Project Management
project
" a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result."
best practice
" an optimal way recognized by industry to achieve a stated goal or objective."
requirements
"conditions or capabilities that ties that must be met by the project or present in the product, service, or result to satisfy an agreement or other formally imposed specification."
Attributes that help define a project further
*A project has a unique purpose *A project is temporary *A project is developed using progressive elaboration *A project requires resources, often from various areas *A project should have a primary customer or sponsor *A project involves uncertainty
Disadvantages of virtual teams
*Isolating team members *Increasing potential communication problems *Reducing ability to network and transfer information informally *Increasing dependence on technology
Project management techniques provides these advantages
*better control of financial, physical, and human resources *improved customer service *shorter development times *lower costs and improved productivity *higher quality and increased reliability *higher profit margins *better internal coordination *positive impact on meeting strategic goals *higher worker morale
Advantages of virtual teams
*lowering costs *provides more expertise and flexibility/ increasing competitiveness and responsiveness *Improving balance between work and life
project management plan that describes management and technical approaches should include
*management obj *project controls *Risk management *project staffing *technical processes
how the project is organized should include
*organization charts *project responsibilities *other organizational or process-related information
Introduction or overview should include
*project name *brief description of the project and need it addresses *The sponsor's name *The names of the project manager and key team members *Deliverables of the project *A list of important reference materials *A list of definitions and acronyms, if appropriate
project charter inputs
*project statement of work *A business case *Agreements *Enterprise environmental factors *Organizational process assets
budget section of project management should include
*summary budget *detailed budget *other budget-related information
project schedule information section should include
*summary schedule *detailed schedule *other schedule-related information
Possible criteria for IT projects include
*supports key business obj. *strong internal sponsor *strong customer support *Uses realistic level of technology *can be implemented in one year or less *Provides positive NPV *Has low risk in meeting scope, time, and cost goals
Ten most 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
7 main processes involved in time management
1. Planning schedule management 2.Defining activities 3. Sequencing activities 4. Estimating activity resources 5. Estimating activity durations 6.Developing the schedule 7.Controlling the schedule
10 knowledge areas of project management
1. Project scope management involves defining and managing all the work required to complete the project successfully. 2. Project time management includes estimating how long it will take to complete the work, developing and acceptable project schedule, and ensuring timely completion of the project. 3.Project cost management consists of preparing and managing the budget for the project. 4.Project quality management ensures that the project will satisfy the stated or implied needs for which it was undertaken 5.Project human resources is concerned with making effective use of the people involved with the project 6.Project communications management involves generating, collecting, disseminating, and storing project information. 7.Project risk management includes identifying, analyzing, and responding to risks related to the project. 8.Project procurement management involves acquiring or procuring goods and services for a project from outside the performing organization. 9.Project stakeholder management includes identifying and analyzing stakeholder needs while managing and controlling their engagement throughout the life of the project 10.Project integration management is an overarching function that affects and is affected by all of the other knowledge areas.
What helps projects succeed
1. User involvement 2. Executive support 3. Clear business objectives 4. Emotional maturity 5. Optimizing scope 6. Agile process 7. Project management expertise 8. Skilled resources 9. Execution 10. Tools and infrastructure
pre initiation taks
1. determine scope, time, and cost constraints 2.indentify project sponsor 3.select project manager 4.develop a business case for a project 5.meet with project manager to review the process and expectations for managing the project 6.determine if the project should be divided into two or more smaller projects
Common criteria that describes project success
1.Project met scope, time, and cost goals. 2.The project satisfied the customer/sponsor 3.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.
PMBOK six main processes involved in project integration managment
1.developing a project charter 2.developing the project management plan 3. directing and managing project work 4.Monitoring and controlling project work 5.performing integrated change control 6.Closing the project or phase
10 characteristic of organizational structure
1.member identity 2.group emphasis 3.people focus 4.unit integration 5.control 6.risk tolerance 7.reward criteria 8.conflict tolerance 9.means-ends orientation 10.open-systems focus
six main processes involved in project scope management
1.planning scope management 2. Collecting requirements 3. Defining scope 4.Creating the WBS 5.Validating scope 6.Controlling scope
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 spirit.
scrum product backlog
A list of feature prioritized by business value.
critical path method
A.K.A critical path analysis-network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration.
