Project Management Midterm
Super Tools
"Super tools" are those tools that have high use and high potential for improving project success, such as: Software for task scheduling (such as project management software) Scope statements Requirements analyses Lessons-learned reports Tools already extensively used that have been found to improve project importance include: Progress reports Kick-off meetings Gantt charts Change requests
Project Integration Management Overview
1. Develop Project Charter 2. Develop Project Management Plan 3. Direct and Manage Project Work 4. Manage Project Knowledge 5. Control Project Work 6. Perform Integrated Change Control 7. Close Project or Phase
Important Skills and Competencies for Project Managers
1. People skills 2. Leadership 3. Listening 4. Integrity, ethical behavior, consistent 5. Strong at building trust 6. Verbal communication 7. Strong at building teams 8. Conflict resolution, conflict management 9. Critical thinking, problem solving 10. Understands, balances priorities
Scrum Framework
1. Product owner creates prioritized wish list or backlog 2. Project team creates sprint backlog 3. Teams have daily Scrum meetings during 2-4 week sprint 4. Sprint Results in a useful product
Organizational Structures
3 basic organization structures • Functional: functional managers report to the CEO • Project: program managers report to the CEO • Matrix: middle ground between functional and project structures; personnel often report to two or more bosses; structure can be weak, balanced, or strong matrix
Project Management Offices
A Project Management Office (PMO) is an organizational group responsible for coordinating the project management function throughout an organization
Best Practice
A best practice is "an optimal way recognized by industry to achieve a stated goal or objective"* Robert Butrick suggests that organizations need to follow basic principles of project management, including these two mentioned earlier: Make sure your projects are driven by your strategy. Be able to demonstrate how each project you undertake fits your business strategy, and screen out unwanted projects as soon as possible Engage your stakeholders. Ignoring stakeholders often leads to project failure. Be sure to engage stakeholders at all stages of a project, and encourage teamwork and commitment at all times
Program and Project Portfolio Management
A program is "a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually A program manager provides leadership and direction for the project managers heading the projects within the program Examples of common programs in the IT field include infrastructure, applications development, and user support
What Is a Project?
A project is "a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result" Operations is work done to sustain the business Projects end when their objectives have been reached or the project has been terminated Projects can be large or small and take a short or long time to complete
Project Phases and the Project Life Cycle
A project life cycle is a collection of project phases that defines • what work will be performed in each phase • what deliverables will be produced and when • who is involved in each phase, and • how management will control and approve work produced in each phase • A deliverable is a product or service produced or provided as part of a project (Conceptualization, Planning, Execution, Termination)
The Importance of Project Phases and Management Reviews
A project should successfully pass through each of the project phases in order to continue on to the next •Management reviews, also called phase exits or kill points, should occur after each phase to evaluate the project's progress, likely success, and continued compatibility with organizational goals
Top Three Reasons Why Federal Technology Projects Succeed
Adequate funding Staff expertise Engagement from all stakeholders
Agile Software Development
Agile software development has become popular to describe new approaches that focus on close collaboration between programming teams and business experts
Project Portfolio Management
As part of project portfolio management, organizations group and manage projects and programs as a portfolio of investments that contribute to the entire enterprise's success Portfolio managers help their organizations make wise investment decisions by helping to select and analyze projects from a strategic perspective
Advantages of Using Formal Project Management
Better control of financial, physical, and human resources Improved customer relations Shorter development times Lower costs Higher quality and increased reliability Higher profit margins Improved productivity Better internal coordination Higher worker morale
Three Sphere Model for Systems Management
Business Organization Technology
Project Life Cycles
Conceptualization - the development of the initial goal and technical specifications Planning - all detailed specifications, schedules, schematics, and plans are developed Execution - the actual "work" of the project is performed Termination - project is transferred to the customer, resources reassigned, project is closed out
What Makes IT So Difficult?
Difficulty describing required end state Requirements (scope) creep: Business needs change Customers ask for more PMs don't say "No!" Difficulty estimating cost and schedule Lack of executive level support for IT Complexity
Importance of Leadership Skills
Effective project managers provide leadership by example A leader focuses on long-term goals and big-picture objectives while inspiring people to reach those goals A manager deals with the day-to-day details of meeting specific goals Project managers often take on the role of both leader and manager
Ethics in Project Management
Ethics, loosely defined, is a set of principles that guide our decision making based on personal values of what is "right" and "wrong" Project managers often face ethical dilemmas In order to earn PMP certification, applicants must agree to PMI's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct Several questions on the PMP exam are related to professional responsibility, including ethics
What helps projects succeed?
