Exam #2
tracking Gantt chart
A Gantt chart that compares planned and actual project schedule information
Procurement Documents: Requests for Proposal or Quote
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document used to solicit proposals from prospective suppliers A proposal is a document in which sellers describe what they will do to meet the requirements of a buyer A Request for Quote (RFQ) is a document used to solicit quotes or bids from prospective suppliers A bid (also called a quote) is a document prepared by sellers providing pricing for standard items that have been clearly defined by the buyer RFPs are used for procurements where there are a variety of ways to meet a need, while RFQs are used for more standard items
histogram
A bar graph of a distribution of variables
run chart
A chart that displays the history and pattern of variation of a process over time.
Quality Checklists
A checklist is a list of items to be noted or consulted It helps project teams verify that a set of required topics or steps has been covered or performed A single project can have many different checklists, such as for: Interviewing project team members Selecting suppliers Reviewing important documents Ensuring a room is ready for training
Sample Work Performance Data
A common way to summarize work performance information is by using a milestone report Recall that a milestone is a significant event on a project, such as completing a major deliverable or awarding a major contract In addition to listing the milestones, the report lists the planned date for completion (in month/day format), the status, the person responsible for the milestone, and issues/comments
Contract Statements of Work
A contract statement of work (SOW) is a description of the work that is to be purchased It is a type of scope statement that describes the work in sufficient detail to allow prospective suppliers to determine if they are capable of providing the goods and services required and an appropriate price It should be clear, concise, and as complete as possible, describe all services required, and include performance information, such as the location and timing of the work
key performance indicator (KPI)
A criterion used to determine the degree to which an outcome is achieved
validated deliverable
A deliverable that has been completed and checked for correctness as part of quality control
scatter diagram
A diagram that helps show if there is a relationship between two variables
bid
A document prepared by sellers providing pricing for standard items that have been clearly defined by the buyer
communications management plan
A document that guides project communications
maturity model
A framework for helping organizations improve their processes and systems
control chart
A graphical display of data that illustrates the results of a process over time
Maslow's herarchy of needs
A hierarchy that states that people's behaviors are guided or motivated by a sequence of needs
Pareto chart
A histogram that can help you identify and prioritize problem areas
checklist
A list of items to be noted or consulted
short list
A list of the top three to five suppliers created to reduce the work involved in selecting a source
issue
A matter under question or dispute that could impede project success
Quality Metrics
A metric is a standard of measurement Metrics allow organizations to measure their performance in certain areas and to compare them over time or with other organizations Examples of common metrics used by organizations include failure rates of products produced, availability of goods and services, and customer satisfaction ratings Many organizations use charts to keep track of metrics, such as a project dashboard —a graphical screen summarizing key project metrics
slipped milestone
A milestone activity that was actually completed later than time
Tuckman model
A model that describes five stages of team development (forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning)
extrinsic motivation
A motivation that causes people to do something for a reward or to avoid a penalty
intrinsic motivation
A motivation that causes people to participate in an activity for their own enjoyment
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator MBTI
A popular tool for determing personality preferences
Procurement Management Plans
A procurement management plan is a document that describes how the procurement processes will be managed, from developing documentation for making outside purchases or acquisitions to contract closure
earned value management (EVM)
A project perfomance measurement technique that integrates scope, time, and cost data
rapport
A relationship of harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity
Resource Histograms
A resource histogram is a column chart that shows the number of resources required for or assigned to a project over time In planning project staffing needs, senior managers often create a resource histogram in which columns represent the number of people needed in each skill category. By stacking the columns, you can see the total number of people needed each month After resources are assigned to a project, you can view a resource histogram for each person to see how his/her time has been allocated
Responsibility Assignment Matrices
A responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) is a matrix that maps the work of the project as described in the (WBS) to the people responsible for performing the work For smaller projects, it is best to assign WBS activities to individuals; for larger projects, it is more effective to assign the work to organizational units or teams RACI charts are a type of RAM that show Responsibility (who does the task), Accountability (who signs off on the task or has authority for it), Consultation (who has information necessary to complete the task), and Informed (who needs to be notified of task status/results) roles for project stakeholders
Risk Management Plans
A risk management plan documents the procedures for managing risk throughout the life of a project The general topics that a risk management plan should address include the methodology for risk management, roles and responsibilities, budget and schedule estimates for risk-related activities, risk categories, probability and impact matrices, and risk documentation
Risk Registers
