Wk 1 Learning Activity 1

Welcome to PRM300 - Introduction to Project Management! Hello Class, Welcome to PRM300 - Introduction to Project Management. It is a pleasure to have you in this course.

Item # Topic Details

1 Learning activities

This course has a deliverable called “Learning Activities” that you may not have seen before. Learning Activities = Assignments + Discussions   Learning activities are due by Friday. Please plan your time wisely to complete this deliverable before the deadline. The assignment portion is due by Friday and the deliverables are posted in a discussion thread for the entire class to review. You will then spend the rest of the course week reviewing each other's work, providing feedback/assistance, and adding to our course’s body of knowledge. Learning activities are a great way to learn and collaborate. They also carry a large portion of your grades, so be sure to actively participate in learning activities!

2 ProjectLibre

This course uses ProjectLibre, an open source project management software. You will need to download ProjectLibre on your computer during the first week of this course. ProjectLibre can run on Linux, MacOS and MS Windows. Here is the website, to download the software at no cost and to obtain additional information: https:// www.projectlibre.com/  (Links to an external site.)

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Cumulativ e assignme nts

This is a project-based course. During this course, you will select and develop a project from the ground up. Therefore, it is important that you incorporate the feedback you get from your faculty as you move through each week. Corrected and updated copies of your project work will be a part of the final assignment. Doing your best work from day one by updating and correcting project management documents (project selection form, project scope template, work break down structure, Gantt chart, etc.,) as you go is highly recommended.

  PRM300 Week 1 – Introduction to Project Management and the Project Initiation Phase Projects versus Operations Project management is all about managing projects to further the goals of the company, while operations are all about managing the day-to-day activities that make business of doing business possible. See Figure 1 below for additional information. Figure 1: How projects and operations differ

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Embeddin g work into the discussio ns and learning activities

In this course, you will be taking screenshots of your work and then embedding those pictures into the discussion thread for everyone in the class to review and discuss. Here are some tutorials on how to obtain and embed images in the classroom:

• How to use Snipping Tool in Windows to capture a professional looking screen shot: How To Use Snipping Tool In Windows 10 [Tutorial] (Links to an external site.)

• How to embed a picture into a Canvas discussion thread: https:// youtu.be/ywsnMuCb-jI (Links to an external site.)

• How to take a screen shot on a variety of operating systems: http:// www.take-a-screenshot.org/ (Links to an external site.)

� As can be seen in Figure 1 above, projects are different from operations. Operations are the things that are done repeatedly and produce the same product, service, or result. An example of day-to-day operations from your personal life could include paying the bills and dropping the kids off at school. The results of these operations are the same each time (e.g., bills paid and children at school), and this is true whether you do these tasks in April or September. Projects, on the other hand, are temporary, unique, non-routine in nature. Project Management Institute (PMI, 2017) defines a project to be a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Projects are intended to move the organization or a person to the next level, so they should align with the organization’s (persons) mission, goals, objectives, and strategy. Overall, the success of projects and how they help realize the mission goals are dependent on the way the triple constraints of scope, time, and project costs are managed. It is important to understand that project management skills can be applied to any industry of any size in any country. Project

management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. The Project Life Cycle The project lifecycle consists of five project management process groups that become the basis of project management. The project lifecycle progresses through phases that define and produce specific project deliverables. Some project managers or sources you come across may use project phase names and project management process groups interchangeably, this is technically incorrect. To help keep things straight, remember that project phases deliver outcomes that meet project objectives (e.g. brick the front of the house) and project management process groups deliver outputs for the best practices for project management (e.g. scope statement). Throughout the project lifecycle there are different goals and tasks to accomplish to complete the project objectives. The tasks are performed throughout the project phases which may be named the same as the five project management process groups (such as planning).  Remember the five process groups refer to the project management processes (performed by the project manager) while the project phases refer to the work to produce the project deliverables (by the team). Project life cycle addresses the question, “What to do to get the work done? While the project management process addresses the question: “What to do to manage the project?” Figure 2: The process groups for project management (PMI, 2017, p. 25):

