project life cycle succesfull projects. the pmi process groups are called as initiating planning ...

Project Life Cycle

Succesfull Projects

The PMI process groups are called as InitiatingPlanningExecutingControl & MonitoringClosing

Project Selection Methods Cost-Benefit Analysis: compares the predicted costs and

potential benefits of a project. Decision matrix/scoring models: a decision-support tool

allowing decision makers to solve their problem by evaluating, rating, and comparing different alternatives on multiple criteria

Opportunity Costs: a comparison of what an organization cannot do if they choose to do the project.

Economic Methods: Payback period, net present value, or internal rate of return. The payback period is the number of years required to return the original investment from the net cash flows (net operating income after taxes plus depreciation).

Balance Portfolio Method: Selecting projects to provide a good mix of project types and market segments, projects completing at staggered times, and varied risk distribution.

2. Feasibility 1. Is the project technically feasible?2. Does the project have management support, employee

involvement and commitment?3. Does the project generate economic benefits?4. Can the project be financially supported?5. Can the project be integrated well with the local cultural

practices and beliefs?6. Will the project elevate or hinder the participants’ social

status?7. Is the project physically and organizationally safe?8. Is the project politically correct?9. What is the environmental impact?10.What is the market demand, expected competitive

activities, commercial start-up, and price wars potential?

3. High Level Planning

1. Think beyond your first approach idea. List at least five alternative approaches that could be used to achieve the same objectives:

2. Retrieve previous project lessons learned. Note them here.

3. Line up plan options, from which the PM can review in consultations with SMEs. What optional approaches are we seriously considering?

4. Plan with an emphasis on suitability, quality, robustness, and effective integration

4. Assign a Project Manager Selecting the right project manager for the project is like

selecting the right tool for the job. If it is a complex project, crossing departmental boundaries,

requiring risk and change management...you should be selecting a person who is both experienced and has been

well-trained in project management.

Name the Project Manager and determine their level of authority.

Project Expeditor Project Coordinator Project Manager with very limited authority Project Manager with balance authority with the Department

Managers Project Manager with authority over the Department Managers Project Manager with full authority over all team members

5. Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder analysis is the starting point of

requirements elicitation. Start with a stakeholder analysis (a brainstorming session

and all individuals, departments, and organizations impacted by the project) and plot the stakeholders based on their levels of interest in the project, and their level of power and influence on the project.

This becomes the basis for your project communication plan. The next step will be to ensure that you consult with

the interested project stakeholders. Many times individuals who feel that they should have been

consulted on the decision to undertake the project, or whose point of view was not heeded, will not support the project or will continue to actively oppose it.

6. Project Charter The project charter is a simple, yet very powerful tool to

empower the project manager. A common technique is to initiate the project charter for your

project sponsor, then review it with them and request to have them edit it as desired and send it out in their name.

Considerations for your project charter 1.Who should send it out? 2.What do you want to be sure to include in your project charter Name the project manager. Background on the business purpose and objectives for the project. Scope of work. Initial constraints and assumptions.

7. Preliminary Scope Statement Project Statement: A quick overview of the project in

15 to 20 words. Business Purpose:What are we trying to accomplish? Specific Project Objectives/Background and Goals:

Reasons for recommending the project including background information, business problem and more specific goals.)

Project Work Statement At a high level, what work will you do in this project to deliver the project product?

What is the approach you have decided upon?

7. Preliminary Scope Statement Key Deliverables: Verifiable outcomes of the workOut of Scope List. Work that might be part of other

projects, purposely decided as out, or on a future wish list.)

Key Milestones and Schedule Goals:Major events and points in time indicating the progress in implementing your work. Potentially define the phases.

7. Preliminary Scope Statement

Major Constraints and Cost Goal. Constraints may be physical, technical, resource, or any other limitations.

Major Assumptions. Factors that are not entirely known.

Team Composition. Identify the core team members including the project manager, sponsors, known vendors, and known subject matter experts.

http://www.successfulprojects.com/PM-Topics/Project-Life-Cycles

9. Divide Large Projects into Phases10. Consult with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) 11. Solicit Stakeholders Input 12. Approach Analysis 13. WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)14. Resource Identification Estimating 15. Time and Cost Estimating 16. Network Diagramming 17-18. Scheduling and Workload Leveling 19. Cost Budgeting 20. Procurement Plan


21 Quality Plan 22. Human Resource Planning 23. Risk Plan 24. Change Control Plan 25. Communication Plan 26. Baseline Project Plan 27. Project Plan Approval28 Acquire Project Team 29. Develop Project Team

30. Complete Work Packages31. Scope Verification33. Quality Assurance


34. Procurement Solicitation and Selection35. Overall Change Control 36. Scope Control 37. Performance Reporting 38. Schedule Control39. Contract Administration40. Manage Project Team41. Manage by Exception to the Project Plan 42. Quality Control 43. Risk Monitoring and Control 44. Cost Control …………………………….

SPMPMANAGEMENT PROCESS

What is a Gantt chart?

Gantt chart is commonly used in project management

Gantt chart is one of the most popular and useful ways of showing activities (tasks or events) displayed against time.

On the left of the chart there is a list of the activities Along the top there is a suitable time scale. Each activity is represented by a bar The position and length of the bar reflects the start date,

duration and end date of the activity

What does Gantt chart do?

What the various activities areWhen each activity begins and endsHow long each activity is scheduled to lastWhere activities overlap with other activities,

and by how muchThe start and end date of the whole projectBriefly: A Gantt chart shows

what has to be done (the activities) when (the schedule)

Gantt Chart History

The first Gantt chart was devised in the mid 1890s by Karol Adamieckia Polish engineer who ran a steelworks in southern

Poland He had become interested in management ideas and

techniques.Some 15 years after Adamiecki , Henry Gantt, an

American engineer and management consultant, devised his own version of the chart

Consequently it was Henry Gantt whose name was to become associated with charts of this type.

