12 Sep Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 4 Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 4Assigned Readings:Chapter 9: Scope Pl
Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 4
Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 4Assigned Readings:Chapter 9: Scope PlanningChapter 10: Project Schedule PlanningInitial Postings: Read and reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Then post what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding in each assigned textbook chapter.Your initial post should be based upon the assigned reading for the week, so the textbook should be a source listed in your reference section and cited within the body of the text. Other sources are not required but feel free to use them if they aid in your discussion.Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions:
- Go online and research the difference between total slack and free slack.
- Prepare proper reference citations for the sites you located, using APA style.
- Write definitions of total slack and free slack in your own words.
- Why would the distinction between different forms of slack be important to a project manager?
- How does scope management differ from scope control?
[Your initial post should be at least 450+ words and in APA format (including Times New Roman with font size 12 and double spaced). Post the actual body of your paper in the discussion thread then attach a Word version of the paper for APA review]
Problem Set #4
1. Go online and find at least two sites with definitions of fast tracking and crashing a project schedule.
- Prepare proper reference citations for the sites you located, using APA style.
- In your own words, write definitions for project fast tracking and project crashing.
- Consider the plan you prepared for the software system testing project in question 1 above. If you were informed by management that you must reduce the planned duration of the project by five days, describe how you, as a project manager, could crash or fast track this project. Be specific in identifying exactly what could be changed in the project plan for each option.
- (continuation of question 2.3) If the request to speed up the project occurs after day 25 of the original schedule, what is the only option available?
2. A project to put on a major international sporting competition has the following major deliverables: Sports Venues, Athlete Accommodation, Volunteer Organization, Security, Events, and Publicity (which has already been broken down into pre-event publicity and post-event publicity.) Prepare a WBS for any single major deliverable on the list. Remember the 100 percent rule, and number your objectives.
Subject 2
Project Management Processes
Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 4Assigned Readings:Chapter 5. Portfolio Management—Project Screening and SelectionInitial Postings: Read and reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Then post what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding in each assigned textbook chapter.Your initial post should be based upon the assigned reading for the week, so the textbook should be a source listed in your reference section and cited within the body of the text. Other sources are not required but feel free to use them if they aid in your discussion.Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions:
- Identify a project that you are planning to pursue either at home or at work. List all of the components, decision points, and chance events. What is the measure of success for the project? Assuming that there is more than one measure, how can you reconcile them?
- In which type of projects does risk play a predominant role? What can be done to mitigate the attendant risks? Pick a specific project and discuss.
[Your initial post should be at least 450+ words and in APA format (including Times New Roman with font size 12 and double spaced). Post the actual body of your paper in the discussion thread then attach a Word version of the paper for APA review]
Activity 4
Three new-product ideas have been suggested. These ideas have been rated as shown in the Table below Product* CriteriaABCWeight (%)Development costPFVG10Sales prospectsVGEG15ProducibilityPFG10Competitive advantageEVGF15Technical riskPFVG20Patent protectionFFVG10Compatibility with strategyVGFF20 100* P = poor, F = fair, G = good, VG = very good, E = excellent
- Using an equal point spread for all five ratings (i.e., P = 1 , F = 2 , G = 3 , VG = 4 , E = 5 P=1, F=2, G=3, VG=4, E=5), determine a weighted score for each product idea. What is the ranking of the three products?
- Rank the criteria, compute the rank-sum weights, and determine the score for each alternative. Do the same using the rank reciprocal weights.
- What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of this method of product selection?
Scope Planning
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
1
Scope Planning
Defining the scope
Project requirements
Scope Inputs
Requirements traceability matrix
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Scope statement
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Project Scope
One of the main activities in the Project Planning phase is determining and documenting the project scope.
Project scope is the definition of all the work needed to successfully meet the project objectives.
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Deliverables
Must be described in a sufficiently low level of details
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Scope
Be as specific as you can
Where possible, the scope statements should include how the results will be measured so you and your sponsor will know with certainty whether that part of the scope has been achieved
Requirements should tie to things like the organization’s strategic plan and business objectives
Mention things that are explicitly NOT included: is this limited to certain locations? If in an international context, is it in only one language?
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Scope
| Not measurable | Measurable |
| A new registration system | With the new system, students will be able to register for classes using a browser or a smartphone. |
| The system will be fast | Response time will be under 1 second |
| The system will support the required volumes | 75 students must be able to add an average of 3 classes each 15-minute period. |
| Happy users | User satisfaction will be measured by a standardized set of questions and will measure 5 or higher on a 7-point scale. |
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Types of requirements
Functional
Non-functional
Performance
Development
Technical
Business
User
Regulatory
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Software requirements fundamentals
Unique challenges
Must be verifiable
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Measuring requirements
Each type of requirement may require a different type of measure:
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Scope inputs-techniques
Interviews
Focus groups
Facilitated groups– JAD, QFD
Group creativity techniques such as brainstorming
Prototyping
Observation
Questionnaires and surveys
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Scope Inputs-sources
Project sponsor
Management
Strategic Plan
Users
Customers
Competitors
Suppliers
Regulations
and others
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Requirements Traceability Matrix
Links requirements to their origin
Traces them throughout the project process
May link requirements to:
business needs, opportunities, goals, and objectives;
project objectives;
project scope/WBS deliverables;
product design;
product development;
test strategy and test scenarios;
or may link
High-level requirements to more detailed requirements.