Top three reasons why federal technology project succeed
Adequate funding Staff expertise Engagement from all stakeholders
Fact
All agile methods include an iterative workflow and incremental delivery of software in short iterations.
High-end tools
Also called enterprise project management software, often licensed on a per-user basis, like Microsoft Enterprise Project Management solution
Which of the following is a difference between a activity list and an activity attribute?
An activity attribute provides more schedule related information about each activity that an activity list.
advantages of 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
() involves defining and documenting the features and functions of the products produced during the project as well as the processes used for creating them.
Collecting requirements
After defining project activities, the next step in project time management in developing the schedule
False
Deliverables are only product-related, such as a piece of hardware or software.
False
In project time management, the next step after sequencing activities is to define these activities
False
In project time management, the primary output of defining activities is a schedule management plan.
False
Milestones are easy to achieve and are always achieved through one main activity
False
Project scope statements must include the project boundaries, constraints, and assumptions.
False
The project's size, complexity, importance, and other factors do not effect how much effort is spent on collecting requirements for scope planning
False
The scope of a project is clear and specific from the start
False
Midrange tools
Handle multiple projects and users, cost $200-$1,000 per user, Project 2010 most popular
low-end tools
Handle single or smaller projects well, cost under $200 per user
skills for very novel projects
Leadership, people skills, having vision and goals, self confidence, expectations management, and listening skills were most important
skills for large projects
Leadership, relevant prior experience, planning, people skills, verbal communication, and team-building skills were most important
Top strategic technologies (Gartner 2012)
Media tablets and beyond Mobile-centric applications and interfaces Contextual and social user experience Internet of things Cloud computing
The first process involved in project time management is
Planning schedule management
Project manager for a consulting firm
Plans, schedules, and controls activities to fulfill identified objectives applying technical, theoretical, and managerial skill to satisfy project requirements. Coordinates and integrates team and individual efforts and builds positive professional relationships with clients and associates.
Three main artifacts are created with Scrum
Product backlog, Sprint backlog, Burndown chart
Three main roles of Scrum
Product owner, ScrumMaster, Scrum team or development team
Which of the following processes in project time management involves identifying the specific tasks that the project team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project deliverable
Project charter
In project time management () is an output of controlling the schedule
Project management plan update
IT project manager for a nonprofit consulting firm
Responsibilities include business analysis, requirements gathering, project planning, budget estimating, development, testing, and implementation. Responsible for working with various resource providers to ensure development is completed in a timely, high-quality, and cost-effective manner.
skills for high uncertainty projects
Risk management, expectation management, leadership, people skills, and planning skills were most important
scrum burndown chart
Shows the cumulative work remaining in a spirit on a day by day basis.
four scrum ceremonies
Sprint planning session Daily scrum sprint reviews sprint retrospectives
Global issues in project management
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
what are the 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
project feasibility
The first two traditional project phases focus on planning.(concept and development)
scrum sprint backlog
The highest-priority items from the product backlog to be completed within a sprint.
project acquisitions
The last two phases focus on delivering and actual work.(implementation and close-out)
Scrum 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.
project manager
The person responsible for working with the project sponsor, the project team , and the other people involved to meet project goals.
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 the beginning.
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
Scope refers to
The work involved in creating the products and the processes used to create them.
A dependency pertains to the sequencing of project activities or tasks.
True
A schedule management plan includes information which describes the format and frequency of schedule reports required for the project
True
An activity in an element of work that has an expected duration, cost and resource requirements
True
Information from the project charter provides a basis for further defining the project scope
True
It is important for the activity list and activity attribute to be in agreement with the work breakdown structure
True
Many information technology projects also require detailed functional and design specifications for developing software, which also should be referenced in the detailed scope statement
True
Project scope management includes the processes involved in defining and controlling what is or is not included in a project.
True
The project scope statement should reference supporting documents, such as product specifications that will affect what products are produced or purchased, or corporate policies, which might affect how products or services are produced
True
The scope management plan can be informal and broad or formal and detailed, based on the needs of the project.
True
To devine activités, thé project team should start with reviewing the schedule management, scope baseline, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational processes.
