Unit III Sch

Project Management Strategy and Tactics 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

3. Summarize the project management process groups. 3.1 Summarize the initiation phase of a project. 3.2 Assess the 5Ws and 1H of team formation in the initiation phase of a project.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

3.1

Unit Lesson Part 1: Chapter 13 Part 2: Chapter 2 Unit III Scholarly Activity

3.2

Unit Lesson Part 1: Chapter 9, pp. 99-103 Part 1: Chapter 13 Part 2: Chapter 2 Blog: “#NowIUnderstand Glossary: The 5W1H Method” Unit III Scholarly Activity

Required Unit Resources

Part 1: Chapter 9: Project Resource Management, pp. 99-103

Part 1: Chapter 13: Project Stakeholder Management

Part 2: Chapter 2: Initiating Process Group

In order to access the following resource, click the link below.

Humanperf Software. (2018, May 3). #NowIUnderstand glossary: The 5W1H method. Humanperf Blog. https://www.humanperf.com/en/blog/nowiunderstand-glossary/articles/5W1H-method

Unit Lesson

Introduction

Welcome to Unit III. In this unit, we focus on the project management phase of initiating. The initiation phase is essential because it is here that the vision is established for what will be accomplished. If you recall from Unit I, we explored how projects are aligned to the strategic objectives and goals of the organization. During the initiation phase, business benefits from the project are discovered. Based on the business benefits that the project may be able to deliver, the project stakeholders will determine if the time, money, and risk of the project are worth the potential benefits or the return on investment (ROI). The stakeholders are important throughout the entire project, but they are especially important in the initiation phase. The stakeholders play a pivotal role in ensuring that the project scope and end results are aligned with the strategic objectives of the organization. If this task is not completed, the company will have projects being completed that have no real goal and are not tied to the strategic goals. This would mean a loss in ROI. Let’s explore the other key tasks completed in this phase of the project management process.

UNIT III STUDY GUIDE Initiating

Project Management Strategy and Tactics 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

The Role of the Project Stakeholders

As tempting as it might be to jump into the project, the project stakeholders benefit from taking their time and ensuring that the project is set in the right direction. So, who are these stakeholders? The project stakeholders usually play one or two roles in the project. First, they are the ones who will benefit from the project and will use the end-result deliverables. For example, if the project is to create a new timesheet for the human resources staff to track the number of hours each employee works, the stakeholders would include the human resource managers. They would be heavily involved in the initiation phase of the project to ensure that the scope is correctly written. Second, the stakeholders are the individuals who are paying for the project. In this role, the stakeholders may not have a direct use of the end-result deliverable, but they see the need for the project and provide the funding. In our example of the timesheet, a stakeholder could include a senior leadership team. The stakeholders are responsible for securing the financial resources that are needed throughout the project. So, whether they are funding the project themselves or seeking funding from other sources, the stakeholders will ensure that the project has funding before moving forward with the project.

Choosing the Project Manager

As mentioned above, the initiation phase is important since the business benefit of the project will be identified and the project will be aligned to the strategic goals. Just as important is the selection of the project manager, which also takes place during this process group. The stakeholders often are the individuals who will choose the project manager, depending on the organization’s structure. Identifying the project manager early in the process will allow the project manager to be a part of the early decisions and help the project manager to see the potential benefits of the project. In addition, the project manager will begin to have accountability for the project and begin to make decisions. However, the project manager will have little to no authority in this process group since the project stakeholders craft the project’s scope and alignment to the strategic objectives. In most instances, the stakeholders will choose a project manager who has either experience with the project type or with the organization. By using these attributes, the project manager will bring existing knowledge about how to manage the project. In some companies that have a functional organizational structure, the project manager and the department manager will work together to deliver the project. So, choosing the project manager and the role that the stakeholders have will be influenced by the organization’s structure for projects.

Defining the Scope

Defining the scope is often completed after the project manager has been identified, which allows the project manager to be a part of the process. This not only can be a benefit due to the knowledge that the project manager would have about the process. It would also mean accountability for the project manager since they would have a role in setting the scope. The project scope contains several important elements. First, the scope will identify the project’s goals and how these goals are aligned to the strategic objectives of the organization. If the project’s goals cannot be aligned, this would indicate that the project should not be pursued; therefore, this is an essential process. In addition, the project scope states the project’s deliverables (i.e., what will be accomplished at the conclusion of the project).

