Project life Cycles and initiating Project Flashcards
Development approaches and Project Life Cycles
-Predictive
-Iterative
-Incremental
-Agile
when do you have a predictive project approach
-Requirements are defined up-front before development begins
-Deliver plans for the eventual deliverable. Then deliver only a single final product at end of project timeline
-change is constrained as much as possible
-Key stakeholders are involved at specific milestone
-Risk and cost are controlled by detailed planning of mostly knowable considerations
when is it an iterative/Incremental project approach
-Requirement can be elaborated at periodic intervals during delivery
-Delivery can be divided into subset of the overall product
-change is incorporated at periodic intervals
-Key stakeholders are regularly involved
-Risk and cost are controlled by progressively elaborating the plans with new information
When do we make an agile project approach?
-requirements are elaborated frequently during delivery
-Delivery occurs frequently with customer-valued subset of the overall product
-change is incorporated in real-time during delivery
-key stakeholders are continuously involved
-Risk and cost are controlled as requirements and constraints emerge
Iterative
try different ideas to clarify scope, approach and requirement
Incremental
Progressively develop features and functions
Project life cycle
is a series of phases that a project passes through from its start to its
completion
Project phase
is a collection of logically related project activities that culminates in the completion of one or more deliverables.
3 project life cycles
-waterfall (going down more in detail)
-flow project life cycles
-
Product life Cycle (schema page 12)
Project 1: initial creation
Project 2: more features
Project 3: Additions
Project 4: Revisions
project 5: Revision
Project 6: Revision
Project 7: Retirement
Project management process groups
progress from initiating activities to planning activities,
executing activities, monitoring and controlling activities, and closing activities
process
is a series of actions directed toward a particular result
Description of the process group
-Initiating process : include actions to begin projects and project phases
-Planing processes: include devising and maintaining a workable scheme to ensure that the project meets its scope, time, and cost goals as well as organizational needs
-Executing processes: processes include coordinating people and other resources to carry out the project plans and produce the deliverables of the project or phase.
-monitoring and controlling processes: measure progress toward achieving project goals, monitor deviation from plans, and take corrective action to match progress with plans and customer expectations
-closing processes: include formalizing acceptance of the project or phase and bringing it to an orderly end
deliverable
is a product or service produced or provided as part of a project
characteristic of the processes group
-the level of activity and length of each process group varies for every project
the level of activity and length of each process group
-executing tasks require the most resources and time, followed by planning tasks
-Monitoring and controlling processes are done throughout the project’s life span
-Initiating and closing tasks are usually the shortes
But every project are unique
the process group apply..
to entire projects as well as to project phases
A phase
is a distinct stage in project development, and most projects have distinct phases
a champion
a senior manager who acts as a
key proponent for a project
Top management commitment
is the direct involvement of senior management in the most important business processes of the company
–> Without top management commitment, many projects will fail
How top managers can help project managers succeed
-Provide adequate resources
-Approve unique project needs in a timely manner
-Encourage cooperation from people in other parts of the organization and deal with political issues
-Mentor and coach them on leadership issues
-Develop and enforce organizational standards
-Support a project management office (PMO)
Senior management work together to
-Determine scope, time, and cost constraints
-identify the project sponsor
-Select the project manager
-Develop a business case for the project
-Review processes/expectations
-Determine if the project should be divided into two or more smaller projects
Project managers lead efforts to:
-Identify and understand project stakeholders
-Create the project charter and assumption log
-Hold a kick-off meeting
Pre-initiating Processes
lay the groundwork for a project before it officially starts
After a project is approved, senior managers should meet to accomplish the following tasks:
-Determine the scope, time, and cost constraints for the project
-Identify the project sponsor
-Select the project manager
-Meet with the project manager to review the process and expectations for managing the project
-Determine if the project should be divided into two or more smaller projects (like the Just-In- Time Training Project was) because it is easier to manage smaller projects than larger ones
Business case for a project
is a document that provides financial justification for investing in a project Typical contents:
Initiating Processes
-Identifying project stakeholders
-Creating the project charter
-Creating the assumption log
-Holding a kick-off meeting
Project stakeholders
the people involved in or affected by project activities
Internal project stakeholders
include the project sponsor, project team, support staff, and internal customers for the project. Other internal stakeholders include top management, other functional managers, and other project managers
External project stakeholders
include the project’s customers (if they are external to the organization), competitors, suppliers, and other external groups that are potentially involved in or affected by the project, such as government officials and concerned citizens
Project charter
page 29
assumption log
is a document used to record and track assumptions and constraints throughout the project life cycle.
Why use an assumption log
It aids in communicating information to key stakeholders and avoids potential confusion.
Most projects include several assumptions that affect the scope, time, cost, risk, and other
knowledge areas.
–> It is important to document and validate these assumptions
kick-off meeting
is a meeting held at the beginning of a project so that stakeholders can meet each other, review the goals of the project, and discuss future plans.
–> it’s crucial to get projects off to a great start
what should be done to prepare the kick off meeting
-Invitation (date, time, venue or virtual setup, etc.)
-Agenda
-Review and/or prepare project charter
-Clarify roles
-Dress professional
Scrum theory is based on 3 pillars
-Transparency
-Inspection
-Adaptation
Scrum theory also emphasizes 5 values
-Commitment
-Focus
-Openness
-Respect
-Courage
Definition Scrum
is an empirical process, where decisions are based on observation, experience and experimentation
A scrum master
ensures that all scrum events take place and are positive, productive,t and kept within the timeboxn
Identify key stakeholders (agile approach)
-the product owner: is responsible for maximizing the value of the product createdby the development team by managing the product backlog.
-The scrum master: is responsible for promoting and supporting the Scrum process as defined in the Scrum Guide.
-the development team: are professionals who do the work of delivering a potentially releasable increment of a product at the end of each sprint.
Product vision statement
describes the desired future state that would be achieved by developing and deploying a product.
Product strategy
is a high-level plan describing what the organization hopes to accomplish with
its product and how it plans to do so.
–> The strategy is depicted in a product roadmap
Product Backlog
an emergent ordered list of what is needed to improve the product
Contents of the product backlog
-a priority number
-ID
-description (often in the form of a user story)
-an estimate.
user story
is a description of what a customer or user would want from a product or solution.
Product release plan
is a tactical document that spans only a few months and is used internally for the development teams.
A product release plan is based on the?
-on the initial sprints
-feedback from the team and stakeholders
An example of project that used an agile/ hybrid approach
GCHC
–> they create :
-An initial product backlog
-Relative size estimates for user stories
-A high-level product release plan
