an introduction to project management workbook
TRANSCRIPT
An Introduction to Project
Management
Workbook
1
Contents
About this Workbook ....................................................................................................................................... 2
The Profession of Project Management ....................................................................................................... 4
Waterfall vs Agile ............................................................................................................................................. 5
8 Principles of Professional Project Management ...................................................................................... 6
Organizational Project Management Maturity ............................................................................................. 7
Project Management Roles ............................................................................................................................ 9
The Project Management Office ................................................................................................................. 10
Choosing the Right Project .......................................................................................................................... 11
Change Control Process .............................................................................................................................. 15
The Project Management Plan .................................................................................................................... 19
Defining the Project Scope .......................................................................................................................... 22
Cost Management ......................................................................................................................................... 29
Special Topic: Earned Value Management ................................................................................................ 33
Time Management......................................................................................................................................... 35
Quality Management ..................................................................................................................................... 39
Risk Management .......................................................................................................................................... 44
People Management ..................................................................................................................................... 47
Leadership and Interpersonal Skills ........................................................................................................... 49
Communications Management .................................................................................................................... 50
Stakeholder Expectation Management ...................................................................................................... 53
Procurement and Contract Management .................................................................................................. 54
Project Reporting ........................................................................................................................................... 56
Project Closure .............................................................................................................................................. 58
Benefits Realisation ....................................................................................................................................... 64
Organisational Change Management ......................................................................................................... 65
A Project Management Methodology ......................................................................................................... 66
2
About this Workbook
This workbook is designed to be used in conjunction with a series of workshops on Introduction to
Project Management
This symbol indicates a Key Message of that module
This symbol indicates an exercise to be completed
Contact: [email protected]
3
The workshops run from 9am – 4pm each day.
Course Outline
Day 1 – Wednesday 5th May 2021
1. The Profession of Project Management
2. Managing an Organisational Portfolio
3. Choosing and Starting the Right Projects
4. Project Sponsorship and Governance
Day 2– Wednesday 12th May 2021
5. Defining and Managing Project Scope
6. Estimating and Managing Project Costs
7. Estimating and Managing Project Time
8. Managing Project Risk
Day 3 – Wednesday 19th May 2021
9. Effective Team Development & Project Leadership
10. Effective Project Communications & Stakeholder Management
11. Project Closure and Benefits Realisation
12. Assessing Project Management Maturity & Building a Project Management Methodology
4
The Profession of Project Management
Key Message: The profession of project management utilises a highly iterative and
customizable set of processes, tools, techniques based on experience to successfully deliver a
unique product, service or result within specified time, cost or quality constraints.
A DIAGRAM SHOWING THE ITERATIVE NATURE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AND PROCESSES.
Key Message: You can’t guarantee project success. However, with the appropriate
application of the appropriate processes, tools and techniques you can increase the chances of
project success - this is what being a professional project manager is all about.
5
Waterfall vs Agile The following diagrams visually show the difference between waterfall and agile approaches.
TYPICAL WATERFALL PROCESS
TYPICAL AGILE PROCESS
Gather Requirements
Design
Test
Implement
Handover
Requirements
Design
TestImplement
Handover
Requirements
Design
TestImplement
Handover
Weeks
Months
Weeks
Iteration
6
8 Principles of Professional Project Management
1. Choose the right projects - only select the right projects to do for the right reasons
2. Plan what you are going to do - carry out an appropriate amount of planning and develop
baselines to help guide you
3. Do what you planned - execute the plans!
4. Check that what you are doing matches what you planned to do - use your plans and
baselines to check forecast progress against actual progress
5. If what you planned to do doesn’t match what you are actually doing then do something
about it - make sure at all times that what you are doing matches what you planned to do
6. Produce all of the project and product scope and deliverables
7. Carry out project closure according to your closure plan
8. Set aside time to complete a post implementation review and benefits realization process -
did the project deliver the intended outcomes? What went well? What didn’t go so well?
What lessons can we learn to apply for future projects?
The Project Management Institute - www.pmi.org & www.pmi.org.nz
The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a global professional membership based organization for
the promotion and advancement of the profession of project management. It provides certification
for project managers including the Project Management Professional (PMP®) and Certified Associate
in Project Management (CAPM®). It produces many global standards including The Guide to the
Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) and the Agile Practice Guide.
Exercise: Visit the Project Management Institute website (www.pmi.org) and the Project
Management Institute of New Zealand (www.pmi.org.nz) and learn about the benefits of
membership, credential eligibility and professional development options.
7
Organizational Project Management Maturity Exercise: Complete the following questionnaire:
1. Does your organization expect project managers to hold a certification or credential
in project management?
Yes
2. Does your organization expect project managers to undergo regular professional
development through such things as ongoing training?
Yes
3. Are project managers in your organization expected to only do project management
work and not also carry out technical work?
Yes
4. Does your organization appoint a project sponsor for each project? Yes
5. Does your organization have its own, or a proprietary, project management
methodology in place and does it require this methodology to be followed in all
projects?
