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IntroductionIn this part, the most important project plan documents will be presented, and they will be further detailed in the next section. The Horizon project was developed for didactic purposes. It’s not intended to discuss the strategies used to build the plan, but to provide an example of a project plan, from the beginning to the end, aiming particularly at presenting the document integration. The plans described in the following text are only for reference and can’t be deemed as complete for real projects. It’s also not the purpose of the Horizon project to teach the techniques implemented in this plan or to conduct any type of value judgment about the best techniques to be used in a project plan, and it also does not necessarily represent the official stand of the Project Management Institute (PMI) or an exact correspondence with the PMBOK Guide. All the reports, charts, and texts presented are only suggestions and not a proposed rigid model. All changes and customizations regarding the elements presented are allowed, and are welcome. Finally, any similarity with real projects regarding the type of project, the type of reports, the names of the resources, and other data is merely coincidental. Integration Management Project Charter The project charter is the legal document that acknowledges the existence of a project. It acts as a baseline for the project manager work. It contains varied information about the project, including initial estimates of the assigned timeframe, the necessary resources and the available budget. It’s usually developed by the project sponsor or at the executive level of the company. The project charter should usually contain the following:
Preliminary Project Scope Statement It’s the document that formalizes the scope of all the works to be developed in the project, serving as the base to define its characteristics and boundaries. The preliminary scope statement is the first version of the project scope statement and is refined and reviewed during the project scope management processes. It’s important to note that there is only one scope statement in a project. The difference between the preliminary and final statement is only in the detailing level. The project will use the final project scope statement for planning and control purposes. Usually, the preliminary project scope statement contains the following:
Project Plan The project plan is the formal document that describes the procedures to be performed during its execution. It’s the foundation of the entire execution. It contains all the knowledge area plans, schedules, technical aspects, etc. The project plan should contain the following:
Top-Level Gantt Chart The top-level Gantt chart (+=+=+1) displays directly the main project phases and works over time. It’s summarized, and its purpose is to provide a global view of how the main works are distributed over time. It’s a standard graphic representation that displays the project works in a global way. Executives, the sponsor, and elements external to the project normally use it. Integrated Change Control System The integrated change control system is a formal document that describes all the processes regarding changes in the project, whether changes of scope, time, or costs. Its purpose is to ensure that changes were duly evaluated before being approved, rejected, or modified. Usually, the integrated change control is represented by a process guided by rules and flowcharts, among others. +=+=+Top-level Gantt chart. Stakeholders Priority Matrix The stakeholders priority matrix identifies and determines the priority of each one of the project stakeholders. Its purpose is to document the capacity of each one of the project stakeholders to exert an influence, either positive or negative, on the project. Lessons Learned Log The purpose of this document is to log the lessons learned in the project within the responsible area. It’s usually prepared in an analytic format or as a mindmap, highlighting on a first level the affected area or the WBS macroelements and on a second level the lesson learned. Scope Management Scope Statement The preliminary project scope statement was already developed in Subsection 3.2.2. At this point, the preliminary scope statement will be detailed, and the project boundaries will be defined. The degree of detail and level at which the project scope statement defines the work to be carried out and the work that will be excluded may determine the effectiveness with which the project management team may control the global project scope. The scope statement contains the same elements of the preliminary project scope statement, previously described and presented. The difference at this point is the detailing level and the information accuracy. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) The work breakdown structure, also known as WBS, is a project scope management tool. Each descending project level represents an increase in the project detailing level, as in an organization chart (hierarchical). The detailing may be performed up to the desired level, presenting generic or detailed data. The most usual detailing is up to the work package. The WBS characteristics are the following:
Its main advantages are the following:
Its main disadvantages are the following:
The WBS presents variations, particularly regarding the presentation form, as follows: -------- +=+=+ Work breakdown structure (WBS). DIAGNOSIS SOFTWARE HARDWARE SERVER CUSTOMERS/USERS OPERATING SYSTEM DATABASE PROJECT MANAGEMENT DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DMS) INTEGRATED TESTING TRAINING SPEECH PM TRAINING CUSTOMIZATION PILOT; PILOT PROJECT DEFINITION PILOT PROJECT PLANNING PILOT PROJECT EXECUTION and EVALUATION CORRECTIVE ACTIONS RESULTS TEMPLATE CUSTOMIZATION DMS CUSTOMIZATION REPORT CUSTOMIZATION DISPLAY MODE CUSTOMIZATION BASIC PM TRAINING ADVANCED PM TRAINING SOFTWARE TRAINING ADVANCED SOFTWARE TRAINING SOFTWARE SUPPORT TEAM TRAINING BASIC SOFTWARE TRAINING Horizon Project.mpp ------- Analytic WBS - A WBS that presents the work scope through a list of recessed elements indicating the work groups (+=+=+3). It’s usually accompanied by numbering. WBS Mindmap - A scope structuring option for presenting the WBS. Mindmaps are a world standard for the creation, management, and communication of ideas. Mindmaps support the organization of ideas and knowledge by means of an intuitive and friendly visualization, besides presenting high visual versatility. Mindmaps stem from a central idea, where all map branches represent a breakdown of the main idea into related ideas, based on a visual thought template. +=+=+ Analytic WBS. ------ +=+=+WBS mindmap. --------- WBS Dictionary The WBS dictionary is a set of definitions that describe each work package of the project. It details the work to be performed, as well as aspects related to resources, predecessors, and successors, among others. The WBS dictionary contains the following elements:
Scope Management Plan The scope management plan is a formal document that describes the procedures that will be used to manage the entire project scope. In the plan, the following should be documented:
Time Management Activity List This is a complete list of project activities, detailing all the work packages according to their respective actions. Activities are the necessary stages for the completion of a project. They are performed on a sequence determined by the project characteristics. The activities may occur sequentially or simultaneously. The main types of activities are described in the following text: Executive activities or tasks - These are the activities directly related to the course of action within the project. Examples of executive activities:
Milestones or deliverables - The milestone represents an event or condition that marks the execution of a group of activities related to each other, or the completion of a project phase. It serves also to identify the work package deliverables and has no duration. It’s also referred to as stages or gates. Examples of milestones:
Summary activities, summary tasks, or work packages - These are activities that comprise other activities, called sub-activities. They represent sets of activities that encompass the duration, dates, and costs of the activities belonging to them. They may also be called work packages. Examples of summary activities:
Gantt Chart A Gantt chart is a very popular graphical representation of schedules. The chart uses horizontal bars, placed within a timescale. The relative bar lengths determine the activity duration. Sometimes the Gantt chart includes lines connecting the individual bars, reflecting the relationship among tasks. The main advantages of the Gantt chart are the following:
The Gantt chart is the standard display in most of the project management software. +=+=+ Gantt chart Leveling Gantt Chart This is the conventional Gantt chart but with two lines for each task, one describing the chart behavior before, and the other after, the resource leveling. It’s a very useful representation for evaluating the impact of leveling on the project resources. Network Diagram A network diagram is a graphic representation of the interrelationship among project activities. In the past, it was sometimes incorrectly known as PERT (program evaluation and review technique) chart. The network diagram highlights the interrelationship among activities in the global project. The advantages of a network diagram are the following: +=+=+ Leveling Gantt chart +=+=+ Network diagram
The disadvantages of a network diagram are the following:
Milestones Chart The Milestones chart is a representation of the main project deliverables within a schedule. It’s an extremely condensed report with high management value. Schedule Management Plan The schedule management plan is a formal document that describes the procedures that will be used to manage the entire project schedule. The following should be documented in the plan:
+=+=+ Milestones chart. |
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