Give the two definitions of a project.
1) A group of related activities carried out to achieve a specific objective. 2) A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.
What kinds of projects count as IT projects?
Hardware projects, software projects, or a mix of them.
List the six project attributes.
Unique purpose; temporary; developed using progressive elaboration; requires resources (often from various areas); has a primary customer or sponsor; involves uncertainty.
What is progressive elaboration?
Projects are often defined broadly when they begin; as time passes, the specific details of the project become clearer.
What does it mean that a project is temporary?
It has a definite beginning and end.
What does the project sponsor usually provide?
The direction and funding for the project.
Why does every project involve uncertainty?
Because every project is unique, it is sometimes difficult to define its objective clearly, estimate how long it will take, or determine how much it will cost.
What do a project's resources include?
People, hardware, software, and other assets — often from various areas.
What are the three factors of the iron triangle?
Scope, time and cost.
What happens if one factor of the iron triangle increases or decreases?
It affects the other two factors.
The deadline is brought forward. What are the two options?
Reduce the scope, or employ more staff to work in parallel — which would increase costs.
Scope strays outside the area of compromise. What can happen?
Cost or delivery time increases and the project could not be achieved; the costs could exceed the value of the benefits (Cost > Benefit).
In terms of the iron triangle, what does successful project management mean?
Meeting all three goals (scope, time and cost) and satisfying the project's sponsor.
Define project management.
The application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.
Who is the project manager?
Someone responsible for controlling the work according to plans.
Who are the project stakeholders?
The people involved in or affected by project activities — including the sponsor, customers, project team, suppliers, users, support staff, and opponents of the project.
Which stakeholders are internal?
Employees, manager, and owners. (External: suppliers, society, government, creditors, shareholders, customers.)
How many project management knowledge areas are there? Name them.
Ten: scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communications, risk, procurement, stakeholder, and integration management.
Which knowledge area is “an overarching function that affects and is affected by all of the other knowledge areas”?
Project integration management.
What does project procurement management involve?
Acquiring or procuring goods and services for a project from outside the performing organization.
What does project communications management involve?
Generating, collecting, disseminating, and storing project information.
What does project quality management ensure?
That the project will satisfy the stated or implied needs for which it was undertaken.
Which knowledge areas have super tools, and what are they?
Integration: project management software, change requests, lesson-learned reports. Scope: scope statements, work breakdown structures, requirements analyses. Time: Gantt charts. Communications: kick-off meetings, progress reports.
Crashing and fast tracking are listed under which knowledge area?
Time management (with project network diagrams and critical path analysis).
What are the three ways of describing project success?
It met scope, time and cost goals; it satisfied the customer/sponsor; its results met the main objective (e.g. making or saving money, a good return on investment, making the sponsors happy).
What is a program?
A group of projects that are similar or related to one another, often managed and coordinated as a group instead of independently.
What is a portfolio?
A group of different programs and/or projects within the same organization, which may be related or unrelated to one another.
Strategic vs tactical: which does project portfolio management address, and which does project management address?
Portfolio management → strategic (long-term) goals. Project management → tactical (more specific, short-term) goals.
An IT department's projects form two programs. Name them and one project from each.
Infrastructure (e.g. more wireless Internet access, upgrading hardware/software, computer security, corporate IT standards) and applications development (e.g. updating an ERP system, buying an off-the-shelf billing system, new CRM capability).
Activity 1.1: at which points should the manager be involved, and why?
In decisions at (iii) layout, (iv) move sequence and (v) removal company, because money is involved; checkpoints just before (vii) packing and after (x) connecting telephones.