A risk register is a document that contains the results of various risk management processes and is often displayed in a table or spreadsheet format It is a tool for documenting potential risk events and related information, including: An identification number for each risk event A rank for each risk event (usually high, medium, or low) The name of the risk event A description of the risk event The category under which the risk event falls The root cause: The real or underlying reason a problem occurs Triggers: Indicators or symptoms of actual risk events Potential responses to each risk event The risk owner, or person who will own or take responsibility The probability of the risk event occurring The impact to the project if the risk event occurs The status of the risk event
Staffing Management Plans
A staffing management plan describes when and how people will be added to and removed from a project It describes the types of people needed to work on the project, the numbers needed for each type of person each month, and how these resources will be acquired, trained, rewarded, and reassigned after the project
quality audit
A structured review of specific quality management activities that helps identify lessons learned, which could improve performance on current or future projects
resource leveling
A technique for relsolving resource conflicts by delaying tasks
post-morten
A term sometimes used for a project close-out meeting since it is help after the project has died or been put to rest
records management system
A tool that provides the ability to easily organize, find, and archieve documents
Source Selection Criteria and the Supplier Evaluation Matrix
After doing a thorough evaluation of potential suppliers, many organizations summarize evaluations using a supplier evaluation matrix—a type of weighted scoring model Suppliers are often evaluated on criteria related to cost, quality, technology, past performance, and management
Cause-and-effect diagrams
Also called fishbone or Ishikawa diargrams, these diagrams can assit in ensuring and improving quality by finding the root causes of quality problems
earned value (EV)
An estimate of the value of the physical work actually completed
Communications Management Plans
Because project communication is so important, every project should include a communication management plan—a document that guides project communications The plan will vary with the needs of the project, but some type of written plan should always be prepared and address the following items: Stakeholder communications requirements Information to be communicated, including format, content, and level of detail Identification of who will receive the information and who will produce it Suggested methods or guidelines for conveying the information. Description of the frequency of communication Escalation procedures for resolving issues Revision procedures for updating the communications management plan A glossary of common terminology used on the project
Quality Assurance Techniques
Benchmarking generates ideas for quality improvements by comparing specific project practices or product characteristics to those of other projects or products within or outside of the organization itself (for example, training costs per employee and course ratings are benchmarks) A quality audit is a structured review of specific quality management activities that helps identify lessons learned, which could improve performance on current or future projects Cause-and-effect diagrams—also called fishbone diagrams (because their structure resembles a fishbone) or Ishikawadiagrams (named after their founder)—can assist in ensuring and improving quality by finding the root causes of quality problems
Conflict Handling Modes, in Preference Order
Blake and Mouton (1964) delineated five basic modes for handling conflicts. Each strategy can be considered as being high, medium, or low on two dimensions: importance of the task or goal, and importance of the relationship between the people having the conflict (high/low, medium/medium, and so on). 1. Confrontation mode or problem-solving: Directly face a conflict (high/high). 2. Compromise mode : Use a give-and-take approach (medium/medium). 3. Smoothing mode : De-emphasize areas of differences and emphasize areas of agreement (low/high). 4. Forcing mode : The win-lose approach (high/low). 5. Withdrawal mode: Retreat or withdraw from an actual or potential disagreement (low/low). 6. Recent research recognizes a sixth approach called collaborating mode where decision makers incorporate different viewpoints and insights to develop consensus and commitment Conflict can be good; it often produces important results, such as new ideas, better alternatives, and motivation to work harder and more collaboratively Project team members might become stagnant or develop groupthink —conformance to the values or ethical standards of a group—if there are no conflicting viewpoints on various aspects of a project Research suggests that: Task-related conflict, which is derived from differences over team objectives and how to achieve them, often improves team performance Emotional conflict, however, which stems from personality clashes and misunderstandings, often depresses team performance
Other Risk Plans
Contingency plans are predefined actions that the project team will take if an identified risk event occurs Fallback plans are developed for risks that have a high impact on meeting project objectives, and are put into effect if attempts to reduce the risk are not effective; sometimes called contingency plans of last resort Contingency reserves or contingency allowances are funds held by the project sponsor that can be used to mitigate cost or schedule overruns if unknown risks occur
Work Performance Data
During project execution, project managers must collect, assess, and communicate work performance information Many project managers, like Kristin, use the "management by wandering around " (MBWA) approach, meaning they informally observe and talk to project team members, suppliers, and other stakeholders as much as possible Kristin also used formal communications, such as status reports, survey results, and course evaluations, to address work performance on the project
blogs
Easy-to-use journals on the Web that allow users to write entries, create links, and upload pictures, while allowing readers to post comments to particular journal entries
Make-or-Buy Solution
Example: Assume you can lease an item you need for a project for $800/day. To purchase the item, the cost is $12,000 plus a daily operational cost of $400/day. How long will it take for the purchase cost to be the same as the lease? Set up an equation so both options, purchase and lease, are equal In this example, use the following equation. Let d be the number of days to use the item $12,000 + $400d = $800d Subtracting $400d from both sides, you get: $12,000 = $400d Dividing both sides by $400, you get: d = 30 If you need the item for more than thirty days, it would be more economical to purchase it
