Your Guide to Project Management Best Practices

Tagged: scope

pm triangle

PM Tips & Ideas

Project Management Plan and Three Angles of PM Triangle

Project Management Plan is not a one-time and permanent document; it’s developed at planning stage and continuously updated throughout the project as new changes occur. Project Management Plan includes definitions of an owner’s objectives, technical requirements, calendars and schedules, resources, budgets, and management actions. PM Plan also gives a foundation to calculate and prove efficiency. In the context of project documentation, PM Plan serves as the basis and outlines the commissioning plan for the complete execution.

PM Framework

Boundaries, Deliverables and Requirements as Key Components of Project Scope

Development of project scope involves identification of the three key components, including deliverables, boundaries and requirements.
Project Deliverables: Definition and Examples

Project deliverables definition: A deliverable is a tangible, measurable and auditable output which is expected to be gained or produced to accomplish a project or its part. Defining project deliverables means going a long way toward setting the overall project scope.

Project deliverables examples:

1. An organization is going to train its employees to improve their skills and increase their productivity. The project for employee training will be considered as delivered when employees step through all the stages of the employee training project and show better productivity, so the project deliverables will be: 1) well-trained employees; 2) improved skills; 3) increased productivity characteristics.
2. Implementation of a new billing system in Finance Department can be considered a project. The project deliverables may include: 1) copies of the system are installed on all computers of the department; and 2) all staff members know how to operate and use the new system.

Project Boundaries: Definition and Examples

Project boundaries definition: The boundaries of a project are measurable and auditable characteristics that define what belongs to the project and what doesn’t belong to it. Project boundaries are closely linked to project objectives, they create a holistic project perception, and they define the content of the project in terms of expected results. A clear project boundary statement helps direct the things that are applicable to those areas that are within the project scope.

Project boundaries examples:

1. An organization is going to sell office equipment within The United States. It signs up an agreement with a domestic distributor. This agreement can state a project for selling office equipment and its boundaries will affect USA operations only. All other locations are out of scope (that is out of the defined boundaries).
2. An IT administrator considers installing a new software system on computer workstations of both Finance and Legal departments in some organization. The boundaries of this project for installing the system extend to these two departments only. All other departments of the organization are out of scope.

project initiation glag

How-to Guides

How to Initiate Projects Successfully (Part II)

When the project is defined and the project chart is developed, it is time to acquire and assign the team. At this step of the project initiating phase, the project board is to be established and the project manager is to take responsibility for acquiring the project team and assigning it to project tasks and activities. The project manager needs to recruit the team leader(s) who will assist the project manager in initiating project by selecting and recruiting required project staff (members of the project team). The team leaders take responsibility for making team assignments and the project manager approves these assignments.

During the project initiating phase, the core activity for making right team assignments refers to developing job descriptions. A project job description is a formal project initiating document that states and explains what project roles are required to complete the project work and produce the deliverables, what targets each role is assigned to, and how to measure the targets and to access the performance of each role. Every team member should be assigned to a detailed project job description which defines personal role and responsibilities within the project. When initiating project and developing project roles, the team leaders need to consider the project initiating documents (Project Charter, Feasibility Study).

project initiation phase

How-to Guides

How to Initiate Projects Successfully (Part I)

A recent study conducted by the competent US agencies specializing in project initiation researches has shown that a large percentage of projects [of any kinds] are dismissed before they even reach the planning phase. The study investigates that the most common reason of project initiation phase failure refers to improper definition of project scope which results in the lack of sponsorship and investments required to ensure success of those projects. Therefore, it’s critical to understand the importance of the project initiation phase and know which steps can be taken to successfully go through this phase and initiate your projects as quickly and efficiently as possible.

sow

PM Tips & Ideas

Statement of Work (SOW) – What It Means and Who Writes It

Writing a statement of work (SOW) is an arduous task, and many projects were failed because of too vague, broad or generic SOW. The failure to properly develop and execute a statement of work is also the reason why project parties end up in a dispute. Let’s try to understand what SOW means and how to develop it properly.