Project Management Discussion 3

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P r i n t

PROJECT MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS AT KEYSTONE MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION As the new Project O�ce Director for Keystone Management, Aaron has been asked to participate in the corporate Continuous Process Improvement initiatives by identifying recommendations for speci�c aspects of Keystone's project management methodology.

To meet this requirement, Aaron began by talking with project managers about their experience and insights, which he then translated into strategies aimed at improving the process, environment, and quality of project management at Keystone Management.

Your goal is to review the information Aaron gathered and his recommendations for each of the six topics in this simulation. You will then clarify how improvements in each area can contribute to improvements at Keystone. Each topic corresponds with a unit in the course. Although you may choose to complete each topic in conjunction with the course unit, you may also want to follow the simulation from beginning to end to see how the concepts in each topic relate. Along the way, we will provide you with the following:

Project Manager re�ections.

Aaron's recommendations.

Opportunities to clarify improvement opportunities.

Feedback on improvement opportunities.

Topic summaries.

INSTRUCTIONS In this simulation, you will work through a total of six topics related to project management improvements for Keystone Management. For each topic, you will be presented with project manager re�ections and Aaron's recommendations. You will use this information to clarify how improvements in each area can contribute to improvements for Keystone Management. Feedback will be provided on your responses.

Since each topic corresponds with a unit in the course, you can either complete each topic in conjunction with the course unit, or follow the simulation from beginning to end to see how the concepts in each topic relate.

TOPIC 1: DEFINING REQUIREMENTS What role do project requirements play in project management quality and success?

Figure of Requirements De�nition

C r e d i t s

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This �gure illustrates how di�erent types of requirements are connected and de�ned.

Business requirements are de�ned by the project sponsor.

Size and complexity information is de�ned by the project management team.

Functional and non-functional requirements are de�ned by both the development and testing teams.

Expectations and constraints are de�ned by other stakeholders.

User requirements are de�ned by user representatives.

Aaron began his discussions with project managers by stating that from his experience, well-de�ned requirements are the cornerstone for project success and quality results.

Review the project manager responses and Aaron's recommendations to clarify how well-de�ned requirements can contribute to improvements throughout all phases of the project life cycle.

Complete the following:

Consult Project Managers to learn about some of their experiences.

Consult Aaron to review his recommendations.

Resources

Kay

I once took over a project where appropriate stakeholders were not involved in de�ning requirements. Knowing we were in jeopardy of developing something that would not meet their needs, we postponed the project until all stakeholders could contribute to de�ning and approving the requirements.

Conrad

I have worked on projects with such an urgency to begin developing, minimal attention was given to the design phase. It is a good sign when organizations focus deliberate attention on design to ensure that requirements are clearly de�ned, understood, and agreed upon before any development work actually begins.

Joan

Reaching a common understanding in this phase is critical. I once wrote a set of requirements I thought were quite thorough, only to have the vendor rewrite them. It turns out they were simply translating them into language the developers were familiar with to ensure that they were interpreting our requirements correctly and that the developers would clearly understand what we wanted.

Matthew

A successful project is one that meets the requirements, so they have to be your foundation. Without them, your task list, estimates of time and cost, test plans, acceptance criteria, and other elements are in jeopardy of being developed without understanding what you need to accomplish.

Aaron's Recommendations

Aaron knew from his own experience that well-de�ned requirements are the cornerstone for project success and quality results. After learning about the experiences of the other project managers, Aaron selected the following as best practices for Keystone Management.

Involving appropriate stakeholders in all project phases will generally improve the probability of satisfying the project requirements and objectives. This encourages buy-in or shared ownership of the project by the stakeholders which is critical to the project's success.

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Allow appropriate roles to de�ne the requirements they are responsible for-business, user, functional, and nonfunctional. For example, make sure users have input to the user requirements. Along with providing buy-in from each group, you gather more accurate data since each group knows best what they do and what they need.

Changes to requirements are expected as a result of ongoing monitoring and control activities. The key is following a structured change control management procedure for all changes.

When writing requirements, make sure that they are: Unambiguous and can be interpreted in the same manner by anyone.

Consistent and not contradicting other requirements.

Complete and appearing in one place without additional research.

Realistic in terms of available money, resources, and time.

Veri�able through inspection, analysis, demonstration, or testing.

