PM-CP7

MGT 6305, Project Management 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Assess best practices for project procedures. 1.1 Assess best practices for managing resources and risks and engaging stakeholders for project

procedures.

2. Determine project scheduling techniques.

3. Develop a quality management plan to ensure project quality.

4. Determine project requirements.

5. Outline project communications.

6. Plan project procurements.

7. Explore key concepts in project budgeting.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

1.1 Unit Lesson Appendix C Unit VII Course Project

2 Unit Lesson Appendix C Unit VII Course Project

3 Unit Lesson Unit VII Course Project

4 Unit Lesson Appendix C Unit VII Course Project

5 Unit VII Lesson Appendix C Unit VII Course Project

6 Unit Lesson Appendix C Unit VII Course Project

7 Unit Lesson Appendix C Unit VII Course Project

Required Unit Resources Appendix C: Project Plan Template

UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE

The Project Plan: Pulling it All Together

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Project Integration Management The term integration has the connotation of summing up or tying things together. This is precisely what the project manager does when creating a comprehensive project plan. The term comprehensive is used in this case because a project plan consists of many sub-plans. This may be contrary to how many view the project plan. The project plan is often thought of as little more than a schedule with associated milestones along with a budget. The complete project plan is much more than this as we have observed through the first six units. Each element of the plan—when created and integrated with the fundamentals of scope, schedule, and budget—aid in improving the chances of project success. The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) includes ten knowledge areas. Each of the knowledge areas are supported in the overall project plan with sub-plans of their own outlining how processes within each knowledge area will be carried out (Marion, 2019). A recap of each of the sub-plans, as well as how they fit together, is outlined below.

Recap of the Foundational Plans: Integration, Scope, Quality, Schedule, Budget, Communications, and Procurement

Project Integration Management This is the knowledge area that provides process guidance for the project manager for the purpose of tying together all of the pieces of the project into a unified whole. The activity begins with the identification of the players in the project environment (i.e., stakeholders) followed by the formal chartering of the project. The integration management knowledge area then provides guidance to the project manager for developing the overall project plan, directing, and managing the work of the project, and leading the integrated change control process (Marion, 2019). Project Scope Management This knowledge area governs the creation of the scope management plan. This plan answers several questions (Marion, 2019).

• How will the project scope be defined?

• How will the project team ensure that the project scope does not grow beyond what is agreed to in the plan?

• How will the project team validate that the project scope aligns with client requirements? Project Quality Management The quality management knowledge area and its associated plan provides guidance for the development of the project quality plan, as well how quality is managed and controlled. The quality management knowledge area is focused on aligning the level of performance of all project deliverables with client requirements. Because the performance of project deliverables involves the features and functionality, this knowledge area and sub-plan could be considered a subsidiary of the scope management plan. This is because the higher the performance and greater the level of features, the greater is the project scope. Project Schedule Management This knowledge area and subplan outline how the schedule is developed, managed, and controlled. The process guidance in this knowledge area ranges from how activity durations are determined and how such activities are sequenced to form a project schedule. While the plan begins with the strategy associated with the plan schedule management process, it continues through to the project schedule baseline (Marion, 2019).

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Project Budget Management The project budget management plan establishes methods for estimating costs, identifying and documenting all elements of project costs, and creating and managing the project budget. Given that the primary driver of project costs involves resources, the budget plan also outlines the methodology for determining costs of resources. Human resources involves salaries, benefits, and overhead, but in the case of non-human resources—such as capital equipment—methods for calculating and allocating costs such as depreciation is included. Project Communications Management Project stakeholders including the client, team members, and the sponsor—to name but a few—will want to keep abreast of the project progress. The cadence of project communication begins slowly but increases rapidly toward the end of the project. An effective communications plan considers the communications demand on the project team and seeks to identify, streamline, and consolidate the different categories of project reports where possible. Project Procurement Management The procurement management plan is very busy with details for the practicing project manager. This is because the interaction between the project and suppliers can be very significant. The plan provides guidance on how to decide whether to use an external vendor or to keep work in-house. The make or buy decision- making process will include criteria to be employed in such decisions. Also, important policies are established in this plan including how suppliers are identified, selected, and vetted and what specific form the contractual relationship will take.