Executive sponsorship Emotional maturity User involvement Optimization Skilled resources Agile processes Modest execution Project management expertise Clear business objectives
Recent Trends Affecting IT Project Management
Globalization •Outsourcing: Outsourcing is when an organization acquires goods and/or sources from an outside source. Offshoring is sometimes used to describe outsourcing from another country •Virtual teams: A virtual team is a group of individuals who work across time and space using communication technologies •Agile project management
Project Attributes
Has a unique purpose Is temporary Is developed using progressive elaboration Requires resources, often from various areas Should have a primary customer or sponsor The project sponsor usually provides the direction and funding for the project Impacts stakeholders Involves Uncertainty
Examples of IT Projects
Healthcare Interoperability - Healthcare providers update information systems to share information/data A team of students creates a smartphone application and sells it online A company develops a driverless car A small software development team adds a new feature to an internal software application for the finance department A multinational company consolidates its information systems into an integrated enterprise resource management approach
IT Governance
IT governance addresses the authority and control for key IT activities in organizations, including IT infrastructure, IT use, and project management • A lack of IT governance can be dangerous, as evidenced by three well-publicized IT project failures in Australia (Sydney Water's customer relationship management system, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's academic management system, and One.Tel's billing system)
The Context of IT Projects
IT projects can be very diverse in terms of size, complexity, products produced, application area, and resource requirements •IT project team members often have diverse backgrounds and skill sets •IT projects use diverse technologies that change rapidly. Even within one technology area, people must be highly specialized
Diverse Technologies and IT Project Management
IT projects use diverse technologies that change rapidly •Differences in technical knowledge can make communication between professionals challenging •New technologies have also shortened the time frame many businesses have to develop, produce, and distribute new products and services
More on Project Phases
In early phases of a project life cycle • resource needs are usually lowest • the level of uncertainty (risk) is highest • project stakeholders have the greatest opportunity to influence the project •In middle phases of a project life cycle • the certainty of completing a project improves • more resources are needed •The final phase of a project life cycle focuses on • ensuring that project requirements were met • the sponsor approves completion of the project
Unique Scrum Activities by Process Group
Initiating: Determine roles Decide how many sprints will compose each release and the scope of software to deliver Planning: Create product backlog Create sprint backlog Plan work each day in the daily scrum Document stumbling blocks in a list Executing: Complete tasks each day during sprints Produce a shippable product at the end of each sprint Monitoring and Controlling: Resolve issues and blockers Create and update burndown chart Demonstrate the completed product during the sprint review meeting Closing: Reflect on how to improve the product and process during the sprint reflection meeting
Different Skills Needed in Different Situations
Large projects: Leadership, relevant prior experience, planning, people skills, verbal communication, and team-building skills were most important High uncertainty projects: Risk management, expectation management, leadership, people skills, and planning skills were most important Very novel projects: Leadership, people skills, having vision and goals, self-confidence, expectations management, and listening skills were most important
Ten Characteristics of Organizational Culture
Member identity* • Group emphasis* • People focus • Unit integration* • Control • Risk tolerance* • Reward criteria* • Conflict tolerance* • Means-ends orientation • Open-systems focus* *Project work is most successful in an organization culture where these items are strong/high and other items are balanced
History of Project Management
Most people consider the Manhattan Project to be the first project to use "modern" project management This three-year, $2 billion (in 1946 dollars) project had a separate project manager and a technical manager
Organizational Culture
Organizational culture is a set of shared assumptions, values, and behaviors that characterize the functioning of an organization Many experts believe the underlying causes of many companies' problems are not the structure or staff, but the culture
Outsourcing
Organizations remain competitive by using outsourcing to their advantage, such as finding ways to reduce costs •Their next challenge is to make strategic IT investments with outsourcing by improving their enterprise architecture to ensure that IT infrastructure and business processes are integrated and standardized •Project managers should become more familiar with negotiating contracts and other outsourcing issues
Global Issues
Outsourcing also has disadvantages. For example, Apple benefits from manufacturing products in China, but it had big problems there after its iPhone 4S launch in January 2012 caused fighting between migrant workers who were hired by scalpers to stand in line to buy the phones. •When Apple said it would not open its store in Beijing, riots resulted and people attacked security guards. The Beijing Apple Store has had problems before. In May 2011, four people were injured when a crowd waiting to buy the iPad 2 turned ugly.