Identify Roles Here are the roles requirements play in each phase of the project life cycle:

In the de�nition and planning phase, requirements help identify all stakeholders; dictate the development of scope, timeline, cost, and resource needs; and ensures you have the right timeline, budget, skill sets, and training needs..

In the design phase, requirements guide the creation of formal speci�cations and improve the ability to make decisions and design a more e�cient solution.

In the development phase, requirements provide a solid foundation upon which to build to stakeholder and user expectations and allow you to avoid re-work, implement an e�ective change control management plan, and de�ne a test plan.

In the validation phase, requirements serve as the benchmark against which the end product is evaluated and allow you to compare the end product against speci�cations and user requirements.

In the implementation phase, requirements dictate how to implement the end product and ensure delivery in the way stakeholders expect.

Defining Requirements: Summary Catherine Tomczyk, PMP, has stated "A PM will spend a signi�cant part of their time collecting and managing requirements. And yet, at the end of a project, if anything has gone awry, the root cause is almost always that there was not enough time spent on requirements." (Tomczyk, page 35). Although she was referring more speci�cally to small projects, the message remains the same: Take the time to de�ne the requirements well and you will improve opportunities for success throughout the project.

Reference

Tomczyk, C. (2005). Project manager's spotlight on planning. Alameda, CA: Harbor Light Press, p. 35.

TOPIC 2: ORGANIZATIONAL MATURITY What role can the Project Management Maturity Level play in project management quality and success?

Figure of Project Management Maturity Model

This �gure illustrates �ve levels of project management maturity.

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Level 1 refers to ad hoc project management.

Level 2 refers to formal application of project management.

Level 3 refers to institutionalization of project management.

Level 4 refers to management of the project management system.

Level 5 refers to optimization of project management systems.

Before you can in�uence improvements, you must understand the environment in which the improvements will exist. In this part of the simulation, you will have an opportunity to review what Aaron learned about the relationship between the level of an organization's project management maturity and successful projects.

Complete the following:

Consult Project Managers to learn about some of their experiences.

Consult Aaron to review his recommendations.

Resources

Kay

Working with o�shore resources has been one of the greatest tests of our organization's maturity level. Sharing responsibility for development with resources working on di�erent shifts has caused us all to elevate our commitment to process, communication, and delivery. I think the ability to e�ectively manage outsourced resources is a sign of a high-level of PM maturity.

Conrad

Demonstrating the �nancial return for improving our project management practices was the best way I found to obtain the support and involvement we needed from corporate management. Once they understood the �nancial implications, they were willing to provide de�nite and visible support for project management improvements.

Joan

I knew I was working for an organization that was operating at a lower maturity level when they put a project out for bid, but neglected to include internal costs as part of the total project cost. They were surprised by the amount of time it took their internal resources to support the project.

Matthew

I get concerned when I see a reluctance to participate in our PM methodology. Although the process may feel tedious at times, it helps uncover important elements that would otherwise be missed. The process itself may even be more important than some of the documents produced, but always, people are the key-the best tools in the world are useless if leadership does not support them and encourage the project participants and contributors to use them.

Aaron's Recommendations

Aaron understood that before you can in�uence improvements, you must understand the environment in which the improvements will exist. Together with what the other project managers had learned about the relationship between the level of an organization's project management maturity and successful projects, Aaron selected the following as best practices for Keystone Management.

Adopt a maturity model for your organization to serve as a guide to implementing best practices and measuring progress.

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A good communications plan is often linked to organizational planning and the successful implementation of strategies that promote growth within project management maturity.

Establishing standards and a best practices repository sets up a measurement system. This system provides a source of information for continuous improvement and advancement in the organization's PM maturity level.

Use of a PM Information System, such as MS Project, provides an automated system that monitors and controls the execution of planned and scheduled work. In a highly mature organization, the more these techniques are used, the more the system can support forecasting.

Identify Benefits Here are the bene�ts you might expect from using each of the following techniques to improve an organization's PM maturity level:

The Project Management O�ce (PMO) leads and supports planning, management, and execution of all projects..

A project management communications strategy supports organizational planning and dissemination of information and facilitates stakeholder participation and ownership..

Formal project management methodology establishes consistent, repeatable processes and methodologies to manage scope, cost, time, and quality.