Yes
6. Does your organization have a standard set of templates to use on each project and
require them to be used?
Yes
7. Does your organization have a defined process to follow for starting each project and
require it to be used?
Yes
8. Does your organization have a checklist for closing a project and require it to be used? Yes
9. Does your organization have system in place for reporting progress on each project
and require it to be used?
Yes
10. Does your organization have a documented and appropriate change control process
and require it to be used?
Yes
11. Does your organization measure and evaluate the competing demands on people,
time and money between projects?
Yes
12. Does your organization regularly review its approach to project management and seek
to improve it?
Yes
13. Does your organization have a Project Management Office (PMO)? Yes
14. If so, what is its function?
a. Common reporting of all projects
b. A place where all project managers work
c. Developing and improving the methodology
Yes
Yes
Yes
TOTAL TICKS ______
Number of Ticks 0-4 Level 1 Very low level of OPMM
5-8 Level 2 Low level of OPMM
9-12 Level 3 Medium level of OPMM
13-16 Level 4 High Level of OPMM
8
Your Project Management Maturity Next Steps
Exercise: What are the top 5 things your organization could do to increase its level of project
management maturity?
(HINT: look at where you scored a ‘No’ in the above spreadsheet)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
For a more detailed assessment of project management maturity you can use the free P3M3
Self-Assessment Tool from AXELOS.
9
Project Management Roles
Key Message: There are several significant and distinct roles within a project, and it is
important that each is clearly defined.
Project Steering Committee/Group - a group of senior stakeholders who provide governance,
oversight and advice to the project manager.
Project Sponsor - the internal stakeholder and project owner responsible for providing financial and
political support for the project.
Program/Portfolio Manager - a senior level project management specialist responsible for either a
program or portfolio of projects.
Project Manager - the project management professional with ultimate responsibility and authority
for delivery of the project.
Scrum Master - This is team role responsible for ensuring the team lives agile values and principles,
and follow the processes and practices that the team agreed they would use. The use a coaching
rather than directive approach.
Agile Coach - An agile coach is a person who facilitates the performance of a team using agile
methods. They use coaching techniques to assist the team become high performing.
Product Owner - The person accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the
work of the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is accountable for effective Product Backlog
management, which can includes developing and explicitly communicating the product goal; and
creating, prioritising, and clearly communicating Product Backlog items.
Project Coordinator - a project management specialist with some responsibility and authority for a
project or parts of a project.
Project Administrator - a project management specialist with the least power and authority, often
providing administrative support to a project manager.
Project Team Member - a person with technical skills needed on the project who is a member of
your project team
Customer/Client - the person or organization requesting the product or deliverable
Stakeholder - any person, organization or group who can affect or be affected by the project.
Exercise: Which roles do you currently have in your organization?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
10
The Project Management Office
Key Message: The Project Management Office (PMO) is the centre of excellence in project
management in your organization. It will reflect the level of project management maturity that your
organization is at.
Three categories of PMO
1. Supportive - Low degree of control but providing a consultative role to projects by supplying
templates, best practise, training, access to information and lesson learned from other
projects.
2. Controlling - Moderate degree of control and providing support and compliance to ensure
people adopt and use project management frameworks and methodologies, specific
templates, forms and tools and governance requirements.
3. Directive - Directly manage all projects and employ project managers directly
Exercise: What sort of PMO do you think your organisation needs now?
11
Choosing the Right Project
Key Message: Increase your chances of project success by only choosing to do the
projects that deliver strategic benefit and meet financial or non-financial criteria.
A DIAGRAM SHOWING THE PROCESS OF SELECTING PROJECTS
12
Exercise: What are the key elements that should be incorporated into your project selection
process?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
13
Project Charter Example
Project Name: Insert name of the project
Project Manager: Insert name of the project manager and contact details
Project Sponsor: Insert name of the project sponsor and contact details
Client If the project has a client, insert client details
Date: Insert date
Version: Insert the version i.e. Draft, Final
Statement of work
Describe the currently known work to be done as part of the project. Include both project work and a
description of the product, service or result to be delivered. Attached any relevant documents, contracts,
agreements or plans.
Does this project align with the organisations strategic goals?
Describe how this project will align with organizational strategic goals.
What is the financial justification for the project?
Describe the financial justification for the project i.e. what is the payback period, cost benefit ratio, return on
investment, expected profit, net present value.
What is the non-financial justification for the project?
Describe any non-financial criteria being used to justify the project i.e. compliance with regulations or
standards, environmental objectives, charitable purposes or gaining market share.
What is the budget required?
Describe the known budget required for the project or the next phase of the project. Explain how it was
estimated.
What is the preliminary schedule?
Describe the know time the project or phases of the project will take, Explain how this was estimated.
Are there any known risks?
Describe any known projects risks, their consequences, planned responses and who is responsible for
monitoring them.
Are there any known constraints?
Describe any known time, cost or quality constraints affecting the project that may impact further project
planning.
Describe the particular project management methodology that will be used
Does the organization have a defined project management methodology? If so, name and briefly describe
it here
What level of delegated authority does the project manager have?