Project Management Certification
PMI provides certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) A PMP has documented sufficient project experience, agreed to follow a code of ethics, and passed the PMP exam The number of people earning PMP certification is increasing quickly PMI and other organizations offer additional certification programs
Importance of Top Management Commitment
People in top management positions are key stakeholders in projects • A very important factor in helping project managers successfully lead projects is the level of commitment and support they receive from top management • Without top management commitment, many projects will fail. • Some projects have a senior manager called a champion who acts as a key proponent for a project.
The Importance of Top Management Commitment
People in top management positions are key stakeholders in projects • A very important factor in helping project managers successfully lead projects is the level of commitment and support they receive from top management • Without top management commitment, many projects will fail. • Some projects have a senior manager called a champion who acts as a key proponent for a project.
Product and Sprint Backlog
Product Backlog: 1. User story templates, samples, and point person 2. WBS templates, samples, and point person 3. Project schedule templates, samples, and point person 4. Ability to charge customers for some intranet products and services 5. Ability to collect user suggestions 6. Business case templates, samples, and point person 7. Ask the Expert feature 8. Stakeholder management strategy templates, samples, and point person 9. Risk register templates, samples, and point person Sprint Backlog 1. User story templates, samples, and point person 2. WBS templates, samples, and point person 3. Project schedule templates, samples, and point person 4. Ability to charge customers for some intranet products and services 5. Ability to collect user suggestions
Product Life Cycles
Products also have life cycles •The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a framework for describing the phases involved in developing and maintaining information systems •Systems development projects can follow: • Predictive life cycle: the scope of the project can be clearly articulated and the schedule and cost can be predicted • Adaptive Software Development (ASD) life cycle: requirements cannot be clearly expressed, projects are mission driven and component based, using time-based cycles to meet target dates
Project Management Compared to Project Portfolio Management
Project Portfolio Management: (Strategic Goals) Are we working on the right projects? Are we investing in the right areas? Do we have the right resources to be competitive Project Management: (Tactical Goals) Are we carrying out projects well? Are projects on time and on budget? Do project stakeholders know what they should be doing?
What is Project Management?
Project management is "the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements" Project managers strive to meet the triple constraint (project scope, time, and cost goals) and also facilitate the entire process to meet the needs and expectations of project stakeholders
Project Management Tools and Techniques
Project management tools and techniques assist project managers and their teams in various aspects of project management Some specific ones include: Project charter, scope statement, and WBS (scope) Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path analysis, critical chain scheduling (time) Cost estimates and earned value management (cost)
The Role of the Project Manager
Project managers must work closely with the other stakeholders on a project, especially the sponsor and project team They are also more effective if they are familiar with the 10 project management knowledge areas And the various tools and techniques related to project management Job descriptions vary, but most include responsibilities like planning, scheduling, coordinating, and working with people to achieve project goals Remember that 97% of successful projects were led by experienced project managers, who can often help influence success factors
Project and Program Managers
Project managers work with project sponsors, project team, and other people involved in a project to meet project goals Program: group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually Program managers oversee programs; often act as bosses for project managers
Projects Cannot Be Run In Isolation
Projects must operate in a broad organizational environment •Project managers need to use systems thinking: taking a holistic view of carrying out projects within the context of the organization •Senior managers must make sure projects continue to support current business needs
What the Winners Do...
Recent research findings show that companies that excel in project delivery capability: Use an integrated project management toolbox (use standard/advanced PM tools, lots of templates) Grow project leaders, emphasizing business and soft skills Develop a streamlined project delivery process Measure project health using metrics, like customer satisfaction or return on investment Federal IT Digital Dashboard
Why a Project Management Certification?
Relevant for students who wish to develop a career as a project manager, functional managers on project teams, or project team members.
Information Technology Planning Process
Resource Allocation- Select information technology projects. Assign resources Project Planning- Define potential projects. Define project scope, benefits, and constraints. Business Area Analysis - Document key business processes that could benefit from information technology. Information Technology Strategy Planning - Tie information technology strategy to mission and vision of organization. Identify key business areas
The Triple Constraint of Project Management
Scope Goal Time Goal Cost Goal Project management can only be successful if the desired objective can be achieved in all three target dimensions.