True
project schedule grow out of basic documents such as the project charter
True
successful project delivery capability includes
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
Approaches to work breakdown structure
Using guidelines the analogy approach the top-down approach the bottom-up approach the mind-mapping approach
project sponsor
Usually provides the direction and funding for the project
() involves formalizing acceptance of the project deliverables and during this phase the key project stakeholders, such as the customer and sponsor for the project, inspect and them formally accept the deliverables
Validating scope
three basic IT project portfolio categories
Venture Growth Core
program
a "group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually."
project life cycle
a collection of project phases.
Work breakdown structure
a deliverable-oriented grouping of the work involved in a project that defines its total scope.
project charter
a document that formally recognizes the existence of a project and provides direction on the project's objectives and management.
change control board
a formal group of people responsible for approving or rejecting changes to a project.
Systems development life cycle (SDLC)
a framework for describing the phases of developing information systems.
Tracking gantt chart
a gantt schedule dates for activities
systems approach
a holistic and analytical approach to solving complex problems that includes using a systems philosophy, systems analysis, and systems management.
Theory of Constraints
a management philosophy based on a metaphor of a chain and its weakest link.
scrum sprint planning session
a meeting with the team to select a set of work from the product backlog to deli
balanced scorecard
a methodology that converts an organization's value drivers to a series of defined metrics.
PERT
a network analysis technique used to estimate project duration when there is a high degree of uncertainty about the individual activity duration estimates.
manager
a person who deals with day-to-day details of meeting specific goals
leader
a person who focuses on long-term goals and big picture objectives while inspiring people to reach those goals.
program manager
a person who provides leadership and direction for the project managers heading the projects within the program.
Project sponsor
a person who provides the direction and funding for the project.
champion
a senior manager who acts as a key proponent for a project
Gantt chart
a standard form for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in calendar form
The most important planning documents to focus on are
a team contract project scope statement A work breakdown structure A project schedule A list of prioritized risks
mind mapping
a technique that uses branches radiating from a core idea to structure thoughts and ideas.
duration
actual amount of time worked on an activity plus elasped time.
buffer
additional time to complete a task
political frame
addresses organizational and personal politics.(Coalitions composed of varied individuals and interest groups. Conflict and power are key issues)
IT governance
addresses the authority and control for key IT activities in organizations, including IT infrastructure, IT use, and project management.
systems management
addresses the business, technological, and organizational issues associated with creating, maintaining, and modifying a system.
total slack or total float
amount of time an activity can be delayed from its earliest start without delaying the planned project finish date
free slack or free float
amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any immediately following activities
payback period
amount of time it will take to recoup the total dollars invested in a project, in terms of net cash inflows.
Project management institute
an international professional society for project managers founded in 1969, has continued to attract and retain members, reporting more than 380,000 members worldwide by early 2012.
Project management office (PMO)
an organization group responsible for coordinating the project management function throughout the organization.
systems philosophy
an overall model for thinking about things as systems.
activity-on-arrow
approach or the arrow diagramming method-a network diagramming technique in which activities are represented by arrows and connected at points called nodes to illustrate the sequence of activities.
tactical goals
are generally more specific and short-term than strategic goals, which emphasizes long-term goals for an organization. Individual projects are often addresses tactical goals
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
Project management tools and techniques
assist project managers and their teams in carrying out work in all 10 knowledge areas.
spiral life cycle
based on the requirements of the waterfall model as applied to large government software projects. Believe theres more of a spiral approach rather than linear.
Generating ideas by comparing specific project practices or project characteristics to those of other projects or products inside or outside the performing organization is known as
benchmarking
cash flow
benefits-costs or income- expenses
standard
best practices of what should be done to manage a project
Directing and managing project work
carrying out the projects management plan by performing activities included in it.
key issues when working on global projects
communication trust common work practices tools
triple constraint
constraints based on scope, time, and cost goals
Controlling scope
controlling changes to project scope throughout the life of the project-a challenge on many IT projects.
In project time management, the process of () primarily involves checking and managing changes to the project schedule
controlling the schedule
Developing the project management plan
coordinating all of planning efforts to create a consistent, coherent document
executing processes
coordinating people and other resources to carry out various plans and create products, services, or results of the project or phase.
structural frame
deals with how the organization is structured and focused on different groups' roles and responsibilities to meet the goals and policies set by top management. (Roles and responsibilities, coordination, and control. Organizational charts help describe this frame.)
