Project Management JumpStart
Description
An informative introduction for those considering a career in project management
Project Management JumpStart offers a clear, practical introduction to the complex world of project management, with an entertaining approach based on real-world application. Fully revised to align with a Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge -PMBOK Guide©, 6th edition, this book provides an overview of the field followed by an exploration of current best practices. The practical focus facilitates retention by directly linking critical concepts to your everyday work, while the close adherence to PMBOK guidelines makes this book the perfect starting point for those considering certification to earn either PMP or CompTIA Project+ credentials.
Project management is a top-five, in-demand skill in today's workplace, and the demand has spread far beyond IT to encompass nearly every industry; any organization that produces goods or services, whether for profit or not, has a vested interest in ensuring that projects are completed on time, on budget, and to the satisfaction of the client-this is the heart of the project management function. Let Kim Heldman, bestselling author of PMP Study Guide and CompTIA Project+ Study Guide, walk you through the basic principles and practices to help you build a strong foundation for further training.
- Understand current project management methods and practices
- Explore project management from a practical perspective
- Delve into illustrative examples that clarify complex issues
- Test your understanding with challenging study questions
Trillions of dollars are invested in various projects around the world each year, and companies have learned that investing in qualified project management professionals pays off in every aspect of the operation. If you're considering a career in project management, Project Management JumpStart provides an excellent introduction to the field and clear direction for your next steps.
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Kim Heldman, MBA, PMP, is Senior Manager Information Technology/Chief Information Officer, for the Regional Transportation District in Denver, Colorado. Kim is the author of several books on project management including the bestselling PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide, 9th Edition. You can visit Kim's website at www.kimheldman.com.
Content
Introduction xiii
Chapter 1 Building the Foundation 1
The Project Management Journey 2
Is It a Project? 3
Where Are We Going? 4
A Bird's-Eye View 5
Know the Structure of Your Organization 8
Benefiting from Project Management Practices 14
Tools of the Trade 16
Understanding Project Processes 18
Twenty-first Century Project Management 23
What's Old Is New Again 24
Constraints 24
Where Do You Go from Here? 27
Becoming PMP® Certified 28
Certifying with CompTIA®'s Project+ 29
Formal Education Programs 29
Terms to Know 30
Review Questions 31
Chapter 2 Developing Project Management Skills 33
A Little Bit of Everything 34
Communication Is the Key 35
Organizing Techniques 35
General Management Skills 42
People Management Skills 43
Communicating Your Style 44
Exchanging Information 45
Active Listening 49
How Many Connections Are There? 51
Ten Tips for Communicating Effectively 52
Terms to Know 53
Review Questions 54
Chapter 3 Initiating the Project 55
Selecting Projects for Success 56
How Projects Come About 57
Project Generators-Needs and Demands 58
Project Requests 59
Business Case 62
Selecting and Prioritizing Projects 64
Feasibility Study 70
Meeting the Stakeholders 71
Working with the Project Sponsor 71
Documenting Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities 73
Competing Needs of Stakeholders 75
Creating the Project Charter 76
Purposes for the Charter 76
Essential Elements of a Project Charter 78
Holding the Project Kickoff Meeting 81
Creating the Agenda 82
Terms to Know 83
Review Questions 84
Chapter 4 Defining the Project Goals 85
Agreeing on the Deliverables 86
Goals and Objectives 86
Deliverables 89
Discovering Requirements 90
The Role of the Business Analyst 91
Requirements-Gathering Process 92
Critical Success Factors 94
Identifying Assumptions and Constraints 96
Defining Assumptions 97
Defining Constraints 98
Creating the Project Scope Statement 99
Contents of the Project Scope Statement 100
Obtaining Sign-off 102
Creating the Project Scope Management Plan 103
Creating the Communications Plan 103
Terms to Know 105
Review Questions 106
Chapter 5 Breaking Down the Project Activities 107
Constructing the Work Breakdown Structure 108
Organizing the WBS Levels 109
Work Packages 111
Identification Codes 112
Outline View 113
Defining Tasks and Activities 114
Managing the Work 114
Activity Sequencing 116
Determining Milestones 117
Constructing the Responsibility Assignment Matrix 118
Estimating Activity Durations 120
Expert Judgment 120
Parametric Estimating 120
Establishing Dependencies 121
Constructing a Network Diagram 122
Precedence Diagramming 123
Activity on Node 124
Diagramming Method of Choice 124
Terms to Know 124
Review Questions 125
Chapter 6 Planning and Acquiring Resources 127
Planning the Project Team 128
Skills Assessment 129
Deciding Who's Needed 131
Negotiating for Team Members 132
Staffing Assignments 134
Acquiring Materials, Supplies, and Equipment 135
Questions to Ask 136
Make or Buy 138
Procurement Plan 139
Resource Plan 139