What levels of delegated authority to make decisions about resources, change requests, budget and time
does the project manager have?
Signatures: insert as appropriate when charter is finalised and approved
Project Sponsor:
Project Manager:
Client:
14
Your Project Charter
Exercise: What are the key elements that should be in your project charter?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
15
Change Control Process
Key Message: ALL changes to a project must be appropriately documented and assessed.
At all times in your project you must be delivering what is documented and only what is documented.
AN EXAMPLE OF A CHANGE CONTROL PROCESS
16
Project Change Control System Development Checklist and Worksheet
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
Determine those responsible for approving or rejecting proposed project changes:
Be sure to provide for appropriate review of all changes.
Define Roles and Responsibilities of approving person or body:
Get key stakeholder agreement on roles and responsibilities (list stakeholders):
Define any types of changes qualifying for automatic approval without review:
Define steps by which contracts may be changed, including:
• Paperwork
• Tracking Systems
• Dispute Resolution procedures
• Approval levels required
Describe how contract changes will be integrated with the project's integrated change control
system:
Your Change Control Process
Exercise: What are the key elements that should be incorporated into your change control
process?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
17
Change Request
Project Name: Insert name of the project
Project Manager: Insert name of the project manager
Requested by: Insert name of the person requesting the change
Date: Insert date
Change Number: Insert the unique number for this change request. Record all changes
on your change log
Describe the nature of the Change Request
Describe the currently known work to be done as part of the project. Include both project work
and a description of the product, service or result to be delivered. Attached any relevant
documents, contracts, agreements or plans.
What are the implications on project cost and budget?
Describe any known impacts on project costs or budgets and propose potential solutions.
Include any necessary stakeholder approvals or comments.
What are the implications on project scope?
Describe any known impacts on project scope and propose potential solutions. Include any
necessary stakeholder approvals or comments.
What are the implications on project time?
Describe any known impacts on project timeframes and propose potential solutions. Include
any necessary stakeholder approvals or comments.
What are the implications on project quality, risk, communications or personnel
requirements?
Describe any known impacts on quality, risk, communications, and personnel parts of the
project and propose potential solutions. Include any necessary stakeholder approvals or
comments.
Are there any other impacts?
Describe any known impacts on other areas of the project and propose potential solutions.
Include any necessary stakeholder approvals or comments.
Change process
Describe the change process i.e. considered under delegated authority, submitted to change
control board etc.
Decision
Is the change request approved or declined?
Notification
List all documents and processes that need to be updated as a result of an approved change
and who will ensure the changes are made and validated.
Signatures: insert as appropriate when change approved or declined
Project Sponsor:
Project Manager:
Client:
Date:
18
Exercise: What are the key elements that should be in your change control document?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
19
The Project Management Plan
Key Message: You know the old saying “Failing to plan is planning fail”? - well its true, buts
its even more important to do the right level of planning depending on the duration, size, complexity
and duration of your project.
The Project Management plan can have any of the following plans and baselines in it:
▪ Project Selection Process
▪ Scope Management Plan
▪ Schedule Management Plan
▪ Cost Management Plan
▪ Quality Management Plan
▪ Process Improvement Plan
▪ Staffing Management Plan
▪ Communications Management Plan
▪ Risk Management Plan
▪ Procurement Management Plan
▪ Contract Management Plan
▪ Milestone List
▪ Resource Calendar
▪ Schedule Baseline
▪ Cost Baseline
▪ Quality Baseline
▪ Risk Register
▪ Project Reporting templates
▪ Project Closure Checklist
20
Project Planning Checklist
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
No. Item/Comments Y N Planned
Completion
Actual
Completion
Actual
Effort
Goals and objectives defined
Scope defined
Major deliverables defined
WBS completed
Top-down planning estimates created
Major milestones defined
Master integrated schedule completed
Product and services requirements defined
Phase Plan completed
Organization Plan completed
Performance, evaluation, and test plan completed
Change Control Plan completed
Problem Tracking Plan completed
Documentation Plan completed
Education Plan completed
Communication Plan completed
Legal and Regulatory Requirements Plan completed
Risk Assessment completed
Risk Management Plan completed
Reliability, Availability, Usability Plan completed
Preliminary Support Plan completed
Interdependencies Plan completed
Resources Plan completed
Project Plan completed
Opportunity Costs calculated
Budget specified
Financial Analysis completed
Integrated Business and Realization Plan completed
Functional Deliverables defined
Top-level Architecture Specification Plan completed
High-Level Functional Specifications complete
Bottom-up Task Estimates created by functional groups
Detailed Functional Planning and Schedules completed
Functional Schedule Critical Path Analysis completed
Master Schedule Critical Path Analysis completed
Functional Coach Approval and Commitment
Master Schedule and Plan aligned with functional groups
Planning Phase Checklist completed
21
Your Project Management Plan
Exercise: What are the key elements that should be in your project management plan?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
22
Defining the Project Scope
Key Message: All projects should have an agreed description of the work to be
done, and not to be done, as part of the project.
