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Module 3-4 Modules 3-4 - material-Centennial college...

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Chapter 3 Initiating Projects Key terms: 1. Agile project management-Relating to or denoting a method of project management, used especially for software development, is characterized by the division of tasks into short phases of work and frequent reassessment and adaptation of plans…agile methods replace high-level design with frequent redesign 2. Business Case- A document that provides financial justification for investing in a project 3. ITTO- Inputs, Tools and techniques, Outputs 4. Kick-off meeting-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 5. Project Charter-A document that formally recognizes the existence of a project and provides a summary of the project’s objectives and management 6. Stakeholders-People, either internal or external, who either care about or have a vested interest in a project Initiating Let’s turn our attention to the first process group: Initiating. As you know, before a project is initiated, the objective or need for the project has been identified (it is often a business problem or opportunity), and the project selection process has led to the project being approved. While senior management “pre-initiates” the project, the project manager is responsible for initiating it.

Senior management’s pre-initiating tasks 

Determine the scope, time and cost constraints of the project

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Identify the project sponsor

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Select the project manager

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Develop a business case for the project

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Review the processes and expectations for managing the project

Project manager’s initiating tasks 

Identify and understand the stakeholders involved in the project

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Create the project charter

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Hold a kick-off meeting

Best practices for initiating projects

As you can imagine, there are several best practices for initiating projects. As you lreview these four best practices, ask yourself what might happen if you don’t incorporate them into a project.    

Keep the scope realistic. Involve users from the start of the project. Use off-the-shelf hardware and software whenever possible. Follow good project management processes.

Case study: Just-in-time Training Phase 1 Here’s a case study from your textbook, An Introduction to Project Management–Sixth Edition by Kathy Schwalbe, that demonstrates the process of initiating a project. Global Construction wants to provide “just-in-time” training for its employees. Here are the steps that the organization must take to initiate this project, known as “Just-in-time Training Phase 1”.

Just-in-time Training Phase 1 Scope goals = Project overview 

Investigate and document the training taken in the last two years by all internal employees.

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Determine what courses were taken, the cost of all training, the process for approving/assigning training, and the evaluation of the training by participants, if available.

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Survey employees to get their input on what training they believe they’ll need in the next two years, how they’d like to take the training (i.e., instructor-led inhouse, instructor-led through a local college, university, or training company, Web-based, CD/ROM, etc.). Also, hold focus groups to determine training needs.

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Recommend how to provide the most valuable training for Global Construction employees in the next two years.

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Determine the scope, time, and cost goals for the development and implementation of the Just-In-Time Training Phase II project.

Time goals: Three months Cost goals: $50,000 Approach/Assumptions 

All of the costs would be for internal labour.

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All managers and employees would receive information about this study project.

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A response rate of 30% would be acceptable for the survey.

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The project team would do extensive research to back up their recommendations.

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The team would also provide detailed monthly reports and presentations to a steering committee.

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The final deliverables would include a one-hour final presentation and a comprehensive project report documenting all of the information and recommendations.

Business case for a project You’ve likely heard of business cases before. A business case is a document that provides financial justification for investing in a project. The business case should include:         

Introduction/Background Business Objective(s) Current Situation and Problem/Opportunity Statement Critical Assumptions and Constraints Analysis of Options and Recommendation Preliminary Project Requirements Budget Estimate and Financial Analysis Schedule Estimate Potential Risks

Initiating processes Take a moment to review this table from the PMBOK® Guide–Sixth Edition, which maps the knowledge areas to project management process groups. We’re particularly interested in the Initiating process group, which includes developing a project charter and identifying stakeholders of the project.There are three processes involved in initiating a project:

1. Creating a project charter

A project charter is a document that formally recognizes the existence of a project and provides a summary of the project’s objectives and management. It authorizes the project manager to use organizational resources to complete the project. Ideally, the project manager plays a major role in developing the project charter. Instead of project charters, some organizations initiate projects using a simple letter of agreement or formal contracts. Take a moment to review this diagram from the PMBOK® Guide–Sixth Edition, which depicts the inputs, tools and techniques and outputs involved in developing a project charter. Note especially the tools and techniques project managers need to complete this task. A project charter typically contains several elements.          

