Construction Project Manager Associate Certification...You will be prepared to pass the Certified...

PROJECT MANAGER

LEARN PROVEN TOOLS FOR SUCCESS

Why do 95% of our students pass the CAPM® exam? Because we give them the best materials, the best instructors and the benefit of our years of experience preparing people to pass the CAPM exam. Our instructor-led online training is the best available. You will work individually with your PMP-certified instructor at a schedule and pace you set. We guarantee you will pass the CAPM exam and we work with you until you do. Don’t fail the exam because you took a cheap class or a boot camp where you crammed with 20 other people. Learn with an expert coach.

Our “learn by doing” approach is the best way to master the fundamental construction project management tools and techniques. In this instructor-led online course you’ll practice these skills in a construction project case study:

Running a planning meeting with the customer

Building a plan and schedule in project software

Assigning work to crews and executing the plan

Reporting status and presenting solutions toproblems.

Your instructor reviews every assignment you complete, sends you written feedback, meets with you in private video conferences and talks with you by phone. They also provide you with support and advice for 1 year after the course.

Quick Links

102 CAPM Exam Prep Course

121 Construction Project Basics Course

102-121 Certification Web Page

Join the project

management

profession

Get that

promotion or a

higher paying

position

102-121 CERTIFIED

ASSOCIATE CONSTRUCTION

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102 CAPM® Exam Preparation Main Page

Instructor-led Online Training from Anywhere

Contents

Course Summary

Detailed Syllabus

Lecture Sample

Textbook Sample

Sample Exam

Course Webpage

You will be prepared to pass the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam with our online course. You will receive individual instruction from a PMP-certified project manager. You can earn your CAPM certification by studying from anywhere at a schedule you control. The CAPM certification exam is difficult, covering hundreds of concepts, tools and techniques. We will help you learn each and every one of them. You and your personal instructor will plan the course in a phone conversation when you begin the course. You’ll discuss your learning style and your instructor will tailor our materials to fit the way you learn. You’ll get coaching and individual feedback from your instructor on each of the 36 or more practice exams you will take.

How You Work With Your Instructor

You will have phone conversations and private video conferences with your instructor whenever you wish. There is no limit. Your instructor will review your practice exams, identify changes that may be needed in your study techniques and thoroughly explain all the concepts or techniques you need to master to pass the CAPM exam.

You will study with world-class materials by Dick Billows PMP. You’ll watch high definition videos, read our new CAPM textbook which describes all the PMBOK 5th edition tools and techniques and shows you real-life examples of how to use them. You can also access our database of hundreds of articles and samples that illustrate every technique you need to know to pass the exam.

CAPM Passing Guarantee We guarantee our work on our CAPM prep course. 95% of our students pass on their first try but if you don’t, your instructor will work with you until you pass. Examine the materials and see why our course has no equal; online or in a classroom.

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Launch your project manager career

Earn an internationally recognized certification to get that

BECOME A CAPM® CERTIFIED

Main Page

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ASSOCIATE IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Learning Materials

333-page Textbook

42 Video Lectures 24/7

Videos of PMs in Action

Process Flowcharts

100s of Tool Write-ups

24 – 35 Practice Exams

We are a PMI Global Registered

Education Provider (R.E.P.) and our

CAPM Exam Prep course fulfills the

education requirement.

This is the only course you need

to pass the CAPM exam -

guaranteed

Training with a PMP-certified Instructor

Our CAPM Exam Prep course will prepare you to pass the CAPM

exam; we guarantee it. Your instructor works with you, one-to-one,

until you pass the CAPM exam.

Working With Your Instructor You will work individually with your PMP-certified instructor

- e-mail questions to your instructor and get a response within 24 hours

- telephone and video conferences as often as you need them. No limits.

Your instructor grades each exam and gives you feedback that includes

the correct answers with explanations. They provide coaching on any

areas you need to re-study.

Online Boot Camp You have a 4-day comprehensive review with your instructor

immediately before your test date. You’ll do full-size CAPM exam

simulations that are practice tests focusing on every area covered in the

exam. You have a video conferences with your instructor as needed.

There is also a phone call from your instructor the night before your

CAPM exam to give you test-taking tips and techniques.

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Fulfill the Education

Requirement Practice answering tricky questions

on every process group, knowledge

area, tool and technique

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Gain an International

Credential From PMI MASTER PM BEST PRACTICES

Passing Guaranteed

COURSE OUTLINE PERSONAL INSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS

-Foundations

-Communications

-Scope

-Time

-Cost

-Human Resources

-Quality

-Procurement

-Risk

-Integration

-Professionalism

-Comprehensive Final Review

You have textbook reading, online

lectures, videos and CAPM practice exams. You have regular progress

phone calls and video conferences with your instructor.

The best way to pass the CAPM exam the first time is with a course tailored to your

schedule and learning style.

Your instructor, who is a PMP, works directly and privately

with you, answering your questions by phone or email within 24 hours. You can have

as many phone calls as you wish.

When you take one of the 24- 35 practice exams (depending on how many you need), your

instructor sends you written feedback with the correct

answers and explanations of why they are correct.

For Beginning PMs

50 Hours of Work

Use a PC, Mac or iPad

Study When You Want

Study From Anywhere

Take up to 1 Year

PMI Registered Education Provider

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102 CAPM® Exam Prep Course 2013

Prep Course Syllabus

Passing the CAPM® Exam the First Time

Content Delivery System for Individual CAPM Exam Training You and your instructor will work together in our content delivery system that will allow your

instructor to tailor the course to your needs, assignment by assignment. You’ll have video

conferences with your instructor on a regular basis plus phone calls and email exchanges

whenever you wish. There’s no limit to these contacts. You and your instructor will begin

with a private conference and use the results of your initial assessment to gauge where you

need more work and where your project management knowledge is complete. That custom

tailoring process will continue through the course. Your instructor will assess each of the

practice exams you submit, identify weaknesses and select specific materials from our

Learning Topics to address them.

Planning Your Personalized Course with Your Instructor During your initial call with your instructor, you'll plan the pace of your studies and identify

any deadlines you want to hit. Take a look at the “passing zone” in the graphic above. You'll

see that we recommend you study between 4 hours a week (18 weeks to finish) and 18

hours per week (4 weeks to finish). Each process group requires approximately 9 hours of

work. How intensely you study is, of course, your decision. But your odds of passing the

CAPM exam the first time are highest when you stay within the “passing zone." You will

determine a schedule that fits your unique situation and you can change it if things change.

Long gaps in your studies reduce your odds of passing the CAPM exam the first time. Over

97% of our students pass the exam on their first try. The students who do not pass typically

have a long gap in their studies. Try to schedule your studies so you can finish the course and sit for the exam within 7 days.

Once PMI has approved your application for the exam, you and your instructor will work on

a comprehensive final review during the 4 days immediately before you sit for the CAPM

exam. You must successfully complete all course assignments and take the CAPM exam

within 14 days of completing the course in order to meet the terms of our guarantee.



We are a PMI Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.). This course has been approved by PMI

for 50 hours, fulfilling the education requirement for the CAPM exam.

Adapting the Course to Your Learning Style During the planning phone call, your instructor will discuss your strengths and weakness

based on the pre-course assessment test you’ll take. They will also ask you about your

preferred learning style. Think about whether you are a visual learner, where diagrams and

flow charts are a big help, or a logical learner where reading a text is the way you prefer to

learn new material. Based on the assessment and your discussion, you and you instructor

will plan how you should use the following learning materials to tailor the course to your

learning style:

1. Electronic textbook (e-book) Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase, 11th Edition. You

have reading assignments for each project process. You can print selected pages and

sections or search the full textbook for key terms. The textbook is password protected

and our Student Services staff will send you an e-mail with the book and password to

download and open it. It is for your use alone, in part and in whole, and cannot be

copied. The individual textbook reading assignments for each project process are also

linked from your course website.

2. Lecture videos. These videos are approximately one hour for each process group and

contain lectures with illustrations of the key inputs, outputs, tools and techniques for

that process. They are available 24/7 and you may watch them as many times as you

wish from your PC, iPad, iPhone or Android.

3. Project manager in action videos. These show a project manager and team

members actually working through the PMI best practices in project management. They

are organized by the work of the process group you are studying.

4. Multiple-choice practice exams. You take online mini-CAPM exams focused on one

process group. These practice questions are like the real CAPM exam questions but

there are only 40 to 70 questions per exam for each process group. When you submit

the exam, it is sent directly to your instructor for review and grading. They will send you

written feedback within 24 hours and identify learning topics for you based on your

results. You must score at least 90% on the practice exam or your instructor will ask

you to re-take that exam. Alternatively, they may send you a link to another practice

exam for that process group. You will continue taking these practice exams until you

achieve 90% or higher.

Personalized Interaction with Your Instructor You’ll work 1-to-1 with your instructor who holds a CAPM certification. They will guide you

through this exam preparation course and answer all your questions. So whenever you have

a question, you can either e-mail your instructor or request a private phone conference so

the two of you can discuss your issues.

Your instructor will review each of your practice exams, grade it, explain concepts you missed

and suggest areas of additional study to improve your scores. You will receive their written

feedback within 24 hours of our receipt of your exam. After you score 90% on your multiple

choice practice exam(s) for that process group, your instructor will advise you to most on to

the material for the next process group.

Your Personal Scorecard While your instructor will keep track of each of your scores, you may want to track your

progress against the plan you set.



Process group Target date

Completed Reading

Watched Video

Lectures

1st

Practice Exam Score

2nd

Practice Exam Score

CAPM Framework

Initiating

Management Plans

Project Plans

Executing

Monitoring and

Controlling

Closing

Professionalism and

Ethics

Submit Application to

PMI After your instructor sends you feedback that you have successfully completed

Professionalism and Ethics, you submit your application online to PMI and claim 50 education hours for completing your 4PM.com CAPM Prep course.

Knowledge Areas Review the reading and lecture videos of the project management tasks

organized by the PMBOK, 5th

edition knowledge areas: scope, schedule, cost, quality, human resources, communication, procurement, risk and integration.

Schedule Exam Receive PMI’s approval to take the CAPM exam & set your date. Allow 4 days for the comprehensive review.

Comprehensive

Review The comprehensive review begins 4 days prior to your CAPM test date. Your

instructor will send you specific instructions for the comprehensive review once you set your CAPM test date.

1. CAPM® Framework

Your reading and lectures will cover the framework of information used in all of the project

management process groups that follow.

1. Reading: Read the Framework chapter in your textbook or on your course website. We

recommend taking written notes. 2. Lectures: Watch the Framework lecture videos on the course website. Add the new



information in the lectures to your notes.

3. PM in Action Videos: There are no PM in Action videos in this first process group.

4. Practice Exams: Take the Framework multiple-choice practice exam inline by clicking

the button below the lecture. It will be sent directly to your instructor. They will grade it,

send you written explanations for the correct answers and additional feedback within 24

hours. If you do not achieve 90% on the first try, your instructor will suggest studying

additional learning topics and ask you to re-take this exam. If you achieved 90%, your

instructor will send you the link to the second Framework multiple-choice exam.

5. Learning Topics: Your instructor will send you explanations for the multiple-choice

questions and, based on our test scores, they may send you links to additional learning

topics to strengthen your Framework knowledge.

2. Initiating Process Group

In this process group, you’ll learn about the best practices for initiating a new project. These

include the business case, defining the high-level scope, identifying stakeholders and risks,

then developing and presenting the project charter. 1. Reading: Read the Initiating chapter in your textbook or on your course website. We

recommend taking written notes.

2. Lecture: Watch the Initiating lecture videos on your course website. Add the new

information to your notes. 3. PM in Action Videos: Watch these videos from the link below the lecture.

4. Practice Exams: Take the Initiating multiple-choice practice exam by clicking the

button below the lecture. Complete the exam and it will be sent directly to your

instructor. They will grade it, send you written explanations for the correct answers and

additional feedback within 24 hours. If you do not achieve 90% on the first try, your

instructor will suggest studying additional learning topics and ask you to re-take this

exam. If you achieved 90%, your instructor will send you the link to the second

Initiating multiple-choice exam.



topics to strengthen your Initiating process group knowledge.

3. Management Plans Process Group

In this process group, we will cover the management plans for each component in the

project from scope, to budget, to schedule and more. 1. Reading: Read the Management Plans chapter in your textbook or on your course

website. We recommend taking written notes.

2. Lecture: Watch the Management Plans lecture videos on your course website. Add the

new information to your notes. 3. PM in Action Videos: Watch these videos from the link below the lecture.

4. Practice Exams: Take the Management Plans multiple-choice practice exam by

clicking the button below the lecture. Complete the exam and it will be sent directly to

your instructor. They will grade it, send you written explanations for the correct answers

and additional feedback within 24 hours. If you do not achieve 90% on the first try, your



Management Plans multiple-choice exam.




topics to strengthen your Management Plans process group knowledge.

6. Mid-course phone call: When you have completed the Management Plans process

group, you and your instructor will have a mid-course call to discuss your progress to

date and your application for the CAPM exam. You cannot submit the application until

you’ve received your instructor’s feedback that you have successfully completed the

Professionalism and Ethics process group.

4. Project Planning Process Group

In this process group, we will cover the planning techniques used to create the scope

statement, schedule, budget and risk management. 1. Reading: Read the Planning section in your textbook or on your course website. We


2. Lecture: Watch the Planning lecture videos for this section on your course website.

Add the new information to your notes. 3. PM in Action Videos: Watch the videos that are linked below the lecture video.

4. Practice Exams: Take the Planning multiple-choice practice exam by clicking the





exam. If you achieved 90%, your instructor will send you the link to the second Planning

multiple-choice exam.



topics to strengthen your Planning process group knowledge.

5. Executing Process Group

In this process group, we’ll cover the executing processes, including obtaining and

managing resources, executing the project plan, performing quality assurance,

implementing change control and maximizing team performance. 1. Reading: Read the Executing section in your textbook or on your course website. We


2. Lecture: Watch the Executing lecture videos on your course website. Add the new

information to your notes. 3. PM in Action Videos: Watch the videos that are linked below the lecture.

4. Practice Exams: Take the Executing multiple-choice practice exam by clicking the






Executing multiple-choice exam.



topics to strengthen your Executing process group knowledge.

©2013 The Hampton Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be reproduced in any form. 5


6. Monitoring and Controlling Process Group

In this process group, we’ll cover the Monitoring and Controlling processes, which happen in

parallel with the Executing processes. These processes include measuring project

performance, managing changes, performing quality control, controlling the scope,

schedule, cost, and communicating status, and performance information to stakeholders.