Types of Contracts
Fixed-price or lump-sum contracts involve a fixed total price for a well-defined product or service Cost -reimbursable contracts involve payment to the seller for direct and indirect actual costs Time-and-material contracts are a hybrid of both fixed-price and cost-reimbursable contracts Unit pricing can also be used in various types of contracts to require the buyer to pay the supplier a predetermined amount per unit of service
Make-or-Buy Analysis
Make-or-buy analysis involves estimating the internal costs of providing a product or service, and comparing that estimate to the cost of outsourcing Many organizations also use make-or-buy analysis, often called a lease-or-buy analysis, to decide if they should purchase or lease items for a particular project
Project Human Resource Management Planning Taks
Many corporate executives have said, "People are our most important asset." People determine the success and failure of organizations and projects Project human resource management is concerned with making effective use of the people involved with a project The main output produced as part of project human resource management planning is a project human resource management plan, which includes a project organizational chart, a responsibility assignment matrix, a resource histogram, and a staffing management plan Other topics, such as motivation and dealing with people problems, are discussed in Chapter 6
Project Communications Management Planning Tasks
Many experts agree that the greatest threat to the success of any project is a failure to communicate Many project managers say that 90 percent of their job is communicating, yet many project managers fail to take the time to plan for project communications Project communications management involves generating, collecting, disseminating, and storing project information Key outputs include a communications management plan and a project Web site
Poor Conflict Management
Most large projects are high-stake endeavors that are highly visible within organizations When the stakes are high, conflict is never far away, and even small projects with low budgets have conflicts—it is a natural part of work and life in general Project managers should lead their teams in developing norms for dealing with various types of conflicts that might arise
Deliverables
Most project sponsors would say that the most important output of any project is its deliverables Recall that deliverables are products or services produced or provided as part of a project For the Just-In-Time Training project at Global Construction, key deliverables include:
Change Requests
Often, a number of requests for changes emerge during project execution Recall that a process for handling changes should be defined during project planning as part of the project management plan It is important during project execution to formally and informally request appropriate changes
best practices
Optimal methods, currently organized within a given industry or discipline, to achieve a goal or objective
constructive change orders
Oral or written or omissions by someone with actual or apparent authority that can be construed to have the same effect as a written change order
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines quality as "the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements"(ISO9000:2000)
Other experts define quality based on conformance to requirements and fitness for use. Conformance to requirements means that the project's processes and products meet written specifications Fitness for use means that a product can be used as it was intended. The customer ultimately decides that the quality level is acceptable
Project Risk Management Planning Tasks
PMI defines a project risk as an uncertainty that can have a negative or positive effect on meeting project objectives Note that some people only view risks as negative and call positive risks opportunities Key outputs include a risk management plan, a probability/impact matrix, a risk register, and risk-related contractual agreements
Chapter Summary
Planning outputs related to quality management include a quality management plan, a project dashboard, quality metrics descriptions, and a quality checklist Planning outputs related to human resource management include creating a human resource plan, which includes a project organizational chart, responsibility assignment matrix, resource histogram, and staffing management plan Planning outputs related to communications management include developing a communications management plan and project Web site Planning outputs related to risk management include developing a risk management plan, a probability /impact matrix, a risk register, and risk-related contract decisions. Planning outputs related to procurement management include performing a make-or-buy analysis and preparing a procurement management plan, requests for proposal/quote, a contract statement of work, and source selection criteria (such as a supplier evaluation matrix)
Project Web Sites
Project Web sites provide a centralized way of delivering project documents and other communications Some project teams also create blogs —easy-to-use journals on the Web that allow users to write entries, create links, and upload pictures, while allowing readers to post comments to particular journal entries Project teams can develop project Web sites using Web-authoring tools, such as SharePoint Designer or Macromedia Dreamweaver; enterprise project management software, if available; or a combination of the two approaches Part of the Web site might be open to outside users, whereas other parts might be accessible only by certain stakeholders It is important to decide if and how to use a project Web site to help meet project communications requirements
Ch. 6
Project execution is the most noticed process group Research shows that without a doubt, the main reason CEOs failed was poor execution; the same is true for project managers Recall that, in general, the majority of a project's time and budget is spent on project execution Many of the tasks and outputs created in the other process groups are fairly similar from project to project, but no two projects are ever executed in the exact same way due to uncertainties and unique challenges
Project Procurement Management Planning Tasks
