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Project Management�Skills for Life^®

[Insert Date Here]

[Insert Instructor Name Here]

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What is Project Management?

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What is Project Management?

Why is project management important?
How do unidentified risks impact the outcome of the project?
Who should be responsible for tasks?
Can projects be divided into multiple projects or phases?

Instructor’s notes

Discuss the questions with the class and provide further explanation

Identify risks early in the planning phase and conduct a session with the team to discover any risks for the project. Document and develop a list of risks. Explain what could happen to the outcome of the project if risks are not identified early in the project. Unidentified risks could cause schedule delays, added costs for redesign and/or the project may not be able to be completed due to resources, equipment, or materials available.
The project manager should assign tasks based on experience and availability to complete tasks on time.
Explain that some projects will take too long to develop or that the funds are unavailable for the project at this time. It is easier to estimate a project with a shorter timeframe.

PMBOK Terms and Definitions

Project Management – The application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

Project Activities (also referred to as tasks) – A component of work performed during the course of the project.

Project Requirement – A condition or capability that must be met or possessed by a system, product, service, result or component to satisfy a contract, standard, specification or other formally imposed documents. Requirements include the quantified and documented needs, wants and expectations of the sponsor, customer and other stakeholders.

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Triple Constraint Diagram

TIME

COST

SCOPE & QUALITY

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Class Exercise: Human Bingo

B	I	N	G	O
Is allergic to cats	Has two or more sisters	Is a twin	Has a tattoo	Is a vegetarian
Has been to Mexico	Is allergic to dairy	Is allergic to nuts	Is an only child	Has two or more brothers
Has been to Europe	Is afraid of spiders	FREE SPACE	Plays softball or baseball	Has a dog
Plays tennis	Has a cat	Has lived on a farm	Plays soccer	Can stand on his/her head
Plays golf	Has been to Canada	Plays video games	Is afraid of heights	Has a brother AND a sister

Instructor’s Notes

The BINGO card for this exercise is included in the Appendix of the Project Management Skills for Life document. Allow 10-15 minutes to complete. Instructors are encouraged to adjust the items in each space to better fit the audience (for example, in working with children, “has a tattoo” might be switched to “favorite color is green” or something else age-appropriate).

Objective: The purpose of the game is to have everyone meet each other.

Distribute one BINGO card to each participant.
Participants mingle and try to find individuals who meet the criteria in the squares on the BINGO card. When an individual meets one of the criteria, they sign the square that applies (i.e. a person who is allergic to cats would sign the “Is allergic to cats” at the top of column B. BINGO is achieved by getting five signatures in a row, arranged vertically, horizontally, of diagonally.
The game works best if participants can only sign one box on each person’s card, but this rule may need to be modified for small groups.
The game is complete when there is a top winner, top three winners, or when 10-15 minutes has lapsed.

Ask the team what they learned new about someone in the room. Usually, some people already know each other and learn something new about that person or this is an opportunity to be introduced in a simple interesting approach.

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What is a Project?

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What is a Project?

What are the key components of a successful project?

A project is a temporary endeavor with a definite beginning and end,

and

It creates or produces a unique product, service or result

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What is a Project?

Exercise 1 in the Project Management Skills for Life Document

Exercise 1 and Discussion

Instructor Notes

Exercise 1: This exercise can be found in the Project Management Skills for Life document. Discuss with the team what makes a project successful. Allow 10 minutes for this exercise

Objective: To list 6 projects and the deliverables of successful projects.

As a group activity

Divide into teams
Appoint someone to document points
Identify six projects that you have worked on and list deliverables
Discuss why these projects were successful? If not, why were they not.

PMBOK Terms and Definitions

Project – is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.

Deliverable – Any unique and verifiable product, result or capability to perform a service that must be produced to complete a process, phase, or project. Often used more narrowly in reference to an external deliverable, which is a deliverable that is subject to approval by the project sponsor or customer.

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What is a �Project Manager?

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Project Manager Discussion

What are some of the responsibilities of a Project Manager?

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Project Manager Discussion

How is a Project Manager selected or appointed?

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What is a Stakeholder?

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What is a Stakeholder?

Someone who has a positive or negative impact on the project and can influence the expectations and deliverables
Examples of stakeholders: customers, suppliers, vendors, end-users, team members, and project sponsor
Who were the stakeholders on a project you worked on previously? Who will they be on your next project?

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What is a Sponsor?

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What is a Sponsor?

An individual who provides support or obtains funding for the project
Someone who has a vested interest in�the project

Examples of Sponsors

Member of the management team
Board of Director or association member
Client or customer

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What is a �Team Member?

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What is a Team Member?