1. Reading: Read the Monitoring and Controlling section in your textbook or on your

course website. We recommend taking written notes.

2. Lecture: Watch the Monitoring and Controlling lecture videos your course website. Add

the new information to your notes. 3. PM in Action Videos: Watch the videos that are linked below the lecture.

4. Practice Exams: Take the Monitoring and Controlling multiple-choice practice exam by






Monitoring and Controlling multiple-choice exam.



topics to strengthen your Monitoring and Controlling process group knowledge.

7. Closing Process Group

In this process group, we’ll cover the seven processes to properly close out a project,

including verifying scope acceptance, transferring ownership of deliverables, financial, legal

and administrative closure, distributing the final project report, collating lessons learned,

archiving project information and measuring customer satisfaction.

1. Reading: Read the Closing section in your textbook or on your course website. We


2. Lecture: Watch the Closing lecture videos on your course website. Add the new

information to your notes. 3. PM in Action Videos: Watch the videos that are linked below the lecture.

5. Practice Exams: Take the Closing multiple-choice practice exam by clicking the button

below the lecture. Complete the exam and it will be sent directly to your instructor. They

will grade it, send you written explanations for the correct answers and additional

feedback within 24 hours. If you do not achieve 90% on the first try, your instructor will

suggest studying additional learning topics and ask you to re-take this exam. If you

achieved 90%, your instructor will send you the link to the second Closing multiple-

choice exam



topics to strengthen your Monitoring and Controlling process group knowledge.

8. Professionalism & Ethics

1. Reading: Read the Professionalism and Ethics chapter in your textbook or on your

course website. We recommend taking written notes.


102 CAPM® Exam Prep Course 2013 2. Lecture: Watch the lecture videos “Who is Bound by the Code” through “Honesty” on

your course website under the “Lecture” section. Add the new information to your notes. 3. PM in Action Videos: Watch the videos that are linked below the lecture.

5. Practice Exams: Take the Professionalism and Ethics multiple-choice practice exam by






Professionalism and Ethics multiple-choice exam.



topics to strengthen your Professionalism and Ethics process group knowledge.

6. Submit Your CAPM Application: When you receive your instructor’s feedback that

you have successfully completed the Professionalism and Ethics process group, you may

submit your CAPM application to PMI. Do it online and you should receive a reply within

3 to 5 business days.

9. PMBOK, 5th edition Knowledge Areas

The PMBOK, 5th edition organizes the project management processes you have just

completed studying by knowledge areas. They are scope, schedule, cost, quality, human

resources, communication, procurement, risk and integration. While you wait for PMI to

approve your CAPM application, complete the reading and lectures for this knowledge area

section.

1. Reading: Read the Knowledge Areas on your course website. We recommend taking

written notes.

2. Lecture: Watch the lecture videos “Scope management” through “Integration

management” on your course website under the “Lecture” section. Add the new

information to your notes.

3. Approved Application: Let your instructor know when PMI has approved your

application and you have scheduled your CAPM exam date.

10. Comprehensive Review

When PMI has approved your application and you have scheduled your CAPM exam, you

and your instructor will lay out a 4-day plan for completing the comprehensive review and

exams immediately before you sit for the CAPM exam. Your instructor will coach you

through this final review and call you the day before your exam with test-taking tips, what

to expect at the test center, words of encouragement and answers to any last minute

questions.


Copyright© 2013 by Richard A. Billows, PMP®, GCA All Rights Reserved

Published by The Hampton Group, Inc.

3547 South Ivanhoe St.

Denver, Colorado 80237 (303)756-4247

www.4pm.com

Other books Published by 4PM.com

Essentials of Project Management

Advanced Project Management Techniques

Program & Portfolio Management

Managing Information Technology Projects

Construction Project Management

Managing Healthcare Projects

The Hampton Group, Inc. is a Project Management Institute (PMI®) Global Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.). The

Hampton Group, Inc. is committed to enhancing the ongoing professional development of PMI® members, PMI®-certified

professionals and other project management

stakeholders through appropriate project management learning activities and products. As a PMI® R.E.P., The Hampton Group Inc., has agreed to abide by PMI®-established operational and educational guidelines and is subject to random audits for quality assurance purposes.

Microsoft is a registered trademark and Project ®and Windows® are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Screen shots reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.

All other product names and services identified throughout this book are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. They are used throughout this book in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies. No such uses, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with the book.

All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-9385614-3-6

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction & Organization................................................... 5

Framework of Project Management ......................................... 7

What is a Project? .......................................................... 7

Project Management: The Cast, the Roles and the Script ...... 7

One Size Does Not Fit All ...................................................... 9

Trade-offs ..................................................................... 9

Professionalism and Social Responsibility ........................... 9

Portfolios, Programs, Phases & Sub-projects ....................... 9

Project Roles ................................................................ 10

Organizational Context ................................................... 12

Project & Product Lifecycles ............................................ 14

The Process Groups of Project Management ............................ 16

Initiating ...................................................................... 16

Planning ....................................................................... 16

Executing ..................................................................... 16

Monitoring and Controlling .............................................. 16

Closing ........................................................................ 16

The Knowledge Areas of Project Management .......................... 17

Integration Management ................................................ 17

Scope Management ....................................................... 17

Schedule Management ................................................... 17

Cost Management ......................................................... 18

Quality Management Knowledge Area ............................... 18

Human Resources Management ....................................... 18

Communications Management ......................................... 18

Risk Management .......................................................... 19

Procurement Management .............................................. 19

Stakeholder Management ............................................... 19

Professionalism & Social Responsibility ............................. 19

What the Heck are EEF and OPA? ..................................... 19

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF) ............................ 20

Organizational Process Assets (OPA) ................................ 20

Three Project Management Examples ............................... 20

Initiating ........................................................................... 23

Statement of Work ........................................................... 24

Business Case .................................................................. 25

Identify Stakeholders 13.1 ................................................. 26

3 Project Examples of Identify Stakeholders ....................... 28

High-level Scope .............................................................. 34

High-level Risks ............................................................... 35

Develop Project Charter 4.1 ............................................... 36

3 Project Examples of Develop Project Charter .................... 38

Charter Approval Meeting .................................................. 44

Planning ............................................................................ 45

Develop Project Management Plan 4.2 ................................. 46

3 Project Examples of Develop Project Management Plan ...48

Plan Scope Management. 5.1 ............................................. 56

3 Project Examples of Plan Scope Management ................... 57

Plan Schedule Management 6.1 .......................................... 62

3 Project Examples of Plan Schedule Management ............... 63

Plan Cost Management 7.1 ................................................ 68

3 Project Examples of Plan Cost Management ..................... 69

Plan Human Resource Management 9.1 ............................... 73

2

3 Project Examples Plan Human Resource Management ........ 75

Plan Stakeholder Management 13.2 .................................... 82

3 Project Examples Plan Stakeholder Management .............. 84

Plan Communications Management 10.1 .............................. 88

3 Project Examples of Plan Communications Management ..89

Plan Risk Management 11.1 ............................................... 94

3 Project Examples of Plan Risk Management ..................... 95

Plan Quality Management 8.1 ........................................... 100

3 Project Examples Plan Quality Management ................... 102

Plan Procurement Management 12.1 ................................. 110

3 Project Examples of Plan Procurement Management ........ 112

Project Management Plan Summary .................................. 124

Scope Planning Processes ................................................ 125

Scope Planning Processes................................................... 125

Collect Requirements 5.2 ................................................ 126

3 Project Examples of Collect Requirements ..................... 128

Define Scope5.3............................................................. 134

3 Project Examples of Define Scope ................................ 136

Create WBS 5.4 ............................................................. 143

3 Project Examples of Create WBS ................................. 145

Project Planning: Scheduling Processes ............................. 153

Define Activities 6.2 ........................................................ 154

3 Project Examples of Define Activities ............................ 155

Sequence Activities 6.3 ................................................... 161

3 Project Examples of Sequence Activities ....................... 163

Estimate Activity Resources 6.4 ........................................ 168

3 Project Examples of Estimate Activity Resources ............. 170

2

Estimate Activity Durations 6.5 ........................................ 176

3 Project Examples of Estimate Activity Durations .............. 177

Develop Schedule 6.6 ..................................................... 185

3 Project Examples of Develop Schedule .......................... 186

Cost Management 7.1 ..................................................... 194

Cost Tools Used in Many Tasks ...................................... 194

Estimate Costs 7.2 ......................................................... 197

3 Project Examples of Estimate Costs .............................. 199

Determine Budget 7.3 ..................................................... 206

3 Project Examples of Determine Budget ......................... 207

Risk Planning Processes 11.1 ........................................... 214

Identify Risks 11.2 ......................................................... 215

3 Project Examples of Identify Risks ............................... 217

Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis 11.3 ............................... 223

3 Project Examples of Qualitative Risk Analysis ................. 224

Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis 11.4 ............................. 231

3 Project Examples of Quantitative Risk Analysis ............... 233

Plan Risk Responses 11.5 ................................................ 240

3 Project Examples of Plan Risk Responses....................... 242

Plan Approval Meeting .................................................... 247

Executing ........................................................................ 251

Direct and Manage Project Work 4.3 .................................. 253

3 Project Examples of Direct and Manage Project Work ......... 255

Acquire Project Team 9.2 ................................................ 261

3 Project Examples of Acquire Project Team ..................... 262

Conduct Procurements 12.2 ............................................. 268

3 Project Examples of Conduct Procurements ................... 270

Develop Project Team 9.3 ................................................ 276

3 Project Examples of Develop Project Team .................... 277

Perform Quality Assurance 8.2 ......................................... 282

Three Examples of Perform Quality Assurance .................. 283

Manage Project Team 9.4 ................................................ 288

3 Project Examples of Manage Project Team ..................... 290

Manage Stakeholder Engagement 13.3 .............................. 294

3 Project Examples of Manage Stakeholder Engagement .. 295

Manage Communications 10.2 .......................................... 300

3 Project Examples of Manage Communications ................ 301

Monitoring & Controlling ..................................................... 306

Monitor and Control Project Work 4.4 ................................ 307

3 Project Examples of Monitor and Control Project Work .. 309

Perform Integrated Change Control 4.5.............................. 315

3 Project Examples of Perform Integrated Change Control 321

Validate Scope 5.5 ......................................................... 331

3 Project Examples of Validate Scope .............................. 332

Closing ............................................................................ 337

Close Procurements 12.4 ................................................. 338

3 Project Examples of Close Procurements ....................... 339

4.6 Close Project or Phase ............................................... 343

3 Project Examples of Close Project ................................ 344

6.1 Professionalism & Social Responsibility ............................ 348

Ensure Integrity and Professionalism ................................. 349

Project Examples of Professionalism and Social Responsibility ................................................................................ 351

2

Project Management Knowledge Areas ................................. 356

About the AUTHOR ............................................................ 358

Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase Introduction & Organization

Quality Management

INTRODUCTION & ORGANIZATION

This is the 11th edition of the Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase, which we have entirely rewritten to align with the PMBOK 5th Edition and the new PMI exams that are effective in July 2013. Over the years, this book has achieved its goal of helping our readers master the following:

The knowledge needed to pass the PMI® certification exams

The best practices in project management.

We do this by showing you these techniques from two perspectives.

Process Groups organize the tools and techniques chronologically:

Initiating Process Group

Planning Process Group

Executing Process Group

Monitoring and Controlling Process Group

Closing Process Group

The Knowledge Areas are groups of tools and techniques with related purposes that flow throughout the lifecycle:

Integration Management

Scope Management

Schedule Management

Cost Management

Procurement Management

Human Resource Management

Communication Management

Risk Management

Stakeholder Management

Professionalism and Social Responsibility

I have organized this textbook to make passing the exam take

as little time as possible. So, I will present information in the sequence you will follow to do a project (process groups). However, we will also keep the Knowledge Areas together so you can learn the sequence of tasks in a Knowledge Area, like Risk management.

To avoid having a book that was over 1,000 pages, we have created a Digital Knowledgebase on our PMI® exam prep web site. There you can drill down for more information and study

the knowledge in different ways to suit your learning style.

1. Visual learners will find very large diagrams of the tasks with videos explaining them.

2. Flow chart learners will find charts of every process group,

Knowledge Area and task. 3. “Show me an example” learners will see hundreds of samples

of Gantt charts, human resource plans, scope statements, Monte Carlo simulations, Earned Value reports, etc.

I trust you will find the book of great value in passing the PMI certification exams and in your career as a professional project manager.

©2013 Copyright The Hampton Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without written permission. P5

Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase Introduction & Organization Statement of Work

As always, I need to express my thanks to those who help make each edition of this book a success. “Mustang Sally” Mitsch, CAPM, has once again nit-picked my work to near perfection. Leslie, “the FIST” Schiefelbein, PMP, has edited the bejesus out my every word and thought. Together they have not missed a shingle one of my mistakes.

Best Regards,

Dick Billows, PMP, GCA

April 30, 2013

©2013 Copyright The Hampton Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without written permission 6

Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase Framework of Project Management

FRAMEWORK OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

In this first section of the book, we’ll move through the lifecycle of a project covering all the key ideas. We’ll begin by reviewing some of the key ideas that we’ll use in all the Process Groups that follow. We also want to accomplish three other things:

Get a big picture view of the processes we will study in much greater detail later

Understand some of the best practice ideas that permeate all the details

Begin to learn the PMI language of project management, which is most likely different from what you use in your organization.

This chapter is not an exhaustive explanation of the big picture, that’s why several hundred pages follow this chapter.

What is a Project?

Projects are very different from the other components of the modern organization. Projects are temporary endeavors regardless of their size or scope. All projects have a special purpose and a specific start and end point and that differentiates a project from operations that go on continuously. Projects reach their end in three ways:

The project’s planned outcome is met

The project’s outcome will never be met and the organization terminates it

The original need for the project no longer exists and the organization terminates the project.

A second characteristic of a project is that it creates a unique deliverable, which may be a product, service or some other result. No two projects are alike. For example, we might be constructing a chain of fast food hamburger restaurants that will serve identical food. But the fact that we will be working with different team members, in varying locations and for different owners makes each of these projects unique.

A third characteristic of a project is that the project management team plans it iteratively; they plan it allowing interaction between the components. For example, a project manager might produce a draft of a schedule and then go to work on the project budget. To optimize the budget, the PM may need to change the schedule and modify the risk management plan. PMI® calls this progressive elaboration of the plan. Project managers are constantly working, checking and revising their plans.