A standards and best practices repository provides a source of information for continuous improvement and advancement in the project management maturity level for an organization.

Portfolio management supports the ability to select, prioritize, manage, and execute projects based on organizational priorities, strategies, and initiatives.

Organizational Maturity: Summary With a goal of building a powerful foundation for company improvement, the project management maturity model was designed to help organizations improve their maturity levels through the following activities:

Assess the maturity of current project management processes.

Identify a logical path to improve processes.

Set priorities to achieve short-term improvements.

Measure progress along the maturity curve.

Establish a culture that supports your commitment to project management excellence.

TOPIC 3: TRIPLE CONSTRAINTS What strategies might you consider to manage the triple constraints of scope, time, and cost?

Figure of the Project Management Triple Constraint Pyramid

This �gure illustrates that quality is constrained within the three sides of the pyramid representing scope, time, and cost.

Managing the competing demands of all stakeholders, both within and outside the organization, is one of the key responsibilities of the project manager.

Complete the following:

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Consult Project Managers to learn about some of their experiences.

Consult Aaron to review his recommendations.

Resources

Kay

I once worked on a project that did not have a scope change control plan. Changes were initiated by stakeholders, users, and even developers without my knowledge. I had to establish a scope change control plan in the middle of the project to rein in changes out of scope in order to have any hope of meeting the project requirements, deadlines, and budget.

Conrad

I have found that a clear project charter is very useful when faced with con�icting priorities. I have been able to negotiate additional resources by reminding key stakeholders of the purpose for the project and the commitment that was made across the organization to its success.

Joan

My advice regarding scope creep is to make sure you have a solid change control plan that everyone agrees to early in the project. I have also found it very useful to be clear about why the dates are important. Being clear about dates helps everyone to recognize the domino e�ect individual projects have throughout the organization.

Matthew

We recently used a project priority matrix to identify, and agree on, the constraints to restrain, enhance, and accept for a particular project. This helped me negotiate changes as needed with appropriate stakeholders.

Aaron's Recommendations

Aaron's experience has taught him that managing the competing demands of all stakeholders, both within and outside the organization, is one of the key responsibilities of the project manager. Based on the experience of the other project managers as well, Aaron selected the following as best practices for Keystone Management.

Audit and assess the management of your project's triple constraints to create best practices for your organization.

Use a Scope Management Plan to ensure the project includes all work required, and only work required. Specify in-scope, out-of-scope, and future scope items. Clearly de�ne the Work Breakdown Structure so you can e�ectively plan, schedule, budget, and share project information appropriate to the stakeholder's position in the organization.

Guard against scope creep by clearly di�erentiating between what is in scope and what is out of scope, using either the scope statement or the project assumptions.

De�ne risks and the corresponding risk management plan early in the project cycle.

Identify Benefits Here are the bene�ts you might expect from using each of the following techniques to manage the triple constraints:

The project charter de�nes the project mission, objectives, and deliverables, as well as how participants behave on a project team (roles and responsibilities, communication expectations, rules of conduct, and the decision-making process).

The change management system provides a standardized process to centrally document and respond to changes that a�ect scope, budget, and schedule.

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g p g A work breakdown structure (WBS) links all levels in the organization, major deliverables, and all work and makes all project changes traceable.

The scope management plan de�nes what you expect to deliver and supports the ability to plan and measure project results in speci�c, tangible, and measurable terms.

A critical path method determines amount of scheduling �exibility and predicts project duration.

Triple Constraints: Summary Since large changes may be easily identi�ed, it can be the minor enhancements identi�ed by the customer and even developers throughout the project, enhancements commonly referred to as scope creep, that may be the most di�cult to track. The key to preventing these minor enhancements is vigilant change management, beginning with a well-de�ned scope statement.

TOPIC 4: MONITORING AND CONTROL TECHNIQUES What techniques are most e�ective for monitoring and controlling project schedules and activity?

Figure of a Project Schedule

This �gure represents a project schedule diagram indicating planned, actual, and critical path activity.

Although you may be able to control smaller projects in an informal manner by observation and informal discussions, large projects will need formal control processes.

Complete the following:

Consult Project Managers to learn about some of their experiences.

Consult Aaron to review his recommendations.