Six sigma projects
define, measure, analyze, improve, and control--verify
In project time management, which of the following processes generate the main outputs of an activity list, activity attributes , and milestone list.
defining activities
() Involves reviewing the project charter, requirements documents, and organizational process assets to create a scope statement, adding more information as requirements and change requests are approved.
defining scope
The term () describes a product produced as part of a project
deliverable
offshoring
describe outsourcing from another country.
Project management knowledge areas
describe the key competencies that project managers must develop.
knowledge areas
describe the key competencies that project managers must develop.
planning scope management
determines how the project's scope and requirements will be managed.
forward pass
determines the early start and early finish dates for each activity
In project management, which of the following processes involve analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates to create the project schedule?
developing the schedule
planning processes
devising and maintaining a workable scheme to ensure that the project addresses the organizational's needs.
WBS dictionary
document that provides detailed information about each WBS item
project management plan
document used to coordinate all project planning documents and help guide a project's execution and control.
requirements management plan
documents how project requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed.
fast tracking
doing activities in parallel that you would normally do in sequence.
probabilistic time estimates
duration estimates based on using optimistic, most likely , and pessimistic estimates of activity durations-instead of one specific or discrete duration estimate, as CPM does.
early finish date
earliest possible time an activity can finish
early start date
earliest possible time and activity can start
configuration management
ensures that the descriptions of the project's products are correct and complete.
schedule baseline
entire approved planned schedule
In project time management, which of the following processes involve calculating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities?
estimating activity durations
Popular agile methods
extreme programming, Scrum, feature-driven development, lean software development, Agile Unified Process, Crystal, and Dynamic SystemsDevelopment method
4 types of dependencies
finish to start start to start finish to finish start to finish
Manhattan Project
first project to use "modern" project management
agile software development
focus on close collaboration between programming teams and business experts. Used in rapid software development and to handle frequent system changes and maintenance to production systems. Are iterative, short-cycle focus on delivery of working software.
Human resources frame
focuses on producing harmony between the needs of the organization and needs of people. (Providing harmony between needs of the organization and needs of people.)
Symbolic frame
focuses on symbols and meanings. (Symbols and meanings related events. Culture, language, traditions, and image are all parts of this frame.)
Validating scope
formalizing acceptance of the project deliverables.
closing processes
formalizing acceptance of the project or project phase and ending it efficiently.
benchmarking
generating ideas by comparing specific project practices or product characteristics to those of other projects or products inside or outside the performing organization, can also be used to collect requirements.
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 involves uncertainty
dummy activities
have no duration and no resources, but are occasionally needed on AOA network diagrams to show logical relationships between activities.
resource breakdown structure
hierarchical structure that identifies the project's resources by category and type
methodology
how things should be done, and different organizations often have different ways of doing things.
interface management
identifying and managing the points of interaction between various elements of a project.
Initiating process
include defining and authorizing a project or project phase.
Organizational process assets
include formal and informal plans, policies, procedure, guidelines, information systems, financial systems, management systems, lessons learned, and historical information that can influence a project's success.
Monitoring and controlling processes
include regularly measuring and monitoring progress to ensure that the project team meets the project objectives.
three-point estimate
includes optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimate such as three weeks for the optimistic scenario, four weeks for the most likely scenario, and five weeks for the pessimistic estimate.
scope baseline
includes the approved project scope statement and its associated WBS and WBS dictionary.
Project scope management
includes the processes involved in defining and controlling what work is or is not included in a project.
Enterprise or portfolio project management software
integrates information from multiple projects to show the status of active, approved, and future projects across an entire organization.
Enterprise project management software
integration information from multiple projects to show the status of active, approved, and future projects across an entire organization.
Project management institute (PMI)
international professional society for project managers founded in 1969, and has continued to attract and retain members, reporting more than 380,000 members worldwide by early 2012.
project integration management
involves coordinating all of the other project management knowledge areas throughout a project's life cycle.
collecting requirements
involves defining and documenting the features and functions of the products for the project as well as the processes used for creating them.
strategic planning
involves determining long-term objectives by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of an organization, studying opportunities and threats in the business environment, predicting future trends, and projecting the need for new products and services.
