Week 3 Discussion

Project Management Constraints

Project delivery will contain constraints which have to be managed. They come under the following categories:

Time

Cost

Scope

Each project will have a due date to move it to the next task. These dates are constraints if they are not met because if a date is missed depending on the task, the project

end date could be in question.

For example if it takes four weeks to test a transmission and the customer is two weeks late sending it, this missed due date could extend the end date by two weeks.

The cost constraint refers to any budget that is tied to the project. Any time it takes to complete the project that goes past the original due date could increase the

budgeted amount.

The scope constraint refers to all the tasks that make up the completed project.

These constraints need careful attention to document each task in WBS. Many times the project requires services for which they have to revise their service level

agreements or hire staff to meet agreed upon time frames to provide a service.

For example if it takes three business days to put a new customer account into production, management of the project manager may ask the change management

department to perform the service for two day turnaround going forward or provide a new service level agreement.

Managing constraints can be a challenge but for the disciplined project manager it can be handled to ensure project success.

 In Week 3, you reviewed the overall logic of planning and some important and unique planning tools. You learned that, driven by its unique challenges, project

management stresses the importance of thorough planning. Project planning is nested in the context of overall organizational planning, but the planning of a project is meticulous. At this point in time, it is important for you to have a good understanding of the following important and unique project management planning tools:

Project charter: The instrument authored by the project sponsor authorizing the go-ahead of the project and the distribution of resources needed for it to begin.

Project scope statement: Derived from the project charter, the project scope statement articulates what will be accomplished by the project. It makes clear what

will be done as part of the project, and therefore, what will not.

Project plan: The sum and substance of the constituent plan, such as the scope management plan and the risk management plan. Overall, the constituent plans

describe, in as much detail as practical, the plan for the entire project, with the overarching information to bring it all together.

WBS: It is a graphical, deliverables-oriented depiction of the project scope. It is derived from the planning information and does not bear any necessary relation to

the preexisting organizational structure. If the project manager is lucky, the project manager will be in a situation where the project organization can subsequently

be developed to look much like the WBS; but, often, that is not the case. This is especially true in those organizations not project driven or matrix structured.

Linear responsibility chart: To bridge the gap between the WBS and the existing organizational realities, the linear responsibility chart, also called the RAM, is used

to make certain planning for human resources is smooth, not only within the individual project, but across all projects vying for the same talent.