Additional Knowledge Area Plans: Resources, Stakeholder, Risk Three important sub-plans remain, and these are essential to the management of a successful project. Projects cannot be completed in the absence of resources. The project stands a better chance of success when stakeholders support the goals of the project. Finally, risks are inevitable and must be identified and managed so that the project may succeed in spite of the challenges faced. Project Resource Management The resource management plan answers several questions (Marion, 2019).

• Where will project resources come from?

• How is the project team formed and developed?

• What specific skillsets will be required by the project, and do we have a sufficient number of skilled resources?

The resource management plan also will outline administrative details such as what happens to resources after the project ends, as well as how the performance of team members will be assessed and reported back to supervisory personnel. Project Stakeholder Management It is one thing to identify stakeholders to clarify who the players are in the project. It is quite another to secure support from all parties who have an interest in the outcome of the project. While all stakeholders have an interest in the outcome of the project, not all will support it. Some will want to see the project fail. This often happens in large companies where project teams compete for funding and mindshare. The challenge for project managers is to engage stakeholders and seek to encourage a shift from opposition to at least a neutral stance or to the best case of being a project supporter. It is this active approach on the part of the project manager that is captured in the engagement activities outlined in the project stakeholder management plan (Marion, 2019).

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Project Risk Management Project risks may be both positive and negative, but it is the negative risks that may bring down the project. The project risk management plan provides the strategy for identifying, assessing, monitoring and controlling, and responding to risk. In practice, this plan focuses the attention of the project team on what might happen, as well as what to do should risks materialize (Marion, 2019).

Figure 1: Project Plan Components

The Complete Plan, the Process Groups, and Building a Home

How does the development of a homebuilding project plan work in practice? As a practical matter, the project manager of the building project leads the team in the development and execution of the project plan by following the process guidelines summarized in the intersection of the project process groups and knowledge areas. The flow of the activity proceeds as follows. Initiating The project manager documents the aims of the project by means of an approved project charter. The team is then led through the identification of the project stakeholders. The charter approval is usually dependent upon a contract with the client. However, a company that carries out homebuilding projects on an ongoing basis may charter a project to develop a proposal for the client prior to approval of a homebuilding contract. This charter will be approved by a company executive holding the authority to authorize projects.

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Planning The planning process group is where the real work of creating project plans is carried out. The foundation of the project plan is the scope. In homebuilding, this is all about gathering requirements and defining what kind of home that the client wants. This includes the square footage, the layout, finishing, outdoor surfaces, and lawn accoutrements just to name a few. The scope is then used to define, sequence, and budget for all activities in the project schedule. It is at this point where the development of the project plan involves some iteration and negotiation. This is because once the schedule and budget unfold from the project scope, there is a good chance that the cost may prove to be higher than expected and the schedule longer than anticipated. Negotiation follows with natural give and take between the builder and the client until an agreement is reached. What results is a scope, schedule, and budget baseline that is followed throughout the project.

Figure 2: Project Integration: In the integration activity, the project manager ties together the project subplans

as they are developed from the charter and stakeholder plans in the initiating process group—to scope, schedule, budget, resources, quality, risk, communications, and procurement.

The plans that follow next relate to how the scope-schedule-budget baseline is executed. The baseline schedule will need resources, and these need to be planned for, paid for, and developed. This is the resource plan. The performance level of each element of the home will need to be validated against client requirements, and this is the quality plan. Progress updates and any changes will need to be communicated, and this is documented in the communications plan. Stakeholder support is fostered through engagement activities, and the stakeholder plan supports this. The role and organization of third-party contractors, as well as the components, services, and materials are outlined in the procurement plan. Finally, the homebuilding project team looks ahead to challenges and opportunities and the risk management plan describes how this is done throughout the project from initiation to closing when the home is handed over to the client.

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Reference Marion, J. W. (2019). Project management: A common-sense guide to the PMBOK program, part two–plan

and execution. Momentum Press. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=e000xna&AN=1918052&site=ehost-live&scope=site