Project Management: The Cast, the Roles and the Script

Project management is not the efforts of one individual. There is a cast of people that can include one or more project managers and associate project managers, who, along with executives and professionals, make up the project management

team. As well, projects have sponsors whose role includes initiating the project, defining it and securing organizational approval to expend resources on it. The project management team works with the other members of the project team who do the project’s work. Both interact with project stakeholders who are people affected by the project including; executives, managers, employees, and even vendors.

Together these people write the script for the project, setting

objectives, identifying project requirements and then


Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase: FrameWork

©©2013 Copyright The Hampton Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without written permission. P8

converting those requirements into a verifiable scope and a project management plan that they then execute. Throughout the project’s life, the project management team works with the project team and stakeholders to deliver the project’s objective and its products.

Effective project management requires experience in managing projects as well as a wide range of learned skills and techniques. In addition to the PM’s skills and experience, an equally important determinant of project success is the

organization’s processes for project management and the availability of data and information from previous projects including lessons learned documentation about these previous projects.



ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

Project managers know the best practices and design each project’s management plan with a suitable mix of techniques for that project. One set of techniques does not “fit” all projects. The PM designs the project management process using expert judgment as well as understanding of each project’s unique characteristics. Then the PM decides the extent to which he/she will apply the PMBOK® (Project Management Body of Knowledge) processes to achieve the

desired project results. For example, all projects should have some degree of risk management. So the PM determines if risk management warrants a few hours or a month’s worth of work. As well, the PM needs to decide whether the assessment of risk should be strictly qualitative and fast or if he/she should use more sophisticated quantitative techniques to assess probabilities and the impact of a risk event. In making these judgments, the PM is obviously guided by the organization’s policies and the sponsor’s preferences.

Trade-offs

Project management also requires a PM to manage the tradeoffs between what’s called the triple constraint (even though there are six dimensions) of cost, time, scope, quality, resources and risk. The triple constraint is like a tug-of-war. If the sponsor changes any one of the dimensions, it will affect at least one of the other five constraints. For example, if we decrease the scope of the project we may also decrease the project’s cost, duration and resources. Increasing the quality dimension can increase duration and cost. On larger more sophisticated projects, the PM may analyze tradeoffs with sophisticated financial or mathematical tools. The PM conducts tradeoff analysis on smaller projects too but much more informally.

Professionalism and Social Responsibility

The PMBOK® includes one paragraph on professionalism; however, it is a major topic on the PMP® certification exam and to a lesser extent on the CAPM® exam. The project manager and project management team have an ethical responsibility to all stakeholders to conduct themselves according the tenets of the profession. There is a more detailed description of professionalism, social responsibility and ethics in the last chapter of this book. But the big picture view is that PMI® has developed a rigorous set of standards for project managers’

conduct with tough enforcement standards.

Portfolios, Programs, Phases & Sub- projects

There are many ways to combine or subdivide projects. As we think about the project landscape in an organization, the dividing line is more than a little blurry. Organizations use programs to combine the management of a number of projects that have a common purpose. For example, an organization may have a program to improve their quality of service. The program may involve individual quality improvement projects in the billing, customer service and sales departments to improve the customers’ experience.

Project portfolios are a bundle of programs and projects but they do not necessarily have a common purpose. Instead, an executive may take responsibility for a portfolio of information systems projects or construction projects that affect many different parts of the organization but which all use the same resources.

Finally, within these programs and portfolios, an organization may choose to subdivide a project into sub-projects. The sub- projects may be specific components of the larger effort that the organization contracts out to other organizations. For example, on a customer service project, the performing



organization may contract with an outside organization to survey their customers or complete test marketing.

Organizations that want greater control over a project may choose to divide it into phases or sub-phases. Each phase or sub-phase produces a deliverable that management examines and formally accepts before the next phase begins. This level of control over the project allows management to track the project and its progress to ensure it is delivering what it should.

Not all organizations follow this rigid step-by-step approach. If time is of the essence, some organizations will start work on the next phase of the project prior to formal acceptance of the prior phase’s deliverable. This approach creates a higher level of risk but it can save time. For instance, a software firm may start work on testing a piece of software before receiving final signoff on the coding. If the coding has any bugs that require re-work, the testing will need to start over, wasting time and money. However, if there are no bugs, the firm has actually saved time by fast tracking the testing and not waiting for

formal acceptance of the coding.

Best Practices & the Real World

To pass the PMI® certification exams you need to understand

the way of managing projects in a very idealistic world compared to the way most organizations do projects and the

way most PMs do their work. In fact, the most important thing to learn in preparing for the exam is PMI®’s definition of the right way to manage projects. That correct way includes not just using the techniques and tools but also adopting PMI®’s

attitudes about solving problems that may not be possible in your organization. Learning that PMI® attitude is the key to answering the Example questions where you must decide the right thing to do. You must answer each question according to how PMI® says we should do things, not how you do them in

your organization. You may disagree with PMI®’s way but if you want their certification, you must learn it.

Project Roles

Let’s expand on the brief descriptions of the project roles introduced earlier. PMI® defines a number of roles for people working on projects. The decision-making, range of action and participation in the project management process is different for

each role.

Stakeholders

The broadest role is that of project stakeholder and this category includes all the others. A stakeholder is any individual or organization that the project will affect, positively or

negatively. Stakeholders should be involved in the Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling and Closing functions of the project. This is another area where the PMI®

world probably differs from yours. Many PMs try to minimize the number of people involved in project planning, thinking that will let them better control the project scope. Unfortunately,

the opposite happens. Stakeholders excluded from planning always seem to spring up and add features or new requirements right at the end of the project. Those late changes often cost hundreds of times what the same requirement would have cost if it had been added during the planning phase. Therefore, PMI® encourages project managers to actively search for stakeholders early in the

project and it is a best practice.

Project stakeholders can include:

performing organization

sponsor

senior management

functional management



project team members

project management team members

project manager

project management office (PMO)

customers

users

vendors

suppliers

consultants

We also include employees not directly related to the project but who, due to their standing within the organization, have the ability to exert influence over the project.

The PMI® way of doing things requires project managers to reach out, identify and bring into the project decision-making processes a very broad cross section of stakeholders. The

stakeholders should be involved in the definition of the project scope, the major deliverables and many of the decisions made in later tasks.

As noted above, many project managers try to keep the number of people that are involved in the project planning as small as possible. They also try to insulate the project team and its planning process from outside influences and avoid conflicting opinions. However, the PMI® view is very different. It clearly identifies the need to engage stakeholders in project

initiation and planning because that is the only way we can uncover all the requirements of the project.

Project Sponsors

In the PMI® world, the project sponsor or initiator is responsible for providing funding for the project and issuing the project charter. On internal projects (those done within the

performing organization), the project sponsor also may create the statement of work (SOW) to begin initiation and guide the

project through the organization’s approval process. That approval requires that the sponsor detail the benefits the project will deliver and justify the costs of the project, often in a business case. When the sponsor secures organizational approval, that executive issues the project charter appointing the project manager and defining, among other things, the criteria for success. On consulting or client projects, the statement of work comes from the client or customer, possibly with an RFP (Request for Proposal) or contract.

The charter gives the PM organizational approval to use resources. This is another area where the PMBOK® process probably differs from your experience. You may see sponsors who just dump a problem or opportunity into a PM’s lap and then walk away after naming a completion date. PMI® is correct in stating that is the wrong way to do things.

Project Team Members

In the PMI® world, project team members do the work of the project and many project team members actively participate in detailing the project plan and completing their work packages. They may also be involved in risk management, procurement and quality, for example. Team members may also be a part of the project management team and become involved in activities ranging from integration to change control.

Project Manager

It is the project manager’s and project management team’s responsibility to integrate all of these roles and ensure that

they mesh, allowing successful completion of the project. The project manager’s role calls on a wide range of skills, including interpersonal, leadership and general management skills in addition to knowing project management techniques. Those project management skills are:

Leadership

Communication



Negotiation

Resolution of problems

Influencing the organization

Purchasing

Contracting

Accounting and finance

Information technology

Marketing

Sales

Manufacturing and distribution

Commercial law, local laws and legal traditions

Human Resources

Safety regulations

Supply chain management

As you work through this book, you will notice many other ways in which the PMI® world varies from the way in which your organization manages projects. In order to pass the PMI® certification exams, you will need to remember to answer each question according to the PMI® world rather than your own experience.

Project Management Team

With all that work to do, the project manager often invites stakeholders, team members, functional managers and

executives to assist in the management of the project. Participation like this not only spreads the work but also increases buy-in and support. The project management team can work on scope, risk, scheduling, budgeting, procurement, quality, human resources and communications, to name a few.

Organizational Context

Projects occur within organizations and their structures, processes and cultures affect projects and their teams. The organizational form influences how projects begin, how decisions are made, how resources are shared, how line managers perceive project managers and the overall rate of project success. Both in practice and for the certification exams, you need to understand the different organization types. More than half your exam questions will be Example questions and the kind of organization the PM is “in” often

determines the correct course of action to take on an issue.

Functional Organizations

Functional organizations have their structures designed around technical specialties like marketing, sales, manufacturing, facilities, customer service, engineering and accounting. These organizations are the most frequently encountered type and the barriers between these functional “silos” make it tough on project managers. Getting a project done that crosses functional lines often requires begging and whining for resources. In functional organizations project managers have little or no authority and must “borrow” people from functional departments. That requires that the PM negotiate for resources with the functional managers.

These extra steps are necessary because functional organizations operate with a strong chain of command philosophy that each employee should report to one boss. This

means that an employee communicates with their boss, who

communicates with the boss’s boss, all the way up the chain of command. The lines of communication usually follow the chain of command and are simple, but also quite rigid. Functional managers want to retain all of the formal authority over their employees and must often be convinced to loan them to a project. People loaned to a project often feel that the project is

a distraction from their “real job” where they get raises and promotions.



In these organizations, turf wars and lack of cooperation between functional departments make communication difficult. In these organizations, decision makers often choose to perform projects within one functional unit because reaching out to borrow resources and communicate across functional lines is so difficult.

Functional organizations try to improve their project performance by adding two other roles to the structure. Project expediters may assist functional managers in coordinating

projects. However, these project expediters have no decision- making authority and focus mainly on communication, following up on tasks and deliveries of equipment. Functional organizations may also employ project coordinators, who usually are in staff positions reporting to senior managers who have many projects underway at the same time. They often have some decision-making authority but do not have the responsibilities of project managers in the areas of making assignments, analyzing change requests and reporting status.

Matrix Organizations

Another organizational form is the matrix organization, which comes in three varieties (weak, balanced, strong). There are still departments for functions like accounting and marketing but these departments share resources across department lines routinely. The difference between the three types is the amount of power and influence of project managers versus

functional managers. But in all three types, people are more accepting of sharing departmental resources with projects than in functional organizations. In all three matrix types,

employees work for more than one boss. However, the degree of sharing affects a project manager's level of authority, power and influence.

The weak matrix organization is quite similar to a functional

organization with the project manager having a bit more power and influence but still being weaker than the functional manager. Borrowing resources can be a bit easier than in a functional organization. However, a project manager's authority is very limited in comparison to the functional

managers. Therefore, the PM must still plead and beg for resources and hope that the project sponsor has enough clout to secure resources for the project.

In a balanced matrix organization, the project manager and functional managers have relatively equal power and authority and the negotiation for borrowing resources is on even terms. Because the power is even, the level of conflict is at a peak and communications are at their most difficult. That may seem odd until you remember that people are unlikely to have conflict

with a person who has more power than they do.

In a strong matrix, the project manager has more power than the functional managers and has a much easier time acquiring resources and managing the project budget. All three types of matrix organizations have more complex communication processes and more conflict than the functional organization.

Projectized Organizations

The projectized organization transforms the project manager

from a flunky begging for resources to a person managing a project that the organization treats as if it were a department. In the projectized organization, the project and its manager have their own dedicated employees and a budget. They have

the same status as all the functional departments. The project manager is the organizational superior of the people working on the project team and does their performance reviews, develops their professional skills and manages their daily work assignments.

The projectized organizational form is desirable from a project management point of view because the PM has almost full authority over the resources with full availability. However,

projectized organizations have certain disadvantages. First, projectized organizations may hinder employees’ development in their technical specialties because they don’t associate regularly with people possessing the same specialized skills. Second, when the project is completed, the project organization disappears and it is not unusual for team members to have



some uncertainty about their next assignment. This can adversely affect morale and performance.

Organizations carve out projectized sub-units for long-term projects that require considerable employee development such as learning a new technology. We see the projectized organizational form in professional firms (like accounting, consulting and engineering) and in technical departments that primarily do projects, such as information systems departments.

To summarize what we have covered, think of the project manager’s power and influence as a continuum. On the left hand extreme, there is the functional organization where the PM’s power and influence is zero. As we move across the continuum into matrix organizations, the PM’s power grows and grows until it peaks in the projectized organization.

Organizational Continuum

Composite Organization - A Mix of All Three

Few organizations are purely functional, matrix or projectized. The larger the organization, the greater the chance that the organization has sub-divisions that are organized by different

types; this is called a composite organization. For example, in a large organization the manufacturing division might follow

strict functional lines with production, engineering and inventory control departments staffed with specialists. On the other hand, for research and development the organization might use a more fluid matrix structure to facilitate the sharing of skills on projects and new products. To go even further, for an upcoming new product, the organization might assemble the project team as a separate department to ensure that needed

resources are available from several functional areas, with this

projectized organization disbanding when the project is done. This product department would have its own budget and dedicated team.

Project Management Office: PMO

Organizations, regardless of their form, may utilize a project management office (PMO) to facilitate the projects that are taking place. Different organizations use different names for the PMO; it may be called the project office, program office or

program management office. We can have PMOs in functional or matrix organizations but we see them regularly in projectized and strong matrix organizations. They are less likely in weak matrix and functional organizations. For example, a consulting firm has a real need to coordinate project activities because almost all employees work on multiple projects and new client projects may start each week. That combination creates the need to closely track projects and to set priorities for resource allocation.

The PMO serves other important functions and there are several

styles of PMOs. Some distribute project information and may provide software and training for project managers and team members. Other project offices integrate the project information, enforce a common project methodology and help executives make priority and resource allocation decisions. In still others, the organization’s project managers work in the PMO and are assigned to manage projects by the PMO. In organizations with even stronger PMOs, they may assist the management committee in approving or rejecting proposed projects.