Resources

Kay

A mature and committed project manager is willing to use the information obtained through baseline measurements to make necessary changes to the project plan, even to the point of renegotiating the contract if necessary, rather than covering up issues and problems.

Conrad

I have seen situations in which the project numbers were massaged so there were essentially two sets of books - the o�cial ones that were reported to stakeholders and the other working version. From my perspective, there is nothing worse than waiting until the �nal weeks or days of a long project to �nd out that there will be a signi�cant delay.

Joan

I was a team member on a project for which unrealistic activity durations were calculated by someone who did not understand the tasks. Fortunately someone new took over and recalculated the required work periods. We were then able to determine realistic activity sequences, durations, and resource requirements.

Matthew

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The �rst time I used an integrated change control plan I knew it was worth the e�ort. It helped me set a baseline plan, measure progress and performance, compare project plan against actual, and determine corrective action requirements.

Aaron's Recommendations

Aaron has learned that although you may be able to control smaller projects in an informal manner by observation and informal discussions, large project need formal control processes. Aaron based the following recommendations for Keystone Management on his own experience and that of the other project managers he interviewed.

Include milestones in the sequence of activities to ensure the requirements for meeting the milestones are met..

Clarify performance measurement baselines for scope, schedule, and cost..

Create an accurate activities sequence to support realistic and achievable schedules.

Manage schedule changes with a Schedule Management Plan that includes the following: The schedule baseline.

Documentation of how schedule variances will be managed.

Identi�cation of schedule change control procedures.

De�nition of appropriate performance measures.

Identify Benefits Here are the bene�ts you might expect from using each of the following techniques for monitoring and controlling projects:

A risk management plan identi�es alternative strategies for ensuring project success if speci�ed risk events occur.

A project management information system is software that supports planning, monitoring, and controlling the project, including cost estimating, scheduling, communication, collaboration, con�guration management, document control, records management, and risk analysis.

Earned value technique integrates a project's scope, schedule, and cost into a uni�ed set of metrics, a performance measurement baseline is established that supports objectively measuring the level of work throughout the project.

Project portfolio management enables organizations to combine proposed and existing investments in order to properly assess the allocation of limited resources, time, and budget.

Status reports support communication between stakeholders and project sta� regarding baseline performance measures.

Monitoring and Control Techniques: Summary A variety of tools are available to support e�orts to monitor and control projects. These tools can range in complexity and in how they are used for a particular project or organization. Some tools may be as simple as status reports to sophisticated project management information systems and customized methodologies which are often coordinated by centralized project management departments. The key is to actively gather project performance data, analyze it, and make adjustments as necessary.

TOPIC 5: RISK, QUALITY, AND CHANGE CONTROL MANAGEMENT

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What strategies might you consider to manage risk, quality, and change within a project?

Figure of the Change Control Process

This �gure illustrates the activity �ow during the change control process.

The process is initiated by identifying the change and documenting the request.

It proceeds to the next step which is to submit the change request form.

The next step is to review the change request form.

The fourth step requires a decision on whether the change is approved or not. If it is approved the process continues. If not, it returns to the second step of submitting the change request form.

The �fth step requires an update to the project plan.

The �nal step indicates that the change is communicated to all a�ected parties.

Managing change is a key role of the project manager. Use of a structured change control system clari�es the process for documenting, reporting, and managing changes to the project.

Complete the following:

Consult Project Managers to learn about some of their experiences with the change control process.

Consult Aaron to review his recommendations for the change control process.

Resources

Kay

Risk management is critical in that it establishes procedures to monitor and control risks, which minimizes the severity of impact to the process or product. However, I have found that simply de�ning a risk management plan is not enough. Without clearly de�ned roles and responsibilities assigned to risk management, the process itself is in jeopardy.

Conrad

A well-de�ned communications plan facilitates involvement from all parties. While individual project contributors may need more detailed and frequent project updates, upper-level stakeholders are assured of receiving critical updates in time to make adjustments to the project as needed.

Joan

Assumptions are a huge risk to a project's success. E�orts should be made to identify, document, and verify assumptions as early in the project process as possible.

Matthew

I found an escalation plan a very useful tool in managing projects. By clearly de�ning evaluation metrics and both acceptable and out of tolerance values it was much easier to determine how to respond to change requests and variances.

