Project Charter & Work Breakdown

Question 1

definition of project management

Answer 1

_ a series of processes executed to apply knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements

Question 2

Five phases of project management

Answer 2

The phases are iterative rather than strictly sequential:
_ initiating
_ planning
_ executing
_ monitoring and controlling (feeds back into planning and execution)
_ closing/closure

Question 3

Process group

Answer 3

A project management phase

Question 4

Initiation

Answer 4

_ the formal authorization for a new project to begin

_ also the formal authorization for a project to begin its next phase

Question 5

Initiation phase

Answer 5

_ all activities leading up to the authorization to begin the project, including the original project request
_ define and authorize the project
_ create a business case and justification
_ name the project and the project manager
_ define the scope
_ ascertain duration and resources
_ identify high-level risks

Question 6

Documents produced in the initiation phase

Answer 6

_ project charter

Question 7

Planning phase

Answer 7

_ project goals, objectives, and deliverables are refined and broken down into manageable units of work
_ for each activity: create time estimates, cost estimates, and resource requirements

Question 8

Key activities of the planning phase

Answer 8

_ determine project requirements
_ develop a project schedule
_ create a work breakdown structure
_ determine resources
_ identify and plan for detailed risks
_ write a communication plan
_ develop a procurement plan if utilizing resources outside the organization
_ develop a change management plan
_ define the project budget

Question 9

Documents produced in the planning phase

Answer 9

_ project management plan
_ organizational chart
_ scope statement
_ communication plan
_ project schedule

Question 10

Execution phase

Answer 10

_ perform work of the project
_ execute management plan
_ team development
_ quality assurance
_ change requests bring deliverables into expectations
_ deliverables are produced and verified

Question 11

Documents produced in the execution phase

Answer 11

_ issues log
_ status reports
_ dashboard information
_ meeting agendas and minutes

Question 12

Monitoring and controlling phase

Answer 12

_ monitors progress to identify variances from the project management plan
_ includes requests for changes in project scope
_ takes corrective action to realign with project plan
_ scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risk control

Question 13

Key activities of the monitoring and controlling phase

Answer 13

_ monitoring the risks/issues log
_ performance measurement and reporting
_ quality assurance/governance activities
_ administering the change control process
_ monitoring the budget

Question 14

Closing phase

Answer 14

_ documents the formal acceptance of the project work
_ hands off the completed project to the organization for ongoing maintenance and support
_ archive of project documents
_ release of project team members
_ review of lessons learned
_ closing contract

Question 15

Project charter

Answer 15

_ written by project manager or person who requested project
_ provides formal approval for the project
_ authorizes project manager to apply resources
_ how success will be measured
_ relationship between the project and the business needs
_ reviewed, signed, and published by project sponsor
_ publication/issuance moves project into planning phase

Question 16

Elements of the project charter

Answer 16

_ purpose and problem statement
_ project goals, objectives, and description
_ key deliverables
_ stakeholder identification
_ high-level requirements
_ high-level budget and milestones
_ high-level assumptions, constraints, and risks
_ project manager’s name and level of authority
_ sponsor’s name
_ criteria for project approval of final project/service

Question 17

Project requirements

Answer 17

_ the characteristics of the goals or deliverables that must be met in order to satisfy the needs of the project
_ may include outcomes that satisfy a contract, specification, or other document
_ requirements quantify and prioritize wants, needs, expectations of the sponsor and stakeholders
_ can be part of the scope statement (especially for small projects), or can be its own document
_ requirements focus on “what” not “how”

Question 18

Triple constraints

Answer 18

_ aka “project management triangle”
_ time, scope, and cost/budget (TSC)
_ also the most common constraints
_ all affect quality
_ changing one changes the other two

Question 19

Constraints vs risks

Answer 19

_ constraints are limitations that already exist

_ risks are potential future events that could impact the project

Question 20

Kickoff meeting

Answer 20

_ held once the project charter is signed and approved
_ includes sponsor, key team members, key stakeholders
_ discuss most of charter in this meeting

Question 21

Components of the scope document

Answer 21

_ scope management plan - how scope is defined and validated, and how scope will be monitored and controlled
_ scope statement - objectives and deliverables
_ work breakdown structure (WBS) - breaks deliverables into smaller components having duration, resource, and order-of-magnitude cost estimates
* iteratively developed from feedback

Question 22

Scope management plan

Answer 22

_ how the team will define the scope (the process)
_ how the team will validate the work of the project
_ the process for evaluating deliverables for accuracy and accepting deliverables
_ process for creating, maintaining, and approving the WBS
_ description of process for scope change requests (for managing scope creep)

