How do we ensure that we aren’t running around reprimanding team members and shouting “No!” to everything that comes out of the customer’s mouth? Here are three steps to set scope management in motion and ensure that it’s a positive for the project.
Scope management helps us get something done in a rapid timeframe, but it doesn't invoke the same set of excitement with business users.
They approved the scope statement?! Freeze the client! Sigh...if only it were that simple. Maybe it's time to learn to love change instead of struggling against it.
Most scope management frameworks are designed around the definition of a finite scope based on limited knowledge and advocating tight controls to manage change. The challenge is how to weave change and scope recalibration rules into the fabric of the project. Here are eight strategies you might find useful in meeting the challenge.
Why is change control so important? With everything a project manager is responsible for, why so much concern over it? What does it really mean, and how do we perform it?
Scope management changes can be divisive. The project manager must recognize change requests for what they are and not let that requirements line in the sand be moved without a complete understanding and agreement among all parties--and a documented change that identifies how the project budget and hours are going to be affected.
Every project runs the risk of scope creep, but not all scope creep should be prevented if it leads to enhancements that the customer needs. The key is how you document and manage it. Here are some suggestions for keeping your project on track, and adapting to stakeholder needs.
What we perceive as reality is as much about what’s inside our heads as it is about what’s out there...which may be one reason why scope management can sometimes be a vexing experience for project managers.
A team at the insurance company implemented a project that evolved into a blueprint described as “…the beginning of our future.”
Repeat after me: Just because it comes from the project team doesn’t make it okay...
Managing the scope of a project is one of the main instruments in managing the project budget. Over the years, this writer has developed a more holistic view on scope management. This article explains the thinking behind the concept and provides examples and tips to manage each of the aspects.
How does requirements management fit into a project management framework? Here is an overview of the knowledge areas in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK), and their relationship to the project management plan as described in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).
When PMI-style project management techniques don’t align with the culture and abilities of an organization, PMs are left frustrated and their colleagues skeptical of perceived PM mumbo jumbo. Both sides emerge with a reluctance to collaborate and a dramatically lessened taste for implementing project management techniques in their workplace.
Former British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli is credited as saying, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” To this we clearly might also arguably add a fourth: earned value. Here we explain its three deadly sins--those of omission, commission and deception.
Managing scope is like babysitting a two-year-old … developers don’t wait for your green light … you won’t be finishing every project … and forget glory: most accolades will come from customers, not your executive team. This is some of the best advice I never got as a new project manager.
Does your project feel like a moving target? Baselining is the key to successfully managing projects and provides the basis for the subsequent monitoring and controlling of the project performance. This article answers questions relating to the four Ws of baselining: Who, What, When and Why.
What constitutes a successful project? Should it be defined by budget and schedule, or by the extent to which the outcome adds real business value? Until the project management profession and its standards evolve to a more balanced “art and science” approach, success criteria will be misaligned with real business needs.
What would you do if your life depended on the success or failure of the project you’re managing right now? What would you do differently to help ensure success? Anything? Everything? Here are four tips to keep you in the race.
Before you launch into the nitty-gritty details of your project plan, such as scheduling and resourcing, you had better make sure the project is in alignment with business objectives. Does it fit in with the existing business and technical environments of the enterprise? Is it even feasible? Does the customer approve of the proposed solution? Have you defined the solution clearly so you can plan it efficiently? Check it against this list.
Don't believe everything you hear. The truth behind many agile software development myths will help you identify alternative methods to successfully deliver software.
A change order will most certainly impact the scope of your project. By using this form and attaching it to the original statement of work, you can present the change order to those who must approve it.
When is a requirement acceptable, and when is it not acceptable?
Does the use of agile project management require new contract models in order to be successful? Can agile project management be used with traditional fixed-price contracts? Does agile project management require a new type of contract (and if so, what kinds)? Furthermore, wouldn’t a new type of contract discourage the use of agile PM?
Assess the scope, impact ranking and criticality of each business change required to implement a particular application package.
Begin your Siebel implementation project by defining the scope at a high level. Here's an example from the Financial industry.
Even a small change can have a huge effect on a project. This impact analysis study will help you measure the effect of a potential change on your project's scope.
Use this template as a quick and dirty way to outline your project scope statement.