Important Characteristics of a Project Team

Individuals who are appointed, selected, or volunteer to work together on a project
Individuals who have diverse skills and talents to complete tasks and will provide expertise to make project decisions
Encourage mentoring with team members during the project

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Team Organization Chart

Sponsor

Project Manager

Stakeholders

Team Members

Individual who provides support and/or obtains funding for the project. Someone who has a vested interest in the project.

Works with the team to develop a schedule and discuss potential risks. Responsible for ensuring the project is completed on time, within budget, and on schedule.

Appointed individuals and/or volunteers who work together to complete project tasks and deliverables.

Individuals or organizations that have an interest, either positive or negative, in the project’s execution and outcomes.

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Discussion

Team Directory

Template

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Class Exercise

Team Conflict and Customer Conflict

Team Conflict

Customer Conflict

The requirements are not clear from the customer
The customer delays making important decisions on critical issues
Who will deliver unfavorable news to the customer if the need arises?

As a large group or in smaller teams, discuss possible solutions to the scenarios below:

Team members are not completing assigned tasks
Team members are not completing tasks on time
Team members are unmotivated to complete tasks

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Project Team Discussion

Team Conflict and Customer Conflict

When will the team meet (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)?
W ho will set the agenda and organize the meeting times?
How will the team make decisions?
Who will take and distribute meeting minutes?
How will the team handle changes?
How will the team resolve conflicts and ensure tasks are completed?
Who will talk to the customer?
Who will report project status to all stakeholders?

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Project Team Discussion

Solutions to �Team Conflicts

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Project Team Discussion

Solutions to �Customer Conflicts

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Project Management Processes

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Chapter 1: Initiating Process

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Initiating Process

Determine and decide what product or service is being developed
Collaborate and clarify the project need
Assign or appoint a project manager and sponsor
Gather any information to help understand the requirements of the project by answering the what, when, who, why, where and how questions
Develop the project charter

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Initiating Process

Answering a few basic questions helps guide a project from start to finish:

Why?
Who?

Where?
How?

What?
When?

Instructor’s Notes

Explain and discuss:

Why is the project being initiated? (The project stakeholders should discuss and agree upon the answer for this question.)
Who is this work being done for? Who is the project sponsor and who are the project stakeholders that might use the final product, service, or results?
What are we going to deliver? What work do we need to complete; what resources and funds do we need to produce these deliverables?
When will we produce these deliverables? When will the stakeholders review them? When will the project sponsor approve and accept the final project outcome?
Where will the deliverables be used?
How are we going to achieve the project’s goal and objectives? How will success be measured?

If time permits, consider discussing the similarities and differences between a two different types of projects, such as creating a new webpage and a Halloween party or youth dance.

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Initiating Process

(Exercise 2 in the

Project Management Skills for Life

document)

Why
Who
What
When
Where
How

Exercise 2

How would you answer the Why, Who, What, When, Where, and How questions for a project you are about to work on or have worked on recently? Use the examples on page 18 of the manual to help you get started.

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Project Charter

Documents the answers to the project Why, Who, What, Where, When and How questions
Supported and approved by the sponsor
Provides the project manager authorization to start the project

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Project Charter

(Exercise 3 in the

Project Management Skills for Life

document)

Exercise 3: Write a project chapter

Using the template found on pages 53–54 of the manual and your answers to the Why, Who, What, When, Where, and How questions, create a project charter.

Instructor’s Notes

Exercise 3: This exercise can be found in the Project Management Skills for Life document. You may want to refer to the project charter found in the Appendix. Discuss with the team the writing of a project charter. Allow 15 minutes for this group exercise.

Objective: Discuss creating a project charter and explain the tie between the what, when, who, why, where, and how questions and the project charter.

Recommend performing this exercise as a class/group exercise. Talk about the corporate picnic or the youth food drive included in the Project Management Skills for Life document or another project and talk about “writing a project charter.” Ask what information is missing and not answered by the below questions.

Why is the project being initiated?
Who is this work being done for? Who are the project sponsor and the project stakeholders that might use the final product, service, or results?
What are we going to deliver? What work doe we need to complete; what resources and funds do we need to produce these deliverables?
When will we produce these deliverables? When will the stakeholders review them? When will the project sponsor approve and accept the final project outcome?
Where will the deliverables be used?
How are we going to achieve the project’s goal and objectives? How will success be measured?

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Chapter 2: Planning Process

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Planning Process

The planning process involves organizing and identifying the components of a project.

The project manager and the project team work together to develop the scope of work, create a work breakdown structure, identify resources, estimate time needed to accomplish tasks, and recommend major deliverables.

Instructor’s Notes

PMBOK Terms and Definitions

Scope Statement – provides a documented basis for making any future decisions about the project and the approval from the stakeholders.

Work Breakdown Structure – a list of identified tasks to accomplish the project objectives and deliverables. The team prioritizes the task in order of completion. It helps to organize tasks into smaller work packages.

