Lecture 7
5/2/15
Features of a project
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A start and a finish
Is a unique activity with a visible output
May involve uncertainty and risk
Involves a team coming together specifically for the
project
A budget
Non repetitive tasks, sequential order
Use of resources (including human resources)
A single point of ultimate responsibility
Clearly defined team roles
Clear aims, objectives, goals
Terms often confused with
‘project’
• Process – a series of steps needed to perform a routine
activity (e.g. purchasing). A project may contain many
processes.
• Programme – work performed towards achieving a long term
goal (e.g. a health awareness programme). Programmes may
never achieve all their goals, and may comprise a series of
projects.
Examples of types of project
and their size
• Individual – decorating your bedroom
• Group – organising a wedding
• Organisation – construction company, building
the Millennium bridge in London
• Project Organisation – creation of a separate
independent organisation specifically for
accomplishing a particular project, e.g. the
Olympic games committee
• Multinational – design construction of Concorde
Why Project Management?
• Project mismanagement can
deter or render ineffective
the best analysis and design methods
• Many projects suffer from poor leadership and management
Four common results („symptoms”) of
mismanaged projects
• Unfulfilled or unidentified requirements
• Uncontrolled change of project scope
• Cost overruns
• Late delivery
What can go wrong !
Causes of Failed Projects
• Unreasonable estimates of costs before projects begin
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lack of proper preliminary/feasibility study
poor estimating techniques
estimates will change as the project progresses
schedule delays
analysts are overly optimistic
Causes of Failed Projects
• Mismanagement of expectations
• failure to identify key (or all potential) stakeholders
• failure to set project scope leads to
creeping requirements syndrome
• budgets and schedules rarely modified
• Most contemporary companies modify (release) content
Causes of Failed Projects
• Misunderstanding the nature of software
• Flexible
• No real physical appearance – only behaviour
• you can not touch a software component
• `you may see the code and the result what it does (or not)
• Difficult to estimate
=> Mythical man-month
• assign more people to the project team
• Only leads to more confusion
• Complexity increases on the management side
From the project manager’s
perspective…..
You can have any two of three things in a project:
• You can get it done on time
• You can get it done within budgeted cost
• You can get it done properly/well
• If you are willing to wait, you can get the job done
right, within cost.
• If you are willing to spend the money, you can get the
job done on time.
• Or you can get the job done on time and within
budget; only it might not do what it was supposed to
do.
Attributes of an effective
project manager
• What you think are the attributes/qualities required to be an
effective project manager?
Attributes of an effective
project manager – typically are
• Excellent time management skills
• ‘Can do’ proactive attitude
• Adaptable, flexible.
• Fair – respecting different people’s viewpoints
• Committed to the team and the project’s goals
• Decisive and realistic
• Excellent communication skills
• Leadership
• Assertiveness
Attributes of an effective project
manager – typically are
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Be prepared to ‘roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty’
Foresight
Planning skills
Knowledge of the subject / area of work
Be prepared to walk, if necessary i.e. leave!
A sense of humour ?
Project Management Process
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Initiation
Planning (Devising the Plan)
Execution
Close-down
The tools of & for project
management
• There are numerous tools which can be for managing projects,
some of them complex, some of them simple.
• We will look at some tried and tested tools and techniques
which can be used for effective project management.
Project Scoping Tool - QUAD Chart analysis
• The QUAD chart is a very simple yet extremely effective tool.
Project scoping – enables you to define what you do before
you start.
• Stakeholder analysis – simple version helps you understand
and manage the different relationships that matter to the
project.
The QUAD chart
• A very simple yet powerful tool.
• Used to help us clarify exactly what our project is all about.
Quad Chart
TITLE
PURPOSE
(AIMS/OBJECTIVES)
DESIRED END RESULT
(CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS)
CUSTOMERS
(STAKEHOLDERS)
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
(STANDARDS / CRITERIA)
Sample
TITLE
TITLE OF PROJECT – SHORT DESCRIPTOR
PURPOSE
(AIMS/OBJECTIVES)
WHY IS PROJECT BEING DONE?
WHAT FOR?
WHAT IS THE RESULT?
DESIRED END RESULT
(CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS)
CUSTOMERS
(STAKEHOLDERS)
WHO IS PROJECT FOR?
WHO WILL BENEFIT (OR NOT)?
WHO WILL IT INVOLVE?
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
(STANDARDS / CRITERIA)
GOALS!
WHEN ARE WE FINISHED?
WHAT MAKES THE
PROJECT A SUCCESS?
WHAT CAN BE MEASURED?
HOW DO I
MEASURE SUCCESS?
Exercise
“The Gourmet Breakfast”
• We are going to use a relatively simple example of something
that you should be familiar with in order for you to be able to
understand and practice on a real life project.
The Problem
• Just got up?
• Feeling kind of hungry?
• Fancy a nice breakfast ?
• What choice do we have?
Decisions, Decisions
Let’s make a full cooked
breakfast
Class exercise - Your Mission
• To produce a simple project plan for producing a
full Irish Breakfast.
• Using this project to illustrate the use of the
following:
– Quad Chart Analysis including
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Project Scoping
Stakeholders and Stakeholder Analysis
Desired Outcomes (Critical Success Factors)
Secondary benefits
Remember - Attributes of a
project
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A start and a finish
Is a unique activity
May involve uncertainty and risk
Usually involves a team coming together specifically for
the project
A budget
Non repetitive tasks
Use of resources (including human resources)
A single point of ultimate responsibility
Clearly defined team roles
The Quad Chart
TITLE
PURPOSE
(AIMS/OBJECTIVES)
DESIRED END RESULT
(CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS)
CUSTOMERS
(STAKEHOLDERS)
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
(STANDARDS / CRITERIA)
Example - Make A Cup of Tea
TITLE
To make a cup of tea!
PURPOSE
(AIMS/OBJECTIVES)
CUSTOMERS
(STAKEHOLDERS)
1. To make a cup of tea
2. To quench the thirst
3. To stimulate the mind
1. The tea maker
2. The tea drinkers
DESIRED END RESULT
(CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS)
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
(STANDARDS / CRITERIA)