The purpose of this document is to assess whether a project proposal meets an acceptable standard. Does your project proposal measure up in terms of scope, cost, timeframe and governance?
This Testing Services Review Form outlines major factors to consider when testing software, middleware or Web-based applications.
This Architecture Services Review Form outlines major factors to consider when contracting architecture services.
When developing or restructuring a project management office, there are several PMO types to consider, each with various levels of scope and influence based on their defined functions. In a new series, here’s a look at how PMOs can play key roles in areas ranging from governance and performance management, to risk and communication.
The statement of work (SOW) encompasses the goals, scope, deliverables, cost and schedule estimates, stakeholder roles, chain of command and communication guidelines for a project. Learn how to put a quality SOW together by studying its components.
The purpose of this document is to present a comprehensive summary of the discussions and analyses completed to date for development of training to support your project.
This is a detailed Project Charter template for projects of any size. It is full of hints and tips to guide you through the chartering process.
Improved deliverable! Would you like to have a lot of explaining to do in the end about why your project fell short of its mark? Probably not! Report any issues that may adversely impact project schedule, resourcing, budget, scope or other key project elements, and propose alternative solutions that will minimize the impact. Don't forget to get the requisite formal approvals.
This matrix will help you determine which systems and their components will be replaced, changed or impacted by the new application package.
Change isn't always good. Any change to a construction project can impact the scope or the cost. Think about the implications before you act. Use this form as a guideline.
An excellent idea that is too far outside of your current project's scope may warrant a project of its own, or inclusion in the next phase or a project. Be sure to keep it alive by parking it in this list of opportunities for review.
This PowerPoint presentation template offers a step-by-step outline for emerging project management offices (PMO) to use when educating the larger organization about their purpose, scope and key functions. Based on a PMO marketing presentation used within a Fortune 500 company's IT organization, the template can be tailored, customized and reused according to your PMO's specific structure, mandate and needs.
Transitions can be difficult when management and stakeholders change--something that happens on a regular basis in the government. Some basic guidelines can keep the project on track.
The Mayans may have had the first timeboxed project--they had a strict 2012 timebox cutoff with little room for extension (you know, since the world would no longer exist). Although agile methods have been preaching the benefits of fixed timeboxed schedules since their creation, it still raises concerns with many stakeholders. That's because timeboxing with flexing scope is the worst form of project compromise--until, that is, you try the alternatives.
If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you will get there? Unless you want to be going around in circles, contemplating a failed project, you’ll need a project charter.
Anyone who has been a project manager for a while will have run into an organizational change management project--and has likely experienced some of the unique challenges that they present. We all know that there is no such thing as an easy project, but making fundamental changes to the company or department in which we work presents a whole new set of potential pitfalls. Successful organizational change management needs careful planning and execution--and here we help you prepare for this tricky time.
The practices presented in this article--to build a requirements tree, create and use a requirements traceability matrix, and manage to requirements baselines--will make a significant difference in an organization’s success rate and promote improved partnership and standing within the enterprise.
The Brooklyn Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge--like these marvels of construction, project management comes from a solid foundation. The construction industry has learned that estimation, team dynamics and scope management are important keys to successful projects. Maybe IT project managers can learn something from their hard-hatted counterparts.
How do you make a fixed-price contract work? This article investigates the reasons why IT projects tend to overrun the budget--and the mitigating actions that can be applied.
Few project managers discuss stakeholders without in some way referencing the need to employ "stakeholder management". Not only have we invented a dehumanizing four-syllable word for "person", we've also now implied that they are people that need to be managed. Luckily, there's a simple solution here. Read about three letters that make a lot of difference.
One of the most misunderstood and frustrating aspects of any project is defining and understanding the project scope. What is scope? How do you define it? Where does it come from? So many questions! This file requires the WebEx Player. It is 4.8Mb.
Why are project managers afraid to stop projects? So often after being assigned to a project, project managers try to run before they walk. This is especially common when the project is already in progress. You can quickly get caught up in the momentum of work and forget to question whether the work is justified. If this is truly the case, shouldn’t more projects be stopped? What if it means losing your job?
Agile and earned value are inherently different approaches to managing projects, but they can complement each other in support of flexibility and bottom-line value. Here are three practical tips to help you bridge the gap between an agile approach and the earned value reports and measurements many organizations require.