Project & Product Lifecycles

The PMBOK® talks about a number of different lifecycles. Products like a new cell phone have a product lifecycle that may start with research and development, move to testing, manufacturing, marketing and then end with product

replacement. Each of those phases in the product lifecycle may



require a project. The organization may have a project lifecycle it uses to build manufacturing facilities as required by the third phase of the product lifecycle above. That project lifecycle may start with design, followed by land acquisition, construction, and assembly line start-up.

Some organizations may have one lifecycle that they apply to all projects.

Alternatively, an organization may have several lifecycles and it may allow the project manager and team to select the one that is most appropriate for each project.

While lifecycles can vary widely, all lifecycles cover:

The work that needs to be completed

Each phase’s deliverable and approval

criteria The people involved.

There are also several features common to most project lifecycles. Most lifecycles require the fewest team members and resources at the beginning and end of the lifecycle. Project costs also follow the same bell-curve because the project is most costly in the middle of the project lifecycle. Risk is highest at the beginning of the lifecycle and decreases throughout the project phases. Stakeholder influence over the project requirements is also greatest at the beginning of the lifecycle and decreases through the phases. However, the cost of adding requirements rises as we move through the lifecycle.



THE PROCESS GROUPS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

As we mentioned above, a project manager selects the appropriate project management tasks and techniques for each project from an inventory of best practices. Those best practices are organized into 5 Process Groups, 11 Knowledge Areas and 47 processes.

The project lifecycle is broken into 5 process groups:

Initiating

It has 2 processes and gets things started by the sponsor securing project authorization from the organization.

Monitoring and Controlling

It has 11 processes and here we ensure that execution is going according to plan and correct things if it is not.

When the deliverables have all been produced, we bring the project to an end.

Closing

It has 2 processes and it is where we put the data away for use on future projects and assess how we did in lessons learned.

Planning

It has 24 processes and is the busiest process group because we make all the decisions about how we’re going to do things on the project.

When the project management plan is approved, we launch the project and have two process groups that happen at the same time:

Executing

It has 8 processes and it is here that we do the work of the project, consume most of the resources and produce the deliverables.



THE KNOWLEDGE AREAS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Those 47 processes in project management can also be organized into 10 Knowledge Areas (11 if we include Professionalism, as we will).

Integration Management

It has 6 processes and the common purpose of tying together everything else that happens.

Develop Project Charter (Initiating Process Group)

Develop Project Management Plan (Planning Process Group)

Direct and Manage Project Work (Executing Process Group)

Monitor and Control Project Work (Monitoring and Controlling Process Group)

Perform Integrated Change Control (Monitoring and Controlling Process Group)

Close Project or Phase (Closing Process Group)

Scope Management

It has 6 processes with the purpose of defining what result the project should produce and then watching to ensure it does produce that result.

Plan Scope Management (Planning Process Group)

Collect Requirements (Planning Process Group)

Define Scope (Planning Process Group)

Create WBS (Planning Process Group)

Validate Scope (Monitoring and Controlling Process Group)

Control Scope (Monitoring and Controlling Process Group)

Schedule Management

It has 7 processes and the purpose is defining and then tracking the schedule for delivering the project’s scope.

Plan Schedule Management (Planning Process Group)

Define Activities (Planning Process Group)

Sequence Activities (Planning Process Group)

Estimate Activity Resources (Planning Process Group)



Estimate Activity Durations (Planning Process Group)

Develop Schedule (Planning Process Group)

Control Schedule (Monitoring and Controlling Process Group)

Cost Management

It has 4 processes with the purpose of establishing a budget for delivering the project’s scope and then tracking actual costs and comparing them to the budget.

Plan Cost Management (Planning Process Group)

Estimate Costs (Planning Process Group)

Determine Budget (Planning Process Group)

Control Costs (Monitoring and Controlling Process Group)

Quality Management Knowledge Area

It has 3 processes that share the purpose of establishing the criteria and specifications that the project’s deliverables must meet and then tracking actual performance and improving the process of producing those deliverables.

Plan Quality Management (Planning Process Group)

Perform Quality Assurance (Executing Process Group)

Control Quality (Monitoring and Controlling Process Group)

Human Resources Management

It has 4 processes for identifying, managing and developing the members of the project team.

Plan Human Resource Management (Planning Process Group)

Acquire Project Team (Executing Process Group)

Develop Project Team (Executing Process Group)

Manage Project Team (Executing Process Group)

Communications Management

It has 3 processes for the planning of project related communications, managing the communications and monitoring communications to make sure they are sufficient.

Plan Communications Management (Planning Process Group)

Manage Communications (Executing Process Group)

Control Communications (Monitoring and Controlling Process Group)



Risk Management

It has 6 processes with purpose of identifying the uncertainties or risks the project faces (things that could hurt and, as importantly, things that might help) and managing these risks to the project’s betterment.

Plan Risk Management (Planning Process Group)

Identify Risks (Planning Process Group)

Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis (Planning Process Group)

Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis (Planning Process Group)

Plan Risk Responses (Planning Process Group)

Control Risks (Monitoring and Controlling Process Group)

Procurement Management

It has 4 processes with the purpose of securing the items the project needs to buy and making sure they are delivered as

promised in the contracts/agreements.

Plan Procurement Management (Planning Process Group)

Conduct Procurements (Executing Process Group)

Control Procurements (Monitoring and Controlling Process Group)

Close Procurements (Closing Process Group)

Stakeholder Management

It has 4 processes with the purpose of identifying the stakeholders, their expectations for the project as well as managing those expectations through the life of the project.

Identify Stakeholders (Initiating Process Group)

Plan Stakeholder Management (Planning Process Group)

Manage Stakeholder Engagement (Executing Process Group)

Control Stakeholder Engagement (Monitoring and

Controlling Process Group)

Professionalism & Social Responsibility

The PMBOK® does not cover this topic but we treat it as the 11th Knowledge Area because it is important on the exams (up to 14% of the PMP® exam questions). This area covers the

ethical standards that project managers must meet.

What the Heck are EEF and OPA?

Every project is impacted by the internal and external environment the organization faces and its culture, management processes, policies and ways of doing business. These are called enterprise environmental factors (EEF).



Projects can, and should, draw on the organization’s collective project wisdom, lessons learned from project successes and failures and the data from previous projects. Unfortunately, in most organizations this information, called organizational process assets (OPA), is not archived or available so project managers must reinvent the wheel for each project and make the same mistakes again and again. The idea of archiving data and reusing content from previous projects may well be the most important best practice. Let’s discuss EEF and OPA a bit more because we will not repeat these ideas in the future discussion of every task.

long a certain kind of task took on earlier projects. It can save a project team from having to decompose their whole work breakdown structure because they can use all or part of the WBS created by previous project teams or their lessons learned. OPA can save time and improve results on every process in the project lifecycle.

With that background, let’s dive into the Examples that will teach you all the tools and techniques that represent the best practices in project management.

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF)

As a short hand in the book, we refer to these Enterprise Environmental Factors as EEF and they are an input to many of

the PMI® tasks. The EEF includes the organization’s personnel systems for doing business like the compensation system, accounting system and its information systems. It also includes

all the organizational policies such as the rules for hiring and evaluating employee performance. The industry in which the performing organization operates may also impose regulations and rules on the organization and its projects. We draw on

these factors and operate within the limitations they impose. The EEF also include external factors like governmental regulations and marketplace conditions.

Organizational Process Assets (OPA)

The Organizational Process Assets include a wide range of things that let us avoid “reinventing the wheel” for each

project. We want to use templates, forms and data from previous projects because it saves time and lets us learn from the successes and mistakes made on previous projects. One of the traits of organizations that are consistently successful with projects is that they have consistent processes and save the data from every project they do. The OPA lets project managers who are estimating duration look up the data on how

Three Project Management Examples

The best way to pass the PMI® certification exams and to master skills that will make you a better project manager is to see the tasks, tools and techniques applied in context; that is, see the techniques used in real project situations. Let’s begin by meeting three PMP®s and learn about the three projects they will manage through the rest of this book.

Chris Pimbock slowed down as he spotted the long line of passengers waiting to have their baggage checked at Honolulu International Airport. It'd been a great vacation and now he was ready to head back to Royster Industries, a small manufacturing company, and take on his next project challenge for his boss. The boss named the project the Trouble Report

Improvement Project with the acronym, TRIP. A woman joined the line behind Chris and inadvertently slid her carry-on bag into the back of his heel. She smiled at Chris in apology and

flipped open her iPad.

Just then Chris's cell phone chimed and he flipped open the phone and answered.

It was his boss, Tom Stearns who said, "I hope you had a good vacation, Chris, because the Sales and Marketing people are making all kinds of noise about the trouble report problems and



I'm going to need you to hit the ground running on the TRIP project as soon as you get back."

Chris answered, "Yes sir, the TRIP project is number one on my priority list. I plan to get started first thing Monday morning."

Chris dug his clipboard from his carry-on to give Tom a couple of facts and then hung up. Chris was surprised to see the woman behind him looking at him with an odd expression.

She closed her iPad and said with a smile, "Pardon me but I couldn't help overhearing your phone conversation and it sounds like you're a project manager just like I am. In fact, it sounds like we're both managing a project called TRIP.”

“I'm Chris Pimbock and that is a little weird,” Chris said and smiled back. “It’s my first major project, I just got my PMP®, and frankly this TRIP project is the first one my company has ever done with a trained project manager. We're pretty small, only a couple hundred people, so this should be a real adventure.”

Terry Evans introduced herself and said, "I've been a PMP® for a few years now but I'll never forget my first project. Let's just say I learned a lot. But this is so strange, both of us managing a project with the acronym TRIP.”

The man behind Terry, dressed in an elegant pinstripe suit, bit

the cap on his Monte Blanc fountain pen and said, "Sorry to eavesdrop, but what's even more strange is that there are three project managers standing in line and all managing projects call TRIP.”

Terry laughed. She and Chris both introduced themselves to Preston McCarthy, PMP®, and owner of a consulting firm whose

clients were Fortune 100 multinational companies. Preston said, "We all have an ethical duty to preserve the confidentiality of

our clients and the organizations for which we work. My TRIP project is about trouble reports in a multinational company with tens of thousands of employees. It's the biggest project and client my firm has ever handled so I’ll have a lot on my plate

first thing Monday morning. The stakes for the project are huge so we'll be applying some very sophisticated techniques because the stakes justify that kind of sophistication. We also have some significant language and cultural barriers as well as the usual turf battles between functional units. I'm going to be one busy project manager for the next year.”

Terry said, "Well our company’s smaller than that, just a few thousand employees, but you haven't seen turf battles until you’ve seen the ones between our functional units. The VPs are like feudal lords and ladies; jealously guarding their people and decision-making prerogatives. I'm going to have my hands full because my organization has never done a project involving multiple functional units, at least not successfully. Success is

pretty important to our business so I'm going to be focusing on very accurate estimating of costs and budgets and the usual change control processes. But communications and managing

stakeholder expectations are getting most of my emphasis. Our project management plan is not going to include the kind of sophisticated project techniques I imagine you'll be using, Preston."

Preston laughed, "Don't get me wrong; communications requirements and stakeholder expectations are going to be

number one for me, like they always are. How about you, Chris; how have you tailored your project management plan?"

Chris laughed, "Well we're a lot less sophisticated and the project is pretty much taking place within our department. So I'm going to be focusing on getting the boss and our stakeholders used to doing any type of project management.

What I'm going to be hearing is ‘Why can’t you start today and finish in a month?’ I'm going to have to fight and claw and have very good arguments about why we should be doing any project management tasks rather than just getting to work quickly."



Preston chuckled and said, "Been there, done that. Frankly, not to minimize the challenges that Terry and I face, but

getting an organization started doing things the right way may be the most difficult of all.”

Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase Initiating Statement of Work

INITIATING

All projects need to be initiated, whether they are a small project for your boss affecting only the department in which you work or a major project involving many departments or outside customers. Initiation starts with a statement of work, an idea or a problem or an opportunity. Then, the sponsor and/or project manager drafts the business case, an assessment of the project and its feasibility. For small projects, that assessment might happen in a conversation with the sponsor over coffee.

On a bigger project, the business case might involve formal cost-benefit analysis, the preparation of a feasibility study and documentation to persuade the corporation that the

project is worth doing. Next, the project manager identifies the other stakeholders who will be affected by the project. Then, the project manager will work with the sponsor and stakeholders to define a high-level scope of the project, which is a measurable business outcome or acceptance criteria against which the project results will be measured. With the high-level scope defined, the project manager

moves on to analyze the risks the project faces, the

assumptions they are making about the outside world and the constraints within which the project has to operate.

With all that data gathered, the project manager then develops the project charter, which explains the value of the project as well as its costs and duration. Last, the project manager presents the charter and when it is approved, the PM gets the authorization to begin detailed planning and use organizational resources.


Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase Initiating Statement of Work


Statement of Work

The project statement of work (SOW) is produced at the beginning of Initiation by the project sponsor. It describes what the sponsor wants the project to deliver in terms of business results, product of the project and other deliverables. The sponsor should also describe the business need that will justify the project. This may be in the areas of customer demands, technological changes, regulatory changes or organization growth.

The SOW should provide the project manager with descriptions and information on the product that the project

will deliver when it is successful. It should also explain how the project relates to the business needs of the organization.

As an example, the sponsor might write an email describing how the response time of the supply room needs to be improved. The sponsor might detail the performance he expects from the supply room at the end of the project with

acceptance criteria like “supply orders are filled within four hours.” The reason for this improvement is that operating

departments are losing valuable time waiting for supplies to arrive. This in turn is causing delays in production. The sponsor might conclude by saying this project is consistent with the organization’s goal for this year of improving turnaround time in service to customers.” That simple email meets the criteria for the initiation statement of work. Obviously, for larger efforts the extent of the statement of

work might be much larger but the points this email covered have to be in every statement of work.

The sponsor generates the SOW at the beginning of Initiation and the project manager uses it for the development of the business case and the charter, unless the sponsor does those as well.

It’s important to remember that there is also a procurement statement of work, which the project manager will issue to potential vendors being asked to bid. On the PMI exam, every time you see an SOW question, you need to be clear about which kind of SOW the question is focused on.


Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase Initiating Business Case

Business Case

The business case is prepared by the sponsor and/or project manager or a business analyst to justify the project to the organization. Many organizations have criteria they apply to proposed projects. Those criteria might include return on investment (ROI) or payback period, among other financial metrics. At a minimum, the business case includes narrative and a cost-benefit justification of the money and time that will be invested in the project. On larger projects, the business case can be very substantial documentation with extensive financial projections on the cost of the project as

well as on the benefits it will produce over time.