In our example above, the project deliverable would be the updated timesheets, which would be used for time tracking. Finally, the budget and the schedule are determined during the process. The scope and the project deliverables are determined first in order to know how much the project will cost and how much time will be needed to create the deliverables. Because no project process is perfect, it may be possible that the scope will be adjusted during the project; however, the project manager and the team should work closely with the stakeholders to ensure that the scope is followed. The scope will be what the stakeholders will judge the project team on because the scope contains their expectations of all stakeholders.

Project Management Strategy and Tactics 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

The Project Management Institute (PMI, 2017) outlines six phases of defining scope. Below is a basic outline of the phases; we will go into more detail in the next unit.

Phase I is the plan scope. The plan scope is how the scope will be defined, monitored, and controlled.

Phase II is the control scope. Once the scope is determined, the project team will manage the scope to ensure that the stakeholders’ expectations are met.

Phase III is to collect the requirements. The project manager and the team will define their own requirements for how they will execute the project to meet the scope. Phase IV is to define the scope. Once the requirements have been determined, the initial plan for the project can be reviewed to ensure that all areas are defined within the scope and all other activities are removed, if not within the scope’s definition.

Phase V is the creation of the work breakdown structure (WBS). The scope requirements will be broken down into sub-tasks and activities. This is also known as the hierarchy of tasks.

Phase VI of defining the scope is to validate the scope. In this process, the stakeholders sign off on the project scope and the deliverables.

Crafting the Project Charter

Now that the project manager has been hired and the scope has been defined, the project manager and the stakeholders will create the project charter. The project charter is like a contract because the project’s requirements and purpose are outlined. The project charter includes the boundaries of the project and the expectations and objectives that are to be achieved. The boundaries are created by the schedule, budget, and resources. The project team will need to create the project’s activities that fit with these defined elements of the project. The project charter will set the timeline for the project and the communication expectations that the stakeholders have. Once the project charter is in place, the funding should be secured for the project, and the project manager should be ready to move forward with the planning process of the project. Any decisions that are needed during the remaining phases of the process should be made based on what is stated in the project charter.

Managing the Stakeholders

Now that the project charter has been created, the project manager has their “marching orders” for the project, and all expectations have been explained. The project manager does have a critical role during the project, and that is to manage the stakeholders and their expectations. All stakeholders are important, but identifying the stakeholders who have the most influence will be important for the project manager because it is these stakeholders that the project manager needs to communicate with throughout the project in order to ensure that their expectations are being met. Successful project managers understand the critical need to have the stakeholders involved in the project in the initiation phase and throughout the project. Any stakeholder who can impact the project plan, deliverables, and outcome needs to be included and managed throughout the project.

Project Management Strategy and Tactics 4

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Stakeholders expect transparency during the project. They are not prepared for surprises at the end, so the communication aspect becomes a vital concern for the project manager. The stakeholders can also provide the resources and tools, when needed, so early and often communication can make it easier to ask for these items during the project. In order to know the level of involvement and need for communication for each stakeholder, the project manager should consider the factors listed below.

• Which stakeholders will have the most influence on the project? • Who are the stakeholders who will be impacted by the project and use the final deliverable? • Who are the individuals who are not official stakeholders but will be impacted by the project? For

example, the employees using the timesheets (in our example above) would be an unofficial stakeholder and may require communication during the project.

• Which stakeholder will control and deliver the resources? • What are the motivations of the stakeholders, and what interest does each stakeholder have in the

project?

In order to prioritize the stakeholders, project managers often create a map of the various stakeholders that displays the level of influence, the level of interest, and the needs and wants of each stakeholder.

Conclusion

The early stages of the project are essential to the potential success of the project. The initiation phase involves the stakeholders as well as the assigned project manager. Taking the time to clearly define the scope will lead to fewer issues while executing the project. The scope, along with other project requirements, should be crafted in the project charter, which will serve as the official contract between the stakeholders and the project team.

Reference

Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® guide) (6th ed.). https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781628253900

Suggested Unit Resources

You are highly encouraged to read the following chapter in the textbook. Integration, in the context of project management, includes the actions of unification, consolidation, communication, and interrelationships. All of these elements should be applied from the start through completion of the project. A thorough understanding of these concepts will aid you in the overall application of project management concepts.

Part 1: Chapter 4: Project Integration Management

Learning Activities (Nongraded)

Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.

Visit the website YouTube, and perform a search for each of the following keyword search terms to view a wide variety of resources that offer additional insight into this unit’s topics. Note the channels or authors whose videos you find most helpful, and consider bookmarking or subscribing to them for continued professional development. It is suggested when looking for online resources, you choose those that are most recent, as they will offer the most up-to-date information.

Keyword search terms for this unit are listed below.

• Project management initiation • Project manager team