Final Flashcards
T/F: The end of a project can be termination or failure
True
A project that never ends
Death March projects
T/F: It is ok to cancel a project
True
Name 5 reasons why you’d cancel a project
- No Funding
- No Value
- Obsolete Technology
- Different Prioritization
- Resource Constraints
T/F: Projects that end early still go through project closure?
True
When should you plan for project closure?
At the beginning of the project.
T/F: Transferring responsibility is part of the closure process
True
T/F: If there is no one to transfer a project to at the end, that is grounds for cancellation
True
What are the 5 main sections of the final project report?
- Project Performance
- Product Performance
- Team Member Performance
- Administrative Performance
- Benefits Realized
Describe a lessons learned session (short answer)
- All stakeholders and team members brought together to review the project
- what went well, what didn’t
- all members hear the same message
- reviewed plan vs actual
- document adjustments for future projects if there are variances
- review change control process - did it go correctly / improved / any changes avoided?
8 steps to close a project
- communicate final decisions and review closure checklist
- update project schedule for remaining work
- obtain final approvals / signatures
- conduct final audits if needed (financial, project, product and personnel)
- schedule and hold lessons learned workshop
- reassign remaining personnel
- return leased / borrowed resources and vacate facilities
- publish results across the organization
Inspection vs prevention
- prevention - attempts to keep errors out of the process
- inspection - attempts to keep errors out of the final product (after the fact)
Reasons why a project is not terminated when it should be.
- Fear of management retribution
- Superman / woman complex - believe they can complete the project even though it might be impossible
- Doesn’t want to cause drama / rock the boat
- doesn’t want to be the bearer of bad news
Who should be the one to terminate a project?
A stakeholder with authority
What is the difference between a tolerance and a limit?
- tolerance - a companies accepted range of error or failure of a project or process
- limit - the defined point of failure, specifying a max and minimum, which serves as an overarching control
When is a project “in control”?
When it falls between the max and minimum limit / does not have 8 successive values on one side or another.
When is the quality assurance plan created?
The planning stage of the project
What are some measurements used to test the quality of a project?
- testing
- gate reviews
- communication
- reporting
What do you develop as a PM to help improve quality through communication?
- risk matrix
- wbs
How do you perform a root cause analysis?
- Fish bone diagram (ishikawa)
- Five Y technique (ensure you are addressing the root cause over symptoms)
- People > Process > Technology
What is a control chart and how is it used in the context of quality control?
Created prior to project completion - used to identify and prevent problems before they occur. Utilize limits and project variability to determine if the project is “in control”. Also used to determine patterns and chance of fixing.
Types of patterns in a control chart that would be concerning to a PM
- single point falls outside control limits
- point patterns (successive) that suggest points aren’t acting independently
- excessive successive points (8+) aligned on a single side of the average line
- point trends - excessive sets rising and falling
- points outside the tolerance range
Peredo Analysis.
Utilizes 80/20 rule. Bar chart used by PMs to identify key contributors to a problem by evaluating project performance and issue frequency / prioritization.
Tool used to generate ideas of possible causes of a problem
Cause and effect analysis / fishbone/ ishikawa