1. The project’s title and date of authorization 2. The project manager’s name and contact information 3. The desired timelines, including the planned start and finish dates 4. A summary of the project’s estimated cost and budget allocation 5. A brief description of the project objectives 6. Project success criteria, including project approval requirements and who signs off on the project 7. A summary of the planned approach for managing the project stakeholder needs and expectations, important assumptions and constraints 8. A roles and responsibilities matrix 9. A sign-off section for signatures of key project stakeholders 10. A comments section in which stakeholders can provide important comments related to the project

Creating a stakeholder analysis Not only is it important to identify the stakeholders involved in a project, but it's also crucial to conduct a stakeholder analysis. Taking the time to evaluate a project's key participants and how the project will affect their needs, interest in, and power over the project. As you can see in this power/interest grid, the higher the stakeholder’s power and interest in the project, the more closely the project manager should pay attention to that particular stakeholder. In other words, a stakeholder who has low interest and low power should be monitored, whereas a stakeholder who has both high interest and high power should be managed much more closely. Unaware 

The stakeholder is unaware of the project and its potential impacts on them

Resistant 

The person is aware of the project yet resistant to the change it will bring.

Neutral 

The person is aware of the project but neither supports nor resists it.

Supportive 

The stakeholder is aware of the project and is supportive of change.

Leading 

The stakeholder is not only aware of the project and its potential impacts but is actively engaged in helping it succeed.

3. Holding a project kick-off meeting A 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. In short, this initial meeting “kicks off” the project. In practice, kick-off meetings are often used to get support for a project and clarify roles and responsibilities. The project champion should speak first and introduce the project sponsor and project manager. Make no mistake, there is a fair amount of work is done to prepare for the meeting, as it can set the tone for the rest of the project It’s usually best if the kick-off meeting can be held face-to-face, with videoconferencing an excellent alternative to in-person meetings.

Key takeaways Here are a few key takeaways from this week’s information and learning activities. During the process group known as Initiating, the objective or need for the project is identified; this can be a business problem or opportunity. An appropriate response to the need is documented in a business case with recommended solutions. Project initiation usually involves four processes: identifying stakeholders, creating the project charter, creating an assumptions log, and holding a kickoff meeting. Now that you have learned about project selection and the initiating processes, you are able to work on the first part of your project.

Next week, you’ll learn about integration and scope management when planning projects. Take care until then.

Chapter 4 An Introduction to Project Management Sixth Edition Key Terms Baseline-A starting point, a measurement, or an observation that is documented so that it can be used for future comparison; also defined as the original project plans plus approved change Project Management Plan-A document used to coordinate all project planning documents and to help guide a project’s execution and control Requirement-A condition or capability that is necessary to be present in a product, service, or result to satisfy a business need Requirements management plan- A plan that describes how project requirements will be analyzed, documented and managed Requirements Traceability matrix (RTM)- A table that lists requirements, various attributes of each requirement, and the status of the requirements to ensure that all of them are addressed Scope baseline-The approved project scope statement and its associated WBS and WBS dictionary Scope Statement-Document that describes product characteristics and requirements, user acceptance criteria, and deliverab Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)- A deliverable-oriented grouping of the work involved in a project that defines the total scope of the project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) dictionaryA document that describes detailed information about WBS deliverables, sub-deliverables, and work packages Work Package-A deliverable at the lowest level of the WBS, where it can be appropriately assigned to and managed by a single accountable person

Planning Projects Part 1: Project Integration and Scope Management Successful project managers know how important it is to develop, refine, and follow plans to meet project goals. People (including students like you!) are more likely to perform well if they know what they are supposed to do and when. Planning is often the most difficult and unappreciated process in project management. Often, people do not want to take the time to plan well, but theory and practice show that good planning is crucial to good execution. The main purpose of project planning is to guide the execution of the project, so project plans must be realistic and useful. Do you remember, from the first module of this course, the statistics on the sheer volume of projects that fail? Having a detailed plan will improve project results. However, do not waste your time planning if you will not follow the plan. A plan is not a wall decoration or something to be used only to convince stakeholders. The plan is a guide to be followed and that allows you to measure your progress. You may have to change your plan during the execution of your project –just like Centennial College professors had to change program delivery as a result of COVID-19. As you can see from the PMBOK® table above, planning has processes in all knowledge areas and usually starts with a process called “Plan ”.

