Assignment
1) Project Overview Statement Assignment
Examples of possible projects include:
1. Office relocation
2. Software development
3. New hardware deployment
4. New Software Deployment
5. User Training Migration to a new software
6. PMO Development
7. HelpDesk Development
8. Infrastructure Upgrade
9. SOX Compliance
2) - Requirements Breakdown Structure (RBS)
You want to provide the appropriate level of detail while maintaining a reasonable number of requirements since you will base your planning and scheduling on this requirements breakdown structure throughout the semester. While there is no minimum or maximum number of requirements, the expectation is that most students will have somewhere between 3-7 high level requirements in their RBS which will then be used as the basis for the Work Breakdown Structure next week.
At a minimum, you should identify several high level requirements, functions, and features.
While you may use any format you would like (Word document, Excel worksheet, Visio diagram, drawing tool), having this data in an Excel file will make it easier.
3) - Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Create the Work Breakdown Structure for your selected project
At a minimum, you need to identify the summary tasks, detail tasks, and milestones that will identify the product and project work the team will perform to deliver the project.
You want to provide the appropriate level of detail while maintaining a reasonable number of tasks since you will be expanding on the same project schedule through the semester. While there is no minimum or maximum number of tasks, the expectation is that most students will have somewhere between 50 - 100 tasks in their WBS which will then be entered into Microsoft Project next week.
Remember, the RBS is intended to represent all the deliverables necessary to meet the business objectives. The WBS represents all the work the team will perform to produce those deliverables, expressed in a hierarchical decomposition of the major phases and / or the deliverables themselves
4 - Tasks and Estimates Project File
Create a Microsoft Project file (.mpp) including tasks and task durations
Prior to entering your tasks, make sure you set up your Microsoft Project file (this information is covered in Chapter 2 of the Ambriz textbook):
1. From the File tab, select Options and then Schedule - verify that the information on that tab is set correctly for your project and work environment. Change the scheduling options so that all tasks are Auto Scheduled. You want to use the dynamic scheduling capabilities of MS Project. Select whether or not you want to schedule the project from the start date or the end date (regulatory requirements and events that have non-negotiable deadlines should be scheduled from the Project End Date).
2. Create a calendar for your project or make necessary modifications to the Standard calendar to include any revised schedule days, holidays or non-working days.
3. From the Project Tab, select Project Information and set the Start Date of your project. This can be the actual start date of your project or you can select a fictitious start date if you don't know exactly when the project is going to start. Select the appropriate Calendar for your project based on step 2.
4. On the File tab in the Backstage view, click on Info. From the right side of the window, select Project Information, Advanced Properties. On the Summary tab, enter the Title of your project, your name and a brief description in the Comments box.
5. Using the Work Breakdown Structure that you created i, enter your summary tasks and detail tasks into Microsoft Project. During this exercise, you may identify additional tasks that you didn't initially think of or you may decide to move things around a bit. That is perfectly acceptable and common when you start building the schedule. It is a living, breathing document and does change throughout the course of planning. Use the Indent Task/Outdent Task buttons on the Task tab to create the hierarchy of your WBS. If you want to turn on the WBS numbering scheme, right-click the column to the right of where you want that column to appear, select Insert Column and select WBS from the list of available columns. Chapter 3 of the Ambriz book includes a lot of detailed information about entering tasks into Microsoft Project.
6. Using one of the techniques presented in the reference material (your textbooks or the videos), estimate the effort required to complete each task. Determine for each task whether the estimate is duration or work. Pages 175 - 187 in Ambriz discuss the differences and the relationship between duration and work. If you need to display the Work column in Microsoft Project, right-click the Duration column, select Insert Column and select Work from the list of available columns. Enter your estimates into your Microsoft Project schedule. Remember, don't assign estimates to Summary tasks, the time necessary to complete the Summary task is based on the estimates of the tasks that roll up to the Summary task.
5 - Dependencies and Constraints Project File
Update your Microsoft Project 2013 file (.mpp) to include dependencies, constraints, deadlines and calendars
Using the Microsoft Project file that you created , create appropriate dependencies between your tasks.
During this exercise, you may identify additional tasks that you didn't initially think of or you may decide to move things around a bit. That is perfectly acceptable and common when you start building the schedule. It is a living, breathing document and will change throughout the course of planning.
Use the Link button on the Task tab (or the predecessor and successor columns) to create dependencies between tasks. Double click the arrow between the tasks to change the dependency type. Add Lag or Lead (-Lag) time where appropriate.
Add any necessary constraints to your tasks. For any tasks that you have added a constraint to, please include a note explaining the constraint.
Chapters 5 and 6 of the Ambriz book includes a lot of information on linking tasks and adding constraints into Microsoft Project.
6 - Upload your Resources and Resource Assignments Project File
Update your Microsoft Project 2013 file (.mpp) to include resources and resource assignments
Using the Microsoft Project files that you updated, add resources to your project using the resources sheet. Please define all type of resources including Work, Material and Cost. At a minimum, complete the following fields for each human resource: Resource Name, Type, Initials, Max, Std. Rate, Base (Calendar). You can choose to use role names or birth names. For other resource types, complete Cost/Use. Once the resources have been added to the project file, assign those resources to the tasks that you defined in the project schedule. Multiple resources can be assigned to the same task. Resources should not be assigned to summary level tasks. Chapters 7 and 8 of the Ambriz book include step-by-step instructions for completing these tasks.
