Project MGMT chapter 5 - Winter 2013

Question 1

Project Scope Management Processes

Answer 1

• Collecting requirements: defining and documenting the features and functions of the products produced during the project as well as the processes used for creating them
• Defining scope: reviewing the project charter, requirements documents, and organizational process assets to create a scope statement
• Creating the WBS: subdividing the major project deliverables into smaller, more manageable components
• Verifying scope: formalizing acceptance of the project deliverables
• Controlling scope: controlling changes to project scope throughout the life of the project

Question 2

Scope

Answer 2

refers to all the work involved in creating the products of the project and the processes used to create them

Question 3

A deliverable

Answer 3

is a product produced as part of a project, such as hardware or software, planning documents, or meeting minutes

Question 4

Project scope management includes

Answer 4

the processes involved in defining and controlling what is or is not included in a project

Question 5

A Requirement

Answer 5

is “a condition or capability that must be met or possessed by a system, product, service, result, or component to satisfy a contract, standard, specification, or other formal document”

It is important to use an iterative approach to defining requirements since they are often unclear early in a project

Question 6

Methods for Collecting Requirements

Answer 6

• Interviewing
• Focus groups and facilitated workshops
• Using group creativity and decision-making techniques
• Questionnaires and surveys
• Observation
• Prototyping
• Software tools

Question 7

requirements management plan

Answer 7

describes how project requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed

Question 8

requirements traceability matrix (RTM)

Answer 8

is a table that lists requirements, various attributes of each requirement, and the status of the requirements to ensure that all requirements are addressed

Question 9

Defining Scope

Answer 9

Key inputs for preparing the project scope statement include the project charter, requirements documentation, and organizational process assets such as policies and procedures related to scope statements as well as project files and lessons learned from previous, similar projects
As time progresses, the scope of a project should become more clear and specific

Question 10

WBS

Answer 10

is a deliverable-oriented grouping of the work involved in a project that defines the total scope of the project

is a foundation document that provides the basis for planning and managing project schedules, costs, resources, and changes

Question 11

Decomposition

Answer 11

is subdividing project deliverables into smaller pieces

Question 12

A work package

Answer 12

is a task at the lowest level of the WBS

Question 13

Approaches to Developing WBSs

Answer 13

• The analogy approach: review WBSs of similar projects and tailor to your project
• The top-down approach: start with the largest items of the project and break them down
• The bottom-up approach: start with the specific tasks and roll them up
• Mind-mapping approach: mind mapping is a technique that uses branches radiating out from a core idea to structure thoughts and ideas

Question 14

A WBS dictionary

Answer 14

is a document that describes detailed information about each WBS item

Question 15

Advice for Creating a WBS and WBS Dictionary

Answer 15

• A unit of work should appear at only one place in the WBS
• The work content of a WBS item is the sum of the WBS items below it
• A WBS item is the responsibility of only one individual, even though many people may be working on it
• The WBS must be consistent with the way in which work is actually going to be performed; it should serve the project team first and other purposes only if practical
• Project team members should be involved in developing the WBS to ensure consistency and buy-in
• Each WBS item must be documented in a WBS dictionary to ensure accurate understanding of the scope of work included and not included in that item
• The WBS must be a flexible tool to accommodate inevitable changes while properly maintaining control of the work content in the project according to the scope statement

Question 16

Verifying Scope

Answer 16

• It is very difficult to create a good scope statement and WBS for a project
• It is even more difficult to verify project scope and minimize scope changes
• Scope verification involves formal acceptance of the completed project scope by the stakeholders
• Acceptance is often achieved by a customer inspection and then sign-off on key deliverables

Question 17

Goals of scope control are to

Answer 17

Influence the factors that cause scope changes
Assure changes are processed according to procedures developed as part of integrated change control
Manage changes when they occur

Question 18

Variance

Answer 18

is the difference between planned and actual performance

Question 19

Best Practices for Avoiding Scope Problems

Answer 19

1. Keep the scope realistic. Don’t make projects so large that they can’t be completed. Break large projects down into a series of smaller ones.
2. Involve users in project scope management. Assign key users to the project team and give them ownership of requirements definition and scope verification.
3. Use off-the-shelf hardware and software whenever possible. Many IT people enjoy using the latest and greatest technology, but business needs, not technology trends, must take priority.
4. Follow good project management processes. As described in this chapter and others, there are well-defined processes for managing project scope and others aspects of projects.

Question 20

Suggestions for Improving User Input

Answer 20

1. Develop a good project selection process and insist that sponsors are from the user organization
2. Have users on the project team in important roles
3. Have regular meetings with defined agendas, and have users sign off on key deliverables presented at meetings
4. Deliver something to users and sponsors on a regular basis
5. Don’t promise to deliver when you know you can’t
6. Co-locate users with developers

Question 21

Suggestions for Reducing Incomplete and Changing Requirements

Answer 21

• Develop and follow a requirements management process
• Use techniques such as prototyping, use case modeling, and JAD to get more user involvement
• Put requirements in writing and keep them current
• Create a requirements management database for documenting and controlling requirements
• Provide adequate testing and conduct testing throughout the project life cycle
  Review changes from a systems perspective
• Emphasize completion dates to help focus on what’s most important
• Allocate resources specifically for handling change requests/enhancements like NWA did with ResNet

Question 22

Using Software to Assist in Project Scope Management

Answer 22

• Word-processing software helps create several scope-related documents
• Spreadsheets help to perform financial calculations and weighted scoring models and to develop charts and graphs
• Communication software like e-mail and the Web help clarify and communicate scope information
• Project management software helps in creating a WBS, the basis for tasks on a Gantt chart
• Specialized software is available to assist in project scope management