WEEK 6

AgendaPhase 4: Controlling

Controlling Projects

“keeping things in control and in order“

Initiating

Planning

Executing

Controlling

Closing

Controlling PhaseEnsuring that the project

objectives are met by monitoring and measuring progress and taking corrective action when needed.

Controlling Phase FOCUS Involves:

Measuring progress toward project objectives,

Monitoring deviation from the plan,

and taking “Corrective Actions”

OUTPUTS include:Performance Reports, Requested changes, and Updates to various plans

Triple Constraint

You must work with your clients to determine what THEIR definition of SUCCESS is.

2) Scope

1) Time

Quality

3) Cost

Triple Constraint cont. the time constraint deals with the time necessary to finish a project. To successfully complete a project, the

time constraint should be comprised of a schedule. You should have a specific schedule related to the time that it will take you to finish the project. However, before you can create a schedule, you must first sit down and figure out a projected time frame for the project. Once you have figured out the total time it will take for a project to be completed, you must next break this down into a schedule. There should be a time frame for completing specific parts of the project, and there should be a time frame that deals with the completion of components that make up these parts.

The three constraints of project management will almost always be competing with each other. If a team decides to enlarge the scope of a project, the time will become larger as well, along with the cost. If the time constraint is tighter, the scope may be reduced, but the costs will remain high. If the team should decide to tighten the budget, the scope will become smaller but the time will increase. To become skilled in project management, the project manager and their team must be capable of dealing with these constraints in a way that will allow them to successfully complete any project that they plan.

Cost is another of the three constraints that you will want to become familiar with. The cost involved with successfully completing a project is dependent on a number of different elements, and some of these are material costs, the costs of labor, risk, and machines. The profit must also be analyzed when one is considering the cost constraint. If you are hiring a consultant who is independent, the cost of your project will be dependent on how much they charge "per diem." This cost will generally be multiplied by a calculated quantity. The cost constraint is very important, and it should never be overlooked.

The third constraint of project management is scope. Scope can be defined as the tools and resources that are needed to achieve the end objective of the team. The scope can also be defined as the goal of the overall project, what it is supposed to achieve. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the scope is the quality of the end product or service that is produced. How much time the team puts into the project is directly connected to its quality. Some projects will require a longer period of time in order to be completed properly. Looking at the scope of the project is similar to looking at the big picture of what you are trying to accomplish.

TRIPLE CONSTRAINT cont. Understanding the scope, time, and cost constraints

of project management is very important for those who wish to be successful with this process. If even one of these constraints are not properly used, the project will be a complete failure. For example, if you fail to complete the project within a specific time frame, you will not be successful, even if the project is high in quality, because you didn't finish it in the time frame specified by your client. Failing to project the proper cost of the project could cause you to either spend too much or too little on its completion, and you could end up with an inferior product or service. Failing to pay attention to the scope of your project can cause you to miss the objectives and goals entirely.

Project Change Management Definition:

◦ “a general term describing the procedures used to ensure that changes are introduced in a controlled and coordinated manner.”

Change Management

Change and adapting to change is another critical aspect of project management.

Change can come in the form of a crisis, market shift or technological development

A successful project manager will learn how to adapt and even predict changes

Effective change management is a critical core competency and Project Managers have to be able to adapt to their changing environments.

Change Management Processes

Change Request ◦ -Requests to EXPAND or REDUCE the project

SCOPE, ◦ -MODIFY policies, processes, plans or

procedures, ◦ -MODIFY costs or budgets, or ◦ -REVISE schedules.◦ -Need to get APPROVAL for them

Change Order ◦ -Used in some companies to IDENTIFY

APPROVED “Change Requests” (order ONCE IT HAS BEEN APPROVED)

Top 5 Obstacles To Implementing Change

1. Employee and staff resistance, 2. Middle-management resistance, 3. Poor executive sponsorship, 4. Limited resources, and 5. Corporate inertia and politics.

4 out of 5 of these obstacles are about people, while only 1 of these obstacles refers to resources

Changes

Most change requests are the result of:

An EXTERNAL EVENTWeather, schedule didn’t take into the consideration of a religious holiday, supplier goes bankrupt

An ERROR or OMISSION in defining the SCOPE of the product or project

A “value-added” change (e.g., new technology, new software version, etc.)

Scope Creep

Changes to the project that result in additional work.

If not properly identified and managed properly, ◦your project may come in considerably over budget and/or behind in schedule.

Main Causes Of Scope Creep Are

1. Poor “Requirements ANALYSIS”: Customers don’t always know what they want and can only provide a “vague idea”. The "I’ll know it when I see it" syndrome.

