Project life-cycle and Activities Flashcards
Maylors (2010) 4 life-cycle stages
- Define - what the project is about, explore possible problems and resource needs.
- Design - construct models to show how the needs will be developed, evaluate these to determine the optimum process for the task and minimum risk
- Deliver - carry out the project in line with the models or plans generated earlier
- Develop - improve the outcomes and processes in the light of the experience gained from the project
Japanese project management?
- We see a lot of emphasis on execution, but Japanese have many more resources in first two phases.
- They involve their time and resources much earlier one and see much higher levels of success on such projects.
Initiating projects?
- Define needs
- ROI analysis
- Once we’ve defined need, we can understand solutions.
- Most managers like the later stage due to ambiguity at early stages. But this is what would help them get closer to their goals.
Project scoping definiton?
Project scope is the end result or mission of your project – a product or service for your client.
The primary purpose is to define as clearly as possible the deliverables for the client
- badly done in practice e.g. didn’t specify that initial training was included in IT needs, now have to pay more.
- Project objectives
- Deliverables
- Milestones
- Technical requirements
- Limits and exclusions
- Reviews with client
PS - Project objectives?
o What is the overall objective of the project?
o What is the client looking for?
PS - Deliverables?
e. g. Deliverables for a new software:
- an early design of the software,
- a prototype,
- a beta version, testing, etc.
PS - Milestones?
- Significant events that occurs at one point in time
* Useful to compare predicted and real costs
PS - Technical requirements?
- Aim to ensure appropriate performance levels.
e. g. engine co2 emissions, fuel consumption.
PS - Limits and exclusions?
What is NOT included in the project
- Almost as important as defining what is included in the project.
- Avoid disappointment and misunderstanding
- Managing expectations
This is where there is conflict, arguments and project failure.
PS - Client review?
Before – understanding of agreement and expectations
During – is the customer getting what she/he expected
After – how successful was the project?
Work packages requirements?
- Should not exceed 10 days
- Should be independent from each other
- Should belong to one sub-deliverable only
- Should constantly be monitored
Each work package should define:
- The work (what needs to be done?)
- the time to complete the WP (how long?)
- The budget to complete the WP (how much?)
- The resources needed (how much?)
- Who is responsible (who?)
- The monitoring points (how well?)
Ways to build project teams?
Importance of team members and their capabilities / experience throughout the project lifecycle
- BELBIN Test: Best applied to existing teams in order to help members analyse their roles and behaviour. Effective way to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of a team.
- A responsibility matrix - R for responsible, S for supporter.
Project team evolution?
- Teams often go through distinct stages in their development.
- Some teams never quite move through all the stages and never work efficiently and effectively as a proper team.
– Forming
– Storming
– Norming
– Performing
Most successful teams?
- have conflict and work through it to best solution, they have diversity and differences that they can learn from and build from.