Global Issues
Several global dynamics are forcing organizations to rethink their practices: Talent development for project and program managers is a top concern Good project portfolio management is crucial in tight economic conditions Basic project management techniques are core competencies Organizations want to use more agile approaches to project management Benefits realization of projects is a key metric
Scrum Events
Sprint planning session: A meeting with the team to select a set of work from the product backlog to deliver during a sprint. • Daily Scrum (Stand Up Meeting): A short meeting for the development team to share progress and challenges and plan work for the day. • Sprint reviews: A meeting in which the team demonstrates to the product owner what it has completed during the sprint. • Sprint retrospectives: A meeting in which the team looks for ways to improve the product and the process based on a review of the actual performance of the development team.
Project Stakeholders
Stakeholders are the people involved in or affected by project activities Stakeholders include: the project sponsor the project manager the project team support staff customers users suppliers opponents to the project
Need for Organizational Standards
Standards and guidelines help project managers be more effective • Senior management can encourage: • the use of standard forms and software for project management • the development and use of guidelines for writing project plans or providing status information • the creation of a project management office (PMO) or center of excellence
4 Frames of Organizations
Structural frame: Roles and responsibilities, coordination, and control. Organizational charts help describe this frame. Political frame: Coalitions composed of varied individuals and interest groups. Conflicts and power are key issues. Human resources frame: Providing harmony between needs of the organization and needs of people. Symbolic frame: Symbols and meanings related to events. Culture, language, traditions, and image are all apart of this frame.
Kanban
Technique that can be used in conjunction with scrum •Developed in Japan by Toyota Motor Corporation •Uses visual cues to guide workflow •Kanban cards show new work, work in progress, and work completed
Suggested Skills for Project Managers
The Project Management Body of Knowledge Application area knowledge, standards, and regulations Project environment knowledge General management knowledge and skills Soft skills or human relations skills Strong ethics (additional skill)
The Project Management Institute
The Project Management Institute (PMI) is an international professional society for project managers founded in 1969 PMI has continued to attract and retain members, reporting more than 500,000 members worldwide by late 2017 There are communities of practices in many areas, like information systems, financial services, and health care Project management research and certification programs continue to grow
Project Management Software
There are hundreds of different products to assist in performing project management Three main categories of tools: Low-end tools: Handle single or smaller projects well, cost under $200 per user Midrange tools: Handle multiple projects and users, cost $200-$1,000 per user, MS Project most popular High-end tools: Also called enterprise project management software, often licensed on a per-user basis, like Microsoft Enterprise Project Management solution
Project Success
There are several ways to define project success: The project met scope, time, and cost goals The project satisfied the customer/sponsor The results of the project met its main objective, such as making or saving a certain amount of money, providing a good return on investment, or simply making the sponsors happy
IT project portfolio categories
Venture: Transform the business (Discretionary Costs) Growth: Grow the business (Discretionary Costs) Core: Run the business (Non-discretionary Costs)
Predictive Life Cycle Models
Waterfall model: has well-defined, linear stages of systems development and support •Spiral model: shows that software is developed using an iterative or spiral approach rather than a linear approach •Incremental build model: provides for progressive development of operational software •Prototyping model: used for developing prototypes to clarify user requirements •Rapid Application Development (RAD) model: used to produce systems quickly without sacrificing quality
Knowledge areas
describe the key competencies that project managers must develop
10 Project Management Knowledge Areas
project integration scope time cost quality human resource communications risk procurement stakeholder management
Project Management Process Groups
•A process is a series of actions directed toward a particular result •Project management can be viewed as a number of interlinked processes •The project management process groups include: • initiating processes • planning processes • executing processes • monitoring and controlling processes • closing processes
A Systems View of Project Management
•A systems approach emerged in the 1950s to describe a more analytical approach to management and problem solving •Three parts include: Systems philosophy: an overall model for thinking about things as systems Systems analysis: problem-solving approach Systems management: address business, technological, and organizational issues before making changes to systems
Scrum
•According to the Scrum Alliance, Scrum is the leading agile development method for completing projects with a complex, innovative scope of work. •The term was coined in 1986 in a Harvard Business Review study that compared high-performing, cross-functional teams to the scrum formation used by rugby teams.
Scrum Artifacts
•An artifact is a useful object created by people •Scrum artifacts include: • Product backlog: A list of features prioritized by business value • Sprint backlog: The highest-priority items from the product backlog to be completed within a sprint • Burndown chart: Shows the cumulative work remaining in a sprint on a day-by-day basis
Project Integration Management Processes
•Developing the project charter involves working with stakeholders to create the document that formally authorizes a project—the charter. •Developing the project management plan involves coordinating all planning efforts to create a consistent, coherent document—the project management plan. •Directing and managing project work involves carrying out the project management plan by performing the activities included in it. • Monitoring and controlling project work involves overseeing activities to meet the performance objectives of the project • Performing integrated change control involves identifying, evaluating, and managing changes throughout the project life cycle. • Closing the project or phase involves finalizing all activities to formally close the project or phase.