Defining the scope of work means defining both the product scope and the project scope
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROJECT AND PRODUCT SCOPE
23
The process of scope definition is very iterative - you will often know little at the start of a
project and define more as you go along. These are the different terms to use to describe
the depth of scope.
ITERATIVELY DEFINING THE SCOPE
24
Project Scope Statement Example
Project Name: Insert name of the project
Project Manager: Insert name of the project manager and contact details
Project Sponsor: Insert name of the project sponsor and contact details
Client If the project has a client, insert client details
Date: Insert date
Version: Insert the version i.e. Draft, Final
Objectives
Describe the reason the project is being undertaken, the expected outcomes, benefits and the purpose
of the deliverable.
Project description
Describe the full scope of all the work to be done on the project i.e. the planning work, the executing
work, the monitoring, controlling and change control work, and the close out work. List the parts of the
project management plan that will be completed as part of the planning work.
Product description
Describe the product, service or result that the project will deliverable. Take care to describe it in detail
and attached any related plans, and documents.
Acceptance criteria
Describe the process of formal acceptance on behalf of both your organization and the client. List who
will formally sign off and their role.
What is not included?
Describe all the work that is not included as part of the project
What are the key project milestones?
Describe the known project milestones
What is the project budget?
Describe the project costs broken down into categories, the project budget (i.e. Costs over time), and
any uncertainty in the estimating process.
What is the process for managing change?
Describe the change control process that will be used
Team roles
List and describe project team members, their role and responsibilities
Signatures:
Project Sponsor:
Project Manager:
Client:
25
Your Scope Statement
Exercise: What are the key elements that should be in your project scope statement?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
26
Sample Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Key Message: The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the backbone of any good
project. It is a graphical representation of all the work to be done on the project. Work not in the
WBS in not part of the project. You can use the WBS to support good cost, time and resource
estimating
AN EXAMPLE OF A WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE FOR A PROJECT TO BUILD A HOUSE.
27
Exercise: What might a typical Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for your projects look like?
28
Agile Scope Definition
User stories are short, simple descriptions of a feature told from the perspective of the
person who desires the new capability, typically the user or customer of the system. They
typically follow a simple template:
As a < type of user >, I want < some goal > so that < some reason >
A Kanban board is an excellent way to capture both the work to be done and also the
progress on that work. You can simply use post it notes and a wall, or you can opt to use
one of the many pieces of software that exist to do this. The following figure shows an
example of a Kanban board.
Backlog In Progress
Peer Review In Test Completed Blocked
KANBAN BOARD EXAMPLE
Exercise: What are the best (i.e. most appropriate) ways for you to gather and document project
scope?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
29
Cost Management
Key Message: Generally, the more accurate the forecasting or estimating technique is,
the longer it takes and the more it costs. However, remember that any process of estimating is
simply the process of trying to forecast a future state based on the information we have at hand
now. As such, the quality of the estimate is related directly to the accuracy of that information. The
more accurate the information you have, the more accurate the estimate will be.
The Ballpark Figure: Effort required is very low, and accuracy is very low (usually).
Top Down Estimating: Effort required is low, and accuracy is low.
Bottom Up Estimating: Effort required is high, and accuracy is high.
Lessons Learned: Effort required is medium, and accuracy is high.
Expert Judgment: Effort required is high, and accuracy is high.
Published Estimating Data: Effort required is medium, and accuracy is high.
Analogous Estimates: Effort required is medium, and accuracy is medium.
Parametric Estimates: Effort required is high, and accuracy is high.
Three-Point Estimates: Effort required is medium, and accuracy is high.
Optimistic (O) + (4 x Realistic (R)) + Pessimistic (P)
6
The Quote: Effort required is high, and accuracy is very high.
30
Project Costs vs. Project Budget
Managing Project Costs
Key Message: There are many sources of changes to the project costs, both
increases and decreases. It is important that you track, document and record all requests that
can have an impact on cost - you may run out of money or may not get your invoices paid!
31
Cost Estimating Checklist
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
Be certain that all possible needed resources are taken into account, including but not limited to:
Project Management (figure at 10% of total)
Labour
Materials
Supplies
Travel
Fees for consultants and other outside professional services
Miscellaneous (shipping, copying, couriers, etc.)
Contingency planning
Inflation allowance.
Be as specific as possible, using as many means as you can to quantify the resources the project
will require.
Express cost estimates in units of currency.
Indicate other metrics, such as staff hours/days, as appropriate.
Be sure you consider every activity involved in the project, when computing potential costs.
Allow for realistic quantities and frequencies of cost items, such as number of days for equipment
rentals, number of workers needed for each stage of the project, and so forth.
