Effective Project Management

Barbara StoneSeptember 27, 2007

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Agenda

• Elevator Speeches• Prioritization• Evaluation of alternatives• Approach to project• WBS

• Define• Sequence• Duration• Schedule

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Elevator speeches

You are: StandingInformalInformativeBrief

Include: Business issue you are tacklingHow company benefitsWhy you are excited to take

partWhat the listener can do*

* if you need something

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Elevator speech

• http://www.creativekeys.net/PowerfulPresentations/article1024.html

• Prepared presentation• Articulates in 3-4 minutes

• Who are you helping• With what problem• How company benefits

• Practicing is a good idea

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Costbudgeting

Project Plandevelopment

Charterbusiness case

feasibility studyproduct description

Scope planninghigh-level

skills analysis

Cost baselineTime-phased budget

Costestimating

Resourceplanning

Risk Mgmtplanning

ActivityDefinition

Scope statement

Resourcerequests

Risk Mgmtplan

Project schedule

Activityduration

estimating

Activitysequencing

Networkdiagram

Schedule development

WBS

Scope definitionassumptionsscope in/outalternatives

Project plan

CommunicationPlan

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Prioritization

• Waterfall• Timing determines likelihood• Developers instead of customer

• Agile• Value determines likelihood• Reassessed throughout project

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Kano

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Kano conclusions

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Alternatives review & decision

There may be multiple ways to fulfill the Requirements

1. Eliminate alternatives that don’t meet external constraints

2. Evaluate remaining alternatives against selected criteria:• time/budget requirements• Team skillset and interest• Other criteria as team requires

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Traditional, agile, extreme?

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Cone of uncertainty

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Project sizing

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PMBOK: process to create project schedule:

Process Output

Activity Definition Detailed WBS; activity lists

Activity sequencing Project Network Diagrams

Activity Duration Estimation

Activity Duration Estimates

Schedule Development Project Schedule

These processes can be combined, and iterative, if need be

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• The what

Work Breakdown Structure• “A hierarchical description of the work that

must be done to complete the project as defined in the Project Overview Statement.”

• Inputs• POS• Requirements Document

• Terms• Activity: Chunk of work• Tasks: Smaller chunk of work. Activities are

made up of tasks• Work Package: Complete description of how the

tasks that make up the activity will actually be done

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Uses for the WBS

• Thought Process Tool• Architectural Design Tool• Planning Tool • Project Status Reporting Tool

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Activity DefinitionDecomposing the task areas / sub-projects

‘tasks in appropriate level of detail’ – what does this mean for your project? Think about:

• experience of your team

• possibly duration of task

• # of people performing the task: if hand-off, new task

• Only needs single person to oversee work

Team creating the WBS should have appropriate level of expertise to assign approximate duration to each task(because they will, later).

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Brainstorming

Recorder – writes all ideas where visible to team

• Allows people to build on others ideas

• Participant knows his/her contribution is valuable & heard

Facilitator• All ideas accorded

consideration – no editing

• keeps discussion focused

• Sets time limits

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Affinity diagram (Ishikawa)

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Mind-mapping – user story nodes

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Adding task details

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Tips• Person who has experience in doing something

similar better at defining sub-tasks and duration. No team member with experience? Adds to risk & needs safety Try to get someone with experience to help with planning if you cannot have them on the team for execution

• May not know all detail – as work through the plan and the project, scope will shift – hopefully only slightly

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Activity SequencingProcess of determining both order and possible

overlap of tasks - start with task constraints

Examples:• Task A needs to be complete before task B may

start

• Tasks C, D, & E may be done in parallel, but all must be complete before task F may begin

• Task X may not begin until milestone Y has occurred

• Task Q must start at the same time as task R

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PERT – activity on arc

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PERT – activity on node

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Activity duration estimating

An art, with a little bit of science

Best estimators are those who have done similar work

Beware of confusing duration and effort

“The duration of most activities will be significantly influenced by the resources assigned to them”

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PMBOK: Activity Duration Estimating

Inputs

1. Activity List

2. Constraints

3. Assumptions

4. Resource Requirements

5. Resource capabilities

6. Historical information

7. Identified risks

Tools/Techniques

1. Expert judgment

2. Analogous estimating

3. Quantitatively based

durations

4. Reserve time

(contingency = safety)(contingency = safety)

Outputs

1. Activity duration estimates2. Basis of estimates3. Activity list update

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Pert (one network diagram technique)

Formula Task Duration

• O = most optimistic estimate

• M = most likely estimate

• P = most pessimistic estimate

O+4M+P6

Sample

Optimistic Most Likely Pessimistic Risk adjusted

1 week 3 weeks 6 weeks 3 weeks

16 weeks 17 weeks 30 weeks 19 weeks

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Sizing

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Story points

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How much, how fast

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Planning poker

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You’ve been infected with spy wear and suspect it’s a root kit – have to do a clean install

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Six Criteria to Test for WBS Completeness

• Status/Completion is measurable• The activity is bounded• The activity has a deliverable• Time and cost are easily estimated• Activity duration is within acceptable limits• Work assignments are independent

Seventh Criteria – Project manager’s judgment that the WBS is not complete

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Exceptions to the Completion Criteria Rule

• Stopping Before Completion Criteria Are Met

• Decomposing Beyond Completion of the Criteria

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Factoring in constraints

• Factor if multiple working on task together? – discuss XP example.

• Also factor if do not have resource 100% of time. Why this is a bad idea.

• Adding ‘Project Management’ factor

• Do Jodie and Barbara do this?

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Putting it all together

Tasks

+ Duration

+ Sequencing

+ Start date

= Project Schedule

Does it meet Deadline / Scope / $ constraints?

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Gantt chart

• Does not show task interdependencies or resources assigned

• Do not help organize project as effectively as WBS & network diagrams

• Completed after WBS• Effectively show progress & time

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Agile

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Common scheduling pitfalls

• Planned downtime – calendar events, team needs

• External interfaces – contractors, external teams

• Constraints – duration, access, etc.• Time to come up to speed• 100% optimization• Just plain missed it