Revision Flashcards
What are the four sources of conflict?
Kindlers four sources of conflict
1) Incomplete/Inaccurate information
- Cause team members to take different course of actions
- Most likely to happen in definition phase
- Particularly impactful in Iterative project deployment phase
- Frustration – loss of commitment
- Have they interpreted same information differently? PM to understand why
2) Inappropriate/Incompatible goals
- Clash over different opinions on what is important
- Stakeholder disagreement in scope – concept phase
- Risk of wasting resource or time
3) Ineffective Methods
- Was the task formulated well?
- Was the criteria clear?
- Were ethical standards followed?
Leader does not practice what they preach
Emphasise team shared values
4) Antagonistic or Negative feelings
- Resentment from poorly managed conflict previously
- People who have been undermined or - feel betrayed
- Loss of commitment
- Loss of belief in PM
What is a model of addressing conflict?
Thomas-Killmann Conflict Mode Instrument
Persons response to conflict along two behaviour traits
- Assertiveness: Individual attempts to satisfy his/her own concerns
- Cooperativeness: Individual attempts to satisfy the other persons concerns
1) Collaborating
Two heads are better than one
Find a mutually beneficial solution
Two or more parties of the same power (Stakeholders)
Definition phase – defining scope
Collaboration builds commitment/interest in objective being successful
2) Accommodating
Kill your enemies with kindness
One person sacrifice their own goals to accommodate the other
Bank credit to use later
PM to PM, one may need the other PM support in future
3) Compromising
Split the difference
Lies somewhere between competing and compromising
Give and take approach
Not ideal for either party
4) Avoiding
Leave well alone
Individual does not pursue their concerns
When one party is of higher power (Sponsor and Team Member)
Little chance of successfully resolving their concern
Raising may cause ill feeling and greater negative impact that leaving alone
5) Competing
Might makes right
If one has enough power may pursue their own goal with no consideration
Scenario health and safety issue – Safety never be compromised (business case)
What are the seven project elements?
- Time
- Cost
- Scope
- Quality
- Risk
- Benefits
- Safety
Project VS BAU
PROJECTS
Dynamic multi-disciplined teams
Deliver outputs
Respond to change
Managing project, time, cost, quality, scope
Risk Aware
BAU
Fixed specialised skills
Deliver outcomes and benefits
Continuous improvement
Operates within time, cost, quality, and safety constraints
Risk Averse
Benefits of project management
Compliance with governance - Controlled & sustainable
Staff capability - Extends experience of staff, helps equip them for more responsibility
Improved decision making - Adopting standardised approach helps equip stakeholders with information in a timely manner, better understanding of risks and improved decision making
Chance of project failure reduced - Using standardised organisational approach will increase likelihood of project meeting its objectives, increased likelihood benefits are realised
Barriers to using project management
Perception functional departments are being scrutinised - Department heads impacted by a project concerned their authority and control of resource is being undermined when a new PM is working in their environment (matrix organisation)
Lack of project management expertise - PM/Steering groups require certain skills. Need to have appropriate hard and soft skills to successfully deliver the project
Communication interfaces - Detailed, structured communication and interaction will be required to avoid confusion and conflict with different parties who have different and competing priorities
Perceived Bureaucracy - Extra work required to formally document the justification and project plan sometimes seen as a waste of time and resource
Circumstances that may prompt the use of a programme
1) When scope of the business change is not fully defined
First project within programme could be a ‘fact find’
Results used to add clarity to the scope of the programme
Paves the way for later projects within programme
Project has defined cost, time , quality so not ideal when change not defined
2) High amount of uncertainty
Splitting overall requirements into several phases uncertainty spread across project
Each project follows same risk management process (PMP)
Earlier projects hopefully mitigate threats and reduce risk level across programme
3) Complex set of dependencies and outputs
Programme manager can divide requirements into projects, defined for each project
If problems arise the PM can escalate to programme manager
Programme manager can decide to solve now or push to next project
Project would require change request, programme doesn’t
4) Programme does not have defined start and end date
What is a Visionary programme?
Senior leaders have a specific idea of what they want the organisation to look like when the work is complete
Tend to be transformative programmes (such as restructure)
Strong commitment to the vision and what it will do for the organisation
Most people get behind it as they see no other choice
Senior leader support is very common, top down approach
What is an Emerging programme?
Perhaps the hardest type of programme to get involved with as they do not actually start as programmes but grow into one as default
Happens because business starts a number of projects loosley connected
people realise they are struggling to secure similiar resource and there is an overlap in some outputs or deliverables
Concern benefits are double counted, as a result programme framework emerges so it can be bought into a single leadership structure, better coordination and communication
What is a mandatory programme?