Project procurement management includes acquiring or procuring goods and services for a project from outside the organization As the business world continues to become more competitive and global, more and more projects include procurement. Key outputs include make-or buy analysis, procurement management plans, procurement statements of work, procurement documents, source selection criteria, and change requests
Executing Tasks for Project Quality Management
Quality assurance includes all the activities related to satisfying the relevant quality standards for a project Another goal of quality assurance is continual quality improvement Key outputs of quality assurance include change requests, project management plan updates, project document updates, and updates to organizational process assets
Quality Planning and the Quality Management Plan
Quality planning includes identifying which quality standards are revelant to the project and how best to satisfy those standards It also involves designing quality into the products of the project as well as the processes involved in managing the project Like other plans, the size and complexity of quality management plans varies to meet project needs
procurement audits
Reviews often performed during contract closure to identify lessons learned in the entire procurement process
Risk Events and Probability/Impact Matrices
Risk events refer to specific, uncertain events that may occur to the detriment or enhancement of the project probability risk events include the performance failure of a product produced as part of a project, delays in completing work as scheduled, increases in estimated costs, supply shortages, litigation against the company, and strikes impact risk events include completing work sooner than planned or at an unexpectedly reduced cost, collaborating with suppliers to produce better products, and obtaining good publicity from the project You can chart the probability and impact of risk events on a matrix
Project Organizational Charts
Similar to a company's organizational chart, a project organizational chart is a graphical representation of how authority and responsibility is distributed within the project The size and complexity of the project determines how simple or complex the organizational chart is
planned value (PV)
That portion of the approved total cost estimate planned to be spendt on an acitivity during a given period
quality assurance
The activities related to satisfying the relevant quality standards for a project
resource loaing
The amount of individual resources an existing schedule requires during specific time periods
budget at completion (BAC)
The approved total budget for the project
synergy
The concept that the whole is equal to more than the sum of its parts
smoothing mode
The conflict-handling mode that de-emphasizes or avoids areas of differences and emphasizes areas of agreement
confrontation mode
The conflict-handling mode that involves directly facing a conflict using a problem-solving approach that allows affected parties to work through their disagreements
forcing mode
The conflict-handling mode that involves exerting one's viewpoint at the potential expense of another viewpoint
compromise mode
The conflict-handling mode that uses a give-and-take apporach to resolve conflicts
collaborating mode
The conflict-handling mode where decision makers incorporate different viewpoints and insights to develop consensus and commitment
withdrawal mode
The conflict-handling that involves retreating or withdrawing from an actual or potential disagreement
groupthink
The conformance to the values or ehtical standards of a group
to-complete performance index (TCPI)
The cost performance that must be achieved on the remaining work in order to meet a specified goals, such as BAC or EAC
scope verification
The formal acceptance of the completed project scope by teh customer or designated stakeholders
flowcharts
The graphic displays of the logic and flow of processes that help you analyze how problems occur andhow processes can be improved
capabilities
The incremental steps leading up to one or more best practices
mirroring
The matching of certain behaviors of the other person
rate of performance (RP)
The percentage of actual work completed divided by the percentage of work planned to have been completed at any given time.
conformance to requirements
The process of ensuring that the project's processes and products meet written specifications
Benchmaking
The process of generating ideas for quality improvements by comparing specific project practices or product characterisitics to those of other projects or products within or outside of the performing organization
integrated change control
The process of identifying, evaluating, and managing changes throughout the project's life cycle
empathic listening
The process of listening with the intent to understand by putting yourself in the shoes of the other person
progress reports
The reports that describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period
status reports
The reports that describe where the project stands at a specific point in time
forecasts
The reports that predict future project status and progress based on past information and trends
outcomes
The tangible or intangible results of applying capilities
actual cost (AC)
The total direct and indirect costs incurred in accomplishing work on an acitiving during a given period
workarounds
The unplanned responses to risk events
Executing Tasks for Project Integration Management
To direct and manage project stakeholders, project managers can follow several important practices: Coordinate planning and execution Develop and use soft skills Provide a supportive organizational culture. Break the rules when needed Capitalize on product, business, and application area knowledge Use project execution tools and techniques
overallocation
When more resources than are available are assigned to perform work at a given time
Risk-Related Contractual Agreements
Work done by outside suppliers or sellers should be well documented in contracts , which are mutually binding agreements that obligate the seller to provide the specified products or services, and obligate the buyer to pay for them Project managers should include clauses in contracts to help manage project risks by using: Incentive or penalty clauses Certain types of contracts, such as fixed-price contracts, to reduce their risk of incurring higher costs than expected Competition for supplying goods and services to help reduce negative risks and enhance positive risks on projects
issue log
a tool used to document, monitor, trach issues that need to be resolves for effective work to take place
Project quality management
ensures that the project will satisfy the stated or implied needs for which it was undertaken