Contracting for Resources 140
Request for Proposal and More 141
Soliciting Bids 142
Choosing a Supplier 143
Awarding the Contract 145
Closing Out the Contract 145
Terms to Know 145
Review Questions 146
Chapter 7 Assessing Risk 147
Identifying Risks 148
Types of Project Risks 150
Common Project Risks: Where Are They Hiding? 150
Identification Techniques 154
Risk Analysis Techniques 160
Risk Probability and Impact 160
Risk Tolerance 163
Planning for Risks 164
Responding to Risks 165
Escalate 166
Accept 166
Avoid 166
Transfer 167
Mitigate 167
Exploit 168
Share 168
Enhance 168
Contingency Planning 168
Residual and Secondary Risks 169
Risk Management Plan 169
Terms to Know 171
Review Questions 172
Chapter 8 Developing the Project Plan 173
Creating the Project Schedule 174
Project Schedule Assistance 175
Project Schedule Components 176
Program Evaluation and Review Technique 176
Calculating the Critical Path 180
Working with the Project Schedule 185
Schedule Display Options 189
Quality Management Plan 191
Documenting the Plan 192
Cost of Quality 194
Terms to Know 195
Review Questions 196
Chapter 9 Budgeting 101 197
What Makes Up a Budget? 198
Project Costs 198
Direct Costs vs. Indirect Costs 200
Gathering the Docs 200
Budgeting Process 201
Budget Items 201
Budget Woes 202
Following the Processes 203
Estimating Techniques 204
Analogous Estimating 204
Bottom-Up Estimating 204
Resource Cost Rates 205
Parametric Estimating 205
Computerized Tools 205
Ask the Experts 205
Ask the Vendors 206
Estimating Costs and Finalizing the Budget 206
Questions to Ask 208
Finalizing the Budget 208
Down Memory Lane 210
Are You in Control? 210
What's the Cost? 211
Budget Approvals 212
Establishing a Cost Baseline 212
Call It a Plan 214
How Big Is It? 215
Obtaining Approvals 216
Terms to Know 217
Review Questions 218
Chapter 10 Executing the Project 219
Assembling the Team 220
Project Team Kickoff Meeting 221
Five Stages of Team Development 222
Effective Team Characteristics 225
Negotiation and Problem-Solving Techniques 226
Start at the Beginning 227
The Five Approaches to Problem Resolution 228
Project Manager's Role in Team Development 230
Rewarding Experiences 230
Leadership Power 234
Gaining Trust and Respect from Team Members 235
Professional Responsibility 237
Progress Reporting 240
Who Gets What? 240
Status Reports and Action Logs 240
Taking Corrective Action 244
Terms to Know 245
Review Questions 246
Chapter 11 Controlling the Project Outcome 247
Change Happens 248
How Changes Come About 249
Establishing Change Management Control Procedures 251
The Purpose of the Change Control System 251
Establishing a Change Control Board 253
Tracking Changes 254
Assessing the Impacts of Change 255
Calling in Reinforcements 256
Adjusting for Scope and Schedule Changes 256
Managing and Revising Costs 259
Monitoring and Controlling Project Processes 260
Performance-Reporting Tools 260
Risk Monitoring 262
Is the Project in Trouble? 263
Just Say No 263
Early Warning Signs 264
Terms to Know 265
Review Questions 266
Chapter 12 Closing the Books 267
Happy Endings 268
Details, Details 269
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do 274
Training and Warranty Period 275
Implementing the Project 276
Documenting Lessons Learned 277
Obtaining Project Sign-Off 278
Is the Customer Happy? 280
Archiving Project Documents 281
It's Party Time! 282
Agile Project Management 282
Agile Roles and Responsibilities 284
Sprint Planning 285
Daily Standups or Scrum Meetings 286
Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective 287
Terms to Know 288
Review Questions 289
Appendix A Answers to Review Questions 291
Chapter 1: Building the Foundation 292
Chapter 2: Developing Project Management Skills 292
Chapter 3: Initiating the Project 293
Chapter 4: Defining the Project Goals 294
Chapter 5: Breaking Down the Project Activities 295
Chapter 6: Planning and Acquiring Resources 296
Chapter 7: Assessing Risk 297
Chapter 8: Developing the Project Plan 297
Chapter 9: Budgeting 101 298
Chapter 10: Executing the Project 299
Chapter 11: Controlling the Project Outcome 300
Chapter 12: Closing the Books 300
Appendix B Sample Project Management
Forms and Checklists 303
Glossary 333
Index 343
Chapter 1
Building the Foundation
IN THIS CHAPTER
- The definition of project management
- Different organizational structures
- The project management process groups
- Project criteria
- Constraints and their impacts
- Project management certification
Welcome to the world of project management. Chances are you've already had some experience with project management, whether you've called it that or not. Maybe you've helped organize your company's annual conference or been involved with a new product launch. At some point in your personal or professional life, you've probably used some sort of process to get from the beginning of the project to the end results.
You'll discover through the course of this book that you may already use some of the processes I'll talk about, but you may never have realized they were formalized project management techniques and processes. I'll add some new twists and tricks to those processes that you'll want to try. You'll also learn some new techniques and procedures that will enhance your project management experiences and help you run your next project smoothly and effortlessly. (OK, that might be stretching it a bit, but your project will run more efficiently.)