Can happen at any given time (E.G new legislation) that generates multiple projects
resources and budget held centrally so easier to manage as a programme to monitor overall complience
Outcomes likley to be new polocies/procedures
Benefits of programme management
share resource - resources can be used more efficiently throuh integration (E.G software purchased for one project used for anouther)
Consistency
Risk management
complex change management
Barriers of programme management
Maintaining focus on life cycle of programme - Programme will very rarley have a defined path
Maintaining alignment of projects - external enviroment may impact stratgic change plans and business cases, programmes may need to realign
conflict of project priority
opposing objectives of stakeholders
When is portfolio management required
When resources are shared/limited - more pulled from BAU greater negative impact. limited resource due to investment/skills
Focus on moving into a new market
Ensuring business meets new legislation
VUCA
Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity
What are the typical contents of a PMP
1) Why - reasons work is required
2) What - objectives, scope, deliverables, acceptance criteria
3) how - may be multiple methods of acheiving stakeholder requirments, chosen method should be documented and reasons for its choice
4) who - key roles and responsabilities and plan defining resource requirments and how will be aquired
5) when - project schedule including key milestones, phasing and detailed timings for activities
6) How much - budgets and cash flows for expenditure
7) Where - geographical location
Who owns the PMP
Owned by the project manager
input by stakeholders
approved by project sponsor
what forms the deployment baseline
when the PMP has been reveiwed and approved by stakeholders and sponsor
it is the starting point for progress monitoring
baseline should only be changed with sponsor approval
How does scope differ between Project, Programme and Portfolios
Project - Has defined criteria for time & cost, scope is agreed at the start of the project (linear)
Programme - Broad scope, benefits support strategic objectives
Portfolio - Scope will change as the context of the business change enviroment
How does sucsess differ between Project, Programme and Portfolios
Project - Sucsess measured by stakeholder satisfaction in meeting time, cost quality constraints
programme - degree of benefits delivered
Portfolio - sucsess measured by the ongoing performance of the portfolio
How does management differ for project, programmes and portfolios
Project - Project managers manage time, cost, scope, quality, risk and benefits
proframme - Programme managers manage the project managers whilst adapting to changing priorities
Portfolio - Portfolio executive teams manage portfolio management staff
How does change differ for project, programmes and portfolios
Project - Project managers manage any changes via agreed change control
Programme - Programme manager must anticipate any change triggered from external enviroment that may impact strategic chnage
Portfolio - monitor change in all areas of the business to manage relevant inferfaces
How does planning differ for Projects, programmes and portfolios
Projects - Plans produced at high level and then refined throughout the lifecycle
Programme - programme plan produced when he programme is being defined, then decomposed into high level project plans
Portfolio - Portfolio managers create and maintain necessary processes and communications
4 benefits of an Iterative lifecycle
1) embracing change - requirments not defined from the outset, possible to add changes to timeboxs
2) Being on time - time is fixed, customer gains confidence and allows for early realisation or confirmation of benefits
3) level of quality protected - customer will set minimum standards for quality, these must be maintained to meet acceptance criteria
4) customer doesnt need everything - not all elements are critical, focus on the must haves within timebox
4 types of project reveiws
decision gate
autit
post project reveiw
benefits reveiw
3 reasons why a project may close early
1) failure of business case due to increased costs
2) poorley forecasted benefits
3) realisation risk is too large
4 ways outputs of knoweledge mnagemet informs decision making
1) help aid the understanding of stsus reports
2) engagement of subject matter experts
3) gathering lessons learned
4) risk identification
3 Strengths of a functional matrix
1) staff are skilled in expertise of their area
2) staff familiar with reporting lines and esculation routes, avoids confusion
3) staff not distracted by line management responsibilities and are focused on targets and objectives
3 weeknesses of a functional matrix
1) staff are less flexible and would find it hard to adapt
2) demotivated by lack of variety
3) career progression & job security can be limited. Project team dispanded after project close
3 Strengths of a project matrix
1) project manager will document roles and responsabilities and develop team around these
2) reasource skills and availability easily understood, PM will know where they can find required resource
3) staff see PM as aurthority and can rely on when decisions need to be made
3 weeknesses of a project matrix
1) team will be dispanded once project over. Skills aquired will be lost
2) required strong resource management
3) If a team memeber is not fully utilised no garentee they will be utilised on anouther
2 strengths of a matrix structrue
1) PM given authority over staff seconded to the project. Common understanding the PM will build and direct the team to deliver objectives
2) specilist skills maintained in function once project ends
2 weeknesses of matrix structure
1) staff may be conflicted as to who their lotalty lies - dual authority
2) PM must have strong communication, motivation and negotiation skills to gain commitment from staff
Sponsors responsabilities in the concept phase
