning phase
_ project goals, objectives, and deliverables are refined and broken down into manageable units of work
_ for each activity: create time estimates, cost estimates, and resource requirements
Key activities of the planning phase
_ determine project requirements _ develop a project schedule _ create a work breakdown structure _ determine resources _ identify and plan for detailed risks _ write a communication plan _ develop a procurement plan if utilizing resources outside the organization _ develop a change management plan _ define the project budget
Documents produced in the planning phase
_ project management plan _ organizational chart _ scope statement _ communication plan _ project schedule
Execution phase
_ perform work of the project _ execute management plan _ team development _ quality assurance _ change requests bring deliverables into expectations _ deliverables are produced and verified
Documents produced in the execution phase
_ issues log
_ status reports
_ dashboard information
_ meeting agendas and minutes
Monitoring and controlling phase
_ monitors progress to identify variances from the project management plan
_ includes requests for changes in project scope
_ takes corrective action to realign with project plan
_ scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risk control
Key activities of the monitoring and controlling phase
_ monitoring the risks/issues log
_ performance measurement and reporting
_ quality assurance/governance activities
_ administering the change control process
_ monitoring the budget
Closing phase
_ documents the formal acceptance of the project work
_ hands off the completed project to the organization for ongoing maintenance and support
_ archive of project documents
_ release of project team members
_ review of lessons learned
_ closing contract
Project charter
_ written by project manager or person who requested project
_ provides formal approval for the project
_ authorizes project manager to apply resources
_ how success will be measured
_ relationship between the project and the business needs
_ reviewed, signed, and published by project sponsor
_ publication/issuance moves project into planning phase
Elements of the project charter
_ purpose and problem statement
_ project goals, objectives, and description
_ key deliverables
_ stakeholder identification
_ high-level requirements
_ high-level budget and milestones
_ high-level assumptions, constraints, and risks
_ project manager’s name and level of authority
_ sponsor’s name
_ criteria for project approval of final project/service
Project requirements
_ the characteristics of the goals or deliverables that must be met in order to satisfy the needs of the project
_ may include outcomes that satisfy a contract, specification, or other document
_ requirements quantify and prioritize wants, needs, expectations of the sponsor and stakeholders
_ can be part of the scope statement (especially for small projects), or can be its own document
_ requirements focus on “what” not “how”
Triple constraints
_ aka “project management triangle” _ time, scope, and cost/budget (TSC) _ also the most common constraints _ all affect quality _ changing one changes the other two
Constraints vs risks
_ constraints are limitations that already exist
_ risks are potential future events that could impact the project
Kickoff meeting
_ held once the project charter is signed and approved
_ includes sponsor, key team members, key stakeholders
_ discuss most of charter in this meeting
Components of the scope document
_ scope management plan - how scope is defined and validated, and how scope will be monitored and controlled
_ scope statement - objectives and deliverables
_ work breakdown structure (WBS) - breaks deliverables into smaller components having duration, resource, and order-of-magnitude cost estimates
* iteratively developed from feedback
Scope management plan
_ how the team will define the scope (the process)
_ how the team will validate the work of the project
_ the process for evaluating deliverables for accuracy and accepting deliverables
_ process for creating, maintaining, and approving the WBS
_ description of process for scope change requests (for managing scope creep)
Scope statement
_ documents the project objectives, deliverables, and work required to produce deliverables
_ adds detail to the project charter
_ exclusions from scope
_ assumptions that must be validated
_ constraints and influencers
_ may, but need not, contain project requirements (usually only if the project is small)
_ may appear in the business case document or the project charter documents
Project objectives
_ named in the scope document
_ measurable and verifiable
_ usually time-bound with completion dates
Acceptance criteria
_ determine whether the project is complete and meets expectations
_ includes key performance indicators (KPIs), which are periodically monitored and indicate whether action is needed
deliverables
_ measurable outcomes determining whether the project or project phase is complete
_ specific and verifiable
_ considered “constraints” because their requirements or measurable results drive or restrict team actions
Critical success factors
_ requirements and deliverables
_ the elements that must be completed accurately and on schedule in order for the project to be considered complete
_ must be accurately described in scope document
influence
Something that can bring about a constraint or impact an existing constraint. E.g.:
_ change request
_ scope creep
_ constraint reprioritization (e.g. an event that changes the relative impact of the different constraints on the project)
_ interaction between constraints (e.g. an approved scope change request can change what the existing constraints are able to accomplish; may also reprioritize constraints)
_ stakeholder/sponsors/management (e.g. when they change their priorities, thereby affecting the project)
_ other projects
Common constraints on projects
_ budget _ scope _ deliverables _ quality _ environment _ resources _ requirements _ scheduling
When resources are constraints
_ when scarce, have limited availability, or cannot be delivered on time
_ resources are usually people
Forms of scheduling constraints
_ due date set by executive management
_ driven by external forces (e.g. summer olympics have to be held during the summer)
_ availability of resources
Approval of scope statement
_ conduct a “review session” with the team to make sure everyone is in agreement, that there are no unresolved issues
_ present the scope statement to all stakeholders, with a “sign-off and approval sheet” having a signature line for each sponsor and each major stakeholder
Categories of requirements
Stakeholders likely won’t make these distinctions, but project should for larger projects in order to organize them:
_ business requirements
_ functional requirements
_ technical requirements
Business requirements
_ why project is being conducted
_ how results satisfy business goals, strategy, perspective
_ answers: “What problem are we trying to solve?”
_ e.g. planned increase in revenue, decrease in overall spending, increase in market awareness
_ to document them, useful to show a “process diagram”
Process diagram
_ shows step-by-step how a process works
_ shows where approvals or decisions need to be made
_ example shows a flow control diagram for approval or denial of a project request form
Functional requirements
_ what the project will accomplish
_ desired capability
Technical requirements
_ how the project will meet the business and functional requirements
Requirements document
_ must be able to track, measure, and test requirements
_ makes the definition of success objective and concrete
_ as a standalone document (separate from the scope statement), should include at least:
_ _ business need for project
_ _ project objectives
_ _ requirements
_ _ project deliverables
Work breakdown structure (WBS)
_ deliverables-oriented hierarchy decomposing the project
_ after broken to “lowest level”, can establish time estimates, resource assignments, cost estimates
_ helps clarify the magnitude of the project; also sets boundaries of the project, because work not in the WBS is outside the scope
_ represented as either an outline or a tree; root node is the project; children of root are the major deliverables, project phases, or subprojects
_ does not logically or temporally order work
_ structure helps team members see how their work fits in
Work package level
_ lowest level of the WBS; leaf nodes of the WBS tree
_ where resources, time, and costs estimates are made
_ individually assigned to teams members or organizational units for completion
_ each node should have a unique identifier, usually a number, for tracking costs, schedule, and resources
Code accounts
_ the unique identifiers given to WBS nodes
Guidelines for making a successful WBS
_ recruit knowledgeable resources - also involve the team to get “buy in”
_ each subtree should completely specify its root
_ don’t refine it to the level of to-do lists, just to deliverables
_ allow tree depth to vary; usually 3 to 5 levels
WBS dictionary
documents levels of work and work components:
_ code of accounts IDs
_ description of work components (every deliverable)
_ organizations responsible for completing components
_ associated resources and cost estimates
_ criteria for acceptance