Closing the project or pause
involves finalizing all activities to formally close the project or phase.
scope validation
involves formal acceptance of the completed project deliverables.
integrated change control
involves identifying, evaluating, and managing changes throughout the project life cycle.
performing integrating change control
involves identifying, evaluating, and managing changes throughout the project life cycle.
monitoring and controlling project work
involves overseeing activities meet the performance objectives of the project.
Defining scope
involves reviewing the scope management plan, project charter, requirements documents, and organizational process assets to create a scope statement, adding more information as requirements are developed and change requests are approved.
change control system
is a formal, document process that describes when and how official project documents may be changed.
critical chain scheduling
is a method that considers limited resources when creating a project schedule and includes buffers to protect the project completion date.
precedence diagramming method
is a network diagramming techniques which boxes represent activities.
deliverable
is a product or service produced or provided as part of a project.
Gantt chart
is a standard format for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in calendar form.
work package
is a task at the lowest level of the WBS.
Project management office
is an organizational group responsible for coordinating the project management function throughout an organization
network diagram
is schematic display of the logical relationships among project activities and their sequencing.
node
is simply the starting and ending point of an activity.
baseline
is the approved project management plan plus approved changes.
functional organizational structure
is the hierarchy most people think of when picturing and organizational chart. Their staffs have specialized skills in their respective disciplines.
late finish date
latest possible time an activity can be completed without delaying the finish date.
late start dates
latest possible time an activity might begin without delaying the project
skills and competencies in very novel projects
leadership, people skills, vision and goals, self-confidence, expectations management, and listening skills were most important
skills and competencies in large projects
leadership, relevant experience, planning, people skills, verbal communication, and team-building skills are most important
scrum
leading agile development method for completing projects with a complex, innovative scope of work.
adaptive software development
life cycle model assumes that software development follows and adaptive approach because the requirements cannot be clearly expressed early in the life cycle. mission driven and component based.
triple contraint
limitations in the the form of scope, time, and costs goals.
Ethics
loosely defined, a set of principles that guides decisions making based on personal values of what is considered right and wrong.
Three main categories of tools
low-end Midrange High-end
IT project manager for a financial services firm
manages, prioritizes, develops, and implements IT solutions to meet business needs. Prepares and executes project plans using project management software following a standard methodology. Establishes cross-functional end-user teams defining and implementing projects on time and within budget. Acts as a liaison between third-party service providers and end users to develop and implement technology solutions. Provides post-implementation support.
examples of strategic technologies
media tablets mobile-centric application contextual and social user experience internet of things cloud computing
kick-off meeting
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.
NPV
method of calculating the expected net monetary gain or lost from a project by discounting all expected future cash inflows and outflows to the present point in time.
project management tools and techniques
methods available to assist project managers and their teams; some popular time-management tools include the Gantt charts, network diagram, and critical path analysis.`
slipped milestone
milestone activity completed later that originally planned
effort
number of workdays or work hours required to complete such a task.
milestone
on a project is a significant even that normally has no duration .
outsourcing
organizations acquisitions of goods and services from an outside source.
portfolio management
organizations group and manage projects and programs as a portfolio of investments that contribute to the entire enterprise's success.
Project manager
people who work with the project sponsers, the project team, and other people involved to meet project goals.
dependency or relationship
pertains to sequencing of project activities or tasks.
baseline dates
planned schedule dates
Creating a WBS is a subprocess with () process in project scope management.
planning
strategic goals
portfolio focuses on strategic goals--the continuous process of selecting and managing the optimum set of project initiatives that deliver maximum business value.
systems analysis
problem-solving approach that requires defining the scope of the system, dividing into components, and then identifying and evaluating its problems, opportunities, constraints, and needs.
project management process groups
progress from initiating activities to planning activities, executing activities, monitoring and controlling activities, and closing activities.
project management knowledge areas
project integration, management, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communications, risk, procurement, and stakeholder management.
10 knowledge areas
project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communications, risk, procurement, and stakeholder management
FACT
project management is a skill need in every major IT field, from database administrator to network specialist to technical writer.
activity attributes
provide more schedule-related information about each activity, such as predecessors, successors, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, constraints, imposed dates, and assumptions related to the activity.
program manager
provides leadership and direction for project managers heading the project within the program.
program manager
provides leadership and direction for the project managers heading the projects within a program.
scope
refers to all work involved in creating the products of the project and processes used to create them.