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Simplified Requirement Traceability Matrix
| Code | Description | Source | Priority | Status |
| 5 | User interface must comply to company standard | Corporate IT standards manual | 1 | In-progress |
| 5-1 | Help text uses corporate fonts | Corporate style manual | 2 | complete |
| 8-6 | Include the users in the testing | Project Charter, item 7 | 1 | |
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Requirements Traceability Matrix fields
Unique identifier
Requirement statement
Source
Design specification reference
Test specification
Test case numbers
Remarks
… and more depending on the particular situation
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
WBS Creation
List all the project outputs (deliverables and other direct results);
Identify of all the activities required to deliver the outputs.
Subdivide the activities into sub-activities and tasks.
Identify the deliverable and milestone(s) of each task
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Creating the WBS
A list of all activities required to create all the deliverables in the scope.
Activities may be broken down into smaller tasks, in a hierarchical pattern
Do not focus on sequence or dependencies at this point
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Creating the WBS
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Creating the WBS
Follow a numbering plan
Can also be shown in outline format
May be very complex for a large project
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
WBS Creation
Remember the 100% Rule:
The combination of the boxes on each level represent 100% of the parent box.
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
WBS Creation
At the lowest level, the WBS consists of Work Packages
It is important that each work package is clearly defined and can be easily assigned
The work package level is where time estimates, cost estimates and resource estimates are determined.
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Scope Statement
Purpose:
Project deliverables
Major objectives
Measurable success criteria
Create and use a template suitable to your organization
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Scope Statement Typical Contents
Project Name
Project charter
Owner, sponsor, project manager, stakeholders
Problem statement
Project Goals and Objectives
Project Requirements
Project Deliverables
Exclusions
Milestones
Cost estimates
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Summary
Scope planning is an essential activity during the planning phase of the project
Provide relevant details and measurable deliverables in your scope
Use a Requirement Traceability Matrix to relate the deliverables to their sources and keep track of status
Create a WBS as a hierarchy
Remember the 100% rule
. . . continued on next slide
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Summary (continued)
The scope statement includes
Project Name
Project charter
Owner, sponsor, project manager, stakeholders
Problem statement
Project Goals and Objectives
Project Requirements
Project Deliverables
Exclusions
Milestones
Cost estimates
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
Questions?
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Project Management
Chapter 9: Scope Planning
25
,
Project Schedule Planning
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
1
Project Schedule Planning
The Project Schedule
Defining Activities
Case study of WBS development
Activity definition and Task dependencies
Leads and lags
. . . continued on next slide
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Project Schedule Planning (continued)
Milestones
Activity Sequencing
Gantt Chart
Network Diagram
Critical Path
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
The Project Schedule
A project schedule includes
the sequence of activities,
the duration planned for each activity, and
relationships or dependencies between the beginnings and ends of different activities.
The project schedule is created
AFTER the scope planning has created the WBS
BEFORE project resource planning
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Review: Scope Planning
WBS breaks down the deliverables into smaller units, ending with the work packages.
A work package is a clearly defined activity or group of activities whose duration can be estimated.
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Case Study: Wedding Deliverables
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Deliverables Decompose into Work Packages
Shop for shoes
Create guest list
Tailoring and fitting
Shop for dress
Find caterer
Cater the wedding
Wait for RSVPs
Mail the invitations
Finalize the menu
Print the invitations
Choose the bouquet
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Case Study: Wedding Deliverables
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Remember
WBS follows 100% rule
There is no sequencing of tasks in the WBS
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Task Dependencies
Finish-to-start
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Task Dependencies
Start-to-start
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Task Dependencies
Finish-to-finish
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Types of predecessors
External predecessors
Outside the project, such as the previous party being out of the reception hall
Discretionary predecessors
Matter of preference: bridesmaids arrive before couple
Mandatory predecessors
Cannot do the following task until the predecessor is done: invitations must be addressed before they can be mailed
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Leads and Lags
Lag: One task must wait in relation to another task:
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Leads and Lags
Lead: The task must start before the predecessor is done:
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Milestones
A milestone is an important checkpoint—usually completion of a major task or a major set of tasks.
Target dates will be set later
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Milestones in Wedding Plan
Invitations Sent
Menu Finalized
Location booked
Bridesmaids’ dresses fitted
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Creating a Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart is a horizontal bar chart with a list of activities on the left and a timeline on the horizontal axis.
A traditional Gantt chart does not show dependencies; many current Gantt charts add the critical path and arrows to indicate tasks that precede other tasks.
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Gantt Chart for Wedding Plan
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Network Diagram
Also known as PERT chart or PERT/CPM chart
Illustrates task relationships
Used to determine the critical path
Software such as Microsoft Project can be used to create a network diagram.
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Network Diagram for Wedding
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Network Diagram: Activity on Arrow
Alternative method
More difficult to read and understand
May require the creation of dummy activities when a task has multiple predecessors and multiple dependent tasks
More “mathematical” in its illustration of activities and events.
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
The critical path
When multiple paths exist through the network diagram, the path with the longest duration is called the critical path
If any task on the critical path is delayed, the project is delayed
Tasks NOT on the critical path have slack available. This is the amount of time the task could be delayed without delaying the completion of the project
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Project Management
Chapter 10: Project Schedule Planning
Critical Path Example
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