Project Management Recipes for Success

by De Furia; Guy L.

• ISBN13: 9781420078244
• ISBN10: 1420078240
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2008-12-02
• Publisher: Auerbach Public

Summary

If you can follow a recipe, you can develop a great plan and manage a project to a successful conclusion. Think of the many fantastic meals you have eaten that required complicated preparation, execution, timing, and assessment to produce. These complicated dishes are replicated many times by ordinary people all over the world who achieve success by following recipes and step-by-step procedures. Project managers are ordinary people trying to find solutions to complex problems. They need simple instructions on how to do this and Project Management Recipes for Success provides just that. There are lots of other books on project management, but none as complete, clear, and easy to follow as this one.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. xv
List of Tables	p. xix
List of Equations	p. xxiii
Preface	p. xxv
Acknowledgments	p. xxix
About the Author	p. xxxi
Project Management Overview	p. 1
What Is a Project?	p. 1
Project Management	p. 2
Project Dimensions	p. 2
Typical Project Life Cycle	p. 2
Project Initiation	p. 2
Project Planning	p. 3
Project Implementation	p. 3
Project Closeout	p. 4
Politics	p. 4
People Skills versus Hard Skills	p. 4
Managing Project Information	p. 5
The Initiation Phase	p. 7
Mega Recipe for the Initiation Phase	p. 7
Purposes of the Initiation Phase	p. 7
Role of the Project Manager	p. 8
Outputs of the Initiation Phase	p. 8
Initiation Phase Problems	p. 8
Determine Current and Desired Condition	p. 10
Writing the Business Case Definition	p. 12
Current Condition	p. 14
Desired Condition	p. 15
Project Objective	p. 15
Economic Viability	p. 16
Deliverables	p. 16
Customer-Determined Milestones	p. 17
Organizational Expertise and Capacity	p. 17
Assumptions	p. 17
Constraints	p. 17
Potential Problems	p. 18
Potential Opportunities	p. 18
Key Stakeholders and Constituencies	p. 18
Unusual Resource Requirements	p. 19
Project Performance Criteria	p. 19
Charter	p. 20
Estimate the Project's Economic Viability	p. 20
Simple Profit	p. 22
Present Value of Money	p. 22
Multiple-Year Profit (Net Present Value of Profit)	p. 23
Payback Period	p. 24
Return on Sales	p. 24
Return on Investment	p. 25
Net Cost Savings	p. 25
Internal Rate of Return	p. 26
Economic Value Added	p. 30
Subjective Techniques	p. 32
Subjective Rating Sheet	p. 32
Paired Comparison	p. 33
Hunch Technique	p. 35
Brief the Project Definition and Get the Go or No-Go Decision	p. 35
Notes	p. 36
The Planning Phase	p. 37
Mega Recipe for the Planning Phase	p. 37
Purpose of the Planning Phase	p. 38
Role of the Project Manager	p. 39
Outputs of the Planning Phase	p. 39
Planning Phase Problems	p. 39
Project Scope	p. 41
Mega Recipe for Determining Project Scope	p. 41
Review Project Scope Documents	p. 46
Develop the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)	p. 48
Listing by Deliverables	p. 48
Listing by Function or Department	p. 48
Listing by Time Phase	p. 48
Write the Work Package Work Orders	p. 52
Notes	p. 54
Project Cost	p. 55
Mega Recipe for Project Cost	p. 55
Role of the Project Manager	p. 55
Output of the Cost Estimating Activity	p. 55
Determine Work Package Cost	p. 55
Adding Risk to the Estimates	p. 57
PERT Equations	p. 59
Determine Project Cost	p. 64
Bottom-Up Estimate	p. 64
Functional Estimate	p. 64
Analogy Estimate	p. 68
Parametric Estimate	p. 71
Scalability and Extrapolation	p. 74
Notes	p. 74
Project Schedule	p. 75
Mega Recipes for Developing the Schedule	p. 75
Purposes of the Scheduling Activities	p. 75
Role of the Project Manager	p. 75
Outputs of Schedule Planning	p. 76
Schedule-Planning Problems	p. 76
Get Viable Estimates of Work Package Duration	p. 76
Definitions and Basic Relationships	p. 77
How to Estimate Work Package Duration Times	p. 80
Develop the Network (Precedent) Diagram	p. 83
Rules for Drawing a Network Diagram	p. 83
Precedent Relationships among Work Packages	p. 84
Day Number Notation System	p. 86
Rules for the Forward Pass	p. 86
Rules for the Backward Pass	p. 89
Schedule Adjusters	p. 91
Validate the Network Diagram	p. 93
Convert Schedule Day Numbers to Schedule Dates	p. 94
Analyze the Network Diagram	p. 95
Draw the Gantt Chart and Milestone Chart	p. 103
Gantt Chart	p. 103
Resource Gantt Chart	p. 105
Milestone Chart	p. 105
Cross-Check the Schedule against the Resource Plan	p. 106
Get the Schedule Approved	p. 107
Notes	p. 109