Question 23

Scope statement

Answer 23

_ documents the project objectives, deliverables, and work required to produce deliverables
_ adds detail to the project charter
_ exclusions from scope
_ assumptions that must be validated
_ constraints and influencers
_ may, but need not, contain project requirements (usually only if the project is small)
_ may appear in the business case document or the project charter documents

Question 24

Project objectives

Answer 24

_ named in the scope document
_ measurable and verifiable
_ usually time-bound with completion dates

Question 25

Acceptance criteria

Answer 25

_ determine whether the project is complete and meets expectations _ includes key performance indicators (KPIs), which are periodically monitored and indicate whether action is needed

Question 26

deliverables

Answer 26

_ measurable outcomes determining whether the project or project phase is complete _ specific and verifiable _ considered “constraints” because their requirements or measurable results drive or restrict team actions

Question 27

Critical success factors

Answer 27

_ requirements and deliverables _ the elements that must be completed accurately and on schedule in order for the project to be considered complete _ must be accurately described in scope document

Question 28

influence

Answer 28

Something that can bring about a constraint or impact an existing constraint. E.g.: _ change request _ scope creep _ constraint reprioritization (e.g. an event that changes the relative impact of the different constraints on the project) _ interaction between constraints (e.g. an approved scope change request can change what the existing constraints are able to accomplish; may also reprioritize constraints) _ stakeholder/sponsors/management (e.g. when they change their priorities, thereby affecting the project) _ other projects

Question 29

Common constraints on projects

Answer 29

``` _ budget _ scope _ deliverables _ quality _ environment _ resources _ requirements _ scheduling ```

Question 30

When resources are constraints

Answer 30

_ when scarce, have limited availability, or cannot be delivered on time _ resources are usually people

Question 31

Forms of scheduling constraints

Answer 31

_ due date set by executive management _ driven by external forces (e.g. summer olympics have to be held during the summer) _ availability of resources

Question 32

Approval of scope statement

Answer 32

_ conduct a “review session” with the team to make sure everyone is in agreement, that there are no unresolved issues _ present the scope statement to all stakeholders, with a “sign-off and approval sheet” having a signature line for each sponsor and each *major* stakeholder

Question 33

Categories of requirements

Answer 33

Stakeholders likely won’t make these distinctions, but project should for larger projects in order to organize them: _ business requirements _ functional requirements _ technical requirements

Question 34

Business requirements

Answer 34

_ why project is being conducted _ how results satisfy business goals, strategy, perspective _ answers: “What problem are we trying to solve?” _ e.g. planned increase in revenue, decrease in overall spending, increase in market awareness _ to document them, useful to show a “process diagram”

Question 35

Process diagram

Answer 35

_ shows step-by-step how a process works _ shows where approvals or decisions need to be made _ example shows a flow control diagram for approval or denial of a project request form

Question 36

Functional requirements

Answer 36

_ what the project will accomplish | _ desired capability

Question 37

Technical requirements

Answer 37

_ how the project will meet the business and functional requirements

Question 38

Requirements document

Answer 38

_ must be able to track, measure, and test requirements _ makes the definition of success objective and concrete _ as a standalone document (separate from the scope statement), should include at least: _ _ business need for project _ _ project objectives _ _ requirements _ _ project deliverables

Question 39

Work breakdown structure (WBS)

Answer 39

_ deliverables-oriented hierarchy decomposing the project _ after broken to “lowest level”, can establish time estimates, resource assignments, cost estimates _ helps clarify the magnitude of the project; also sets boundaries of the project, because work not in the WBS is outside the scope _ represented as either an outline or a tree; root node is the project; children of root are the major deliverables, project phases, or subprojects _ does not logically or temporally order work _ structure helps team members see how their work fits in

Question 40

Work package level

Answer 40

_ lowest level of the WBS; leaf nodes of the WBS tree _ where resources, time, and costs estimates are made _ individually assigned to teams members or organizational units for completion _ each node should have a unique identifier, usually a number, for tracking costs, schedule, and resources

Question 41

Code accounts

Answer 41

_ the unique identifiers given to WBS nodes

Question 42

Guidelines for making a successful WBS

Answer 42

_ recruit knowledgeable resources - also involve the team to get “buy in” _ each subtree should completely specify its root _ don’t refine it to the level of to-do lists, just to deliverables _ allow tree depth to vary; usually 3 to 5 levels

Question 43

WBS dictionary

Answer 43

documents levels of work and work components: _ code of accounts IDs _ description of work components (every deliverable) _ organizations responsible for completing components _ associated resources and cost estimates _ criteria for acceptance