Today Gantt Chart

Gantt charts are most commonly used for tracking project schedules.

For this it is useful to be able to show additional information about the various tasks or phases of the project,

For example how the tasks relate to each other, how far each task has progressed, what resources are being used for each task and so on

Creating Gantt Charts

Linking tasksAdding constraintsIncluding resourcesEnhancing Gantt ChartsReviewing the project

The Importance of Project Planning

The first thing you will need before setting up a Gantt chart is a detailed project plan.

A project plan is a series of interdependent tasks that need to be performed in a particular order.

When moving into a new office for instance, you cannot start redesigning the office space before the lease agreement has been signed.

Project Plans

Project plans have a specific start date,

corresponding to the start of the first task (for instance defining the requirements for the new office),

a specific end date, corresponding to the end of the last task (for instance

moving in).

Work Breakdown Structure

One way to create a project plan is to use a work breakdown structure, a technique for splitting tasks into sub-tasks and

creating a task hierarchy. Gantt applications will generally allow you to

reflect the project hierarchy in the Gantt's task list at the left of the chart.

Linking Tasks in a Gantt chart

Project plans normally require tasks to be performed in a specific order.

For instance, a publication must be written and proofread before it can be printed.

To achieve this, the Gantt application lets you link tasks so that they depend on each other.


By default, tasks are usually linked in a 'Finish to Start' relationship (dependency)It means that the first task you select (the predecessor

task) must end before the next task you select (the successor task) can start, and so on.

This is typically represented on the Gantt chart by lines with arrowheads joining each task to its successor.

The arrowhead indicates the direction of the link:it goes from the predecessor to the successor.


A task can have more than one predecessor. Its start date is determined by the predecessor link that

gives it the latest start date. As dates and times change during the course of the

project, the predecessor link that determines the start date of the task may also change.


Similarly a task can have several successors.The task determines the start date of all its

successor tasks.

Scheduling a Project Plan

When you are scheduling a project plan from its start date The Gantt application calculates the end date of

the project automatically on the basis of the task durations, on the basis of the task dependencies on the basis of the project calendar.

Linking the Tasks The possibility of linking tasks in this way is what makes project management software powerful You can change the duration of one or more

tasksYou can add a task You can remove a task from a chain of linked

tasks All the dates are recalculated automatically so as

to maintain the task dependencies you have defined

Other Link TypesThere are four possible relationships (dependencies) between tasks:Finish to Start (FS) - the default: The task cannot start before

its predecessor ends, although it may start later. This is the most common type of relationship

Start to Start (SS): The task cannot start until the predecessor starts, although it may start later. This can be useful if you have a task whose start date depends on the

start date of another task.Finish to Finish (FF): The task cannot end before the

predecessor ends although it may end later.

Start to Finish (SF): The task cannot end before the predecessor starts, although it may end later. This task relationship is rarely

A Gannt Chart Example and its Explanation in Detail

Step by Step Explanation of the Example

The writing task follows on directly from the planning task. If the end date of planning changes, so will the start

of writing. This is the normal Finish to Start relationship.

The editing task starts some way through the writing task.The writers and the editors work together as a team

until the text is complete.Their tasks effectively end at the same time.

If the end date of writing changes, so will the end date of editing.This is a Finish to Finish relationship.

Cont’dThe creation of artwork depends on the start of writing.

In this case a lag has been introduced so that it doesn't start exactly when writing starts. If the start of writing changes, so will the start of artwork creation.

This is a Start to Start relationship.

The final changes task depends on the end of artwork creationan overlap is included

it actually begins two working days before the end date of artwork creation.

If artwork creation is delayed, so will be the start of final changes. This is the normal Finish to Start relationship.

Finish to Start Relationship (cont’d)Printing starts after final changes are complete.

This is also a Finish to Start relationship. The transferring of paper from the warehouse to the

printers must be complete in order for printing to startIt is not related to any of the preceding tasks.

The printers have limited storage capacity and do not want the paper to arrive until it is needed ('just in time' or JIT scheduling), so the start of printing drives the delivery of paper. If the start of printing changes for some reason, so will the

end date for getting paper to the printers.This is a Start to Finish relationship.

Cont’d

Here each task has a single predecessor, the simplest arrangement.

A task can have several predecessors In such situations you will need to think carefully

about possible undesirable consequences. For example, if you added another predecessor to

the "Paper to printers" task above, it would be possible for that predecessor to push out "Paper to printers" so that its end date was later than the start of printing.

Adding Constraints to a Gantt chart

Constraints define the degree of flexibility available to the Gantt application when scheduling or rescheduling a task by imposing restrictions on its start or end date.

The following task constraint types offer different degrees of flexibility

Different Degrees of Flexibility: Constraint -I

As Soon As Possible (ASAP): This is generally the default constraint when you schedule your project from its start date, as is normally the case.

You should try to keep this default whenever possible as it gives the software the most scheduling flexibility.

If you apply this constraint to an unlinked task, the task will be scheduled to start at the project start date.

If you apply it to a linked task, it will start as soon as the dependencies with its predecessor tasks will allow.

Different Degrees of Flexibility: Constraints II

As Late As Possible (ALAP): This is generally the default constraint when you schedule your project from its end date.

If you apply this constraint to an unlinked task, the task will be scheduledIts end date coincides with the end date of the overall project.

If you apply it to a task linked to a successor task, the task will be scheduled to end when the successor needs to start.

You should avoid this constraint as it does not leave any slack time to deal with possible problems.

Any delay on the task is likely to impact the overall end date.