As an example, a project manager who receives an email

with statement of work information from the sponsor about a small project, might respond with an email providing estimates of the project costs and benefits. That email might document the complaints from department managers about supply room turnaround time and then estimate that improved controls over stocking levels could reduce stock

outs to less than two a month. That improvement would save approximately 100 hours a month in the operating departments. The project manager would do some calculations using people’s average hourly rates and quantify the benefits as a savings of $4,000 of employee time a month. The project manager might also estimate that the project to attain that reduced level of stock outs would require 20 hours of the project manager’s time and 40 hours of supply room personnel time. The project manager might estimate the total cost of the project as $6,500 and compare that to the $48,000 in annual cost savings which the project

could produce. That simple document meets all the criteria for the business case. Of course, a larger project would require much more substantial efforts.


Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase Initiating Identify Stakeholders 13.1

Identify Stakeholders 13.1

As soon as the sponsor has produced the SOW, which

triggers the business case the organization requires, the project manager begins the process of identifying the stakeholders. Why does this happen so early? Because the project manager wants to hunt exhaustively for people who will be affected, positively or negatively, by the project. This will allow us to unearth their requirements and address

them by either including or excluding them from the project plan. Another reason is because the stakeholders are assets

of the project. They will include managers who lend us people and other resources, as well as people with expertise in many aspects of the project, like risk management or budgeting. The project manager will also use those

stakeholders to help define the scope more extensively and also identify the risks and assumptions. This focus on using the stakeholders is reflected in the entire PMI exam. Finally, the project manager needs to manage the stakeholders to ensure that the project benefits from their support. As part of that effort, the PM needs to manage their expectations so

that the project delivers what they expect it to deliver. They are assets to be identified early, then cultivated and engaged throughout the entire project. Stakeholders should not be viewed as people who interfere in the project work.

How To Do It

You sat down with two of the employees from the supply room to

talk about the project and to identify the stakeholders. You

asked a couple of questions about departments that were the

biggest users of the supply room as well as those people and

departments who complained about the file room the most. You

also asked about which supply room users were the happiest

with the service. As the supply room employees mentioned

people’s names, you added them to your stakeholder list. You

asked if there was anyone else familiar with the supply room

users and they mentioned another supply room employee who



had been there for years but was on vacation that week. You

made a note to add her to your networking list and then asked

about the vendors who provided the materials to the supply

room. You asked if there were any problems or issues with those

vendors and the employees made some comments about late

payment and the fact that some of the delivery people would not

put their products on the supply room shelves. That caused

frequent delays in stocking. You made note of that issue and the

names of the vendors involved and added them to your

stakeholder list. At the end of the session, you asked about other

departments in the organization that they worked with and they

mentioned the purchasing department and accounting. You got

the names of the individuals with whom they worked and added

them to the stakeholder list. After you finished your coffee, you went down to the file room

and looked at the project archives. You found two other projects

that involved the file room and glanced through that

stakeholder documentation to see who was involved. You found

the name of an IT business analyst who had done some work for

the purchasing and inventory management system and added

that person to your stakeholder list. The following morning you began your initial stakeholder

interviews. You would not only gather information about their

potential requirements and expectations for the project, you

would begin the process of managing their expectations by

asking them what they expected from the project and

immediately correcting any misunderstandings. You knew how

critical it was to align the stakeholders’ expectations with the

actual scope of the project. You also would keep your eyes open

for potential contributions each of these people could make to

the project. You wanted to involve some of them in activities like

scheduling and risk management because that kind of

involvement would build their support. This was a small project so you completed your stakeholder

interviews after talking to eight people. You still documented

those people in your stakeholder register and made notes about

their expectations, potential involvement and issues. You would

add to the register as you moved through the process groups of

the project.

Inputs to this Process

The business case and statement of work produced

earlier as well as the charter we are also

developing in Initiating are a good launching point

for identifying stakeholders including: the project

sponsor, team members, client/customer, users,

specific departments within the organization and

outside organizations/groups that may be affected

by the project. The organization’s project archives, particularly

from similar projects, can be an excellent source of

stakeholder information. If the project involves any procurement for goods

and services, procurement documents from

previous projects can help us identify

stakeholders. We take into account our organizational hierarchy

and any company politics relevant for stakeholder

identification. We also use stakeholder registers

and lessons learned from previous projects.



Tools & Techniques

We use interviewing and brainstorming with the

involved people using their expert judgment to

identify individuals who will be affected by the

project. The outreach for stakeholders may also

include networking with employees. We use stakeholder analysis to gather information

about the identified stakeholders. We want to

gather information about each stakeholder’s

position, job title, rank, skills/knowledge the

project may utilize as well as their requirements and needs from the project. Last, we want to

assess their attitude about the project (positive or

negative) and the level of power or influence they

can exert. We may have meetings with the project sponsor,

executives, team members and other identified

stakeholders to help us identify all the

stakeholders.

Outputs from this Process

We produce the stakeholder register, which lists

the stakeholders by name, their project role, project requirements -achievements, perceived

expectations, their impact/influence on the project

and whether or not they support the project.

3 Project Examples of Identify Stakeholders

PMI® places great emphasis on identifying stakeholders so that we include all the important people affected by the project and gather their project requirements early on, rather than after the project has started. In the three Examples you’ll read about, you can see how we modify our stakeholder identification depending on the size and formality of the project.

Small Project Example: Identify Stakeholders

Chris Pimbock, the project manager, works for Royster Corporation in the Customer Service department managed by Tom Sterns, who directs 15 employees including Chris.

The salespeople triggered the project because

customers were complaining about service response

time. Tom Sterns responded by initiating the Trouble Report Improvement Project (TRIP). The statement of work and business case define success as responding more quickly to customer trouble reports.

Tom Sterns smiled and handed Chris Pimbock the signed business case saying, “Here you are, the Sales VP and I both approved it." Tom pointed to his PC where Outlook was open, "Who do we send it to?”

Chris stuck the signed business case onto his clipboard and said, “Well, we should send it to all the stakeholders.”

Tom responded, "Yes, I have all the employees in the department on the distribution list."



"I think we need to think of the stakeholders a bit more broadly," Chris said. "Stakeholders are the people who will be affected by the project and we identify them up front so we can get their requirements and manage their expectations. The company's customers are certainly affected by the project and I would imagine that the Sales department, who started this whole thing, is probably the most important stakeholder."

Tom said, "I don't want those people from Sales and

Marketing telling us how to run this project. They stick their noses into our business more than enough as it is. I’m going to send it to just the employees in our department."

Chris smiled and said, "You're the boss and the project sponsor so we'll do it your way. But ignoring other important stakeholders will really reduce our odds of being successful. It creates a situation where stakeholders and their

requirements can spring up just as we’re finishing the project. Then they’ll cost much more to address and make

us late in addition. Like it or not, Sales and Marketing started this project and their opinion of our work when the project is done will matter a lot. So why not involve them in the project now rather than letting them surprise us at the end with what they really wanted?"

Tom nodded slowly, "That makes good sense. And it would be just like those jerks to watch us do all this work to improve service and then tell us we didn't do what they wanted."

Chris smiled and said, "That's exactly why we identify the stakeholders early and then manage their expectations so we don't get those nasty surprises."

Tom said, "Okay I'm sold. How do we do this stakeholder identification?"

Chris thought for a moment, running through the stakeholder identification techniques in his mind. Then he thought about the scale of the project and the fact that Tom, the sponsor, was not familiar with the best practices in project management and had seen too many projects dragged down by unnecessary paperwork and meetings. Chris decided to move slowly; a little bit of stakeholder identification was appropriate for this small project and would pay big benefits. An elaborate stakeholder identification process would be overkill and might cause Tom to skip the whole process.

Chris said, "Well we always tailor our project management tasks to the size of the project and this is a small one. So why don't you and I do some stakeholder identification right now?”

Tom nodded agreement, "Clearly we have some stakeholders in Sales. I can make a call and get them to assign a representative; probably one of the salespeople."

Chris said, "That's a good idea but we also have other Sales stakeholders plus some in Marketing whose expectations we want to manage. And it's much better for us to manage those expectations than to hope that one salesperson assigned to the project will do the job for us. So let's go ahead and get somebody else involved but also identify the VP of Sales/Marketing and some of her directors as stakeholders. We'll get them engaged during our requirements gathering and also make them part of the

stakeholder and communications management plans."

Tom smiled, "That's exactly the way to play the game. I can't think of any other stakeholders besides the people here in the department and our customers who are clearly affected. But Sales and Marketing will never let us talk to the customers directly. That's their turf."



Chris nodded and said, "I'll make a note to add customers as a stakeholder group anyway. Maybe something will come up. We can always add additional stakeholders as they come to our attention but I think that's enough for the moment. I'll start the stakeholder register.”

Multi-department Project Example: Identify Stakeholders

McLaughlin Electronic Enterprises is experiencing a large volume of complaints from customers about their response time on customer trouble reports. 15 different functional units are engaged in handling these trouble reports for different types of customers and different product lines.

Terry Evans, the project manager for this multi-

department project, is from Engineering and just earned her PMP®. Terry is concerned about managing the Trouble Report Improvement Project

(TRIP) across all of these departmental boundaries. The VP of Sales, Gwendolyn Stiles, is the project

sponsor and she drove the project through the approval process based on the cost of lost customers.

The company has over 5,000 employees and this

project will include systems development, construction of new office facilities, training of

employees and procurement of computer hardware and other equipment.

The project will utilize resources from 15 different

departments and technical specialists from 4 support departments (Information Systems, Construction, Training and Development).

Terry didn’t mind working late and Gwendolyn Stiles, the VP of Sales/Marketing and project sponsor, requested the meeting. But it did seem odd to meet at 8:30 at night and for the sponsor to request that she bring a pepperoni pizza. Terry found the right room in the deserted conference center, knocked and went in juggling the pizza box and her iPad.

Gwendolyn Stiles looked up from the papers in front of her and said, "Welcome! I know this is a bit unusual but the way we do projects in Marketing is to keep a tight lid on things. That way the competition doesn't find out about what new products we’re offering or our other marketing initiatives. I want to do this project exactly the same way without any interfering outsiders. That's why we’ll meet later at night. I hope you don't mind….Oh and this,” she pointed to a young woman sitting at the table, “is Audrey, my assistant."

Terry set the pizza and paper plates down on the table and smiled at Audrey. "It's not my choice to work evenings but I

certainly can accommodate your schedule. I'm a little concerned, however, about keeping the project secret from other departments whose cooperation we need."

Gwendolyn replied with a wave of her hand, “Well it’s not secret from top management but I don’t want to have people from other departments involved in planning this thing. All they'll do is work their own agendas and slow us down. We need to move fast!"

Terry helped herself to a slice of pizza and said, "I know it sounds like it would slow things down to engage our stakeholders but it actually speeds things up. These stakeholders are the people we need to support the project across the organization and the managers and directors are

the people we need to make changes in their departments’ operations. They clearly have a stake in this project and we need their active and enthusiastic support. Getting people to make changes in their work habits is always difficult and it will be even harder if we don't let the stakeholders



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participate in the planning and delivery of the project. In a very real sense we need to ‘sell’ the project to these stakeholders."

Audrey asked, "Exactly who are the stakeholders?"

Terry answered, "Anyone who is affected by the project or who can affect it. As I said, were going to be asking a very large number of departments to change their operations if

we're going to improve trouble-ticket turnaround time. The

managers and the employees in each of those departments who have to change their work procedures are all important

stakeholders because if they don't do things differently this project will fail. Other departments will have to lend us people to do the work of this project. If they don't

cooperate in making people from their departments available, this project is going to fail. So stakeholders are very influential and some of them are in very powerful positions. There are other departments and even outside firms who will supply resources this project needs and they’re stakeholders as well, with perhaps a little less influence and power over our success.”

Gwendolyn smiled and said, "You're basically looking at the stakeholders as if they were customers and segmenting the market."

Teri nodded agreement and said, "Good project managers tailor the procedures they use to fit the needs of each project. On this project, I think a fairly detailed segmentation of our stakeholders is warranted.

We’ll identify the stakeholders and also make an initial assessment of their interests in terms of what they want to get out of the project, their expectations for what it will do for the company and to their area of responsibility, their ability to influence the project and their requirements from the project.”

Gwendolyn slapped the conference table and said, "That makes sense. Let's do it!"

50 minutes later, Terry had the first two stakeholders entered into the initial stakeholder register and they stopped

to finish the pizza.

Between bites Terry said, "This is the way we’ll continue to identify stakeholders and you can see how we’re also laying

out the start of our stakeholder management strategy. I think the key to that strategy will be identifying people who have a lot of influence and engaging them in the project. Those people whose departments will be significantly affected by the project in terms of the changes, should have significant roles in the planning of the project. Less influential stakeholders may not be offered those decision- making roles but we certainly will communicate with them regularly so they're aware of what's going on in the project and how they can help.



Gwendolyn nodded and said, "I agree the people who have the most influence over the project’s success need to be engaged initially in the project. And we need to keep them informed and maybe even ‘take their temperature,’ you know, find out how they're feeling about the project on a regular basis. We don’t want to be taken by surprise by the people who have a problem or an issue. That's exactly how we deal with our important customers.”

Terry was typing into her iPad and when she finished, she looked up and said, "I'll lay out those elements of our stakeholder management strategy and we’ll reflect that strategy in both our requirements gathering and in our stakeholder and communications plans for the project."

Customer/Client Project Example: Identify Stakeholders

Globetrotter International Enterprises is experiencing problems on its response time to customer trouble reports in all 15 countries in which they operate.

This company hired Preston McCarthy, an external

consultant, to manage the project. Preston’s firm, McCarthy and Associates, is providing both technical expertise and project management services for Globetrotter.

Mr. Fuller, the president of Globetrotter Enterprises,

waved Preston McCarthy to a seat across the desk, saying, “We made a big point about the stakeholders and about how our profit centers operate independently. In the business case, we stressed the difficulty in getting the various functional areas to cooperate. Now, I’d like to know how the hell

you’re going to get this cantankerous management team of mine to cooperate across functional lines. Oh they talk about how we’re a matrix organization but that’s usually when they want some other

division to do something for them. Truth be told, we are as functional as hell…they operate like feudal lords and ladies ruling their own little kingdoms. So how are you going to get them to cooperate?”

