Revision Flashcards
What are the four sources of conflict?
Kindlers four sources of conflict
1) Incomplete/Inaccurate information
- Cause team members to take different course of actions
- Most likely to happen in definition phase
- Particularly impactful in Iterative project deployment phase
- Frustration – loss of commitment
- Have they interpreted same information differently? PM to understand why
2) Inappropriate/Incompatible goals
- Clash over different opinions on what is important
- Stakeholder disagreement in scope – concept phase
- Risk of wasting resource or time
3) Ineffective Methods
- Was the task formulated well?
- Was the criteria clear?
- Were ethical standards followed?
Leader does not practice what they preach
Emphasise team shared values
4) Antagonistic or Negative feelings
- Resentment from poorly managed conflict previously
- People who have been undermined or - feel betrayed
- Loss of commitment
- Loss of belief in PM
What is a model of addressing conflict?
Thomas-Killmann Conflict Mode Instrument
Persons response to conflict along two behaviour traits
- Assertiveness: Individual attempts to satisfy his/her own concerns
- Cooperativeness: Individual attempts to satisfy the other persons concerns
1) Collaborating
Two heads are better than one
Find a mutually beneficial solution
Two or more parties of the same power (Stakeholders)
Definition phase – defining scope
Collaboration builds commitment/interest in objective being successful
2) Accommodating
Kill your enemies with kindness
One person sacrifice their own goals to accommodate the other
Bank credit to use later
PM to PM, one may need the other PM support in future
3) Compromising
Split the difference
Lies somewhere between competing and compromising
Give and take approach
Not ideal for either party
4) Avoiding
Leave well alone
Individual does not pursue their concerns
When one party is of higher power (Sponsor and Team Member)
Little chance of successfully resolving their concern
Raising may cause ill feeling and greater negative impact that leaving alone
5) Competing
Might makes right
If one has enough power may pursue their own goal with no consideration
Scenario health and safety issue – Safety never be compromised (business case)
What are the seven project elements?
- Time
- Cost
- Scope
- Quality
- Risk
- Benefits
- Safety
Project VS BAU
PROJECTS
Dynamic multi-disciplined teams
Deliver outputs
Respond to change
Managing project, time, cost, quality, scope
Risk Aware
BAU
Fixed specialised skills
Deliver outcomes and benefits
Continuous improvement
Operates within time, cost, quality, and safety constraints
Risk Averse
Benefits of project management
Compliance with governance - Controlled & sustainable
Staff capability - Extends experience of staff, helps equip them for more responsibility
Improved decision making - Adopting standardised approach helps equip stakeholders with information in a timely manner, better understanding of risks and improved decision making
Chance of project failure reduced - Using standardised organisational approach will increase likelihood of project meeting its objectives, increased likelihood benefits are realised
Barriers to using project management
Perception functional departments are being scrutinised - Department heads impacted by a project concerned their authority and control of resource is being undermined when a new PM is working in their environment (matrix organisation)
Lack of project management expertise - PM/Steering groups require certain skills. Need to have appropriate hard and soft skills to successfully deliver the project
Communication interfaces - Detailed, structured communication and interaction will be required to avoid confusion and conflict with different parties who have different and competing priorities
Perceived Bureaucracy - Extra work required to formally document the justification and project plan sometimes seen as a waste of time and resource
Circumstances that may prompt the use of a programme
1) When scope of the business change is not fully defined
First project within programme could be a ‘fact find’
Results used to add clarity to the scope of the programme
Paves the way for later projects within programme
Project has defined cost, time , quality so not ideal when change not defined
2) High amount of uncertainty
Splitting overall requirements into several phases uncertainty spread across project
Each project follows same risk management process (PMP)
Earlier projects hopefully mitigate threats and reduce risk level across programme
3) Complex set of dependencies and outputs
Programme manager can divide requirements into projects, defined for each project
If problems arise the PM can escalate to programme manager
Programme manager can decide to solve now or push to next project
Project would require change request, programme doesn’t
4) Programme does not have defined start and end date
What is a Visionary programme?
Senior leaders have a specific idea of what they want the organisation to look like when the work is complete
Tend to be transformative programmes (such as restructure)
Strong commitment to the vision and what it will do for the organisation
Most people get behind it as they see no other choice
Senior leader support is very common, top down approach
What is an Emerging programme?