Project Resource Plan	p. 111
Mega Recipe for Developing the Resource Plan	p. 111
Develop Resource Plan	p. 113
Validate the Resource Plan	p. 115
Finalize the Resource Plan	p. 121
Note	p. 121
Project Filing System	p. 121
Mega Recipes for Managing Project Information	p. 123
Purpose of the Filing Activities	p. 123
Role of the Project Manager	p. 123
Problems Managing Information	p. 124
Develop the System of Files	p. 124
Retain Important Information	p. 127
Dispose of and Archive Information at the Conclusion of the Project	p. 127
Risk Management Plan	p. 129
Mega Recipes for the Risk Management Plan	p. 129
Purpose of the Risk Management Activities	p. 129
Role of the Project Manager	p. 130
Outputs of Risk Management	p. 130
Risk Management Problems	p. 130
Prepare the Team to Do Risk Management	p. 131
Identify Project Risks	p. 132
Output of the Risk Identification Activity	p. 133
Techniques for Identifying Risks	p. 133
Estimate Probability and Impact for All Risks	p. 137
Estimating Probability	p. 138
Estimating Impact	p. 141
Stratify Risks into Levels of Overall Exposure or Overall Leverage	p. 143
Develop Strategies to Deal with the Risks	p. 149
Develop Strategies for Each Threat	p. 149
Check Interaction among Threat Strategies	p. 151
Develop Strategies for Each Opportunity	p. 151
Check Interaction among Opportunity Strategies	p. 154
Determine the Project Reserve	p. 155
Complete the Risk Management Plan Documentation	p. 166
Get the Risk Management Plan Approved	p. 166
Notes	p. 166
Project Baseline and Control	p. 171
Mega Recipes for Determining the Baseline and Control Limits	p. 171
Role of the Project Manager	p. 171
Purpose of Control	p. 172
Control Defined	p. 172
Baseline Defined	p. 173
Establish Cost and Schedule Baselines	p. 173
Establish Terminal Control Limits	p. 174
Set Instrumental Control Limits for Each Work Package	p. 176
Communicate the Instrumental Baseline and Control Limits	p. 176
Monitor Performance against the Control Limits	p. 177
Evaluate Project Performance	p. 177
Determine Critical Path SPI	p. 182
Forecast Project Final Duration	p. 186
Forecast Project Final Cost	p. 186
How to Control the Project	p. 186
Control during the Initiation Phase	p. 186
Control during the Planning Phase	p. 187
Manage Risk	p. 188
Discipline Time and Cost Estimates	p. 188
To PERT or Not to PERT	p. 189
Unacceptable Alternative Methods	p. 190
Clarify Scope	p. 191
Build a Schedule and Budget That Include a Reserve for Risk	p. 191
Develop a Resource Plan	p. 195
Control during the Execution Phase	p. 196
Notes	p. 197
Scope Change Procedure	p. 199
Mega Recipe for Dealing with Scope Change	p. 199
Purposes of the Scope Change Procedure	p. 199
Role of the Project Manager	p. 199
Outputs of the Procedure	p. 200
Problems Implementing the Scope Change Procedure	p. 200
Establish the Scope Change Procedure	p. 200
Communicate the Scope Change Procedure to the Stakeholders	p. 205
Assign Someone to Manage the Scope Change Procedure	p. 206
Project Closeout Plan	p. 207
Mega Recipe for Closeout Planning	p. 207
Purpose of the Closeout Planning Activities	p. 207
Perform Project Closeout	p. 208
Perform Client Closeout	p. 208
Perform Organizational Closeout	p. 211
Conduct Subcontractor Closeout	p. 212
Perform Risk Management Closeout	p. 213
Write the Project Final Report	p. 215
Conduct Team Closeout	p. 215
Execution Phase	p. 217
Mega Recipe for the Execution Phase	p. 217
Purposes of the Execution Phase	p. 217
Role of the Project Manager	p. 218
Outputs of the Execution Phase	p. 218
Execution Phase Problems	p. 218
Organize the Team	p. 219
Coordinate and Delegate Work	p. 220
Establish Performance Control Limits	p. 221
Purchase Materials and Services	p. 221
Monitor and Control Work Packages	p. 221
Evaluate Project Progress	p. 223
Brief Upper Management and Customer	p. 228
Deal with Scope Changes	p. 230
Monitor and Control Risks	p. 230
Revise Planning and Baseline Documents	p. 231
Notes	p. 231
Closeout Phase	p. 233
Mega Recipe for Closing the Project	p. 233
Purpose of the Closeout Phase	p. 233
Role of the Project Manager	p. 233
Outputs of the Closeout Phase	p. 234
Closeout Phase Problems	p. 234
Perform Project Closeout	p. 235
Perform Client Closeout	p. 235
Perform Organizational Closeout	p. 236
Conduct Subcontractor Closeout	p. 238
Perform Final Risk Assessment	p. 240
Write the Project Final Report	p. 240
Conduct Team Closeout	p. 242
Glossary	p. 243
Probability Equations	p. 167
Compact Disk Table of Contents	p. 259
Index	p. 261
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