05
  • Suggested reading: Chapter 2.6, 3.3, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3 and 6.4

    Overview of Project Management Process Groups: Planning

    Overview of Project Management Process Groups: Planning Diagram

    Project Management Process Groups

    1. Initiating process group
    2. Planning process group
    3. Executing process group
    4. Monitoring & Controlling process group
    5. Closing process group

    Relationships Among Process Groups and Knowledge Areas

    Knowledge Area Project Management Process Groups
    Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring & Controlling Closing
    Project Integration Management Develop project charter, Develop preliminary project scope statement Develop project management plan Direct and manage project execution Monitor and control project work, Integrated change control Close project
    Project Scope Management Scope planning, scope definition, Create WBS Scope verification, Scope control
    Project Time Management Activity definition, Activity sequencing, Activity resource estimating, Activity duration estimating, Schedule development Schedule control
    Project Cost Management Cost estimating, Cost budgeting Cost control
    Project Quality Management Quality Planning Perform quality assurance Perform quality control
    Project Human Resource Management Human resource planning Acquire project team, Develop project team Manage project team
    Project Communications Management Communications planning Information distribution Performance reporting, Manage stakeholders
    Project Risk Management Risk management planning, Risk identification, Qualitative risk analysis, Quantative risk analysis, Risk response planning Risk monitoring and control
    Project Procurement Management Plan purchases and acquisitions, Plan contracting Request seller responses, Select sellers Contract administration Contract closure

    Planning: Introduction & Overview

    Determine the work to be done and the tasks to be accomplished
    To satisfy the project requirements

    Determine the schedule for each task and the total project

    Determine the necessary resources for each task and the total project

    Planning: Introduction & Overview Diagram
  • Project Management Tools

    Cost estimation models
    Cost estimation tools
    MS Project
    Work breakdown structure (WBS)
    Activity networks
    Gantt chart
    Workload chart
    Graphs

    Contents of a Project Plan: Coursework Overview

    Introduction
    Project Organisation
    Risk Analysis
    Quality management
    Hardware/Software Resource Requirements
    Work Breakdown
    Work Packages Specifications
    includes activities, deliverables
    Project Schedule
    including task dependencies, timings, resource allocation
    Gantt Chart, Activity Network
    Management and Reporting Tools

    Project Planning

    How can you plan reasonable estimates?
    You need to find out answers to the key questions
    You must or else you won’t be able to make a reasonable plan!

    The key is software scope and then decomposition of functionality

    Identify basic scope/requirements with the customer, prior to development of plan.
    Very much a feasibility exercise
    Identify the basic configuration (hardware and software functionality)
    Decompose each major aspect of functionality
    size, complexity, interface, performance constraints, resources
    Separate the certain from the uncertain!
    Don’t leave the uncertain until last!

    Scope Definition

    Is accomplished by conducting a requirements discovery and analysis exercise, the use of subject matter experts, and a stakeholder analysis

    Requirements Discovery
    Interviews
    History documents
    Research
    PIECES (Performance, Information, Economics, Control, Efficiency, Service)
    Other means e.g. survey, observe, focus group & collect doc.

    Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

    After completing scope planning, the next step is to further define the work by breaking it into manageable pieces “Systems Analysis”

    Good scope definition:
    helps improve the accuracy of time, cost, and resource estimates
    defines a baseline for performance measurement and project control
    aids in communicating clear work responsibilities

    What Is Project Scope Management?

    Scope - refers to all (100%) the work involved in creating the products of the project and the processes used to create them
    A Deliverable - is a product produced as part of a project, such as hardware or software, planning documents, or meeting minutes

    Project scope management includes the processes involved in defining and controlling what is or is not included in a project.
  • Project Planning

    Resource definition
    Description, availability, start/end time required

    Resources often take longer to “acquire”/utilise than one thinks!
    Don’t leave “until nearer the time”

    Project Activity Planning

    Purpose of Activity Planning is to create a project schedule

    Take the decomposition of the individual project tasks
    produce the timing and sequence of the activities, e.g. WBS, WPS, Activity Network and Gantt Chart

    Project Planning

    Project scheduling co-ordinates parallel activities
    trying to utilise the workforce optimally
    objective is to ensure project is not delayed because of a critical task
    decomposing tasks into an appropriate size is key in project scheduling

