Project Management Chapter 5 Q & A Essay

This is to ensure that the necessary raw materials and physical resources are available at each stage, and that the workforce on site has the right skills for the scheduled work. The project management team will need to produce a series of planning documents that can be accessed throughout the project. Each member of the project management team must know their role and responsibilities, including which sections of the workforce they will be directly managing.

As most projects are required to meet deadlines with resource restrains, managing the scope creep through careful planning and control is an essential ability to every project manager. There are a number of causes for scope creep in projects, and these will be addressed in the next chapters as well as a few solutions to prevent further damage to the project.

The paper is divided into three sections, the first of which will establish a timeline of events. This project background will serve as a case study for the analysis in the following section that will be structured such that each of the previously mentioned facets will be independently analyzed and contrasted with project management principles. Finally the paper will conclude with a summary of the analysis and recommendations based on

There are five major variables to consider when starting a major IT projects and there are scope, time, cost, quality, and risk. Most major IT projects will require a project manager to handle to overseeing of the project. The project management refers to the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to achieve specific targets within specified budget and time constraints. Project managers activities will include the planning of the work, assessing the risk, estimating the costs required to complete the project, and several other important duties. As in other areas of business, Project management for

Project scope defines the goals of the project and the budget of both time and money that has been allocated to achieve the objectives. For the best results to be achieved, both the definition and the allocated budget must be precise and detailed. A good process scope document will define specifically the tasks to be completed or the delivered results. The project scope is important because it will define the specific date for which the deliverables

The project scope statement is a key element in any new project. It is used to outline the results that the project will produce and the terms and conditions under which the work will be performed. Upper management, the requestor of the project and the project team need to all agree on the

Scope creep can be avoided if the scope is built correctly with help from the entire team. If I as a project manager not define with clarity what is going to be included, the project scope will change again and again, affecting both, the duration and the cost of the project. The triple constrain concept here is key, given the fact that time and cost will be affected. The best strategy to avoid scope creep is develop and use a correct scope management plan.

This is confirmed by Horn (2012:406) that ‘when you consider that only about a quarter of projects complete on time and budget’. Early contingencies planning for the effects of scope creep should be interlaid within the RiBS to manage any financial allowance for such eventuality and to communicate the changes across the project and organisation.

The article Scope Management in Agile Versus Traditional Software Development Methods (Israr Ur Rehman, et al, October 2010, NSEC ’10: Proceeding for the 2010 National Software Engineering Conference) discusses the importance of scope management, it’s role and impact on a project, and how it alone can lead projects toward failure. “A well-defined and well managed scope is very important for a qualitative, cost effective and timely completion of the project (page 1). The replacement of traditional software development (Waterfall) by agile software development methods is very apparent in cost, resources and time for the work.

* As explained in the text, scope creep is very common in projects. A formal change control management is difficult to enforce and more often overlooked near the end of the project when scope creep is more common. Recommend strategies to enforce change control

3. Describe the basic elements of the project life cycle. Why is an understanding of the project life cycle relevant for understanding project management?

Defining the project scope sets the stage for developing a plan and its primary purpose is to define as clearly as possible the deliverables and to focus project plans (Gray & Larson, 2006). The team has

Was the project scope defined clearly at early stage? Identify one major scope change throughout the project life and discuss the effects of scope changes on project performance?

Project Scope – identifies goals, deliverables, tasks, costs, and deadlines. Project scope is part of project planning.

Uncontrolled scope changes are known as scope creep, which mostly occurs during project execution, which often result in rework, cost overrun and failure to deliver projects on time (Jordan, 2010).