General / Overall Flashcards
(46 cards)
1
Q
What is a project?
A
- Temporary group activity designed to produce a unique product or service or result within a finite time.
- Defined start and end date
- funding limits
- to manage human and non-human resources (money, people, equipment)
2
Q
How does a project differ from an operation?
A
An operation has
- ongoing execution of activities
- produces the same output repeatedly
- has to earn a profit
3
Q
What is project management?
A
The application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities in order to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations from a project
4
Q
What is a stakeholder?
A
A person or organisation who has an interest or stake in the performance or outcome of the project
5
Q
What is a knowledge area?
A
A group of processes that fall within a single discipline.
6
Q
List the PMBOK Knowledge areas
A
- Project integration
- Scope management
- Time management
- Cost management
- Project communications
- Project quality
- Project Risk
- Human Resources
- Project procurement
- Stakeholder management
7
Q
What are the PM Phases
A
- Selection and initiation
- Planning
- Monitoring and controlling
- Closing - closing iteration, closing project
8
Q
What is the role of the Project Manager?
A
- manage scope
- manage HR
- manage comms
- manage the schedule
- manage quality
- manage costs
9
Q
What is the project sponsor?
A
- A project sponsor has a senior management role in the organisation in which the project is running
- Role involves approving and supporting the allocation of resources, defining goals, assessing success
- May be the champion for the project
- Critical to the success of the project
10
Q
Why does a project manager need to apply systems thinking?
A
Projects operate within organisations and the wider context. Systems thinking is required in order to view the project in the context of the organisation and the system in which it operates
11
Q
Name and describe different types of organisational structures
A
- functional, project / dynamic, matrix
1. Functional - traditional, can have good comms channels, good resources, issues are the placement of the project manager
2. Project / Dynamic - driven by org. structure, all work is characterised through projects, each has its own P&, cost centre
3. Matrix - combo of functional and dynamic, typically have a project office
12
Q
How do organisational structure influence projects?
A
- PMgr authority and role
- resource availability
- control of budget
- PMO staff
13
Q
Describe portfolio management
A
- collection of projects or programmes of work grouped together to meet strategic business objectives
- not necessarily interdependent
- centralised managemnet -> id, prioritise, authorise, manage and control
14
Q
Project management vs. product management
A
- product is anything that can be offered to a market that may satisfy an unmet want or need
- a product has a lifecycle and many projects may be initiated, executed and closed throughout the lifecycle
15
Q
What is a SDLC?
A
- Approach to building IT systems.
- Consists of a standard set of phases, each producing an approved set of deliverables e.g. waterfall, spiral, iteratives
- Predictive (scope clearly articulated)
- Adaptive (requirements not clearly expressed)
16
Q
Describe Waterfall model
A
- linear life cycle model with feedback loops
- cannot easilty accomodate constant change
- Stages -> Requirements, Design, Construction & Unit Testing, Integration & Systems Testing, Operation
17
Q
User Story
A
- Agile requirements document written in plain English, - ‘As a user I need xx, so that yy’
- Plan, build, test is done over and again to add features each time
18
Q
Backlog
A
Agile - Collection of user stories
- prioritised to do valuable work first
19
Q
Define Integration Management
A
- The processes and methods required to identify, define, combine, unify and coordinate the various processes in the project
20
Q
What are the component processes for Integration Management?
A
Initiating 1. Develop project charter Planning 2. Develop project management plan Executing 3. Direct and manage project work Monitoring & Controlling 4. Monitor and control project work 5. Perform integrated change control Closing 6. Close project phase
21
Q
Define Scope Management
A
- Ensure the project delivers exactly what the customer requested
22
Q
What are the component processes for scope management?
A
Planning 1. Plan scope management 2. Collect requirements 3. Define scope 4. Create WBS Monitoring and Controlling 5. Validate Scope 6. Control Scope
23
Q
Define Time Management
A
Create and manage appropriate schedules to complete the project
24
Q
Component processes for time management
A
Planning 1. Plan schedule management 2. Define activities 3. Estimate activity resources 4. Estimate activity durations 5. Develop schedule Monitoring and Controlling 6. Control schedule
25
Define cost management
Create and manage the project budget
26
Component processes for cost management
```
Planning
1. Plan cost management
2. Estimate costs
3. Determine budget
Monitoring and controlling
4. Control costs
```
27
Define Quality Management
Ensure that the project delivers the stated and implied needs for which it was designed
28
Component processes for Quality Management
```
Planning
1. Plan quality management
Executing
2. Perform quality assurance
Monitoring and controlling
Control quality
```
29
Define Human Resources Management
Describe the processes and methods required to effectively use the people associated with the project
30
Component processes for HRM
```
Planning
1. Plan human resource management
Executing
2. Acquire project team
3. Develop project team
4. Manage project team
```
31
Define communications management
Create, collect, disseminate and store information about the project
32
Component processes for communications management
```
Planning
1. Plan communications management
Executing
2. Manage communications
Monitoring and controlling
3. Control communications
```
33
Define Risk Management
Identify, quantify and control risks associated with the project
34
Component processes for Risk Management
```
Planning
1. Plan Risk Management
2. Identify Risks
3. Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
4. Perform Quantitiative risk analysis
5. Plan risk responses
Monitoring and Controlling
6. Control risks
```
35
Define Procurement Management
Manage goods and resources from a source outside the project team
36
Component processes for procurement management
```
Planning
1. Plan procurement management
Executing
2. Conduct procurements
Monitoring and controlling
3. Control procurements
Closing
4. Close procurements
```
37
Define stakeholder management
Identify project stakeholders and manage interaction between them and the team
38
Component processes for stakeholder management
```
Initiating
1. Identify stakeholders
Planning
2. Plan stakeholder managemnet
Executing
3. Manage stakeholder engagement
Monitoring and controlling
4. Control stakeholder engagement
```
39
What are the main project management methodologies?
- predictive (scope clearly articulated)
- iterative and incremental
- Adaptive (requirements not clearly expressed)
For IT projects that produce software these are then combined with a SDLC such as waterfall, spiral, iterative, agile
40
What is the purpose of project quality management?
- The effort invested to achieve quality more than pays for itself
- Ensure that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken.
41
Why should quality be on an equal level with project scope, time and cost?
- If a project's stakeholders are not satisfied with the quality of the project management or the resulting products of the project, then the project team will need to adjust scope, time and cost
42
What is the cost of quality?
- prevention (cost of action taken)
- Appraisal (cost of inspection / testing)
- Failure (internal testing)
43
Name quality tools
- The tools traditionally used to support quality, are useful guidelines but based historically in process quality rather than project quality. Repeatability is good for processes, but reliabilty is good for projects
- Six SIgma / DMAIC
- Quality Circles
- histograms
- check sheet
- pareto analysis
- process flow charting
- cause and effect analysis
- scatter diagrams
- control charts
44
Control in PMBOK and Agile
PMBOK is basd on two underlying theories
1. management-as-planning (for planning and execution)
2. the thermostat model (for control)
- The Management-as-planning takes plan production to be essentially synonymous with action. This model leaves the task of management essentially from everyday activity
- Control stimulates explanation rather than activity and leads to manipulation of action
45
Triple constraints
Time / Cost / Scope & quality
- reducing time will increase cost and may reduce scope
- reducing cost will increase time and may reduce scope
- increasing scope will increase time or cost
- reducing scope may reduce time and cost and may impact quality
46
What is a project charter?
- first tangible work product created in all projects
- formalises the start of the project
- key stakeholders should sign the charter
- should define project managers level of authority