Project Schedule – the planned dates for performing schedule activities and planned dates for meeting schedule milestones.

Project Quality – the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements.

Quality Planning – The process of identifying which quality standards are relevant to the project and determine how to satisfy them.

Project Communications – a process through which information is exchanged among persons using a common system of symbols, signs or behaviors.

Communication Planning – the process of determining the information and communications needs of the project stakeholder: who they are, what is their level of interest and influence on the project, who needs what information, when will they need it and how it will be given to them.

Project Risks – an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs has a positive or negative effect on the project objectives.

Risk Identification – the process of determining which risks might affect the project and document their characteristics.

Project Procurement Documents – these documents are prepared either by the supplier or the sponsor for the bid and proposal activities.

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Scope Statement

Clarifies and expands the information in the project charter and adds:

Constraints
Assumptions
Risks
Boundaries (what will and will not be included)
User acceptance criteria

Instructor’s Notes

Talk about how the scope statement builds upon the project charter. Explain that both the project charter and scope statement should be written so that they are clear, concise and in non-technical terms .

Discuss why and how there might be changes to the project description and add additional deliverables. Include the below scope statement criteria into the document:

constraints
assumptions
boundaries (what will and will not be included)
risks
user acceptance criteria

Explain:

Project constraints are any factors that affect an activity or the schedule.

Project assumptions are considered true, real or certain. Assumptions sometimes involve risks associated with them.

Project risks are uncertain events or conditions that may have a positive or negative impact on project objectives.

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Project Scope

Defines the project parameters and establishes the baseline for measuring success
Provides a common understanding of project expectations

(Exercise 4 in the

Project Management Skills for Life

document)

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Scope Statement

(Exercise 4 in the

Project Management Skills for Life

document)

Exercise 4: Write a �Scope Statement

Instructor’s Notes

Exercise 4: This exercise can be found in the Project Management Skills for Life document . Use the answers to exercise 3 to complete this exercise. Discuss with the team how the information in the project charter is expanded to create a scope statement. Allow 15 minutes for this group exercise.

Objective: Use the project charter that was completed in Exercise 3 to create a scope statement.

Divide the class into groups/teams
Use the project charter that was completed in Exercise 3
Have the team appoint a project manager for this exercise; that person will present findings
Review the project charter and have each group/team write a Scope Statement
Provide feedback on the responses.

Discuss how the additional information can impact the project outcome and is important to the planning process.

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Project Work Breakdown Schedule (WBS)

The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a checklist of all the work—the deliverables and tasks—prioritized in order of completion.

How to create a WBS:

Identify tasks or activities
Put tasks in order of completion
Identify deliverables and milestones

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Class Exercise

Create a Project Work Breakdown Structure

Project

Design Product

Develop�Product

Test Product

Install�Product

Instructor’s Notes

This exercise is not included in the Project Management Skills for Life document but can use the corporate picnic or youth food drive projects, or another project of your choosing. The work for one deliverable (such as the corporate picnic’s location deliverable or the youth food drive’s boxes deliverable) should be discussed prior to starting this exercise. Allow 20 minutes for this exercise.

Exercise: Create a work breakdown structure for the corporate picnic, food drive, or another project.

Objective: Learn how to create a work breakdown structure

Perform this exercise with the class.

Appoint someone to document the results.
Bring sticky pads and distribute them to each person, or use a flipchart or whiteboard. Someone could write down responses if sticky pads are not available.
Individuals begin writing tasks that need to be accomplished.
If time is limited the project manager could come up with a list and then the team could add additional tasks.
Show how the tasks can be divided to the lowest level.
Review the tasks and discuss any other deliverables and related work necessary to produce the final outcome.

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Project Schedule

Good planning allows the project manager to manage and control the project tasks and resources

The project schedule is developed by determining how long each task will take and assigning a resource to be responsible for the task

The team and project manager should divide the tasks and provide an estimate of the time required to complete each task

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Project Schedule

Discussion: How to estimate tasks

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Critical Path Method (CPM)

The critical path is the sequence of tasks that requires the longest duration to complete with no extra time.

The diagram on the next slide shows six tasks in the project schedule. Tasks A, C, and F are on the critical path, which means if one of these tasks takes longer than expected, the project will not meet the deadline.

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Critical Path Method (CPM)

Task A took longer than expected, which affected when Tasks C & F could start, and added 1.5 weeks to the original schedule.

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

WEEK 6

WEEK 7

TASK A

TASK B

TASK F

TASK E

TASK D

TASK C

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Class Exercise

Create a Project Schedule

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Project Quality

Ensure stakeholder expectations are being met by defining processes to verify and validate successful product completion.
Understanding the desired outcome allows the team to work together to build quality into the product.
Monitor quality throughout the project.