� The project management process group are performed within each phase. For example, when designing a new product, the phase must be initiated, the design planned and created (executed), and the

project manager controls this development through execution, and then delivers the final product design during the closing project management process group. Process groups are sets of functions or processes particular to that stage of project management. See Table 1-4 in Project Management Process Group and Knowledge Area Mapping on page 25 of the PMBOK® Guide, sixth edition (2017), for a graphic that shows the process group domains. The PMBOK® Guide is available through the Ashford Library. While other sources may use different names for the five project management process groups, this course will be using the vocabulary and standards of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the PMBOK® Guide. PMI and the PMBOK® Guide are the industry standards in the United States and the basis of the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam. To help you understand some of the terms you will encounter in the reading material, a short list of key terms is presented below. Putting it all together – The Project Life Cycle, Process Groups, and Phases For those majoring in project management or planning on taking the Project Management Professional (PMP® ) Exam understanding the differences in terminology is helpful. See Figure 3 below for Dr. Ardolino’s (2019) graphic and explanation of how the components being discussed fit together. Figure 3: The Project Life Cycle, Process Groups, and Phases (Ardolino, E. 2019):

� The Project Life Cycle

• The framework of project phases from project initiation through closure

• Organized by deliverables, processes, milestones, or order of development

• Progression through the project phases (start to finish) based on the project scope

• Spans life of the project, but not necessarily the life of the product

Product Life Cycle • Phases of a product related to work performed before,

during, and after the project life cycle

• Spans life of the product through from idea through expiration

• Typically, longer than the project life cycle Project Management Process Groups (5) – Project Management Processes Driven

• Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing

• All projects must progress through each project management process group

• Progression through the project life cycle and phases Phase – Deliverable/Product Driven

• A phase is a group of activities that are performed to deliver a major outcome

• All phases must progress through each project management process group

• May be sequential or overlap • Output of the phase transfers to next phase or is verified as

a final project deliverable • Stage gates, kill points, milestones, phase reviews are used

to mark the completion • Phases may have the same name as a process groups but

serve a different purpose Ensuring your Work Stands on Its Own - The ‘Airport Test’ Before we begin discussing this week’s learning activity, lets discuss the importance of creating project documents that stands on their own. Whenever you write something it must stand on its own. Meaning that someone should be able to comprehend what you have said without having to refer to any other material. Some people call this the ‘Airport Test’. Meaning if you drop your document at the airport, a stranger should be able to read and understand at least 90% of what you are talking about. In project management and in the project management documents you create in the class, this means that your work

needs to stand on its own and be clearly understood by those who may not be involved in your project. This applies to your project name, the project scope statement, and the elements in your work breakdown structure (WBS), and the documents you are creating in this course.

Help Creating a Clear Project Charter Project Charter (Done in the Initiation Phase of the Project Life Cycle) Larson and Gray (2014) and Project Management Institute (PMI) (2017) indicate that the project charter is the initiating document that authorizes the project. PMI further indicates that charter is issued by the sponsor. In practice though, the sponsors probably will not write out the project charter; instead, they will verbally go over the charter with the project manager. The project manager will need to take the information, write the charter, and then have it approved by the sponsors. The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) by PMI further identifies the major elements of a project charter which are (2017, p. 81, 155):

• The project's purpose or justification • Measurable objectives and the criteria for success • High-level project description and boundaries • Project assumptions and constraints • High level schedule that identifies the projects key milestone • Summary budget • List of stakeholders • Requirements for the project to be deemed a success and

by whom. The project manager and their level of responsibility

• Name and responsibility of the sponsor or other person(s) authorizing the project charter

The project charter is one of the most important documents in project management. It provides the project manager with the

authority to proceed. The project charter is the major outcome of the project defining or initiation process.  The project charter will help you create your project scope statement next week. The project charter is a short statement that provides an overview of what the project is. It will be 1-5 sentences that describes the core of the project.  The project charter contains a high-level scope of the project based on the sponsor’s vision, this will be refined into a detailed scope statement in project planning. An example of a high-level project scope statement within the project charter might be: Paint the dining room of Bill and Mary Smith’s home. The project is complete when Mary Smith reviews the work and signs off on it. The project’s budget is $1,100 and the project must be completed before July 25, 2019. Within the project charter you will create a clear project name. The project name should reflect the project in a few words. This serves as shorthand for the project. For example, ‘Dining Room Paint Job’. Learning Activity #1 - The Project Selection Form (Charter) This week you will be choosing a project to work on throughout this course. You will start this process by filling in the Project Selection Form and posting it in Learning Activity #1 forum for the instructor and class to review. You will take this feedback and make necessary changes for the upcoming weeks. It is highly recommended that you choose a project that is relatively simple and the one that you can articulate clearly. Some project ideas include planning a vacation, renovating/building something (shed, garden), planning a party, etc., The project should have at least four (4) main deliverables with two (2) subtasks each. All tasks will need to be defined in days, not hours, or minutes. Choose a project that takes between two weeks to three months to complete.  