Perhaps the hardest type of programme to get involved with as they do not actually start as programmes but grow into one as default
Happens because business starts a number of projects loosley connected
people realise they are struggling to secure similiar resource and there is an overlap in some outputs or deliverables
Concern benefits are double counted, as a result programme framework emerges so it can be bought into a single leadership structure, better coordination and communication
What is a mandatory programme?
Can happen at any given time (E.G new legislation) that generates multiple projects
resources and budget held centrally so easier to manage as a programme to monitor overall complience
Outcomes likley to be new polocies/procedures
Benefits of programme management
share resource - resources can be used more efficiently throuh integration (E.G software purchased for one project used for anouther)
Consistency
Risk management
complex change management
Barriers of programme management
Maintaining focus on life cycle of programme - Programme will very rarley have a defined path
Maintaining alignment of projects - external enviroment may impact stratgic change plans and business cases, programmes may need to realign
conflict of project priority
opposing objectives of stakeholders
When is portfolio management required
When resources are shared/limited - more pulled from BAU greater negative impact. limited resource due to investment/skills
Focus on moving into a new market
Ensuring business meets new legislation
VUCA
Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity
What are the typical contents of a PMP
1) Why - reasons work is required
2) What - objectives, scope, deliverables, acceptance criteria
3) how - may be multiple methods of acheiving stakeholder requirments, chosen method should be documented and reasons for its choice
4) who - key roles and responsabilities and plan defining resource requirments and how will be aquired
5) when - project schedule including key milestones, phasing and detailed timings for activities
6) How much - budgets and cash flows for expenditure
7) Where - geographical location
Who owns the PMP
Owned by the project manager
input by stakeholders
approved by project sponsor
what forms the deployment baseline
when the PMP has been reveiwed and approved by stakeholders and sponsor
it is the starting point for progress monitoring
baseline should only be changed with sponsor approval
How does scope differ between Project, Programme and Portfolios
Project - Has defined criteria for time & cost, scope is agreed at the start of the project (linear)
Programme - Broad scope, benefits support strategic objectives
Portfolio - Scope will change as the context of the business change enviroment
How does sucsess differ between Project, Programme and Portfolios
Project - Sucsess measured by stakeholder satisfaction in meeting time, cost quality constraints
programme - degree of benefits delivered
Portfolio - sucsess measured by the ongoing performance of the portfolio
How does management differ for project, programmes and portfolios
Project - Project managers manage time, cost, scope, quality, risk and benefits
proframme - Programme managers manage the project managers whilst adapting to changing priorities
Portfolio - Portfolio executive teams manage portfolio management staff
How does change differ for project, programmes and portfolios
Project - Project managers manage any changes via agreed change control
Programme - Programme manager must anticipate any change triggered from external enviroment that may impact strategic chnage
Portfolio - monitor change in all areas of the business to manage relevant inferfaces
How does planning differ for Projects, programmes and portfolios
Projects - Plans produced at high level and then refined throughout the lifecycle
Programme - programme plan produced when he programme is being defined, then decomposed into high level project plans
Portfolio - Portfolio managers create and maintain necessary processes and communications
4 benefits of an Iterative lifecycle
1) embracing change - requirments not defined from the outset, possible to add changes to timeboxs
2) Being on time - time is fixed, customer gains confidence and allows for early realisation or confirmation of benefits
3) level of quality protected - customer will set minimum standards for quality, these must be maintained to meet acceptance criteria
4) customer doesnt need everything - not all elements are critical, focus on the must haves within timebox
4 types of project reveiws
decision gate
autit
post project reveiw
benefits reveiw
3 reasons why a project may close early
1) failure of business case due to increased costs
2) poorley forecasted benefits
3) realisation risk is too large
4 ways outputs of knoweledge mnagemet informs decision making
1) help aid the understanding of stsus reports
2) engagement of subject matter experts
3) gathering lessons learned
4) risk identification
3 Strengths of a functional matrix
1) staff are skilled in expertise of their area
2) staff familiar with reporting lines and esculation routes, avoids confusion
3) staff not distracted by line management responsibilities and are focused on targets and objectives
3 weeknesses of a functional matrix
1) staff are less flexible and would find it hard to adapt
2) demotivated by lack of variety
3) career progression & job security can be limited. Project team dispanded after project close
