Module 02 Course Project - Statement of Work and Project Plan

Schedule Baseline and Work Breakdown Structure: This section should discuss the WBS, WBS Dictionary, and Schedule baseline and how they will be used in managing the project’s scope. The WBS provides the work packages to be performed for the completion of the project. The WBS Dictionary defines the work packages. The schedule baseline provides a reference point for managing project progress as it pertains to schedule and timeline. The schedule baseline and work breakdown structure (WBS) should be created in Microsoft Project. The WBS can be exported from the MS Project file.

For complex or large projects, the Change Management Plan may be included as an appendix to the Project Management Plan or as a separate, stand-alone document.

Communications Management Plan: The purpose of the Communications Management Plan is to define the communication requirements for the project and how information will be distributed to ensure project success. You should give considerable thought to how you want to manage communications on every project. By having a solid communications management approach you’ll find that many project management problems can be avoided. In this section you should provide an overview of your communications management approach. Generally, the Communications Management Plan defines the following:

· Communication requirements based on roles

· What information will be communicated

· How the information will be communicated

· When will information be distributed

· Who does the communication

· Who receives the communication

· Communications conduct

For larger and more complex projects, the Communications Management Plan may be included as an appendix or separate document apart from the Project Management Plan.

Project Team Directory:

Cost Management Plan: The Cost Management Plan clearly defines how the costs on a project will be managed throughout the project’s lifecycle. It sets the format and standards by which the project costs are measured, reported, and controlled. Working within the cost management guidelines is imperative for all project team members to ensure successful completion of the project. These guidelines may include which level of the WBS cost accounts will be created in and the establishment of acceptable variances. The Cost Management Plan:

· Identifies who is responsible for managing costs

· Identifies who has the authority to approve changes to the project or its budget

· How cost performance is quantitatively measured and reported upon

· Report formats, frequency and to whom they are presented

For complex or large projects, the Cost Management Plan may be included as an appendix to the Project Management Plan or as a separate, stand-alone document.

Procurement Management Plan: The Procurement Management Plan should be defined enough to clearly identify the necessary steps and responsibilities for procurement from the beginning to the end of a project. The project manager must ensure that the plan facilitates the successful completion of the project and does not become an overwhelming task in itself to manage. The project manager will work with the project team, contracts/purchasing department, and other key players to manage the procurement activities.

For larger projects or projects with more complicated procurement management requirements, you can include the Procurement Management Plan as a separate document apart from the Project Management Plan.

· Who has authority and responsibility for scope management

· How the scope is defined (i.e. Scope Statement, WBS, WBS Dictionary, Statement of Work, etc.)

· How the scope is measured and verified (i.e. Quality Checklists, Scope Baseline, Work Performance Measurements, etc.)

· The scope change process (who initiates, who authorizes, etc.)

· Who is responsible for accepting the final project deliverable and approves acceptance of project scope

Can be included as an appendix to the Project Management Plan for larger or more complex projects. Be sure to review it and determine if it's necessary for managing your project.

The separate Schedule Management Plan is suitable for larger projects or projects where the schedule management is more formalized.

For larger or more complex projects, the Quality Management Plan may be included as an appendix or separate document.

Cost Baseline: This section contains the cost baseline for the project upon which cost management will be based. The project will use earned value metrics to track and manage costs and the cost baseline provides the basis for the tracking, reporting, and management of costs.

Quality Baseline: This section should include the quality baseline for the project. The purpose of this baseline is to provide a basis for ensuring that quality can be measured to determine if acceptable quality levels have been achieved. It is important for all projects to clearly define and communicate quality standards and the quality baseline serves this purpose.

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