Aaron's Recommendations

While de�ning recommendations for managing scope, Aaron determined that managing change is critical to scope management. Together with the other project managers, he also explored options for managing risk and quality as well. Based on that work, Aaron selected the following as best practices for Keystone Management.

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Adopt a quality management plan that includes speci�c strategies for maintaining quality, such as testing procedures and acceptance criteria.

Create a risk management plan that includes strategies for identifying risks, analyzing their probability and impact, and monitoring and responding to the risks.

Adopt a communications plan that speci�es the information needs of all team members and stakeholders and the process that will be used to share this information.

Implement an integrated change control management plan that identi�es, analyzes, and manages changes in a way that supports organizational goals and priorities.

Identify Benefits Here are the bene�ts you might expect from using each of the following techniques for managing risks, quality, and change control:

A risk management plan de�nes how risks will be monitored, assessed, and managed. It includes an assessment of the probability the event will occur and the severity of impact if it occurs.

Project con�guration management establishes and maintains consistency of project performance as well as functional and physical attributes with respect to requirements, design, development, and operational information. It applies technical and administrative direction and surveillance to determine if appropriate controls are in place.

A quality management plan de�nes the evaluation criteria that is used on a regular basis to compare project performance against quality standards and metrics.

Team meetings provide a forum to share information between team members regarding project status, issues, and changes.

Risk, Quality, and Change Control Management: Summary As you may have experienced, through projects that have gone well and those that have not, the key to successful management is planning. De�ning the procedures for managing risk, quality, and change at the beginning of the project helps establish expectations, performance criteria, and response requirements.

TOPIC 6: PROJECT CLOSURE How can thorough project closure activities contribute to continuous process improvement?

As organizations seek continuous process improvement, regular project audits are a useful approach for gathering the information you will need to identify improvement opportunities.

Complete the following:

Consult Project Managers to learn about some of their experiences with project audits.

Consult Aaron to review his recommendations for project audits.

Resources

Kay

At my previous company, we held post-mortems for all our projects. I think one of the things that made them successful is that management was not allowed to attend them. In our post-mortems, we used facilitators skilled at communicating the goal of improving our process and encouraging ideas for improvement.

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Conrad

Since team members are often already busy working on the next project by the time the �rst project ends, they can be skeptical of spending much time contributing to lessons learned unless they feel their ideas are actually being used as input for improvements.

Joan

I think ownership is the key to meaningful project closure activities. If the team feels that they own the process and the tools, they are much more likely to re�ect thoughtfully about the experience.

Matthew

Keep in mind that real, meaningful process change takes time. If your processes are in a constant state of change, team members lose interest in thinking about the process since they expect that it will change before their suggestions can even be considered.

Aaron's Recommendations

Although Aaron knows that formal project closure activities are often skipped, often because the group has already moved on to the next project, he also recognizes the value of gathering information in this phase of the project that is needed to identify improvement opportunities. The following recommendations are based on his experience and the insights gathered through his conversation with other project managers.

Use regular project audits to identify projects that will have a di�erent ending than the one described in the scope statement.

Use the Lessons Learned technique to document mistakes to avoid and document successes to repeat- not necessarily recommendations.

Use independent resources to complete audits.

Focus project audits, especially for active projects, on issues, problems, and successes.

Identify Benefits Here are the bene�ts you might expect from using each of the following techniques as part of project closure activities:

A project management maturity model provides a good measure of organizational project management performance and improvement. It also eases advancement of organizational goals by strategically applying principles and practices to individual projects.

A post-project status meeting provides a forum to discuss project closing activities, gather insights, determine if additional monitoring is required, and verify completion of administration activities.

Lessons learned captures the processes that worked well and processes that could be improved for future reference.

The project sign-o� document secures sign-o� from all stakeholders.

Project Closure: Summary Now that you have completed the project, do not forget to celebrate your project successes as well as your e�orts and accomplishments related to the process, such as team-building, problem-solving, and communication!

Subject Matter Expert:

Instructional Design:

CREDITS Haziel Matias Linda Grant

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Interactive Design:

Project Management:

Niles Bisping, Alyssa Wilcox, Andy Gruhn

Eric Stensberg

L i c e n s e d u n d e r a C r e a t i v e C o m m o n s A t t r i b u t i o n 3 . 0 L i c e n s e .