32
Exercise: Which estimating techniques do you currently use?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Exercise: Which estimating techniques do you think would be of value to you?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
33
Special Topic: Earned Value Management
Have you ever been in a scenario like this? A project manager tells you that the project is halfway
through, but has only spent 30% of the budget and therefore everything is going well. What's
missing from the statement is, of course, the amount of work that you expected to do at this point
in the project. The project would definitely be going well if you are halfway through it, had spent
30% of the budget, and achieved 60% of the work. However, it would not be so well if you had only
achieved 20% of the work you expected to achieve by now. This is where the earned value
management technique is useful as it compares the planned value (PV) of work completed, the
earned value (EV) of work complete, and the actual cost (AC) of the work completed. Once you
have successfully determined these numbers you can then use this information to assess your
current state and likely future state of the project in relation to both cost and time.
Of these numbers, planned value (PV) and actual cost (AC) are the easiest to determine. Planned
value is simply the budget for the work that you had planned to have completed at this stage in the
project and it is determined by looking at your cost budget graph and seeing the value of work that
you had planned to have created on this date. This means that total planned value equals your
budget at completion (BAC), which is your originally approved budget for the project.
Actual cost (AC) of the work completed is obtained from your accounting software which will let
you know the actual amounts of invoices paid for work done to date. It is always a good idea to
subtract from this figure of the amount of any materials held in stock as it is goods you have paid
for and have in storage but have not yet used.
The most difficult number to determine is earned value (EV) and you may need to consider the best
way to determine the earned value. The formula for calculating it is EV = PV x physical % complete,
but this isn’t always easy to calculate when you are dealing with projects that don’t have a lot of
physical characteristics in the work being done. Instead, you could simply add up the value of all
the work completed to date which is determined by looking at the original value allocated to it and
not the actual cost of doing it. This can be quite time-consuming but very accurate. You can also
determine earned value by coming up with a simplified metric based on broader parameters. For
example on one large project I worked on which involved 10,000 m² of land area we simply ascribed
a value per square metre and calculated how many square metres with complete, how many square
metres were underway, and how many were not yet started, and gave each a value.
So once you have determined budget at completion (BAC), planned value (PV), actual cost (AC)
and earned value (EV) you can then use this information to get a snapshot of how your project is
currently performing in terms of both cost and time, and then use this information to forecast a
likely future scenario for both cost and time of your project.
You can use the formulae for calculating cost variance (CV = EV- AC) and cost performance index
(CPI = EV/AC) to determine how well you are performing in relation to cost. A positive cost variance
is good and a cost performance index above 1 is good i.e. a CPI of 1.1 means you are getting $1.10
for every $1.00 you invest.
34
You can also use the formula for calculating schedule variance (SV= EV-PV) and schedule
performance index (SPI= EV/PV) to determine how well your project is performing in relation to
time. A positive schedule variance is good and a schedule performance index above 1 is good.
With these formulae calculated you can then use the results to forecast a likely future state of the
project in relation to time and cost. You can forecast an estimate at completion (EAC) which is what
you think the project is now going to cost based on past performance. There are many formulae
for calculating estimate at completion (EAC) each with its own strengths and weaknesses
depending on which information is included in the calculation and which information is excluded.
Here are the three most popular estimate at completion (EAC) calculations:
EAC = BAC/CPI - only takes into account cost performance to date
EAC = AC + (BAC-EV) - takes into account actual cost and earned value
EAC = AC + ((BAC-EV)/(CPI x SPI)) - my personal favourite formula as it takes into account actual
cost spent to date, earned value, and both cost performance and schedule performance.
Once you have calculated estimate at completion (EAC) you can then also move on to calculate
the estimate to complete (ETC) which is the remaining amount of money required to complete the
project, and the formula is ETC = EAC - AC.
You can also calculate the variance at completion (VAC), which is the difference between what you
originally thought you would spend (BAC) and what you now think you will spend (EAC). The
formula is VAC = BAC - EAC.
There are a number of other calculations you can do with earned value management but these are
the most commonly used. It's pretty easy to set all these formula up in an MS Excel spreadsheet
and have them done automatically. Just keep in mind that earned value management is a tool for
helping you determine what was happened to date and what may happen in the future. If it is giving
you bad news about your project this does not mean that is the way things will work out but it gives
you a fair warning to undertake corrective actions.
35
Time Management
Key Message: Time estimating uses the same estimating techniques as cost estimating
with the same strengths and weaknesses of each. The better the description of the work the better
the estimates will be.
Exercise: Which of the estimating techniques from cost estimating would be useful to you for
estimating time?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Network Diagram
36
The Gantt Chart (named after Henry L Gantt, a railroad engineer)
37
Exercise: Draw a network diagram using the following information
Task ID Duration Predecessor
A 3 days -
B 6 days A
C 2 days A,B
D 4 days B
E 4 days C,D
F 2 days D
G 5 days E
H 3 days F,G
I 8 days G,H
38
Tracking Tasks in Agile
A velocity chart is used to compare the amount of committed work and the amount of completed
work for each Sprint so you can determine whether you are maintaining, increasing or decreasing
work velocity. The following diagram shows an example of a velocity chart.
EXAMPLE OF A VELOCITY CHART
A burndown chart is a way of representing the remaining work left to be done over time. They are
useful for predicting when all of the planned work may be completed . Their other main use is to
tell you if you are working too slow to meet agreed deadlines. The following diagram is an example
of a burndown chart.