The () documents how projects needs will be analyzed, documented, and managed
requirements management plan
A table that list requirements, their various attributes, and status of the requirements to ensure that all are address
requirements traceability matrix
Return on Investment
result of subtracting the project costs from the benefits and then dividing by the costs.
skills and competencies in high-uncertainity projects
risk management, expectation management, leadership, people skills, and planning skills are most important
In project time management, which of the following processes primarily involves identifying the documenting the relationships between project activities?
sequencing activities
Process
series of actions directed toward a particular result.
organizational culture
set of shared assumptions, values, and behaviors that characterize the functioning of an organization.
systems
sets of interacting components that work within an environment to fulfill some purpose
project scope statements
should include at least a product scope description, product user acceptance criteria, and detailed information on all project deliverables.
Project time management
simply defined, involves the processes required to ensure timely completion of a project.
portfolio project management software
software that integrates information from multiple projects to show the status of active, approved, and future projects across an entire organization; also called enterprise project management
Project Management professional
someone who has documented sufficient project experience and education, agreed to follow code of professional conduct, and demonstrated knowledge of project management by passing a comprehensive examination.
Project management professional
someone who has documented sufficient project experience and education, agreed to follow the PMI cod of professional conduct, and demonstrated knowledge of project management by passing a comprehensive examination.
top-down approach
start with the largest items of the project and the break them into subordinate items.
Murpheys law
states that if something can go wrong, it will.
4 frames of organizations
structural human resources political symbolic
decomposition
subdividing project deliverables into smaller pieces.
creating the WBS
subdividing the major project deliverables into smaller, more manageable components.
requirements traceability matrix
table that list requirements, their various attributes, and the status of the requirements to ensure that all are addressed.
activity list
tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule.
bottom-up approach
team members first identify as many specific tasks related to the project as possible.
crashing
technique for making cost and schedule trade-offs to obtain the greatest amount of schedule compression for the least incremental cost.
project management
the "application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements."
slack or float
the amount of time an activity may be delayed without delaying a succeeding activity or the project finish date
variance
the difference between planned and actual performance
critical path
the longest path through a network diagram that determines the earliest completion of a project.
stakeholders
the people who are involved in or affected by project activities, and include the project sponsor, project team, support staff, customers, users, suppliers, and even opponents of the project.
Type of stakeholders include
the project sponsor the project manager the project team support staff customers users suppliers opponents to the project
cost of capital
the return available by investing the capital elsewhere.
predictive life cycle
the scope of the project can be articulated clearly and the schedule and cost can be predicted accurately.
scope creep
the tendency for project scope to keep getting bigger and bigger.
PERT weighted average
the total project duration estimate takes into account the risk or uncertainty in the individual activity estimates.
backward pass
through the network diagram determines the late start and late finish dates for each activity in similar fashion.
weighted scoring model
tool that provides a systematic process for selecting projects based on many criteria.
business service management tools
tools that help track the execution of business process flows and expose how the state of supporting IT systems and resources affects end-to-end business process performance in real time.
Scope refers to all the work involved in creating the products of the product and the processes used to create them.
true
prototype life cycle model
used for developing software prototypes to clarify user requirements form operational software. requires heavy user involvement, and developers use a model to generate functional requirements and physical design specifications simultaneously.
discount rate
used in discounting future cash flow
RAD life cycle moded
uses an approach in which developers work with an evolving prototype. heavy user involvement and helps produce systems quickly without sacrificing quality.
phase exits or kill points
very important for keeping projects on track and determining if they should be continued, redirected, or terminated.
waterfall life cycle
well defined, linear stages of systems analysis, design, construction, testing, and support. This cycle assumes requirements will remain stable after they are defined.
multitasking
when a resource works on more than one task at a time.
When do projects end
when their obj. have been met or the project has been terminated.
Bursts
when two or more activities follow a single node.
feeding buffer
which consist of time added before tasks on the critical chain if they are preceded big other tasks that are not on the critical path.
project buffer
which is time added before the project's due date
Parkinson's Law
which states that work expands to fill the time allowed.
An () is a deliverable-oriented grouping of the work involved in a project that defines the total scope of the project
work breakdown structure
operations
work done to sustain a business
Developing a project charter
working with stakeholders to create the document that formally authorizes a project