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Questions and Answers
What characterizes a project in project management?
Which of the following best defines a program in project management?
Which task is NOT typically associated with a project manager?
What is a key advantage of Agile project management?
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Which statement presents a disadvantage of Agile project management?
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What is one of the main theories behind Agile project management?
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Which project team size is generally considered optimal for Agile methods?
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What does self-organization in Agile project management promote?
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What is a characteristic of product development in an Agile PM environment?
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Which of the following best describes the purpose of sprint reviews in Agile PM?
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How do Agile PM methods differ from traditional PM methods?
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What is the first step in fully defining a project?
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What is an iterative cycle primarily used for in Agile PM?
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Which method is NOT a popular Agile PM method?
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What type of project is Agile PM best suited for?
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What is the primary focus of stand-up meetings in Agile PM?
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What is a primary purpose of the WBS Coding system?
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Which of the following describes a 'merge activity' within a project network?
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What does a project network diagram provide for project management?
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Which rule must always be followed when constructing a network diagram?
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What is a burst activity in the context of a project network diagram?
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What is the primary purpose of a Project Scope Statement?
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How does a Project Charter differ from a Project Scope Statement?
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What is the significance of identifying limits and exclusions in a project?
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Which statement most accurately describes 'scope creep'?
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What are the main components of project currencies?
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What is a milestone in project management?
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What is the purpose of establishing project priorities?
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What does a Project Objective summarize?
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What does the forward pass computation determine in network management?
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What defines the critical path in a project network?
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In a backward pass computation, what is determined?
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How is total slack in a project network defined?
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What is the purpose of hammock activities in project management?
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Which of the following describes 'lags' in project management?
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What is the role of network logic errors in project network planning?
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Which of the following is NOT a consideration when computing network paths?
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Study Notes
Project vs Program
- A project is a complex, non-routine, one-time effort with a defined lifespan, start, and end date.
- Projects require participation across an organization, involve doing something new, and have specific time, cost, and performance requirements.
- A program is a series of coordinated, related multiple projects, continuing over a longer period of time to achieve a common goal.
- Programs are a higher level group of projects targeting a common goal.
Project Manager
- A Project Manager manages temporary, non-repetitive activities and often works independently from the formal organization.
- Project Managers activate the right people at the right times to address issues and make decisions.
- Key functions include marshaling resources, providing direction, coordination, and integration to the team, managing stakeholders, and being responsible for project performance and success.
Agile Project Management Overview
- Agile PM is a project methodology related to rolling wave planning and scheduling.
- It emphasizes customer value, iterative and incremental delivery, experimentation, self-organization, and continuous improvement.
Agile PM Advantages
- Developing critical technology or defining essential features.
- Continuous integration, verification, and validation of the evolving product.
- Frequent demonstration of progress to enhance customer satisfaction with the end product.
- Early detection of defects and problems.
Agile PM Disadvantages
- It does not satisfy traditional management's need for budget, scope, and schedule control.
- Self-organization and close collaboration principles may conflict with some corporate cultures.
- It may work best on smaller projects with a dedicated team of 5-9 members.
- It requires active customer involvement and cooperation.
Scaling Agile PM for Large Projects
- Employ multiple teams working on different features simultaneously.
- Extensive upfront planning to manage interdependencies.
- Develop protocols and establish roles clearly.
Product Development (Agile)
- Interactive and incremental process.
- Employs iterations to develop a workable product using an iterative cycle:
- Set goals.
- Sprint (2-week period).
- Stakeholder/Customer progress review and re-evaluation of priorities.
- Adjustments are made, and a new cycle begins, incorporating previous work and adding new capabilities to the product.
Traditional vs Agile PM
- Traditional PM (known solutions): Focuses on thorough upfront planning for the entire project and requires a high degree of predictability to be effective.
- Agile PM (unknown solutions): Employs incremental iterative cycles for less predictable projects. Ideal for exploration projects where requirements need to be discovered and technology tested.
Popular Agile PM Methods
- Scrum
- Crystal Clear
- Extreme Programming
- Agile Modeling
- Lean Development
- Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)
Stand Up Meetings
- Are time-efficient.
Defining the Project
- Steps to completely define a project:
- Define project scope.
- Establish project priorities.
- Construct the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
- Code the WBS.
Define the Project Scope
- Project Scope: The end result of the project, delivered as a product or service to the client/customer in specific, tangible, and measurable terms.