Preston uncapped his Mont Blanc fountain pen and thought for a moment. The question was not a surprise but he realized that Mr. Fuller was concerned about this issue and probably not comfortable going ahead with the contract until he got an answer about this organizational question. Preston said, "Without a doubt, stakeholder support and participation is the biggest risk in the project. What we’re going to do is a thorough job of stakeholder identification and management. It is already obvious that the functional managers are going to require special handling and a big investment in time.

Mr. Fuller scowled and retorted, "And then you’re gonna come running to me to make them do what you want?"

Preston laughed and shook his head, "No, for your functional managers, we will conduct a personal face-to-face interview to explain the project to each of them individually. We’ll get an initial reaction so that we can assess their interests,

requirements and level of support. I know there are almost 35 of them but I want to make that initial personal assessment and then plot them in terms of their power, influence and potential impact on the project. Later we're going to put together a strategy for each of them individually which is going to lead to a round of ‘horse

trading’ based on each individual's hot button issues or requirements. I want them to own the project. We'll do this early in project planning and tailor the project plan to fit the agreement we've made with each of them. They'll each get something they value in exchange for making the changes we need in their operations so we can improve the overall trouble report performance. Obviously, I’ll get your

approval on each of the written deals we make which will detail their accountability.”

`

121 Learn Construction Project Management Basics

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Course Summary

Detailed Syllabus

Lecture Sample

Textbook Sample

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Join the Construction Project Management Profession

The Essentials of Construction Project Management course is designed for people who want to learn the basics to successfully manage small to medium-sized construction projects. You don’t need any prior project management experience. You’ll learn skills to launch your construction project manager career and increase your salary.

How the Course Works In this instructor-led online course, you will study with world-class materials and master practical skills, not academic theories. You’ll read your e-textbook that describes all the tools and techniques and shows you examples of how to use them. You’ll watch high definition lecture videos and then practice on a construction project case study so you become confident in using what you are learning. You will also master project management software tools and get templates you can use for your projects at work.

You begin the course whenever you wish and study from anywhere in the world. You set your own pace and schedule. You may take up to one year from enrollment to complete the course.

Work with Your Instructor Through the entire Essentials of Construction Project Management course, you will work individually with your PMP-certified instructor over the Internet, by telephone and in video conferences. You have the option of giving presentations in online video simulations. They are just you and your instructor so you can practice your communication and presentation skills. Your instructor will send you a video of your session with their comments and suggestions for improving your skills.

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Master the Skills to:

Create and Present a Plan

Build a Schedule in MS Project

Make Clear Assignments

Practice interacting with the owner

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Track and Report Progress

Spot and Solve Problems

Give Persuasive Presentations

Answer Questions Effectively

DEVELOP PM SKILLS PRACTICE IN SIMULATIONS You will work on a construction project case study and practice every tool and technique. The assignments

PERSONAL INSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS You study whenever you

include running a planning meeting with the project owner/boss, gathering requirements, creating a work breakdown structure, developing a schedule, making assignments to the crews, tracking and reporting progress and presenting a status report with suggestions for corrective action.

E NH ANCE YO UR COM M UNICAT IO NS

Effective communication is a key skill for every successful construction project manager. If your presentations are not persuasive and professionally delivered, your credibility as a project manager suffers. Three assignments in the Essentials of Construction Project Management course include preparing a presentation that you may deliver in our live online conference center, if you wish. It’s a private session, just you and your instructor, and you get feedback and coaching on your presentation techniques and assignment content. These optional sessions are filmed and you’ll receive a video of your presentation so you can review your instructor’s comments about your body language, eye contact, gestures, use of visual aids, etc.

want. Your instructor is available by phone or email if

you have questions about using a tool or technique. They give you written

feedback on all your case study assignments. You may

also practice these techniques in live, online meetings. Your instructor

plays the role of the project owner or boss and asks you

the kind of questions they ask project managers.

You get templates to use in your “real” construction

projects. And your instructor will give you 1 year of ongoing coaching & advice

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Learning the Basic Tools and Techniques of

Construction Project Management

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2

Learning Objectives 2

Course Process: 3

Learning Materials 3

LECTURE NOTES

TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5

1 – Scope Definition 5

2 – Requirements 11

3 – Project Charter 17

4 - Charter Presentation 19

5 - Work Breakdown 19

6 – Predecessors 19

7 – Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25

9 – Team Conflict 26

10 – Tracking & Status 26

11 – Final Exam 27

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Getting Started Our fax number is (303) 845-9145.

Our e-mail is

[email protected]

When we receive your signed license

agreement, we’ll send your

username and password so you can

access all the material on the course

website, including lectures,

supplemental reading and the

student library with hundreds of

articles, videos and graphics.

Course requirements

✦The free Adobe Flash Player

version 10 or later.

✦The free Adobe Reader 9.2 or

later.

✦Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers

for the course template.

✦Microsoft Project or Gantter, a free

web-based project management

software. We will set you up with

access to Gantter if you do not

have Microsoft Project.

✦Microsoft Power Point or Apple

Keynote for your live presentations.

✦You will also need a web camera

for your live presentations.

✦The following textbooks are also

required for your course:

✦Essentials of Construction Project

Management, by Dick Billows, PMP,

GCA, electronic book (e-book,

included with course)

✦Power Points! How to Design & Deliver

Presentations that Sizzle available on

www.amazon.com as an electronic

book (e-book).

Learning Objectives:

Working with your personal

instructor, you will learn all the steps

in the project lifecycle. We will

begin with planning and scheduling

and go all the way through

executing, tracking and status

reporting.

You'll practice each of these steps on

a project case study and receive

written feedback on your work.

Your instructor will ask you to

correct or improve any assignment

that is not at a professional level.

You can ask your instructor

questions whenever you wish via e-

mail or request a phone call. You

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will receive a response within 24

hours.

Course Process:

Each of the modules in the course

has a reading assignment in your

textbook(s), a lecture video on the

course website, and an assignment,

which you complete and send to

your instructor via e-mail. You will

also work with your instructor to

prepare presentations for the owner/boss.

You have completed your course

when you score 80% or higher on

the final exam. The course requires

approximately 30 hours of effort for

the reading, lectures, case study

assignments, and final exam. You

have one year from enrollment to

complete the course.

Grading Criteria:

To pass the course, you must earn a

grade of B or better on each of your

assignments and the one-hour final

exam. To earn Project

Management Institute (PMI) credits

for this course, your final exam must

be proctored. The proctor can be

your organizational superior, a

licensed professional attorney or

certified public accountant.

Learning Materials This textbook contains detailed

information on all the techniques

covered in the course from meeting

with project sponsors and team

members to building your project

schedule in MS Project®. You can

highlight text & write notes in the

textbook and in the lecture notes.

Use the “Sticky Note” and

“Highlight” tools in the latest

version of Adobe Reader.

Course Lectures-

Streaming Media

Each of the 10 modules has a

lecture by Dick Billows PMP, GCA

that is about 30 minutes long and

expands on the techniques you read

about in the textbook. Our server

constantly monitors your available

bandwidth and chooses from four

different versions of the course

lectures depending on your available

bandwidth. The high-definition

video requires the most bandwidth

and requires a connection at cable

TV speed or higher. The lowest

quality video requires the least

bandwidth and connection speeds

slightly faster than a dial-up Internet

connection.

Project Simulations &

Live Presentations

Some of the simulations are done

with email and can be done live over

the I n t e r n e t via web cam. These

optional live project simulations are

private, just you and your instructor.

In each of these simulations, you

will play the role of the project

manager and your

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7 – Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25




800-942-4323

Email your Instructor

Email Student Services

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instructor will play the sponsor and

stakeholders. You will use a web

camera in the live sessions to

record them. Your instructor w i l l

send you a copy with their

feedback on your speaking and

presentation techniques.

You will need to buy a web camera

if one is not built into your PC.

You will need an Ethernet or cable

company internet connection. You

will not be able to use the internet

connection provided by a cell phone

carrier such as Sprint or Verizon.

They will not deliver a quality

video, because these connections

are not continuous.

Project Manager in

Action Videos

These videos of a project manager

and team show you real-life

situations, the wrong way and the

right way for project managers to

interact with executives and their

team members.

Syllabus: Case Study

Assignments

It is best if you read the entire

Essentials textbook when you begin

the course. Then for each module

go back and re-read the indicated

section for each assignment.

Module 1 – Broadbrush

Plan: Scope Definition

✦Read to page 11, up to

“Technique #2 Requirements &

High-level Achievement Network”

in the Essentials of Project

Management e-book.

✦Watch the Module 1 lecture on

the course website (or from your

eBook)

✦Watch the video called “Vailcrest

Corporation Executives” to

familiarize yourself with the

organization and the people you

will work with and the people on

your team.

✦Watch the Project Manager in

Action video about scope

planning on the Breckenridge

Expansion project.

✦Read the Vailcrest Project

Simulation Part One below.

✦After reading the case study, use

Tab #1 “Project Scope” in your

course template to write your

notes on the key points about the

project the president wants you to

manage. Add notes about the

questions you need to ask Dan

Morton to define the scope and

major deliverables. Then send an

email to [email protected] with

your Excel template attached and

suggest a couple of days/times i f

you want to do a live meeting

with your instructor. The meeting

should take about 15 minutes.

✦Your instructor will send feedback

on your questions and accept one

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7 – Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



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of the times you proposed or

suggest another.

✦You will continue the earlier

discussion in the case study, and

ask Dan Morton your questions to

define the project scope and 4-5

major deliverables that lead to it.

Your instructor will respond to

your questions, playing the role of

Dan Morton. When Dan agrees to

the scope and the major

deliverables, the simulated

meeting is over. After the session,

your instructor will send you a

transcript and give you feedback

on how you did in the meeting.

Your final step is to enter the

scope and major deliverables into

your course template on Tab #1

“Project Scope.”

Vailcrest Simulation Part

One - New Customer You looked up the Vail ski

mountain and then hopped into the

slowly moving Vail gondola. You

were a little nervous about two

things: slipping as you jumped and

starting your new job as

construction project manager with

Vailcrest Corporation. As the gondola started its climb

from Vail village up to the top of

the 11,000-foot ski mountain and

the company headquarters, you

noticed the four other riders all

wore blue polo shirts with a yellow

“Vailcrest Lodge” logo. It was

going to be interesting to ride a

gondola to work every day.

Vailcrest offered surgical & medical

treatment for professional and

serious amateur athletes as well as

an elegant hotel with three

restaurants and a full spa. The staff

of 420 was composed of

physicians, therapists and exercise

technicians as well as hotel and

restaurant employees who catered

to the 320 guests the facility could

house each night. As the gondola crested the top of

the mountain, you glanced at your

watch and saw you would easily be

on time for your meeting with Dan

Morton, the President of Vailcrest

Corp. You'd met Dan during the

interview and were impressed that

one individual possessed such

strong skills. Dan was a former

Olympic skier who had founded

Vailcrest when his downhill racing

days were over. In the distance,

you spotted the elegant 4-story

lodge that occupied most of the

mountaintop. The company, you

had discovered, had a worldwide

reputation for athletic rehab and

resort vacation luxury. During the interview, Dan had

explained that the organization

repeatedly failed at its projects.

That was his reason for hiring you

as project manager. You’d

accepted the position with a big

increase in salary and were now

ready to get started at your new

job. It would let you use both your

project management and technical

skills. You walked into the main entrance

of the grey stone headquarters of

Vailcrest. The front desk

receptionist’s name tag read

“Joyce” and she had black hair, a

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7 – Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



Te chnical Support

http://www.4pm.com/



Main Page

deep tan and bulging muscles in her

legs and shoulders. She looked like

a downhill racer and a good one at

that. Joyce recognized you from

your previous visits, gave you your

ID badge and said, "Welcome on

board. I'm sure you remember

where Dan's office is.” She smiled

and then added, “Your meeting with

him starts in just a couple of

minutes.” You smiled a thank you and hurried

down the hall, turning into Dan's

office and hearing the pounding of

running feet. Dan Morton was on

his office treadmill, running at full-

speed. A superbly fit man with short

brown hair, the company president

was in his mid-40s and was a

picture-perfect example of lean

physical fitness. Red-faced and

sweating, Dan switched off the

treadmill and gasped, "I can’t tell

you how excited I am to have a

professional project manager

working with us. We’ll get more

done in the next six months than

we have in the last three years!” You nodded and Dan stepped off

the grey treadmill saying, “I want

you to get started immediately on

our new project and be done before

ski season. The project is a big one

and I want it done right! We are

going to turn around the whole

organization! That’s why I hired

you! The heart of the problem is

that service screw-ups are killing

us. Dr. Horst Buckholtz’s therapists

and physicians are late or no-shows

for patient appointments. Martha

Hobson’s people don’t have a table

or a private dining room ready

when a party of 15 shows up for

dinner. Martha’s hotel people often

have to tell guests trying to check in

that we lost their reservation and

have no rooms for them.” Dan shook his head sadly,

“Everybody points fingers at other

departments and complains how we

have outgrown our facility, systems

and processes. They’re right; we

have grown too fast. But I don’t

want everybody going off on their

own to fix things. I want an

integrated effort, where we do what

we have to do to fix the problems

and no more. I’ve been keeping

track and last week we averaged 61

screw-ups a day, which is awful if

you have 5,000 guests but we only

had 300. The clinic averaged 19

screw-ups a day, the hotel and the

restaurant had 42. So 1 out of 6

guests had a screw-up each day! I

spend most of my days apologizing.

Every division has to improve, the

problem is not just the Reservations

Department or the outdated facility

or the systems. Sure, everyone

needs to know what reservations

we have and the data has to be up

to date and accurate. Now the data

is often incomplete and days old.

But even with better reservation

data, Martha and Horst have to

improve their scheduling, facilities

and equipment to meet those

reservations. Some departments

need more office space or additional

treatment rooms and most need

new systems to get better. I know construction is your area. I

want you to run the whole project,

not just build stuff. Hire experts in

the areas you don’t know. You

manage it all and the pieces need to

fit together. On the facilities side of

things, we don’t have a proper

computer room for our hardware

and the reservations people work in

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5





5- Work Breakdown 19

6– Predecessors 19

7– Resources 20

8– Optimizing 25

9– Team Conflict 26



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what used to be a storage shed.

Their space is so crowded it’s no

wonder they can’t do a good job.

On top of that, the gondola noise is

so loud they can’t hear people on

the phone trying to reserve rooms.

That all has to be remodeled.