EXAMPLE OF A BURNDOWN CHART
39
Quality Management
Key Message: Poor quality costs money, reputation, health and safety, and future
business - if you aren’t worried about quality your competitor will be.
Quality Assurance & Quality Control
1. Quality assurance checks that you are following processes using audits
2. Quality control checks the quality of the product using inspection
There are many ways to record and display quality information in graphical form
The Cause and Effect or Ishikawa Diagram
The Control Chart
40
The Pareto Chart
The Run Chart
41
The Scatter Diagram
42
Quality Audit Template
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
Project Manager:
Project Phase: Overall Project Status:
Audit Date: Audit Number: Audit Leader:
Audit Team:
Goal(s) of This Specific Audit:
Audit of Management of Project:
1. (required project objective #1) Assessment: Comment:
2. (required project objective #2) Assessment: Comment:
3. (required project objective #3) Assessment: Comment:
4. (required project objective #4) Assessment: Comment:
Overall Assessment of Management of Project:
Recommended Action(s)/Lessons Learned Regarding Management of the Project:
1.
2.
3.
Audit of the Product of the Project:
1. (required product characteristic #1) Assessment: Comment:
2. (required product characteristic #2) Assessment: Comment:
3. (required product characteristic #3) Assessment: Comment:
4. (required product characteristic #4) Assessment: Comment:
Overall Assessment about the Product of the Project:
Recommended Action(s)/Lessons Learned Regarding the Product of the Project:
1.
2.
3.
Audit Report Submitted To: Date:
43
Exercise: Mark on the scale of 1-10, how important quality is to your projects? (1 meaning not
important at all, 10 meaning that it is absolute critical to project success)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Exercise: What are the current quality assurance processes you have in place?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Exercise: What are the current quality control processes you have in place?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
44
Risk Management
Key Message: All projects have elements of risk or uncertainty in them, both negative and
positive risk. Being proactive in your approach to risk management allows you to minimise the
impact of negative risk and maximise the impact of positive risks.
The steps to successful risk management are:
1. Plan your approach to Risk Management
2. Identity Risks
3. Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
4. Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
5. Plan Risk Reponses
6. Monitor and Control Risks
Be prepared for unforeseen risks with a workaround
Exercise: What elements of risk management do you think would be useful to you?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Exercise: What are the key elements that you should have in your risk register?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
45
Risk Brainstorming Session Worksheet
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
Session Facilitator:
Title/Position:
Participating Group:
Location:
Identified Risk Probability of
Occurrence
Potential Impact Proposed
Actions
Identified by
Whom?
46
47
People Management
Key Message: Successful project management relies on the 5 R’s of people management:
1. Recognising who you want and the skills they must have,
2. Recruiting these people when you need them,
3. Retaining them throughout the project,
4. Rewarding them
5. Releasing them.
Your goal is to develop a group of individuals into a high preforming team. You may have to be a
skilled negotiator to get the people you want when you want them from functional managers whom
they report to.
The Tuckman 5 stage model of team development
48
Exercise: Think about a time that you have been part of a high performing team - what
was it about that team the defined it as high performing?
49
Leadership and Interpersonal Skills
Key Message: Your own leadership development is an essential part of your professional
development as a project manager. Great leadership enhances the chances of project success and
successful projects add bottom line value to organizations. The most important characteristic of a
great leader is authenticity.
Exercise: Think about a leader who has impressed you - what was it about their leadership
style that impressed you?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Exercise: What do you hope your followers would say about your leadership style?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
50
Communications Management
Key Message: Good communication is key to project success. The absence of
communication doesn’t mean no communication is happening. If you don’t comminute
appropriately people will think you are either incompetent or don’t care about their needs. In the
absence of effective communication gossip, rumour and half-truths will fill the gap.
Communication types
Verbal Written
Formal Meetings, speeches,
presentations
Contracts, written instruction
Informal Conversations, telephone calls Memos, emails
A Model for Communications
51
Exercise: What are some of the communications issues you have had and how would you
do things differently?
52
Communications Plan Template
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
Key Stakeholders
(Distribution
Schedule)
Stakeholder
Issues
Key
Messages to
Communicate
Communication
Methods to be
Used (i.e.
written, one-on-
one, electronic,
meetings, etc.)
Description of
Specific
Communications
(i.e. content,
format, level of
detail, etc.)
Timing
Issues
(see also
Bar Chart,
Project
Schedule)
Other
Client
Senior
Management
Sponsor
Project team
members
Employees
Subcontractors
Suppliers
Unions
Government
Agencies
News Media
Community
Other
53
Stakeholder Expectation Management
Key Message: A stakeholder is any person, group or organisation who can affect or be
affected by your project. The goal of proactively influencing stakeholders and their expectations is
to gain their support for the project or to ensure they do not oppose the project.
Exercise: Use the following stakeholder assessment matrix to identify stakeholders in a current
project and assess their power and interest upon your project. Which stakeholder is the one you
must manage most closely?