In this chapter, you'll start building the foundation of good project management practices.
The Project Management Journey
The first stop on our journey is a brief overview of the Project Management Institute (PMI®). PMI® is the leader and the most widely recognized organization in the world in terms of promoting project management best practices. PMI® strives to maintain and endorse standards and ethics in this field and offers publications, training, seminars, chapters, special-interest groups, and colleges to further the project management discipline. PMI® offers the most recognized certification in the field of project management called the Project Management Professional® (PMP®) certification.
The focus and content of this book revolve around the information contained in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK ® Guide), Sixth Edition, published by PMI®. This de facto standard of project management terms, processes, techniques, and more is known and understood by millions of project managers across the globe. I will use the PMBOK ® Guide terms and process names throughout this book to familiarize you with terminology used by project managers everywhere.
Start your engines-I'm ready to lay the foundation for building and managing your project. In this chapter, I'll start with a definition of a project, and then you'll take a high-level look at some of the processes and plans you'll build throughout the rest of the book and how you'll benefit from using solid project management techniques when managing your next project. I'll also cover organizational foundations before moving on to the project processes themselves. Here we go.
project management The process of applying knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to describe, organize, and monitor the work of the project to accomplish the goals of the project. (This definition is based on the PMBOK ® Guide.)
Is It a Project?
How do you know whether your new work assignment is a project or whether it's going to benefit from project management techniques? If you're like most of us, once you get to work and settle in for the day, you check your email and voice mail and touch base with some of the other folks on your team. The boss may drop by and ask for a status report on a problem you've been working on, gently nudging you to get back to it. All of these tasks are everyday work. They don't really have a beginning or end; they're ongoing. Projects are not everyday work. For work to be considered a project, it must meet a certain set of criteria.
Projects set out to produce a unique product, service, or result. They have a limited timeframe and are temporary in nature. This means that projects have a definite beginning and ending. You can determine that a project is complete by comparing its end result or product to the objectives and deliverables stated in the project plan.
Everyday work is ongoing. Production processes are an example of ongoing operations. Maybe you love popping a handful of chocolate drops into your mouth mid-afternoon for a quick treat. Producing those chocolate drops is an example of ongoing operations. The production line knows how many candies to produce, what colors to coat them with, how many go in a package, and so on. Every day, hundreds of thousands of those little drops make their way into bags, onto the store shelves, and eventually into our mouths-yum. But the production of these candies is not a project.
Now let's say that the management team has decided it's time to introduce a new line of candy. You've been tasked with producing the new candy flavor and shape. You assemble a research team to come up with a new candy formula. The marketing team gathers some data, which shows that the new candy has real potential with the consumers. The candy is produced according to plan, monitored for adherence to the original formula and design, and shipped to the stores. Is this a project or ongoing operations?
The answer is, this is a project even though candy making is something the company does every day. The production of chocolate drops is considered an ongoing operation. The new candy, however, is a unique product because the company has never produced this flavor and shape of candy. Remember that projects are originated to bring about a product, service, or result that hasn't existed before. The new candy project was kicked off, carried out, monitored, and then ended when all the requirements were met. Candy production didn't stop there, though. At the end of this project, the production of the candy was turned over to ongoing operations and absorbed into the everyday work of the company. The project ended in this case by being assimilated into the ongoing operations of the company. Table 1.1 recaps the characteristics of projects versus ongoing operations.
TABLE 1.1 Projects vs. ongoing operations
Projects Ongoing operations Definite beginning and end. No definitive beginning and end. Temporary in nature. Ongoing. Produces a unique product, service, or result. Produces the same product, service, or result over and over. Resources are dedicated to the project. Resources are dedicated to operations. Ending is determined by specific criteria. Processes are ongoing.Where Are We Going?
When you start out on a journey, it helps to have the destination in mind. You've embarked on a project management discovery journey, so I'd like to start by describing where you'll be when you've finished.
customer The end user or recipient of the product, service, or result of the project. Customers may be internal or external to the organization.
The end of the project is the time to reflect on the processes used to complete the activities, to determine whether the customer is satisfied with the product the project set out to produce, and to document the lessons learned (among other things) throughout the course of the project. You will be able to use this book to guide you from start to finish through your next small or medium-sized project so that you can easily assess those factors, not only at the end of the project but as you progress through the project as well. (I consider large projects to be along the lines of building rocket ships, constructing major highways, or writing the latest, greatest software program that will automatically do your grocery shopping and monitor your golf swing at the same time.) If you're just starting out in project management, you probably aren't heading up a large-scale project. But rest assured that all those small and medium-sized projects will teach you a great deal about project management and will start you well on the way to bigger and better opportunities as your experience grows.
When you're just starting out, don't discount the experience you'll gain by working on small projects. Large projects are really a lot of smaller projects all lumped into one. The stepping stones to large project work are created by a history of success with small and medium-sized projects.
Included in this and each subsequent chapter you'll find discussions of the processes at hand, examples so that you can apply what you're learning, and templates that you can use or modify to complete your project documentation. Now let's take a high-level look at a completed project.