    A detailed Project Schedule will include several charts

    Project Activity Planning

    First Stage is a decomposition of activities
    Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
    As diagram (or Indented list)

    A WBS is a task decomposition not a sequence diagram

    Task hierarchy is by task function/type not timing

    Then for each task activity, develop an individual Work Package Specification (WPS)

    WBS Uses Throughout the Project

    Guide the work of the entire project team

    Facilitate communication

    Aid the team in building the schedule and budget

    Assigning the right person to the right task

    Getting the project to a done state

    Aid in quality control

    Accountability

    Reduce scope creep

    Aid in budget and schedule progress reporting and performance reporting

    Aid in examining alternative steps in building a product

    One of the best project management tools

    Approaches to Developing WBSs

    Using guidelines: some organizations provide guidelines for preparing WBSs
    The top-down approach: start with the largest items of the project and break them down
    The analogy/parallel approach: review WBSs of similar projects and tailor to your project

    Work Breakdown Structure Example

    Work Breakdown Structure Example
  • Work Package Specification

    Activity 1.1
    Name: Analyse Exam Recording Requirements (AN-EX-REC-REQS)
    Description: Perform an analysis of the requirements for the University Exam Recording subsystem of the Student MIS and specify its software requirements.
    Duration: 1 week
    Resources Needed:
    Personnel: Senior Analyst and 1 Junior Analyst
    Skill: Analysts familiar with current system & have skill in UML
    Tools: Software Architect UML Modelling Tool
    Travel: One 3-day system requirements review in San Diego
    Work Product: Software Requirements specification for AN-EX-REC_REQS
    Risks: Id and availability of appropriate users of current system (Risk Monitor/control)
    Predecessors: None
    Completion Criteria: Reviewed & signed off SRR for system EX-REC by Senior Project manager(Technical) and HOD Exams Office. (quality control)

    Software Project Activity Planning

    WPSs (Work Package Specification) analysis includes:
    Completeness,
    Consistency
    Total and Sub Costs, Duration
    Overall personnel resource requirements
    Other resource requirements
    Personnel and other Resource Conflicts
    Risks, individual and aggregated

    The WBS and individual WPSs may be refined during this process

    The next task is to draw up an activity list and develop a detailed project schedule (as an Activity Diagram and Gantt Chart)

    Activity Networks

    An activity list is the first stage in developing the detailed project schedule

    A project schedule can be presented in several forms:
    Gantt Chart
    Activity Network

    It is very much the same information in a different form
    Dependencies between tasks are shown

    Analysis of the schedule is all about identifying the critical path
    Any specific path of dependent activities in the project which must not be delayed

    Its construction should be fairly straight forward from the activity list
    A bit of trial and error (if hand drawn)

    For large projects better with a hierarchy of network diagrams
    High and low level decomposition

    Analysing the Activity Network
    Critical Path Method
    The longest path through the network which cannot afford any delay

    Key terms
    Critical Event (has no ‘float’) (no delay)
    Earliest Event Time (EET)
    Latest Event Time (LET)
    Determine EET/LETs and add to the activity network

    Earliest event time -- The earliest possible time that an event can occur
    Calculated by adding the duration of the intervening activity to the preceding event time. (If several activities terminate on an event node, the longest duration activity must be used)

    Latest event time -- The latest possible time that an event can occur
    Calculated by subtracting the duration of the subsequent activity from the subsequent event. (If two or more activities terminate on an event node, the shortest duration activity must be used)

    Example

    From the activity list
    Construct an Activity Network
    Add to the activity network the Earliest and Latest Event Times for each event

    Activity List

    Activity Description Preceding Activity Duration (weeks)
    A Booking Process Requirements Analysis - 3
    B Holiday System Data Modelling - 4
    C Management Reporting Specification A 2
    D Interface Design A 3
    E Database Design and Interfacing B 3
    F Code & Test Software D, E 6
    G Customer Acceptance Testing F 3
    H Site Installation Planning C 4

    Steps

    1. Identify the milestones (go through each entry & label the milestones) – create a milestone for each unique combination of values e.g. A is M1, B is M2 etc.
    2. Now draw the activity network – remember-
    a) if activity has no preceding activity: starts from the “start” node
    b) if activity does not form any part of a milestone, it goes straight to the “end” node
    3. For the early times – walk through the diagram from left to right, if there are alternate paths, use the greater value
    4. For the late times, ‘walk backwards’ through the diagram from right to left, if there are alternate paths, then use the lesser value

    Activity List Diagram
    An activity network is a graphical depiction of an activity list (with early and late times added)
  • Times

    Activities not on the critical path have flexible start times

    The basic analysis of a constructed activity network is via the Critical Path Method (CPM). This essentially involves identifying the longest path through the network.