- Project Scope Statement: Documents the complete definition of the end result or goal, answering what will be done and the customer's desired outcome. Written in tangible and measurable terms.
- Project Scope Statement Uses: Communication, goals, evaluation.
- Project Charter: Authorizes the project manager to initiate and lead the project. May contain an expanded scope statement.
- Scope Creep: Expansion of project scope over time due to changing requirements, specifications, and priorities.
- Minimum Acceptable Deliverable: The bare minimum required to fulfill the project's purpose.
Project Objective
- A one-sentence summary statement explaining what the project will achieve.
Limits and Exclusions
- Items not included or considered in the project.
- Provides protection from scope creep.
Milestones
- Events marking significant changes or completed stages in development.
- Identified and assigned a definite time and date.
Reviews with the Customer
- Involve details about customer reviews, including who will be involved, the frequency, format, location, and communication updates.
Establish Project Priorities
- Project managers must balance trade-offs among resources and outcomes (cost, time, and work scope).
- Project currencies: Budget, schedule, and performance.
- Resources vs. Currencies: Cost = budget, Time = schedule, Scope of work = performance.
- Trade-offs: Balancing cost, time, and scope of work to determine project priority.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
- A hierarchical decomposition of the project into smaller, manageable components.
- Provides a framework for planning, scheduling, and managing the project.
- WBS Coding System: Defines levels/elements of the WBS, organization elements, work packages, and budget/cost information.
Integrate the WBS with the Organization
- Shows how the organization is structured to carry out its responsibilities for the project.
- Summarizes performance of organization work units for the project.
- Identifies organizational units responsible for work packages.
- Links organizational units to cost control accounts.
Developing a Project Plan
Project Network Diagrams
- Flow charts indicating the sequence and interdependencies between project activities.
- Provides start and end times for the entire project.
Constructing a Project Network
- Activity: A project element requiring time.
- Merge Activity: Two or more preceding activities that the current activity depends on.
- Parallel/Concurrent Activity: Activities that are independent and can occur simultaneously.
- Event: A point in time when an activity begins or ends (does not consume time).
- Burst Activity: An activity with two or more activities immediately following it.
Uses of Network Diagrams
- Provides a basis for scheduling labor and equipment.
- Estimates project duration.
- Basis for budgeting cash flow.
- Highlights critical activities that should not be delayed.
- Helps managers stay on plan.
Rules for Network Diagrams
- Drawn from left to right.
- Activities can't start until all predecessors are complete.
- Arrows show precedence and flow.
- Arrows can cross each other.
- Identify each activity with a letter or number (must be greater than predecessors).
- No looping or conditional statements.
- Use common start/stop nodes.
Gantt Charts
- Provide the same information as a network diagram.
- Show project activities and their durations in a time-based format.
Sensitivity of a Network
- How likely the original critical paths will change once the project begins.
- Influences:
- The number of critical paths.
- Amount of slack near critical activities.
Network Computation Process
-
Forward Pass: Calculates the earliest start (ES) and earliest finish (EF) times for each activity.
- Add times (ES + Duration = EF).
- Carry early finish to the next activity as the early start (unless it is a merge activity, then select the largest EF time).
-
Backward Pass: Calculates the latest start (LS) and latest finish (LF) times for each activity.
- Subtract times (LS - Duration = LS).
- Carry late start to the next activity as the late finish (unless it is a burst activity, then select the smallest LF time).
-
Slack or Float
- Free Slack: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying other activities.
- Total Slack: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the entire project.
- Critical Path: Path(s) with the least slack in each activity (often zero). Activities on the critical path cannot be delayed without impacting the project deadline.
Practical Considerations for Networks
- Network logic errors.
- Activity numbering.
- Use of computers to develop networks.
- Integration of calendar dates.
- Managing multiple starts and projects.
Extended Network Techniques for Realism
- Laddering: Breaks activities into segments to allow following activities to begin sooner.
-
Lags: The minimum amount of time a dependent activity must be delayed to begin or end.
- Used to constrain relationships between activities (finish-start, start-start, finish-finish, start-finish, or combinations).
Hammock Activities
- Activities spanning a segment of the project.
- Duration of hammock activities is determined after the network plan is drawn.
- Aggregate sections of a project to facilitate getting the right level of detail for specific project sections.
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Description
Explore the key differences between projects and programs, and learn the essential role of a Project Manager in overseeing these efforts. This quiz also covers Agile Project Management methodologies and their application. Test your knowledge on effective project management strategies.
