Week 7

Question 1

what is the project execution stage?

Answer 1

once planning is complete, we move to this stage
- this involves monitoring and controlling the project activities, evaluating/auditing the project and then closing the project
- monitoring and controlling allows to identify when project is moving out of alignment and so bring it back under control

Question 2

what is monitoring, controlling, evaluation and project monitor/project controller?

Answer 2

1. Monitoring: Collecting, recording, and reporting information on all aspects of project performance
2. Controlling: Uses the information supplied by Monitoring to bring actual performance into compliance with the plan
3. Evaluation: Judges the quality and effectiveness of the project’s performance
4. Project Monitor / Project Controller: Individuals (or groups) responsible for monitoring and controlling a project

Question 3

how do we monitor a project?

Answer 3

We create a Monitoring System
= Identifies the key factors to be controlled:
* Scope (e.g. number of acceptable changes to the project
outputs)
* Cost (e.g. number of labour hours used)
* Time (e.g. duration of manufacturing process)
– Easiest way to identify these factors is to use:
1. The WBS
2. The Risk Management Plan

Question 4

what MUST the monitoring system do?

Answer 4

1. Collect all relevant data
   – Don’t concentrate only on the data that is easy to obtain
   – Must use both subjective and objective measures
2. Collect the correct data
   – Project performance measurement is usually the most difficult to measure
   – Use milestones
3. Not collect too much data
4. Report the data to the correct personnel in a timely and understandable form

Question 5

how should the monitoring system collect the data?

Answer 5

1. What data to collect
2. When we should collect it
3. How we should collect it
   = The collected data needs to be reported to various levels of management
   – However, different levels of management will ask for varying:
4. Amount of detail
5. Frequency of reports
   - Reports might not be issued periodically. should be linked to Project Plan instead

Question 6

what are the types of report?

Answer 6

1. Routine Reports: issued on a regular basis, eg whenever a critical event occurs
2. Exception Reports: issued when an unusual event occurs (or when an exceptional decision needs to be made)
3. Special Analysis Reports: issued to share the results of a study investigating an unexpected problem that occurred
4. Milestone Reports: issued once the project reaches a major milestone to show progress to date

Question 7

what is a Burnup and Burndown chart?

Answer 7

= Graphical aid for monitoring and communicating overall project progress
1. Burndown Charts:
– Plot scope against time
– Show the remaining work to be completed
– The steeper the plotted line, the greater the rate of progress being made
2. Burnup Charts:
– Also plot scope against time
– Show the remaining work to be completed and the work completed to date

Question 8

how can meetings been used as reporting mechanisms?

Answer 8

Reports do not necessarily have to be in a written format, they can be delivered verbally at face-to-face meetings
- Meetings between project team members are
necessary and helpful as they keep everyone informed of progress, therefore bringing everyone together
- However, a key issue in project management is
having too many meetings

Question 9

what are the seven rules for successful meetings?

Answer 9

1. Meetings should be used to make decisions
2. Avoid “Show and Tell” Meetings
3. Have defined start and end times
4. Stick to the agenda
5. Be prepared!
6. Take minutes
7. Keep meetings to a minimum!

Question 10

how can computers be used to monitor projects?

Answer 10

Computer software offers ability to automate some of the monitoring processes eg Microsoft Project
- However, there are also a number of issues associated with relying on computer software to manage projects:
1. No one software package will meet all your project needs
2. Overreliance on the software
3. Information Overload
4. Isolation

Question 11

what are the general issues of monitoring projects?

Answer 11

1. Don’t always have access to accurate data
2. Sometimes seen as an “after-the-fact” approach to controlling projects
3. Can be seen as an exercise of “assigning blame”
4. Data can be subject to various biases

Question 12

what is control?

Answer 12

Control is the act of reducing the difference between the actual performance and the planned performance. It uses the information gathered from monitoring to take the most
appropriate corrective actions.
- the PM is responsible for all control activities, control focuses on scope, cost and time

Question 13

what can go out of control in scope?

Answer 13

1. unexpected technical problems
2. quality issues
3. changes in the market
4. new technology is released

Question 14

what can go out of control in cost?

Answer 14

1. if scope of work increases, so does cost
2. initial budgeting and costing were too low
3. technical problems may require more resources
4. price changes for resources as project progresses

Question 15

what can go out of control in time?

Answer 15

1. technical problems took longer to solve
2. initial planning was overly optimistic
3. sequencing of tasks was incorrect
   4, key resources weren’t available when required

Question 16

why do project managers find project control hard?

Answer 16

1. Problems are difficult to identify – symptoms are obvious, problems are not.
2. Projects are incredibly complex
3. Relationship Management
4. Least understood task of project management

Question 17

what is the cybernetic control measure for managing control?