Project integration management Project integration management involves coordinating all the project management knowledge areas throughout a project’s life span. According to the PMBOK® Guide–Sixth Edition, project integration management refers to all the processes and activities to identify, define, combine, unify, and coordinate the various processes and project management activities within the project management process groups. Specifically, project integration management includes making choices about how to:      

Allocate resources Balance competing demands Examine alternative approaches, if there are any Tailor the processes to meet the project’s goals Managing the interdependencies among project management knowledge areas Who is responsible for managing the integration of all these project processes and activities? The project manager. Unlike other knowledge areas, this task and

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responsibility cannot be delegated or transferred to other team members, as it is the project manager who is ultimately responsible for the project in its entirety. This diagram maps the knowledge areas, planning process, and outputs for planning the integration of a project.

Project management plan A project management plan (PMP) explains how the project objectives outlined in the project charter will be achieved. Project management plans are used to coordinate all project planning documents and to help guide a project’s execution and control. As you can see in this diagram, there are several inputs and tools and techniques required to create a single output, the project management plan. Inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs for developing a project management plan PMBOK® Guide–Sixth Edition, Chapter 4 The project management plan retains the high-level elements of the project charter, namely the project's goals, objectives, and deliverables, while adding "lower-level" details about how those expectations will be met, in the form of tasks and dependencies, for instance. Project management plans facilitate communication among stakeholders and provide a baseline for progress measurement and project control. Once the project management plan is approved, it serves as a baseline for measuring the actual performance of the project throughout the execution. (A performance measurement baseline is a starting point, a measurement, or an observation that is documented so that it can be used for future comparisons.) Project management plans should be dynamic, flexible, and receptive to change when the environment or project changes: just as projects are unique, so are project plans. For a small project involving a few people over a couple of months, a project charter, team contract, scope statement, and Gantt chart might be the only project planning documents needed; there would not be a need for a separate project management plan. A large project involving 100 people over three years would benefit from having a detailed project management plan and separate plans for each knowledge area.

What’s included in a project management plan? Descriptions of several aspects of the project ensure that all project team members and stakeholders start and execute the project with a similar understanding: 

Introduction/overview of the project- This section will contain more detailed information about the project.

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Project organization-This section will include the Org Chart of your project. It may not contain the names of the resources as it will be part of the project execution phase. Remember that you can plan a project and postpone its execution because you don’t have financial resources for example.

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Management and technical processes-Overview of management process to be used during the project execution. It must include the change management process.

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Work to be performed-This includes an overview of the work to be included and the work that will not be performed. The detailed work will be part of the scope management plan. This will serve as a guideline to plan scope. For example, in a renovation project you can state that your project should include the complete renovation of the kitchen and that external areas will not be part of the project.

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Schedule information-The overall project schedule with main milestones and desired dates. This will guide the schedule management plan.

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Budget information-The available budget for the project and some assumptions and restrictions. For example you can have a total budget for a house renovation and how much should be directed to each room. You can also include the required reserves to be considered for contingency and management.

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References to other project planning documents-Plans created in the other knowledge areas are subsidiary parts of the overall project management plan and provide more detailed information about that knowledge area. Subsidiary plans can include:

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Scope management plan Schedule management plan Cost management plan Quality management plan Staffing management plan Procurement management plan Communications management plan Process improvement plan Risk management plan Stakeholder management plan

Team contracts A team contract can help avoid those common “dysfunctions”. A team contract is created and signed by team members describing their rules during the project. It is like a prenup contract that you sign when you are in love to be used when you want to divorce. You must consider the “what if?” situations that may happen during the project execution. What if a team member does not answer my emails? What to do when someone does not deliver their part of the work? A team contract spells out expectations and guidelines for team members and includes a code of conduct, expectations for participation, communication protocols, and problem-solving processes. There are many benefits to creating a team contract. Specifically, a good team contract promotes teamwork and clarifies how the team should communicate with each other.

Sample team contract Code of Conduct: As a project team, we will: 

Work proactively, anticipating potential problems, and preventing their occurrence.

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Keep other team members informed of information related to the project.

Participation: We will: 

Be honest and open during all project activities.

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Provide the opportunity for equal participation.

Communication: We will: 

Keep discussions on track and have one discussion at a time.

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Work together to create the project schedule and related information and enter actuals, issues, risks, and other information into our enterprise project management system by 4 p.m. every Friday.

Problem Solving: We will: 

Only use constructive criticism and focus on solving problems, not blaming people.

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Strive to build on each other’s ideas.

Meeting Guidelines: We will:

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Plan to have a face-to-face meeting of the entire project team every Tuesday morning.

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Develop and follow an agenda for all meetings.

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Record meeting minutes and send out an e-mail within 24 hours stating that the minutes are posted on the project website. Minutes...