    This longest path is known as the critical path, since any delays in the events on this path will mean that there is an overall delay in the project schedule and thus the ultimate deadline.

    Critical Event

    A Critical Event is defined as an event having identical earliest and latest event times or that has to be completed in the minimum possible time.

    Earliest Event Time

    The Earliest Event Time (EET) is the earliest possible time that an event can occur.

    This is calculated by adding the duration of the intervening activity to the preceding event.

    If several activities terminate on an event/milestone node then the longest duration activity is used.

    Latest Event Time (LET)

    The Latest Event Time (LET) is the latest possible time that an event can occur.

    This is calculated by subtracting the duration of the subsequent activity from the subsequent event.

    If two or more activities terminate on an event node, the shortest duration activity must be used.

    Times

    FLOAT
    Total Float – is defined as the amount by which an activity can be delayed if all its preceding activities take place at their earliest possible times and the following activities are allowed to wait until their latest permissible times.

    Analyse the event times

    Fill in the activity and duration columns and complete the table in the following order
    Earliest start (Early value at base of activity arrow for each activity)
    Earliest finish = Earliest start + Duration
    Latest finish (Late value at the head of the activity arrow for each activity)
    Latest start = Latest finish – Duration
    Total float = difference of either of the 2 ‘start’ or 2 ‘finish’ columns

    Critical Path – activity path(s) where total float is zero

    Or by looking at diagram – it is through the nodes with equal earliest and latest start times – use this as a double check

    Activity Diagram
    Activity Duration Earliest
    Start
    Earliest
    Finish
    Latest
    Start
    Latest
    Finish
    Total
    Float
    A 3 0 4
    B 4 0 4
    C 2 3 12
    D 3 3 7
    E 3 4 7
    F 6 7 13
    G 3 13 16
    H 4 5 16

    Activity Diagram
    Earliest Finish =Earliest Start (ES) + Duration
    Tip: longest duration
    Activity Duration Earliest
    Start
    Earliest
    Finish
    Latest
    Start
    Latest
    Finish
    Total
    Float
    A 3 0 3 4
    B 4 0 4 4
    C 2 3 5 12
    D 3 3 6 7
    E 3 4 7 7
    F 6 7 13 13
    G 3 13 16 16
    H 4 5 9 16

    Activity Diagram
    Latest start (LS)= Latest Finish (LF) - Duration
    Tip: shortest duration
    Activity Duration Earliest
    Start
    Earliest
    Finish
    Latest
    Start
    Latest
    Finish
    Total
    Float
    A 3 0 3 1 4
    B 4 0 4 0 4
    C 2 3 5 10 12
    D 3 3 6 4 7
    E 3 4 7 4 7
    F 6 7 13 7 13
    G 3 13 16 13 16
    H 4 5 9 12 16

    Activity Diagram
    Total float= Latest Start – Earliest Start
    Or
    Total Float= Latest Finish-Earliest Finish
    Activity Duration Earliest
    Start
    Earliest
    Finish
    Latest
    Start
    Latest
    Finish
    Total
    Float
    A 3 0 3 1 4 1
    B 4 0 4 0 4 0
    C 2 3 5 10 12 7
    D 3 3 6 4 7 1
    E 3 4 7 4 7 0
    F 6 7 13 7 13 0
    G 3 13 16 13 16 0
    H 4 5 9 12 16 7
    Activity Duration Earliest
    Start
    Earliest
    Finish
    Latest
    Start
    Latest
    Finish
    Total
    Float
    A 3 0 3 1 4 1
    B 4 0 4 0 4 0
    C 2 3 5 10 12 7
    D 3 3 6 4 7 1
    E 3 4 7 4 7 0
    F 6 7 13 7 13 0
    G 3 13 16 13 16 0
    H 4 5 9 12 16 7
    Critical Path is: B -> E -> F -> G

    Total Float is defined as
    the amount by which an activity can be delayed if all its preceding activities take place at their earliest possible times and the following activities are allowed to wait until their latest permissible times.

