Notes :
1. Project : Specific Outcomes, Definite Start/End Date, Established Budgets.
2. Project Management is Planning, Organizing, Controlling requiring Information, Communication, Commitment.
3. Challenges : Additional assignments, New people on new teams and no direct authority.
4. Project Manager has to be proactive.
5. Start, Perform and Close steps.
6. Statement of Work differ from Market requirements document, Business Requirements Document, Project request, Project Charter, Project profile, Work order, Contract.
7. Categorize stakeholders.
8. Discover real end users.
9. Identify Drivers, Supporters, and observers.
10. Stages to involve the stakeholders: Conceive, Define, Start, Perform, Close
11. WBS Approach, Top Down, Brainstorming,
12. Take care of Direct and Indirect costs.
13. You may not personally work on all steps in your project budget. If you join
your project after the initial planning, be sure to review the budget plans and
resolve any questions and issues you may identify.
14. Develop bottom-up budget estimate as follows:
1. Consider each lowest-level activity.
2. Direct labor costs = no of hours each person will work on the activity*person’s hourly salary.
15. Two approaches for estimating indirect costs.
Option 1:Use one rate for overhead costs and another rate for general and administrative
costs.
Option 2: Use one indirect-cost rate for all overhead and general and administrative costs.
16. Try to eliminate potential risk factors as soon as possible. For example, suppose a key audience hasn’t approved your project’s objectives. Instead of just
noting the risk that you may not correctly address audience needs, try to get
the audience’s approval.
17. When using objective information to determine the likelihood of different
risks,
a. Consider previous experience with similar projects.
b. Consider as many similar situations as possible.
c. Keep in mind that the more similar situations you consider, the more
confidence you can have in your conclusions.
18. Precision refers to the detail of a number. Accuracy refers to how correct the number is.
19. Describe risks and their associated consequences as specifically as
possible.
20. Include the following in your risk-management plan:
a. Risk factors
b. Associated risks
c. Your assessment of the likelihood of occurrence and the consequences for each risk
d. How you plan to manage selected risks
e. How you plan to keep people informed about those risks throughout your project
21. Encourage people to think about how their participation may help them achieve personal goals, such as acquiring new skills and knowledge, meeting new people, increasing their visibility in the organization, and enhancing their opportunities for job advancement. Obviously, projects aren’t only about helping team members achieve personal benefits. However, when team members can realize personal benefits while performing valued services for the organization, the members’ motivation and commitment to project success will be greater.
22. Choose the time period for monitoring your project’s performance based on the overall length of the project, the risk of unexpected occurrences, and your proximity to major project milestones. Although you may choose to monitor select project activities on a daily basis in certain situations, plan to assess your project’s overall performance at least once a month to identify promptly any unexpected occurrences or performance problems that must be addressed.
23. Scope creep is the gradual expansion of project work without formal acknowledgment and acceptance of these changes or their associated costs and
effects. Scope creep can occur due to the following:
a. Lack of clarity and detail in the original description of project scope,
objectives, and work
b. Willingness to make small changes to a project without formal review
and approval
c. Allowing the people who don’t do the work associated with the changes
to decide whether to make changes
d. Feeling that you should never say “No” to a client
e. Personal pride that encourages you to believe you can do anything
24. Control scope creep by the following:
a. Identifying all project objectives in your project plan and describing
them in sufficient detail
b. Always assessing the effect of requested changes on project products,
schedules, and resources
c. Sharing your true feelings about whether you can implement the
requested changes
d. Developing positive, mutually trusting relationships with your clients so
they’re more receptive when you raise issues associated with the
requested changes
25. Project Dashboard should be used.
26. Take every opportunity to help upper management remember why your project is important to them. They may have approved your project only months ago, but chances are your project’s now just one of many activities in your
busy organization.
27. You don’t have to be the technical expert on your project to command the respect of your team members. But you do need to be an expert in the skills and knowledge that your job demands on the project. Because you’re the project manager, these skills and knowledge include your ability to plan and control the project, encourage effective communication, encourage a positive and productive work environment, and understand the political environment in your overall organization.
28. Being both the technical expert and the project manager on your project can work against you. If you’re not careful, you can discourage others from accepting responsibilities and performing their work independently because
a. They feel that their work can never be as good as yours.
b. You keep the challenging and important assignments for yourself
because you like the work and think you can do it best.
c. You resist approaches that differ from the ones you normally take.
d. You tend to micromanage people to ensure that they’re performing
assignments just as you would.
29. Ten Tips for Being a Better Project Manager
1) Be a “Why” Person
2) Be a “Can-Do” Person
3) Say What You Mean;Mean What You Say
4) View People as Allies, Not Adversaries
5) Respect Other People
6) Think Big Picture
7) Think Detail
8) Assume Cautiously
9) Acknowledge Good Performance
10) Be a Manager and a Leader
A very well written concise book on Project Management