Stakeholder Power
(1-10)
Interest
(1-10)
Power x Interest
(1-100)
Power Score: a score of 1 means they have no power, or ability to influence your project, a score
of 10 means that they have a lot of power over your project
Interest Score: a score of 1 mean they have no interest at all in your project, a score of 10 means
they have an extremely high level of interest in your project.
54
Procurement and Contract Management
Key Message: On some projects you will decide to procure goods or services from
external parties. In which case you should have a process to help you decide what to get, what
contract to use, how to select the preferred vendor and how to ensure the terms of the contract
are being met by all parties.
Types of Contracts:
1. Fixed price (risk is with the seller)
2. Cost plus (risk is shared)
3. Time and Materials (risk is with the buyer)
Not all contracts are created equal - some are adversarial while others are cooperative. Choose
very carefully as they all come with hidden administration costs.
Exercise: Does your organisation have clear rules for procurement? If so, what works well and
what doesn’t?
Extra Reading - Go online to www.legislation.govt.nz and read the Contractual Remedies Act
55
Procurement Management Planning Checklist
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
Identify types of contracts being used
Independent estimates required? Yes No
If Yes, who will prepare?
By when?
Actions that Project Management Team can take independent of Procurement Department
Source of standardized procurement documents, if needed
How will multiple providers be managed?
How will you coordinate Procurement with the following aspects of the project?
Scheduling
Performance Reporting
Human Resources
Other
56
Project Reporting
Key Message: What, when and how you choose to report project progress will depend
upon individual stakeholder requirements and the goals of your communications strategy.
Types of reports:
• Numerical
• Text
• Graphs
• Pictures
• Red/Amber/Green
• Dashboard
• Milestone chart
• Gantt Charts
Choose the type that best communicates the Key Message to the selected stakeholders.
Exercise: What are the current methods you use to report progress at the moment?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
57
Project Report Template
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
Status of Project Relative to Project Objectives:
Scope (On scope? If off scope, how serious?)
Schedule (On schedule? Ahead or behind by how much, etc.)
Cost (On budget? Under or over by how much, etc.)
Quality
Progress Report: (what is completed, what is in process, key changes made, when and why, etc.)
Forecasting: (estimate of future project status and progress)
Other issues or comments:
Issue: Who Will Address:
Project Report Submitted to:
Name: Title: Date:
Name: Title: Date:
Name: Title: Date:
58
Project Closure
Key Message: All projects must be closed according to an agreed and documented
closure process. Clearly set out the closure process early in the project
Closure includes:
1. Contract closure
2. Project acceptance
3. Lessons Learned
4. Archiving
5. Post Implementation reviews
Exercise: What additional elements could you incorporate into you current project closure process
to improve it?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
59
Template for Formal Acceptance and Closure
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
Name of Client or Sponsor:
Statement of Formal Acceptance:
The undersigned formally accept as complete the above-identified project, and do hereby state
that this project, project phase, or major deliverable meets or exceeds agreed-upon performance
standards for scope, quality, schedule, and cost, and state that we have seen documentation that
all relevant legal and regulatory requirements have been met or exceeded.
Additional Remarks:
Accepted by (name of client, sponsor, or other official) Date
Accepted by (name of client, sponsor, or other official) Date
Accepted by (name of client, sponsor, or other official) Date
Signed form distributed to:
Stakeholder name Date
Stakeholder name Date
Stakeholder name Date
60
Example of Project Closure Checklist
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
Customer has accepted all project results: Accepted by:
1
2
3
Customer has accepted all other deliverables: Accepted by:
1
2
3
Customer has accepted from delivering organization all other project requirements:
Accepted by:
1 Staff evaluations
2 Budget reports
3 Lessons learned
4 Other
5 Other
Explain any exceptions to the above:
Documentation for the above has been filed/archived as follows:
Comments or remaining issues:
Checklist submitted by:
Name/Title: Signature: Date:
Name/Title: Signature: Date:
61
Exercise: All of the following can be used to structure a post project review - which of the
following typical post project questions would be useful to your project review process?
Circle the ones you would use.
1. Write a brief description (50 words or less) of the project, its goals, its timeline, its
approximate budget, and team members involved.
2. All in all, would you say that the project was successful? Why or why not?
3. How close was the project to meeting its scheduled completion date?
4. How close was the project to being completed within budget?
5. Did the project meet its stated objectives? Why or why not?
6. Did the project have a sponsor? If so, what was his or her role during the project?
7. What tools and techniques were used in planning and tracking the project?
8. Did the scope of the project change after the project was under way? If so, what was the
overall impact of the change of scope? How were changes approved?
9. How was project status communicated during the course of the project?
10. How were risks managed for the project? Were they identified ahead of time? Did any
unforeseen occurrences hinder the progress of the project?
11. At the end of the project, was there a formal process for gathering lessons learned or any
sort of review similar to the one used here?
12. How effective was the overall leadership of the project? Did the project manager have the
resources and support required to be as effective as possible?