    If total float is 0, that means the activity can not be delayed.

        

    Critical Event

    A Critical Event is defined as

    an event having identical earliest and latest event times or that has to be completed in the minimum possible time.

  • Past exam paper

    The project manager in charge of a project is at the stage of having developed the outline task decomposition

    for the project and wishes to do some initial project scheduling. This task decomposition is represented in the following activity list table

    Activity Description Preceding Activity Duration (weeks)
    A Booking Process Requirements Analysis - 3
    B Holiday System Data Modelling - 4
    C Management Reporting Specification A 2
    D Interface Design A 3
    E Database Design and Interfacing B 3
    F Code & Test Software D, E 6
    G Customer Acceptance Testing F 3
    H Site Installation Planning C 4

    i) Construct an activity network [5]

    ii) Add to the activity network the Earliest and Latest Event Times for each event [3]

    iii) Construct a table that provides an analysis of the event times, and the project float. Also identify the Critical Path in this project. [5]

    Activity Diagram

    Float Table

    Activity Duration Earliest
    Start
    Earliest
    Finish
    Latest
    Start
    Latest
    Finish
    Total
    Float
    A 3 0 3 2 5 2
    B 4 0 4 0 4 0
    C 2 3 5 16 18 13
    D 4 3 7 5 9 2
    E 5 4 9 4 9 0
    F 8 9 17 9 17 0
    G 2 5 7 18 20 13
    H 3 17 20 17 20 0
  • Activity network

    Content

    Describe how project managers use network diagrams to assist in activity sequencing

    Understand the relationship between estimating resources and project schedules

    Use a Gantt chart for planning and tracking schedule information

    Project Time Management Processes

    Activity definition: identifying the specific activities that the project team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project deliverables

    Activity sequencing: identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities

    Activity resource estimating: estimating how many resources a project team should use to perform project activities

    Importance of Project Schedules

    Managers often cite delivering projects on time as one of their biggest challenges

    Time has the least amount of flexibility; it passes no matter what happens on a project

    Schedule issues are the main reason for conflicts on projects, especially during the second half of projects

    Project Time Management Processes

    Activity duration estimating: estimating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities

    Schedule development: analysing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to create the project schedule

    Schedule control: controlling and managing changes to the project schedule

    Activity Definition

    Project schedules grow out of the basic documents that initiate a project
    Project charter includes start and end dates and budget information
    Scope statement and WBS help define what will be done

    Activity definition involves developing a more detailed WBS and supporting explanations to understand all the work to be done so you can develop realistic cost and duration estimates

    Milestones

    A milestone is a significant event that normally has no duration

    It often takes several activities and a lot of work to complete a milestone

    They’re useful tools for
    setting schedule goals and,
    monitoring progress

    Examples include
    obtaining customer sign-off on key documents or
    completion of specific products

    Using the Critical Path to Shorten a Project Schedule

    Three main techniques for shortening schedules
    Shortening durations of critical activities/tasks by adding more resources or changing their scope
    Crashing activities by obtaining the greatest amount of schedule compression for the least incremental cost
    Fast tracking activities by doing them in parallel or overlapping them

    Importance of Updating Critical Path Data

    It is important to update project schedule information to meet time goals for a project

    The critical path may change as you enter actual start and finish dates

    If you know the project completion date will slip, negotiate with the project sponsor
  • Critical Chain Scheduling

    A method of scheduling that considers limited resources when creating a project schedule and includes buffers to protect the project completion date

    Summary of Scheduling Techniques for Software Projects

    The project schedule specifies time‑ sequencing dependencies among work activities and indicates opportunities for concurrent work activities

    Techniques for schedule planning include
    Activity Lists: can be generated from work package specs
    Activity Networks: graphical illustrations of activity lists
    Critical Path Networks: critical time dependencies and slack times
    Gantt Charts: illustrates activity duration and start and stop times

    Schedule Control

    Perform reality checks on schedules

    Allow for contingencies

    Don’t plan for everyone to work at 100% capacity all the time

    Hold progress meetings with stakeholders and be clear and honest in communicating schedule issues

