Monitor/Controlling & Closing the Project – Discussion 2
Please find the attachements.
Discussion 2:
Please respond to the following discussion with a well thought out response with relating to at least one source (cite using APA).
Consider a past situation where you were a member of a team that was involved in a project. Ideally, this situation should be where you currently work. However, you can use any situation or experience in your personal life as well. If you are at a loss of thinking of a scenario – then you may choose to make up a project that may be of interest to you instead.
· Describe the overall project goals and your role in the project.
· Explain how the project scope was clearly defined at the beginning of the project or how it was not clearly defined.
· Prepare and share with us a listing of deliverables from your project. Offer at least 5 deliverables and two work packages per deliverable. Identify the WBS code accordingly. For example:
· Finally, complete a quick google search, and locate a website (that appears credible) that presents an example WBS. Share the link with your peers along with a sentence or two related to how their WBS aligns to the typical structure of a WBS as presented in the week introduction.
Assigned Readings:
Specific Learning Topics:
· Importance of
Scope
Management
· Understand how to develop a WBS
Scope Management:
As we learned about scope in relation to the triple constraints in the first week, scope management entails ensuring an adequate understanding of the work that needs to be performed during the project and further controlling that the scope does not ‘creep’ or become expanded causing the project success to be in jeopardy. Scope management further supports the project plan and specifies work content, outcomes, the activities involved, the resources needed, and the quality standards. There are multiple elements as related to scope management, including: conceptual development, the scope statement, work authorization, scope reporting, control systems and project closeout.
A statement of work is a narrative description of work required for a project and will contain numerous elements including (but not limited to):
|
Introduction and Background |
Brief history of the organization and introduction to the root needs that caused the initiation of the project |
|
Objectives |
Concise overview of the project and how the results or end products will be used |
| Scope |
Covers the scope of work to be performed |
|
Tasks or Requirements |
Details out the work and resource/management requirements |
|
Risks and Concerns |
Any known risks and project constraints |
|
Timeline and Milestones |
Anticipated time frame and key project deliverables (outcomes) |
Developing a WBS:
The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the central ingredient of scope management.We may have the best laid plans for any given project; however, central to the success of any project is the team – the people who see the project through. A WBS divides the project scope into its components substeps in order to begin establishing critical interrelationships among activities. Accurate scheduling can begin only with an accurate and meaningful WBS.
A WBS has six main purposes:
1. It echoes project objectives
2. It is the organization chart for the project
3. It creates the logic for tracking costs, schedule, and performance specifications for each element in the project
4. It may be used to communicate project status
5. It may be used to improve project communication
6. It demonstrates how the project will be controlled
A WBS is broken down into deliverables and work packages. When looking at the example WBS below, the highest level (1.0) is the Project. The next level (1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5) are deliverables or major project components. The next level is either Sub deliverables (if applies) or work packages, which are the individual project activities (1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, etc.). Note the work activities is the work that is completed to support completion of the sub-deliverable or deliverables.
Take a moment to review the following YouTube videos as related to a WBS (note the audio is a bit animated on the first one – but the video has good content):
·
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoEdTwByb2I
·
https://www.simplilearn.com/project-scope-management-importance-rar89-article
https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/scope-creep-rising-11308