13. In general, how well did the team members collaborate? Why was this so?
14. Did team members work together in a single physical area or were they physically
separated?
15. What were the primary modes of team communication? Which ones worked best? Which
ones worked less well?
16. Were all team members available at the times they were needed for project work or status
meetings? What impact did this have on the project?
17. Were all stakeholders and subject matter experts available to answer questions when
needed? What impact did this have on the project?
18. How did technology help or hinder the progress of the project?
19. Were any new technology tools introduced for this project?
20. Did the project use any kind of project management software, such as Microsoft Project?
In what ways was it used (for example, scheduling, reporting, or cost reporting)?
21. What other tools (for example, word-processors, spreadsheets, presentation software,
diagramming tools) were used in the project?
22. Was the project team able to obtain adequate advice and technical support for the
technology tools used in the project? How could this improve?
23. Are there any areas about which you would like to learn more that would make you more
effective on your next project? What resources are available for obtaining that knowledge
or skill?
62
24. Based on your project teams discussion of your individual Post-Project Review Previews,
brainstorm as many “do’s” (best practices) as possible, which you’ll want to carry forward
into your next project.
25. Based on your project teams discussion of your individual Post-Project Review Previews,
brainstorm as many “don’ts” as possible, which you’ll want to avoid in your next project.
26. Based on your project teams discussion of your individual Post-Project Review Previews,
brainstorm as many “gotchas” (unexpected surprises or setbacks) as possible, which you’ll
want to manage as risks in your next project.
63
Project Archives Checklist
Project Name:
Prepared by:
Date:
Project Documents Located: Indexe
d
Submitted for Archives Date Comments Initials
Project Charter
Scope Statement
Performance Measurement Baselines
Key Staff
Scope Management Plan
Cost Management Plan
Cost Estimates
Cost Baseline
Staffing Management Plan
Role and Responsibility Assignments
Risk Response Plan
Work Breakdown Structure
Major Milestones and Target Dates
Risk Management Plan
Schedule Management Plan
Project Schedule
Quality Management Plan
Communications Management Plan
Procurement Management Plan
Supporting Detail for all Plan Documents
Procurement Documents
Vendor Proposals
Project Contracts
Project Status Reports
All Change Requests
Performance Reports
Performance Measurement Documents
Notes and Files of Key Project
Stakeholders
Other Documentation (Specify)
64
Benefits Realisation
Key Message: Remember all those things you hoped to achieve by doing this project?
Well, did you achieve them? Don’t confuse outputs with outcomes.
Include budget, time and resources in your project plan to carry out a post implementation review.
Define a process for reviewing the expected outcomes outlined in the project initiation phase
against what has actually occurred as a result of the deliverable being produced - do they match?
Are there lessons to be learned for future projects?
Exercise: What can you do to improve your benefits realisation process?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
65
Organisational Change Management
Key Message: All projects deliver change of some sort - moving from where you are now
to somewhere else. People naturally resist change, so part of any good project management plan
is how you are going to initiate change, gain support for change, implement the change, measure
the expected benefits of the change and then ensure it sticks.
Kotter’s eight steps of change management
1. Create a sense of urgency
2. Put together a strong enough team to direct the process
3. Create an appropriate vision
4. Communicate that vision broadly
5. Empower employees to act on the vision
6. Produce sufficient short-term results to give their efforts credibility and to disempower the
cynics
7. Build momentum and use that momentum to tackle tougher change problems and
8. Anchor the new behaviour in the organisational culture
Exercise: What can you do to ensure that projects you are working are have a better chance of
being accepted and adopted permanently?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
66
A Project Management Methodology
Key Message: All organizations should have a documented project management
methodology that features an appropriate, scalable, flexible set of standardised processes, tools
and techniques for managing their projects.
Checklist - Does your methodology need these elements?
1. Project selection, justification and approval process
2. Project phases, stage gates and/or milestones
3. Project governance
4. Project sponsorship
5. Delegated authority limits
6. Project roles and responsibilities
7. Business case preparation
8. Project charter preparation
9. Project management software selection
10. Requirements definition, management and control
11. Work breakdown structure development and control
12. Scope definition, management and control
13. Cost estimating, management and control
14. Budget development and control
15. Project financial processes
16. Schedule estimating, management and control
17. Monitoring project performance
18. Managing project changes
19. Project status reporting
20. Quality assurance processes
21. Process audit procedures
22. Quality control processes
23. Risk assessment, management and control
24. Resource estimation, levelling and management
25. Project team formation and development
26. Project communications development, distribution and control
27. Stakeholder identification, engagement and management
28. Customer engagement and management
29. Procurement and contract assessment and management
30. Vendor management
31. Claims administration and resolution
32. Health and safety
33. Environmental management
34. Deliverable acceptance procedure
35. Operational handover process
36. Project, or phase, closure process and checklist
37. Gathering and documenting of lessons learned
38. Benefits realization and/or post implementation review process
39. Methodology tailoring guidelines
67
An Example of a Project Management Methodology
68
Your Project Management Methodology
69
NOTES
70
71
72
73