    Goals are to:
    know the status of the schedule,
    influence factors that cause schedule changes,
    determine that the schedule has changed,
    and manage changes when they occur

    Tools and techniques include:
    Progress reports
    A schedule change control system
    Project management software, including schedule comparison charts like the tracking Gantt chart
    Performance management, such as earned value

    Reality Checks on Scheduling

    First review the draft schedule or estimated completion date in the project charter

    Prepare a more detailed schedule with the project team

    Make sure the schedule is realistic and followed

    Alert top management well in advance if there are schedule problems

    Using Software to Assist in Time Management

    Software for facilitating communications helps people exchange schedule-related information

    Decision support models help analyze trade-offs that can be made

    Project management software can help in various time management areas

    You must enter actual schedule information to compare planned and actual progress

    (a) Discuss the purpose and importance of a work breakdown structure (WBS) in project management.

    A WBS is a deliverable oriented grouping of the work involved in a project that defines the total scope of the project. Because most projects involve many people and many different deliverables, it is important to organise and divide the work into logical parts based on how the work will be performed. The WBS is a foundation document in project management - it provides the basis for planning and managing project schedules, costs, resources and changes. Can be shown as a task oriented family tree of activities, similar to an organisation chart, or shown in tabular form as an indented list of tasks. Shown in Gantt charts in MS Project.
  • Quick Quiz

    1. Which step in project time management sounds like it belongs under scope management?
    Reveal Answer
    ANSWER: Defining activities

    2. What is the most common type of task dependency?
    Reveal Answer
    ANSWER: Finish-to-start.

    3. What is the critical path on a project?
    Reveal Answer
    ANSWER: The critical path is the series of activities in a project network diagram that determines the earliest completion date of the project. See other definitions in the text.

  • Key Terms

    Activity attributes: Information about each activity, such as predecessors, successors, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, constraints, imposed dates, and assumptions related to the activity
    Activity list: A tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule
    Activity: An element of work normally found on the WBS that has an expected duration, cost, and resource requirements; also called a task
    Activity-on-arrow (AOA): A network diagramming technique in which activities are represented by arrows and connected at points called nodes to illustrate the sequence of activities; also called arrow diagramming method (ADM)
    Arrow diagramming method (ADM): A network diagramming technique in which activities are represented by arrows and connected at points called nodes to illustrate the sequence of activities; also called activity-on-arrow (AOA)
    Critical chain scheduling: A method of scheduling that takes limited resources into account when creating a project schedule and includes buffers to protect the project completion date
    Critical path method (CPM) or critical path analysis: A project network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration
    Critical path: The series of activities in a network diagram that determines the earliest completion of the project; it is the longest path through the network diagram and has the least amount of slack or float
    Dependency: The sequencing of project activities or tasks; also called a relationship
    Discretionary dependencies: The sequencing of project activities or tasks defined by the project team and used with care because they may limit later scheduling options
    Dummy activities: Activities are with no duration and no resources used to show a logical relationship between two activities in the arrow diagramming method of project network diagrams
    Duration: The actual amount of time worked on an activity plus elapsed time
    Early finish date: The earliest possible time an activity can finish based on the project network logic
    Early start date: The earliest possible time an activity can start based on the project network logic
    Effort: The number of workdays or work hours required to complete a task
    External dependencies: The sequencing of project activities or tasks that involve relationships between project and non-project activities
    Fast tracking: A schedule compression technique in which you do activities in parallel that you would normally do in sequence
    Feeding buffers: Time added before tasks on the critical chain if they are preceded by other tasks that are not on the critical path
    Rational Unified Process (RUP) framework: An iterative software development process that focuses on team productivity and delivers software best practices to all team members
    Scrum team or development team: A cross-functional team of five to nine people who organize themselves and the work to produce the desired results for each sprint
    Scrum Master: A person who ensures that the team is productive, facilitates the daily Scrum, enables close cooperation across all roles and functions, and removes barriers that prevent the team from being effective
    Six Sigma methodologies: DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control) is used to improve an existing business process, and DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyse, Design, and Verify) is used to create new product or process designs
    Sprint backlog: The highest-priority items from the product backlog to be completed in a sprint