Agile Project Management
•Early software development projects often used a waterfall approach. As technology and businesses became more complex, the approach was often difficult to use because requirements were unknown or continuously changing. •Agile means being able to move quickly and easily, but some people feel that project management, as they have seen it used, does not allow people to work quickly or easily. •Agile today means using a method based on iterative and incremental development, in which requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration.
Need for Organizational Commitment to Information Technology (IT)
•If the organization has a negative attitude toward IT, it will be difficult for an IT project to succeed •Having a Chief Information Officer (CIO) at a high level in the organization helps IT projects •Assigning non-IT people to IT projects also encourage more commitment
Manifesto for Agile Software Development
•In February 2001, a group of 17 people that called itself the Agile Alliance developed and agreed on the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, as follows: •"We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: •Individuals and interactions over processes and tools •Working software over comprehensive documentation •Customer collaboration over contract negotiation •Responding to change over following a plan"*
Virtual Teams Advantages
•Increasing competitiveness and responsiveness by having a team of workers available 24/7 •Lowering costs because many virtual workers do not require office space or support beyond their home offices. •Providing more expertise and flexibility by having team members from across the globe working any time of day or night •Increasing the work/life balance for team members by eliminating fixed office hours and the need to travel to work.
Project Initiation
•Initiating a project includes recognizing and starting a new project or project phase •The main goal is to formally select and start off projects •Key Documents • Stakeholder Registry • Stakeholder Management Strategy / Notes • Kick Off Meeting Agenda / Roles & Action Items
Project Closing
•Involves gaining stakeholder and customer acceptance of the final products and services •Even if projects are not completed, they should be closed out to learn from the past •Outputs include project files and lessons-learned reports, part of organizational process assets •Most projects also include a final report and presentation to the sponsor/senior management
Project Monitoring and Controlling
•Involves measuring progress toward project objectives, monitoring deviation from the plan, and taking correction actions •Affects all other process groups and occurs during all phases of the project life cycle •Outputs include performance reports, change requests, and updates to various plans
Virtual Team Disadvantages
•Isolating team members •Increasing the potential for communications problems •Reducing the ability for team members to network and transfer information informally •Increasing the dependence on technology to accomplish work •Factors that help virtual teams succeed, including team processes, trust/relationships, leadership style, and team member selection
Important Issues and Suggestions Related to Globalization
•Issues • Communications • Trust • Common work practices •. Tools •Suggestions • Employ greater project discipline • Think global but act local • Keep project momentum going • Use newer tools and technology
What Went Wrong?
•Making sure people are paid is crucial to employee satisfaction • When a payroll system project doesn't work, it is a disaster •Phoenix system project goal: reduce payroll processing overhead and staffing costs • One of the worst government-managed IT implementations ever • Civil servants paid through the system have been underpaid, overpaid, or not paid at all since its rollout began
Developing a Project Management Methodology
•Many organizations develop their own internal IT project management methodologies • A methodology describes how things should be done • A standard describes what should be done •Different project management methodologies • PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) • Agile • Rational Unified Process (RUP) • Six Sigma
Agile Makes Sense for Some Projects, But Not All
•Many seasoned experts in project management warn people not to fall for the hype associated with Agile. •For example, J. Leroy Ward, Executive Vice President at ESI International, said that "Agile will be seen for what it is ... and isn't....Project management organizations embracing Agile software and product development approaches will continue to grow while being faced with the challenge of demonstrating ROI through Agile adoption."*
Monitoring and Controlling
•Not different from PMBOK® Guide • Still check actual work vs. planned work •Different • Names of key reviews are the daily Scrum and the sprint review • A sprint board is used instead of a tracking Gantt chart or other tools • Use a burndown chart vs. earned value chart
Planning
•Not different from PMBOK® Guide • Still create a scope statement and can use a Gantt chart for the entire project schedule; other planning similar (risk, etc.) •Different: • Descriptions of work are identified in the product and sprint backlogs, more detailed work documented in technical stories, estimate a velocity or capacity for each sprint; release roadmap often used for schedule
Executing
•Not different from PMBOK® Guide • Still produce products, lead people, etc. •Different: • Produce several releases of software - users of the new software might be confused by getting several iterations of the product instead of just one • Communications different because the project team meets every morning, physically or virtually
What Went Wrong?