8 - Upload your Optimized Microsoft Project Schedule
Optimize your Microsoft Project 2013 file (.mpp)
Using the Microsoft Project file that you updated , check the schedule for any over-allocated resources. If you have any over-allocated resources, use the resource leveling feature of Microsoft Project to eliminate those over-allocations.
After that step, you have completed the fundamental tasks of building the project schedule. You now have an estimated date of completion and cost. You present your project schedule to the project team. Management decides that the project must finish at least 1 week earlier AND you must reduce costs by at least 10%. Using schedule optimization strategies, decide which steps you want to take to accomplish these goals. Update your Microsoft Project Schedule accordingly. Make sure that you don't create any new over-allocated resources. If you do, address those over-allocations. Chapter 9 of the Ambriz book includes step-by-step instructions for optimizing your project schedule.
The .mpp file that you submit should have a completion date at least 1 week earlier and cost 10% less that the schedule that you submitted for Unit 6. Ensure that you have no resource over-allocations.
9 - Upload your Updated Microsoft Project Schedule
Update your Microsoft Project file (.mpp)
Using the Microsoft Project file that you updated, update the schedule based on the scenarios and instructions provided below.
You have finalized your Microsoft Project schedule. You have met the goal set by your manager to finish at least one week early and lower the costs by at least 10%. Now it is time to start executing the project. You will first save a baseline for your project schedule so that you have a point in time to measure progress against. Once you have saved the baseline, you will walk through three scenarios:
1. You have started your project and one week has passed. You receive a status report from everyone and all tasks are on schedule. You need to update the project schedule to reflect this status update.
2. At the conclusion of the second week, one of the early project tasks is 90% complete. Another task is started but is going to require an additional 5 days of duration (or 40 hours of work). A third task was completed. You need to update the project schedule to reflect these updates.
3. A Hurricane went through your area and the office was closed for 3 days. You need to update the project schedule to reflect this work stoppage.
10 - Upload Your Reports and Report Analysis
Microsoft Project 2013 Reports
Using the Microsoft Project file that you updated , print a Project Overview Report and select 3 additional Microsoft Project reports to provide valuable information on your project.
You have started tracking the work on your project and you have updated your Microsoft Project schedule several times. It is now time to provide information back to the project stakeholders. You need to review the reports that are available in Microsoft Project and, in addition to the Project Overview report, select three reports that you feel would be useful for your project stakeholders. Save each of the four reports as a .pdf. For each of the four reports that you upload, answer the following questions:
1. What does the report tell the recipient? And what does it say about YOUR project? Is that an accurate reflection of the updates you applied in Unit 9 and where you are two weeks into the project and after the hurricane?
2. Who would be the appropriate recipient(s) for this report?
3. How often would you recommend that this report be prepared?
4. What is the benefit of this report?
5. Would you recommend any changes to this report to make it more useful?
Make sure that, when answering the questions, you identify which report you are referring to. You can create one document to answer the questions for all four reports or you can create a separate document for each report. Once you have saved the four reports for your project and answered the questions for each report, upload the reports and your analysis.
11 - Upload your Project Closure Report
Project Closure Report
Your project is now complete! It is now time to close the project. This is a very important step that many organizations don't take the time to do. Closing a project involves the following 6 steps:
1. Get client acceptance of the deliverables (this should be a formal written sign-off)
2. Ensure that all deliverables are installed
3. Ensure that the documentation is in place
4. Get client sign-off on the final report
5. Conduct the post-implementation audit
6. Celebrate the success
For this assignment, use the Project Closure Report Template (below) to prepare a Project Closure Report for your project.
In order to prepare a complete Project Closure Report, you will need to assume that you have project stakeholders that have provided you with feedback and you need to include that feedback in your report. You could:
o Conduct a survey of the various stakeholder groups to gather feedback. A link to a Project Closure Survey is provided below. In some organizations, the survey might be supplemented (or replaced) with a Lessons Learned / Closure meeting
o Think through your project and consider your own experience with projects. What is your organization's process to ensure acceptance?
o Use the Evaluation Questions in Chapter 13 of the Dynamic Scheduling textbook (Ambriz).
The Project Closure Report should focus on those areas of the project that may have gone well and those areas that may need improvement on future projects. All sections of the Project Closure Template may not be relevant to your particular project and, therefore, do not need to be included, however, please make certain that your report is complete. Please note that if you are already involved in project management and have a different template that you use for Project Closure
12 - PMLC Methodology
Select a Project Management Lifecycle Methodology (PMLC)
Depending on their governing characteristics, differing projects require differing fundamental approaches during planning and execution. For this assignment you are to determine which PMLC Methodology best suits your project. Using the course materials from this unit as your guide, including the PMLC Summary document, determine which Project Management Lifecycle Methodology should be used for your project, and why.
Note: You may select the Traditional Project Management Methodology if you feel that it is the best choice for your project; however, regardless of which PMLC you choose you must provide justification for your approach and identify challenges that it may face.
Prepare a one- to two-page document explaining which PMLC Methodology, you believe, best suits your project including a justification for your selection. Also include any challenges that you would face if you moved forward with the selected methodology.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.