Dan turned away, staring out the

window and said, “I’ve scheduled

meetings for you with each of our

executives tomorrow morning so

you can get started fast! I want this

finished in two months at the very

latest. Will that be a problem? Can

you give me a personal

commitment that it will be fixed by

then?” You frowned at the idea of

committing at this point and Dan

nodded acknowledgement and said

with a smile, “Think about all this. I

had an appointment 5 minutes ago

so I have to go. We’ll talk some

more in an hour but I want to hold

each of the VPs accountable for

improvements in their areas.” You nodded and said, “As you said,

some of this is outside my area.” Dan quickly dried his hair and said,

“I know you can’t be the technical

expert on everything. Remember, I

hired you to manage people and

contractors and drive the project;

not do all the work. I want you to

plan and track progress on an

integrated effort. Manage the stuff

in your area and hire people to do

the rest along with our people.” Then he hurried out and you sat

right there and reviewed your notes

on all that Dan had said. Next, you

wrote out the questions you needed

to ask when you got back together.

Send your meeting notes with

questions for Dan in the course

template to your instructor with

suggestions for a couple of meeting

times. Module 2 – Requirements

Gathering

✦Read through page 15 in the


e-book.

✦Watch the lecture on module 2 on

the course website.


Action video about gathering

requirements for the Breckenridge

Project.

✦Read part 2 of the Vailcrest

Project Simulation below.

✦Watch the Vailcrest Executives’

Deliverables Discussion video.

Then ask any questions you wish of

these Vailcrest executives via e-

mail to [email protected].

✦Using the information you receive

back from the executives,

decompose each high level

deliverable from assignment #1

into 3-4 supporting achievements

in your Excel template on tab #2,

“Deliverable.” Send the template

to your instructor for feedback and

coaching.

Vailcrest Simulation Part

2 Senior Management With the project scope and HLDs

approved by Dan, you launched into

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7 – Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



Te chnical Support

http://www.4pm.com/




Main Page

a series of meetings Dan had

arranged with the executives. You

began by meeting Linda Talmer,

the VP of Marketing, in her office.

She was a tall blond woman who

was talking on the phone as you

entered her office. She smiled and

held up two fingers an inch apart to

let you know the call would end

soon. As you waited, you noted

the shelf full of tennis and

basketball trophies on a small side

table. Linda, it seemed, was an

accomplished athlete.

Linda hung up and said, “Hi, I

remember you from your interview.

And now you are going to fix my

reservations and scheduling mess.

Great, it can’t happen too soon for

me. I have been after Dan for

months to give us the right tools.”

She smiled at a young black-haired

woman who entered and sat down,

“Oh good, here’s Wren. She keeps

the company's reservation system

going, writes new patches for it

plus creates a ton of customized

reports for each department. She

uses a lot of outside system

contractors.”

You smiled and nodded at Wren

and then explained the project’s

Scope and high-level deliverables

including the specific major

deliverables that Dan would hold

Linda accountable for delivering.

Then you asked Wren about the

reservations system.

Wren grimaced and answered, “I

built the reservation system years

ago when we had 20 rooms. It

was my first system, right out of

school, and it needed to be

replaced years ago. I spend 35

hours a week on special reports for

the VPs, so, we’ll have to hire

outside contractors to make

changes to the reservation system.

I already have in mind three to four

contractors we should use. But we

need to start over, no more

patches to the old system. The

foundation is rotten. I know, I built

it. No, we need to design it, get

buy in and then build it and test it.”

Linda smiled and said, “I assume

you’ll want Wren to plan and direct

that work. She knows what we

need and the details of our

reservation challenges better than

anyone.”

You made a few more notes and

asked, "So what else do we need to

do to deliver the performance level

we need from the reservation

system? The other departments’

performance is dependent on that."

Linda grimaced with a nod, "Yes,

we need a new system built from

scratch like Wren said. And we

must move the reservations people

out of that filthy crowded hole in

the wall where they have to work.

It is awful. It’s so noisy you can’t

hear yourself think in there.”

Linda looked over at Wren who was

gazing off into the distance and

asked, “What are you thinking?”

Wren smiled, “We could never do it

with the current system but why

not build the new reservation

system so the reservations staff

could work from home? That saves

a lot of remodeling and a lot of

money. The staff would love it;

they talk about it all the time.”

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5




4- Charter Presentation 19



7– Resources 20

8– Optimizing 25




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You added that to your notes,

smiled and said, “Great idea, let’s

think it through. And, Linda, I

think Wren would be great to drive

the new reservation system part of

the project. Maybe we can get all

the VPs to back off on special

reports for a while.”

Dan stuck his head into Linda’s

office, smiled at everyone and

said, "Linda! Are you ready to talk

about the hyperbaric program and

physician referrals?” Linda nodded, turned to face you

and said, “With all the talk about

cutting screw-ups, we looked into

it and found that we have 10

patients a week whose physicians

assumed we offer hyperbaric

treatments when we don’t. So they

either cancel or get here and are

furious with us and the physician

who referred them. It is a problem

we have to fix because I don’t

want to do a mailing on services

we don’t offer. She asked Dan, “Is Horst on board

with this new program?” Dan glared a warning at Linda and

then said, “Almost.” Then Dan

looked at you, “This really should

be part of the big project. It is

another screw up we need to fix. I

want to reduce our complaints

about treatments we don’t offer to

1 a week. Can you add it to the

project plan?” You smiled at how quickly Dan had

learned the measured deliverable

approach and asked, “Linda what

do we need to deliver that

achievement?”

Linda answered, “Horst can tell

you about the range of treatments,

staff and equipment we need. But

I think the way to sell it is with a

web site that details our services

and lets them make a reservation.

That way we can get the 15

bookings we need and cut the

complaints. We need a high rank

in Google to generate a few

hundred visitors to the web site

and we’ll be able to get our sales.”

You nodded and added to your

notes then said, “Thank you. I

have a pretty good understanding

now and it’s just about time for my

meeting with Dr. Buckholtz.” Linda rolled hers eyes and said,

“That will be interesting.” Wren

tried to hide a grin. As you walked

out you heard all three of them

snickering. You went down the hall to your

next session with Dr. Horst

Buckholtz, MD, the VP of Sports

Medicine and Rehabilitation. When

you walked into Horst's office, he

was lying on his back stretching his

left hamstring. The tall physician lay on a black

mat that ran under his window

overlooking the busy treatment

facility. Even while stretching, he

kept an eye on what was going on

below. White-coated therapists and

physicians escorted patients in

blue medical smocks from

treatment room to treatment

room. Large silver machines, CAT

scanners and MRIs lined the outer

wall. Horst nodded and grunted in

your direction but continued his

stretching exercises. Suddenly he

spotted a problem, jumped to his

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7– Resources 20

8– Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



Te chnical Support

http://www.4pm.com/



Main Page

feet and rapped his large ring

against the window, pointing at a

patient at the far end. Several

people sprang into action and

Horst turned to you. He was a tall

slender man with enormously

thick and powerful hands.

He took a big step in your

direction, extended one enormous

hand to you, and said in heavily

accented English, "This project will

do much to build our reputation in

the medical community. I see us

offering diagnostic phone calls

with our physicians and therapists.

We’ll have internet sites where

patients, anywhere in the world,

can call or log on and describe

their problems, symptoms and

goals. With that information, we

can develop complete treatment

programs for the patient’s visit

down to each therapy, exercise,

and conditioning program. No one

offers a service like that because

no one has the skilled physicians

and therapists we do. People

come here because of the quality

of our rehabilitation and

conditioning treatments. That has

to be the emphasis when they

plan their stay with us. They will

be happy because we cure their

injuries and start them on a

healthy life.” You smiled and explained the

project and the high-level

achievement that Dan had

assigned to Horst. Horst listened

politely and said, “Yah, yah, yah,

Lucien takes care of those details.

Horst rapped on the big window

again with his ring and beckoned

someone to come up. Seconds,

later a younger man joined you.

Horst introduced him as Dr. Lucien

Smyth. You asked them both what

they needed to deliver the

performance level Dan had

specified. Horst shook his head and laughed,

“Everything must revolve around

the therapy and the treatments

we provide; that’s why people

come here. I suppose we could do

a little better job telling the

schedulers when the physicians

and therapists are available and

when they are off, but sometimes

those reservations people are very

difficult. They are always trying to

go around me and assign my

therapists work. Only I do that!” An alarm bell went off and Horst

said, “Oops, I have a patient

waiting so we will have to continue

this later." Horst rushed past you

and out the door. Lucien waved you back to your

seat and said, “He’ll dump this in

my lap anyway, so let’s continue.

We need better and more timely

data from reservations. When I

look at our appointment screw-

ups, as Dan so elegantly describes

them, half are due to us not

knowing that a patient had made

a reservation. A third come from

the reservations people scheduling

more treatments than we have

people and equipment to deliver.

The rest were our fault for sloppy

scheduling. So we need

appointment data that is updated

continuously and the reservations

system needs to schedule within

our capacity to deliver. We need

lots of two-way communication to

hit that performance level Dan

wants and the system should

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5



3– Project Charter 17




7– Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25




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Te chnical Support

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schedule our rooms, equipment

and people.” You looked at Lucien with a

question on your face. Lucien laughed, “Sure, Horst will

scream bloody murder if you try to

take scheduling away from us but

we should let the system do it ,not

continue with Horst’s yellow pad

schedule. I am sure you can

convince him.” You laughed and joked, “Thanks for

your help.” Lucien laughed back, “You make

the case for it and I will work

behind the scenes to convince him.

I’ll also help you with all the other

therapies, on top of hyperbaric,

that he want to add.”

Lucien went on, “I also think we

need a web site for online

reservations. It is ridiculous that

patients or physicians have to call

us rather than make their

reservations on the web. As long

as we are doing a new reservation

system, let’s add a web interface

and let web reservations be

merged with phone reservations.

It would be good for marketing

too.” You nodded and asked, “Why is this

website necessary for the clinic to

deliver its achievement or for

Vailcrest to deliver the Scope?” Lucien thought for a moment and

said, “With a website we would

hear about new reservations 24/7

and have the data earlier than we

get it now from the reservations

system. Second, the website

would avoid people thinking we offer services we don’t offer and prevent them from making reservations for dates or time that

are fully booked.”

You added to your notes and thanked Lucien.

Your last meeting was with

Martha Hobson, the VP of Hotel &

Restaurant Operations. When you

arrived at Martha's office, she

greeted you with a serene smile on

her tanned face. She tucked a

tendril of dark hair into the bun on

the back of her head and motioned

you to a seat, ignoring the shouting

match that was going on between a

chef in a white uniform and tall

chef’s hat and a woman in a blue

dress with a scarf. You

remembered that she was Monica,

the hotel manager who worked for

Martha.

The chef yanked off his white chef’s

hat, threw it into a corner of

Martha's office, and yelled, "How

can I possibly be expected to

prepare lunch for 10 people when I

don't know they are coming until

they arrive? All I can serve them is

canned tuna! Monica, is it not a

mess?” "Pierre is quite correct," Monica

said to you and Martha in a crisp

voice. “For that same group of

guests, we are short two rooms

and have two very unhappy

company executives who had to

sleep elsewhere in Vail Valley. I

anticipate that the whole group will

leave today."

Martha rolled her eyes up to the

ceiling, gave you another weak

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7– Resources 20

8– Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



Te chnical Support

http://www.4pm.com/



Main Page

smile and said, "Pierre, Monica, this

is the project manager who's going

to fix our reservations problems.”

Martha held up her hands to end

the discussion and smiled calmly at

you, “We need to take control of

the reservations so our guests

don’t have to fight through all our

scheduling issues. I pray for a

situation where these problems

happen to 1 guest in 100 not 1 out of every 5.”

You smiled at her words and said,

“Funny, that is just the goal Dan

set. Tell me what you need to

deliver that level of performance?

Monica interrupted saying, “All the

hotel and restaurant managers

badly need new PCs with new

software and I think we should all

have cell phones for instant

communications and we need...”

Monica, looked at you and asked,

“You stopped writing?” You smiled and said, “What I need

are your requirements for

delivering the specific level of

performance Dan requires. I am

sure all the things you mentioned

are good ideas but are they really

necessary to reach the targeted

performance level? Monica said, “You bet there are!

We need those things! You nodded politely and asked,

“Please tell me why not having new

PCs will make it impossible to reach

the performance goal?” Monica said, “Well, I think...OK

they won’t prevent us from hitting

the goal. But we still need them.”

You nodded and smiled. Martha smiled tiredly and said,

“What we do need is current, up-

to-date reservation information for

lodging and meals. We’ll tell the

system how many waiters and

kitchen staff we have scheduled

and how many guests we can

serve. It will book the available

seats and the available rooms and

tell us when we need to bring in

more people.” You asked, “How accurate and

timely does the scheduling data

need to be?” Martha thought for a moment, “I

think we need real time data on

reservations. Whenever they add a

dinner reservation they send us

updated work load data so my

people can adjust the schedule.” You asked, “So you want to

continue to do your own schedule?” “Absolutely!”

You nodded and made a note.

Martha went on, “But the

reservations room has snowmaking

and gondola noise that is so loud

they can’t hear themselves think.

We need to stop the noise!” You nodded agreement and asked,

“How quiet does it need to be?” Martha laughed and said, “Good

question. We measured the noise

and it is between 90-125 decibels

during the daytime. That’s rock

concert level. They need it under

65 decibels.”

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7– Resources 20

8– Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



Te chnical Support

http://www.4pm.com/



Main Page

You nodded and smiled back at

Martha, and said, “Great answer. Is

that it for your requirements to

deliver the specified performance?”

Martha said with a sly smile, “Yes,

unless you give Horst something

we forgot to ask for.” You laughed again and headed

back to your cubicle to assemble all

the requirements information into

your achievement network for the

whole project. Module 3 – Project

Charter

◆ Read through page 18 in the


e-book.

◆ Watch the Module 3 lecture on

the course website.

✦Watch the Project Manager

in Action video to see how the

project manager handled the

charter.

✦Read Part 3 of the Vailcrest

Case Study below.

✦Develop your charter in the

course template on tab #3

“Charter” and send it to your

instructor for feedback.

Vailcrest Case Study Part

3 Charter

As you walked past Dan’s office, he

rose and beckoned you in, "Can

you stay a moment? I have a

couple of concerns about the

achievement network and the

summary of how things are going.

We're really counting on Wren to

do a lot of important work on this

project, aren't we? You agreed saying, "The

reservation system has to be

modified and the website has to be

changed. While Wren can't do all

of that, she's got to be involved

and contribute her knowledge of

the reservation issues."