Answer 17

its an automatic control mechanism that monitors process outputs. it uses sensors to make comparisons between produced and planned output to which decision makers then analyse differences and decide if corrective action is needed.
- therefore it requires an understanding of:
1. Each and every output a process can deliver,
2. An objective measurement for each output,
3. Best method of comparing actual with planned output
4. Numeric value so the effector makes the required changes to the inputs and / or the
process
* For projects, it is almost impossible to have an
understanding of all of these things; for this reason

Question 18

what is the Go/No-Go (phase-gate) control mechanism?

Answer 18

Most common control mechanism for project management
- it tests if certain conditions have been met (e.g. testing computer software for bugs); if the conditions are not met, the cause is investigated
- Can use project plan, budget and schedule to create control checkpoints, where the actual output is compared with planned
- The checkpoints are linked to actual plans and the occurrence of key events (they are not based on the calendar)

Question 19

what is the post control mechanism?

Answer 19

“Lessons Learned Log”
- Report is prepared after a project has ended / after a significant event has occurred with the aim of improving future projects’ performance
- Report contains following sections: Project Objectives, Schedule, Milestones and Budgets, Analysis of Project’s Results, Recommendations for Improvement

Question 20

what is scope creep?

Answer 20

Scope Creep is the term used to describe changes to a project’s scope at any point after the project begins. These changes happen
for a number of reasons:
1. Uncertainty over the work to be done
2. Increase in customer understanding over time
3. Better technologies become available as project progresses
4. Constant improvements to the product / service

Question 21

what is the change control system?

Answer 21

a formal process that aims to review all requested changes to project.
Each change request is evaluated via the following process:
1. identify impact of change
2. cost-benefit analysis
3. alternative options?
4. accept/reject change
5. share results
6. implement accepted changes

Question 22

what is quality?

Answer 22

Process of continuous improvement whereby lessons learned are used to improve future products and services
- Allows businesses to: Win new customers, Retain existing customers, Win back lost customers
- Quality should be considered at the very start of every project (i.e. in the project Initiation / Planning phases)

Question 23

how do consumer affect quality?

Answer 23

• Customers are now more demanding than they ever have been, as they demand: Better performing products / services, Faster product / service development, Increased technological sophistication and Fewer defects
• Total Quality Management (TQM) aims to deliver on all these fronts
  – Both internally and externally

Question 24

what was the Past view of quality?

Answer 24

1. responsibility: blue collar workers, those on shop floor
2. defects: should be hidden from consumer and snr. management
3. quality issues lead to: blame game and excuses
4. improving quality leads to: increased project costs

Question 25

what is the current view of quality?

Answer 25

1. responsibility: everyone
2. defects: should be highlighted so corrective action can be taken
3. quality issues lead to: opportunity for cooperative solutions
4. improving quality leads to: reduced costs, increased profits and customer satisfaction

Question 26

what is the PDCA (Deming Wheel)?

Answer 26

1. Plan:
   – Study and document current process
   – Collect data on process / problem
   – Analyse the data and find solution
   = basically monitoring
2. Do
   – Implement the plan
   – Collect data for evaluation
   = basically controlling
3. Check
   – Monitor progress against plan and compare results to initial goals
4. Act
   – If results are successful, standardise the new method
   – If unsuccessful, revise plan, repeat process or stop project.

Question 27

what is Kaizen?

Answer 27

its a Japanese approach that states that QM never stops:
Kaizen promotes:
1. Large number of small, incremental improvements
2. Company-wide involvement through teamwork
3. Carried out over a long period of time
- Improvement opportunities are identified using either a top-down or bottom-up approach

Question 28

what are the project based purposes for holding a meeting?

Answer 28

• setting goals
• planning
• decision making
• generating ideas
• assigning tasks and schedules

Question 29

what are the people based purposes for holding a meeting?

Answer 29

• training
• team building activities
• conflict resolution
• recognising and celebrating success

Question 30

what causes unproductive meetings?

Answer 30

• no clear purpose for meeting
• runs too long
• dominant people
• side chatter
• people are unprepared
• gets into personal topics

Question 31

what are the ADV and DISADV of decision making by PM?

Answer 31

ADV:
- enables you to move fast
- works well in emergencies
- takes care of small stuff
DISADV:
- leaves some people confused
- generates less support
- starves PM of vital info

Question 32

what are the ADV and DISADV of decision making by majority vote?

Answer 32

ADV:
- easy to administer
- promotes team participation
DISADV:
- creates a winners vs losers climate
- reduces creativity and flexibility

Question 33

what are the ADV and DISADV of consensus decision making?

Answer 33

ADV:
- builds strong buy in
- increases team problem solving skills
DISADV:
- takes a long time
- requires strong communication skills
- doesn’t work for large groups.