You may want to start and post these steps for your project in this week’s discussion to help ensure you are on the right track. For help doing this see information on the work breakdown structure in the week two and three lectures or your textbook. This week you will fill out the project selection form for your project. See figure 3 below for an example of a filled-out project selection form. Figure 4: The Project Selection Form and Some Things to Remember

� Use the Snipping Tool to Take Professional Screen Shots You will be using the Snipping Tool (in Windows Operating System) and embedding technique to capture and display your work into in this course. Be sure to take the time to learn these tasks as you can also use them outside of the classroom to communicate quickly and effectively.

The Snipping Tool is an application on PCs that enables you to precisely choose what to 'snip.' This gives you a lot more flexibility than just capturing entire screenshots and will allow you to have more professional looking inserts. Note a key part of the Snipping Tool is setting up your screen. Here are some resources on how to do this:

• How to use Snipping Tool in Windows to capture a professional looking screen shot: How To Use Snipping Tool In Windows 10 [Tutorial] (Links to an external site.)

• How to embed a picture into a Canvas discussion thread: https://youtu.be/ywsnMuCb-jI (Links to an external site.)

• How to take a screen shot on a variety of operating systems:http://www.take-a-screenshot.org/ (Links to an external site.)

To find the Snipping tool on your PC, either type 'snipping tool' in the search area in your PC it will pull up. You can also click on the windows icon (also on the far left of the screen) and scroll down to "S." If you do not have the Snipping Tool, it can also be found online and downloaded. Learning Activity #2 – Downloading ProjectLibre ProjectLibre is a free downloadable open source program that closely resembles MS Project and can even open MS Project files. ProjectLibre has been certified to run on Linux, MacOS and MS Windows. Here is the website for the free download: https:// www.projectlibre.com/  (Links to an external site.) If you need assistance setting up ProjectLibre, please see the ProjectLibre Installation Guide here  (Links to an external site.) . Key Terms This Week: Operations

Operations are repetitive, recurring, and ongoing activities with specific standing personnel roles. The operations activities are those that support the day-to-day activities of an organization doing business. Project Projects are temporary activities with a distinct beginning and end (PMI, 2017, p. 4) that are set up to produce a “unique product, service, or result” (Larson & Gray, 2013, p. 6). Projects are unique because they bring together people from multiple functions to work outside of normal routines. Project Manager (PM) A manager with the knowledge and specific skills to realize business value from projects (McKay & Ellis, 2014) Project Process Groups The PMBOK® Guide (PMI, 2017, p. 554) identifies five process groups that define the project management processes/work for the project which include:

1. Initiating 2. Planning 3. Executing 4. Monitoring and Controlling 5. Closing 

Strategy This is the means by which companies decide how they will compete (Larson & Gray, 2014). It is also the means for non- profits and governments to determine how they will serve their members or citizens best with limited resources.

References Ardolino, E. (2019).  Project Life Cycle, Phases and Process

groups. Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2014). Project management: The

managerial process (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

McKay, D. & Ellis, T.J. (2014, January). Tracking the flow of knowledge in IT organizations; The impact of organizational

learning factors and project learning practices on project success  (Links to an external site.)

 [Paper presented at the 47th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences, Kona, HI]. Retrieved from http:// ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=6759241

Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK®) (6th ed.). Newtown Square, Pa: Author. 

How to Cite This Lecture Milligan, S. & Ardolino, E. (2019). Welcome to PRM300 – Week 1

- Introduction to Project Management. Ashford University.   The Project Management Professional (PMP) and the PMBOK

are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

  Materials in this lecture are based on the Project Management

Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Project Management Institute, Inc., 2017. Copyright and all rights reserved.