2. Not Involving the USERS EARLY Enough: Thinking you know what the users want or need is a serious mistake. It is important to involve them in both the requirements analysis and design phases.

3. Underestimating the COMPLEXITY of the Project: Many projects run into problems because they are new in an industry and have never been done before. Nobody knows what to expect, there are no lessons learned and no one to ask.

Main Causes Of Scope Creep cont.LACK OF “CHANGE CONTROL”: You can

expect there to be a degree of “Scope Creep” in most projects, therefore it is important to design a process to MANAGE these changes. A simple process of document, consider, approve and resource can be implemented.

GOLD PLATING: This term is given to the practice of exceeding the “Scope” of a project in the belief that “VALUE”is being added. These changes inevitably consume time and budget and are NOT guaranteed to increase customer satisfaction.

How to Control Scope Creep

1. Expect that there will be “Scope Creep”2. Be sure you thoroughly understand the

project VISION. Meet with the stakeholders3. Understand your priorities and the

priorities of the stakeholders; make a list

4. Define your deliverables and have them approved by the stakeholders

5. Break the approved deliverables into “actual work requirements”

6. Break the project down into major and minor milestones and complete a schedule to be approved by the stakeholders

“Scope Creep” AVOIDANCE

Document, document, document!◦Document meetings◦Anticipate areas of miscommunication.◦Be as succinct as possible.◦Add what is NOT required.◦Obtain sign-off by key stakeholders.

Use signed-off SCOPE and REQUIREMENTS documents to manage your project◦What’s “in” and what’s “out”

CLOSING OUT THE PROJECT

Introduction to Project Management

Agenda

Phase 5: Closing Out the Project

Closing Projects

“Crossing all your T’s, dotting all the I’s“

InitiatingPlannin

gExecutin

gControlli

ng Closing

Project CloseoutAre activities, from making sure the

“T”s are crossed in terms of the ◦CONTRACT and assessing the PROJECT and establishing any “LESSONS LEARNED”

Often shortchanged due to pressures to reassigning team members

Best accomplished by adding the close-out activities to the WBS

Typical Closeout StepsConduct Final WBS ReviewDocument closing date and who authorized the closeout, alternatively:◦document the reason for NOT closing the project

Measure outcomes and compare to scope document to verify the deliverables and final product is acceptable

DELIVERABLESthe “quantifiable” goods or services that

will be provided upon the completion of a project

may be an object, used in the greater scheme of the project. ◦For example, in a project meant to upgrade a

firm's technology, a deliverable may be a dozen new computers.

may be a function or aspect of the “overall project”. ◦For example, a software project may have a

deliverable specifying that the computer program must be able to compute a company's accounts receivable.

MILESTONE vs. DELIVERABLES

A deliverable differs from a milestone in that a milestone is a measurement of PROGRESS toward an output

whereas the deliverable is the RESULT of the PROCESS.

For a typical project, a milestone might be the:

“completion of a product DESIGN”

While the deliverable might be the:“technical diagram of the

product.”

Typical Closeout StepsCreate and deliver final invoice for PM

activitiesObtain approval from client

◦Use “DELIVERABLE Template” documents

“DELIVERABLE TEMPLATE” DOCUMENT 2 example

ID Deliverable Owner Complete Milestone

  [Enter a description of the deliverable] [Enter owner] [Yes/No] [Yes/No]

         

         

         

         

         

         

Typical Closeout Step cont.Provide a “physical deliverable” –

even for a NONtangible product such as a “Process”

◦Examples are: CD copy of documentation, letter of certification, a plaque

Typical Closeout StepsSolicit Feedback

◦Prepare SURVEYS◦Gather survey results◦Summarize FEEDBACK for assessment purposes

Conduct Project Assessment◦Select and invite meeting participants◦Distribute survey summary◦Discuss lessons learned◦Discuss best practices

EXAMPLES OF:PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT

PROJECT CLOSURE CHECKLIST

LESSONS LEARNED TEMPLATE 1

LESSONS LEARNED TEMPLATE 2

Typical Closeout StepsCelebrate Success

Project Management FINAL EXAM

Project Management REVIEW TEST◦ BLACKBOARD > QUIZZES > bottom of list: “Project

Management Review”

Does NOT include, but YOU WILL ALSO BE TESTED ON:

◦ SHORT ANSWERS

◦ AON CHART◦ Critical Path◦ SMART goals◦ Milestones◦ Constraints◦ Risks

HYBRID/HOMEWORK cont.DOWNLOAD > MICROSOFT

INTERACTIVE CLASSROOM > COURSE DOCUMENTS and CREATE A PROFILE:

http://www.pil-network.com/Resources/Tools/Details/da5d09fd-9362-43b6-9e96-cf9aadc66e6c