Establish context in which the project will operate
agree team structure and provide resource
sign the business case
sponsors responsabilites in definition
Agree the contents of the PMP including stated baseline scope, timescale and budget
sponsors responsabilities in deployment phase
approval at project stage gates
receive reports from PM and take necessary actions
make decisions when outside of PM authority
engage with key stakeholders
Sponsors responsability in transition phase
accept deliverables
ensure plans for benefit realisation are in place
sponsors responsability in adoption phase
ensuring formal reveiw of the benefits documented in the business case is undertaken at benefit reveiw dates specified in benefits realisation plan
responsibilities of the Project Manager
Ensures objectives and responsabilities of the team are properly documented on RACI
facilitates the identification of project resource
facilitates team meetings to reveiw issues, risks and project progress
creates regular status reports
Roles and responsabilities of Governance board/steering group
- represent key stakeholders from user and supplier groups
- assists the sponsor with championing the project
- input into the business case
Roles and responsabilities of Users
- specify the needs of those who will use the projects products
- helps the sponsor to identifty benefits
- helps with checking benefits
Roles and responsabilities of Product Owner
a representative of user/customer who is embedded within agile development team
priratises backlog
Benefits of a PMO
1) provides a centre of excellence
2) experts in planning tools and risk software
3) maintain corporate consistancy
4) single source of information
4 communication methods
1) Face to face
2) email
3) video confrencing
4) reports
4 barriers to effective communication
1) culture and language
2) geography and time zones
3) the enviroment (noise)
4) misinterpratation
what is included in a comms plan
what
why
who
when
medium
Benefits of a communication plan
1) sense of ownership
2) less liklihood of conflict
3) reporting of project progress
4) relaying of information - PM responsability
Tuckmans stages of team development
forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning
challanges of building and leading a virtual team
1) building trust
2) culture
3) communication
4) ensuring contribution
4 factors that contribute to sucsessful teams
1) clearly defined goals
2) clearly defined roles
3) open and clear communication
4) management of conflict
Common Estimating methods
1) Analogous - History. assumming records have been kept up to date, historical project data and learnings can be used to produce a reasonable estimate - concept phase
2) quantatative or parametric - analysis of data relating to cost, effort or matirial - definition phase
3) Analytical - using a detailed work breakdown structure, Uses the expertise of the team. Reffered to bottom up estimating - definition phase
4) Delphi - generates estimates throguh team or expert concensus. Group all estimate and these are then compared.
what is resource smoothing
used when time constraints take priroty
objective is to complete work by set date whilst avoiding peaks and troughs in resource demand
may be achvied by delaying work (total float), cannot impact critical path
disadvantage that it reduces flexibility and increases risk of schedule delay
itertaive
what is resource leveling
linear lifecycle
used when limits on resource availability take priority, no more resource available
impact to critical path, will need to be re-calculated and a new deployment baseline
allowed to delvier late
Benefits of complying with project governance
1) maintaining stakeholder confidence
2) accountability and responsability
3) stakeholder engagement
4) better decision making
what are the stages of benefit management
identification
definition
planning
tracking
realisation
DOAM
Description, observation, attribution, measurment
what is requirments management
process of capturing, assesing and justifying stakeholder wants and needs
what is quality management
ensuring outputs, benefits and processes by which they are delivered meet stakeholder requirments and are fit for purpose
Steps of the requirments management process
gather
analyse
justify
baseline
quality management elements
quality planning
quality assurance
quality control
continuous improvement
elements of the change control process
request
initial evaluation
detailed evaluation
recommendation
update plans
implement the change
Advantages of change control
1) a formal process will ensure accurate record keeping so that stakeholders are all clear on the current baselin
2) helps avoid any uneccsary changes, ensuring effieicnt use of resource
3) project scope is managed and control is maintained via the provision of a clear baseline, describing time, cost and quality paramaters
disadvantages of a change control process
1) could cause delay in schedule due to various levels of management that may be involved with approving, deffering or rejecting the change
2) may seem like unneccesary beauracracy, some senior managers will just want to get it done
3) could cause conflict between PM and user if users beleive pM to be hiding behind process
configuration management process
Planning
identification
control
status accounting
verification and audit
Risk Management Process
Initiate
identify
assess
plan responses
implement responses
How to describe a risk effectivley
cause, event, effect
Benefits of risk management
1) increase return of investment
2) increased chance of project sucsess
3) leassons learned for future projects
4) aids decision making
What is an issue
something that threatens projects objectives
Issue Management Process
create an issue register
log the issue
evaluate the issue
esculate the issue
asign actions
monitor progress
Assess the resolution
approve resolution
close the issue
BATNA
Best alternative to negotiated agreement