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Project Communication

Develop a plan that answers the following questions: What,

When, Who, Where and How:

What needs to be communicated?
When does the information need to be distributed?
Who should receive the information (all stakeholders)?
Where should the information be distributed?
How and in what format should the information be presented?

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Communication

The Sender-Receiver Model

The sender sends a message without interruptions or distractions. The receiver selects an approach that is acceptable to the team and is available to all members.

Process Steps:

Sender has an idea to communicate
Sender selects the approach (voice, gesture, symbols, email, phone or meetings)
Is there any noise that affects or impedes the message?
Receiver processes the information sent by sender
Receiver responds to message with appropriate approach

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Project Status Report

Components of the Project Status Report:

Project Title
Project Manager
Report Date
Current Status
Activities completed during this period
Activities to be accomplished by the next meeting
Issues and Resolutions
Changes to project scope
Problems, Risks or Concerns

Project status reports

are completed by the

project manager on a

regular basis.

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Successful Meetings

Tips for Conducting Successful Meetings:

Determine meeting place and time
Conduct the meeting with an agenda
Ask all members to report their status on tasks
Identify any new risks or issues
Discuss solutions to issues
Ask members if they will meet their task deadlines
End each meeting on time and announce the next meeting
Send out meeting minutes

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Project Risks

Discussion: Identify, document, and examine project risks

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Project Procurement

Create a plan to monitor any changes to contracts that occur during the project
The project manager will need to understand the contract requirements
All contracts are closed at project completion

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Chapter 3: Executing Process

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Executing Process

The planning is now complete and the team can begin working on assigned tasks.
Project status reporting will be conducted on a regular basis.
Any issues that arise will be discussed with the team and sponsor.
Some tasks may be re-assigned individuals cannot complete them on time or require extra assistance.
The project manager will need to monitor and control the tasks to ensure timely completion.
Communication is ongoing during this phase.

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Executing Process

Recommendations for Procuring Resources:

Understand the requirements of the product or services
Follow a process for soliciting bids
Negotiate terms with vendors or suppliers and have a legal expert review the contractual agreement
Implement a billing and payment plan
The project manager and team should ensure the quality requirements are being met

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Chapter 4: Monitoring

and Controlling Process

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Monitoring and Controlling Process

Review and track the progress of the project
Manage project issues and change requests
Review the scope statement periodically to ensure objectives are being met
Obtain sponsor sign-off if changes are made to the project’s scope

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What is…

What is the issue log?

What is the change request log?

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Change Control

(Exercise 5 in the

Project Management Skills for Life

document)

Exercise and Discussion

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On-Going Activities

The following activities, already covered, are on-going

activities that are completed throughout the project:

Time Management
Communication
Managing risks
Controlling the schedule
Monitoring the budget

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Chapter 5: Closing

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Closing Process

This is the end of the project and

these activities are conducted:

Lessons learned
Final work
Contract closeout

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Lessons Learned

Discussion: What were the successes and failures of the project?

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Final Work

Complete any paperwork and all documentation for the project

Assign a person who will keep the records as a reference for similar future project work

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Contract Closeout

Complete all paperwork and contracts associated with the project

Obtain approval from the sponsor

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Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate!

Discussion: Celebrating the conclusion of the project

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Summary �and Review

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Summary and Review

Defining project management and projects
Identifying the five process groups
Describing the roles of team members and how they interact during a project
Writing a project charter and scope statement
Creating a project plan—work breakdown structure, schedule, resources and the critical path

Understanding potential project risks
Building quality into the project
Procuring products and services
Communicating from project start to completion
Monitoring, tracking, and reporting on the project’s progress
Training and mentoring team members

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Summary and Review

A Project:

Is a temporary endeavor with a definite beginning and end
Creates or produces a unique product, service, or result

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Summary and Review

You are now aware of the five processes commonly used to manage projects:

Initiating

Planning

Executing

Monitoring and Controlling

Closing

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Summary and Review

The following basic questions should be answered when starting any project:

What are you going to deliver or accomplish?
When will you produce deliverables?
Who are your stakeholders (customers, sponsors, end users, team members)?
Why is the work necessary?
Where will the project outcomes be used, delivered, or built when appropriate?
How will you accomplish and manage the objectives? How will you measure success?

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Summary and Review

It is important to train and mentor the individuals involved in the project.
It is extremely important to communicate with all stakeholders throughout the process, and to document and share information regarding the status of the project.
Without communication you cannot be successful.
Ensure that any contractual agreements used during the project are closed, and that all appropriate invoices are processed for final payment.

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Summary and Review

Project Sponsors typically take responsibility for signing off on the completion of all agreed upon work.

Other stakeholders may also wish to be involved in the signoff process.

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Questions?

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Please complete the �Training Evaluation �and return to the Instructor.