•Philip A. Pell, PMP, commented on how the U.S. IRS needed to improve its project management process. "Pure and simple, good, methodology-centric, predictable, and repeatable project management is the SINGLE greatest factor in the success (or in this case failure) of any project... The project manager is ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the project."* •The IRS continues to have serious problems in managing its aging IT infrastructure, and lack of proper planning is still being questioned
Project Management Process Groups
•Process Groups highly interact with each other and are dependent on each other •Are linked by specific inputs and outputs •Are not considered the Project Life Cycle Phases
Scrum Roles
•Product owner: The person responsible for the business value of the project and for deciding what work to do and in what order, as documented in the product backlog. •ScrumMaster: The person who ensures that the team is productive, facilitates the daily Scrum, enables close cooperation across all roles and functions, and removes barriers that prevent the team from being effective. •Scrum team or development team: A cross-functional team of five to nine people who organize themselves and the work to produce the desired results for each sprint, which normally lasts 2-4 weeks.
The Key to Overall Project Success: Good Project Integration Management
•Project managers must coordinate all of the other knowledge areas throughout a project's life cycle •Many new project managers have trouble looking at the "big picture" and want to focus on too many details; why? •Project integration management is not the same thing as software integration
Stakeholder Management
•Project managers must take time to identify, understand, and manage relationships with all project stakeholders •Using the four frames of organizations can help meet stakeholder needs and expectations •Senior executives/top management are very important stakeholders
Identifying Potential Projects
•Projects that address broad organizational needs are much more likely to be successful because they will be important to the organization • Examples: improve safety or increase morale •Business or mission problems • Performance shortfall • Reduce costs •Opportunity • New technology • Improve performance •Mandate (Govt.) • FAA • FDA • SEC
How Top Management Can Help Project Managers
•Providing adequate resources •Approving unique project needs in a timely manner •Getting cooperation from other parts of the organization •Mentoring and coaching on leadership issues
Strategic Planning and Project Selection
•Strategic planning involves determining long-term objectives, predicting future trends, and projecting the need for new products and services • Organizations often perform a SWOT analysis • analyzing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats •As part of strategic planning, organizations • identify potential projects • use realistic methods to select which projects to work on • formalize project initiation by issuing a project charter
Agile, the PMBOK® Guide, and a New Certification
•The PMBOK® Guide describes best practices for what should be done to manage projects. •Agile is a methodology that describes how to manage projects. •The Project Management Institute (PMI) recognized the increased interest in Agile, and introduced a new certification in 2011 called Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP). •Seasoned project managers understand that they have always had the option of customizing how they run projects, but that project management is not easy, even when using Agile.
Table 3-1. Project Management Process Groups and PMBOK Knowledge Area Mapping (look at table in chapter 3)
•The main activities of each PM process group mapped into the ten knowledge areas using the PMBOK® Guide
Project Planning
•The main purpose of project planning is to guide execution •Key outputs included in the JWD project include: • A team contract • A project scope statement • A work breakdown structure (WBS) • A project schedule, in the form of a Gantt chart with all dependencies and resources entered • A list of prioritized risks (part of a risk register)
PMI Talent Triangle and importance of Leadership skills
•The talent triangle includes: • Technical project management skills • Strategic and business management skills • Leadership skills •Leadership styles include: • Laissez-faire • Transactional • Servant leader • Transformational • Charismatic Interactional
Methods for Selecting Projects
•There are usually more projects than available time and resources to implement them • Methods for selecting projects include: • focusing on broad organizational needs • categorizing information technology projects • performing net present value or other financial analyses • using a weighted scoring model • implementing a balanced scorecard
Methods for Selecting Projects
•There are usually more projects than available time and resources to implement them •Methods for selecting projects include: • focusing on broad organizational needs • categorizing information technology projects • performing net present value or other financial analyses • using a weighted scoring model • implementing a balanced scorecard
Project Executing
•Usually takes the most time and resources to perform project execution •Project managers must use their leadership skills to handle the many challenges that occur during project execution •Many project sponsors and customers focus on deliverables related to providing the products, services, or results desired from the project •A milestone report within a communication plan helps focus on completing major milestones • Phase Gate Review with all Stakeholders
Mapping the Process Groups to the Knowledge Area
•You can map the main activities of each PM process group into the ten knowledge areas using the PMBOK® Guide, 6th Edition •Note that there are activities from each knowledge area under the planning process groups
