Project Management 3041

Week 1

What makes a project a project?

* Unique, Temporary, Important, Well-defined

Classifying projects

* Clear goal / clear solution – neither goal nor solution are clear

NTCP Model

* Novelty, Technology, complexity, pace

* Operational = high complexity, high pace

* Strategic = high technology, medium everything else

What is project management?

* Three-phase view = definition, planning, control

* Process view = plan, do, check, act

Types of plans:

* Triple constraint = Scope, time, cost

* Others: WBS, quality, human resources, communication, risk, procurement, cost, schedule

* Initiating documents = project charter, preliminary scope statement,

Project manager skills

* Technical Skills: Technical expertise, functional expertise, industry expertise

* Business management: plan, manage, control, communicate, motivate, develop, negotiate

Symptoms of a misaligned portfolio:

* Too many projects

* Competing projects

* “interesting” projects

* Costs > benefits

* Projects with high risks

Week two – initiating

Project success factors:

* User involvement

* Executive support

* Experienced project management

* Clear business objectives

* Minimized scope

* Agile requirements : 12 principles - customer satisfaction, flexibility, fast, continuous attention, simplicity

* Skilled staff

RACI Chart – structure that relates people to activities

*communication is most import skill for PM

Week 3 – Planning

* 8/80 rule – says work packages should e no less than 8 hours, and no more than 80 hours.

* Requirements of work packages = traceability, affordability, feasibility, usability, producibility, maintainability all of the “ibilities”

* Best estimates are: 1) based on complete specifications 2) honest and detailed 3) based on experience

* Phase gate: separation between phases, opportunity to check quality

* Apportioning (top-down) – requires historical...