Dan groaned, "Well, she was up

here this morning complaining

about all the work that Horst, Linda

and Martha give her. Heck, I count

on her to generate data for me

every day. She says it is like an

avalanche of requests and reports

that just keeps growing. She's

worried that she won't have the 4

hours a day to work on the project

that you want. She doesn’t want to

be the one who gets blamed if the

project fails." Horst burst into the room and

pointed an angry finger at your

face, saying, "I have just heard

about your plans from a trusted

source. I want to be sure that you

have no intention of interfering with

my authority over my therapists or

using my people on the project." "I wouldn't dream of interfering

with your management," you

answered. "But important project

achievements have to take place in

your clinic as in all the other

departments. We won't achieve the

business results we need if we

don't change the procedures and

the communication in all the areas

that use the reservation system."

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7 – Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



Technical Support

http://www.4pm.com/



Main Page

"But I decide what happens in my

department, not you!" With that,

Horst stormed out of the room.

You watched Horst leave and then

turned to Dan and said, “We need

an integrated effort to make

effective change in the

organization. I expect resistance to

operating process changes

including the central scheduling of

staff from the VPs. I also need

people from each of the

departments to work on the team

and take assignments from me.

Plus, we will have to hire

contractors in the systems and

construction areas. Those will all

be issues I will address in the

charter meeting.”

Dan nodded and smiled at you,

saying, "Good thing I’m going on

that month-long trip up the

Amazon...just kidding. Use Wren,

Lucien and Monica and those

contractors you mentioned.” Module 4 - Charter

Presentation

✦Read chapters 1-7 in Power

Points! book.

✦Watch the Module 4 lecture

on the course website.

✦Prepare your PowerPoint or

Keynote slides for the charter

presentation.

✦Send the presentation to your

instructor and suggest 2-3 days/

times if you want to do a live

online presentation. Your

instructor will either agree to one

of your times

or propose another. The project

simulation should take

approximately 20 minutes.

✦Your goal in this assignment is to

secure the stakeholders’ approval

of the charter and approval to

proceed with detailed scheduling.

Your instructor will play the role

of the stakeholders, asking you

questions and challenging you. If

you do a l ive simulation, your

instructor will send you feedback

on your presentation techniques

and the way you conducted the

meeting. You will also get a link to

view the video of your

presentation and the Q&A session.

Module 5 - The Work

Breakdown Structure



e-book.



✦Watch the Microsoft Project

software video. There are two

versions of the software videos.

One version of the lectures is for

people using Project 2010 and the

other is for people using earlier

versions of Microsoft Project. The

material covered is the same but

the steps in the software are

different.

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7 – Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



Technical Support

http://www.4pm.com/



Main Page

Copy and paste your WBS from

the template tab #3 “Charter” into

MS Project or Gantter. Further

decompose the deliverables if

necessary. Send the Microsoft

Project or Gantter file as an e-mail

attachment to your instructor for

feedback.

Module 6 – Predecessor

Relationships


Essentials of Project

Management e-book.



✦Watch the Project software

video on adding predecessor

relationships to the schedule on

the course website.

✦Using your approved WBS, link

the achievements (tasks) with

predecessors. After you have put

in the predecessors, check the

network diagram for danglers.

Send your instructor the resulting

Project file for review and

feedback. With your feedback,

your instructor will send you a

Project file for you to use on the

next assignment.

Module 7 – Resources &

Estimating Process



Management e-book.


on estimating and resource

assignments on the course

website.

✦Watch the project software

video on setting up resources.

✦Read the Vailcrest Simulation #7

- Estimating below

✦Use the work and cost estimates

from the simulation below to

enter resource, work and cost

information into the MS Project

schedule your instructor sent you

at the end of the last module.

You will:

✦Set up your resources in the

Resource Sheet entering their

max. units, hourly rates and other

cost information for people and

materials.

✦Assign resources to tasks

and enter their availability

information.

✦Enter the 3-point estimating data

provided in the simulation into

the course Excel template and use

the calculated work estimates for

50% confidence in your Microsoft

Project schedule (We’ll use other

probabilities in Module 8).

✦Finally, before you send in the

schedule for review, you will need

to make some calendar

adjustments for company

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5


2– Requirements 11





7– Resources 20

8– Optimizing 25



11– Final Exam 27

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holidays. In the second week of

your project, Vailcrest is closed on

Friday for the Rocky Mountain

Festival and no one will work.

The Wednesday after that is a

half-day of work to recognize

Dan's Olympic gold medal in the

downhill.

Vailcrest Simulation 7-

Estimating

You walked into the Vailcrest

boardroom, surprised to see all the

project team members, all the vice

presidents, Dan Morton and a gray-

haired man in a three-piece suit

who you assumed was the

company lawyer. No wonder they

were all on time. Dan motioned you

to the head of the table and you

sat down in that seat and

welcomed everyone to the

estimating session. Everyone

looked at you in anticipation. You smiled and said, “Let’s start

with the work we have to do on the

new reservation system. Our 1st

achievement under that HLD is that

the VPs sign-off on the design and

acceptance criteria they will use to

evaluate the system when it is

built.”

Horst said, “Why do we have to

decide how we’ll judge it before we

have seen it in operation?”

You nodded and leaned forward

and said, “Because that’s how the

engineers will know what to build.” Horst grunted, thought for a

moment and nodded. Then he said,

“I think it will take 3 weeks.”

Martha said, “It would be my guess

that I will have to spend 20 hours

in meetings with my people to lay

out what we want. This is

important but I have other duties

so I think I would limit my time to

2 hours a day.”

You nodded your thanks to Martha

and said to the group, “That’s how

we need to estimate. We use

hours of work and your availability

to calculate duration. Will that

same estimate work for you

Horst?”

Horst nodded agreement and you

went on, “I have talked to some

prospective contractors and our

corporate counsel who will help on

the contract. We estimated that the

statement of work and the request

for proposal to send to them will

take about 60 hours of work and I

will work on it full-time so that will

be 2 weeks duration.” The gray-haired man at the back of

the room stood up and said, “I am

Joel Grayson, the corporate

attorney, and I estimate that it will

take us a week of negotiation to

get a signed contract.” You nodded your thanks to Mr.

Grayson and asked if that meant

40 hours of work? He agreed with a smile.

You said, “In talking to various

vendors who are interested in

proposing, I got some very rough

ballpark estimates that it would

take them 3 months time to

develop software that meets

general specifications. We’ll be

using a fixed price contract so we

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7– Resources 20

8– Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



Te chnical Support

http://www.4pm.com/



Main Page

don’t need to manage their hours,

just the developmental

checkpoints on the software. Now

the other thing that has to take

place during this time is to train

everybody on their part in the new

reservation process. Wren, you’re

going to be doing that. How

many hours of work will that

take?” Wren said nervously, “I can’t be

precise but I think it would take

me 40 hours to design the course

and probably another week to hold

classes and teach the course to

our people.” You smiled, nodded, and said, “Of

course you can’t start to develop

the training material until we know

how the process works so we’ll set

things up so you start when the

contractor has finished their

detailed design. We also need to

have a test of how well people

learned the new system. Can you

factor that in?” Wren did some quick figuring on a

note pad and said, “I can do that

as part of the 132 hours of course

design and teaching.” Lucien raised his hand and said,

“We will have to have a training

class for our clinic people on that

achievement about meeting 98%

of their scheduled assignments.

That will take some training.” You asked, “How many hours do

you need to develop the training

and deliver it?” Monica interrupted and said, “We

need the same training for our

hotel and restaurant people so we

might as well just develop 1

training program.” Wren said, “After we know how

the system will work, I think it

would be a matter of creating the

class and then conduct 10 or 12

sessions of 8 hours each with our

people. Say 132 hours total.” “You agree, Lucien?” you asked.

Lucien nodded and said, “That

sounds reasonable to me.” The meeting continued for another

2 hours and at the end, you had

work estimates and availability

numbers for the entire project. Module 8 – Optimizing

your Schedule



Management e-book.

✦Watch the Module 8

lecture video.

✦Watch Microsoft Project

software video on optimizing

your schedule using the critical

path.

✦Make a copy of your approved

project schedule from module #6

save the original.

✦Use the copy to model your

options. Develop the following

separate project schedules with:

◆ Modifications that will allow

you to finish the project two

weeks earlier than your

original schedule. Then

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7 – Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



Te chnical Support

http://www.4pm.com/



Main Page

model an option for 4 weeks

earlier the same way.

Document the changes you

make to achieve the shorter

durations in your Excel

template.

◆ Modifications that will cost

20% less than your approved

project from the previous

module and another for 40%

less. Document the changes

you make to achieve the

smaller budget.

✦-In your write up, offer Dan

options for a higher level of

certainty, using the 3-point

estimating data in your template.

✦Send your completed project

schedules and a brief write up of

the trade-offs you used to achieve

the alternative results to your

instructor for feedback and

coaching.

Module 9 – Team Conflict



e-book.




Action video of the project team

conflict.

✦In an e-mail or a Word

document attached to an e-mail,

write up

your analysis of the mistakes the

PM made in the conflict situation.

✦Then make recommendations

on how to achieve a better result.

Your instructor will send you

feedback on your assignment with

status reports for you to use in

your next assignment.

Module 10 – Tracking &

Status Report



e-book.

✦Read chapters 8-13 in

Power Points!


on the course website

✦Watch the Microsoft

Project software video on

tracking

✦Use the approved project

schedule you completed in

module 6 and the status data your

instructor sent you with your

feedback on module 9. Following

the process you learned in this

module;

✦Save the baseline.

✦Update your tasks with the

reported actual and remaining

work.

✦Update the schedule to move

uncompleted work to start on the

status date.

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7 – Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25




800-942-4323



Technical Support

http://www.4pm.com/



Main Page

Analyze what’s happened to the

project and document the project

status in the Excel template.

Describe what’s happened and the

results if you take no corrective

action. Then identify your

solutions and trade-offs to remedy

the situation.

✦Last, prepare a status report

presentation in PowerPoint, using

the information from your course

template. Also, paste a copy of

the tracking Gantt into a slide.

✦Send the Excel template,

PowerPoint and updated

schedule to your instructor for

feedback and coaching. If you

want to do a live status report

simulation, suggest 2 or 3

days/times. Your instructor will

either agree to 1 of your times or

propose another.

The project simulation should

take approximately 20 minutes.

In it, you will present your status

report and answer the

stakeholders’ questions about the

problems and the solutions you

have proposed. Your goal in this

a s s i g n m e n t n is to secure the

stakeholders’ approval to proceed

with your plan for corrective

action.

Module 11 – Final Exam

Hard as it is to believe, the course

is nearly over. What are left is

your final exam and the course

evaluation. The exam is open

book, open notes and your boss or

a licensed professional must

proctor it (lawyer, accountant,

doctor are fine, anyone who is not

a friend or relative).

Send us an e-mail with the date

and time you wish to take the final

(you will have one hour to

complete it). Good luck and thank

you for taking this course.

CONTENTS

Getting Started 2


Course Process: 3


TEXTBOOK LINK

SYLLABUS: 5







7 – Resources 20

8 – Optimizing 25


10– Tracking & Status 26


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Main Page

Project Workbook for

EESSSSEENNTTIIAALLSS OOFF CCOONNSSTTRRUUCCTTIIOONN

PPRROOJJEECCTT MMAANNAAGGEEMMEENNTT By Dick Billows, PMP, GCA

12th edition

©Copyright 2012 The Hampton Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without written permission 1

Main Page

Copyright 2012 by Richard A. Billows All rights reserved.

Published by The Hampton Group, Inc.

To order The Hampton Group, Inc.

3547 South Ivanhoe Street

Denver, Colorado 80237

303 756-4247

Credit Card orders 800 942 4323

Other Books Published by The Hampton Group, Inc:

Project Manager’s KnowledgeBase

Advanced Project Management Techniques

Managing Information Technology Projects

Managing Construction Projects

Managing Healthcare Projects

Program and Portfolio Management

Available at Amazon Kindle Books, Google Books, iTunes Books or at http://www.4pm.com

Microsoft is a registered trademark and Project and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Screen shots reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.

All other product names and services identified throughout this book are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. They are used

throughout this book in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies. No such uses, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey

endorsement or other affiliation with the book.

All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the

publisher.

ISBN:978-1-938561-02-3

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1


http://www.4pm.com/

Main Page

Table of Contents

OVERVIEW OF THE 5 STEP 4PM METHODOLOGY Technique #5 Decomposition of the Work Breakdown Structure

WBS & Our Deliverables 5-Step 4PM Process

Assignments & Micro-management Key Outputs from the 5-step Process

STEP ONE: BROADBRUSH PROJECT PLAN STEP THREE: DYNAMIC SCHEDULES

Technique # 6 Task Sequence

Top Down Project Planning

Our First Predecessor Technique #1 Scope & Measure of Success

Finish-to-Start Activity Trap

Finish-to-Finish Technique #2 Requirements & High-level Deliverable Network

Start-to-Start Completed Deliverable Network

Danglers in the Network Technique #3 Charter: Problem Avoidance

Network Diagram Charter Plan Approval

STEP TWO: WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE STEP FOUR: ASSIGNING PEOPLE TO TASKS

Technique #7: Clear Assignments & Estimates Technique #4 Using Project Software

First Assignment Start Date

Second Assignment Summary & Subtasks

Third Assignment Getting to Our Data Entry Screen

More on the Third Assignment The Task Entry Screen


Main Page

Adjusting the Time Scale

Milestones

Completed Gantt Chart

Scheduling and Calendars

Technique #8 Critical Path

Our Critical Path

Final Review & Approval

Technique #9 Team Leadership

Team Culture & Conflict

STEP FIVE: TRACKING RESULTS

Technique #10 Tracking Actuals vs. Baseline

Saving the Baseline

Status Reports

Entering Actual Results

Technique #11 Problem Solving and Reporting

Technique #12 Project Closing & Making the Next Project Easier


Main Page

Overview

OOvveerrvviieeww ooff tthhee 55 SStteepp 44PPMM MMeetthhooddoollooggyy I've titled this book "Essentials of Construction Project Management" and it's just that. We’re going

to take you through a five-step process for planning projects, developing a work breakdown structure, building a dynamic schedule, assigning people to tasks and tracking results.

There are things this book will not teach you. We won't deal with the statistics of risk or the

alternative ways to develop work estimates or the cost accounting required for project budgets. You'll

learn the essence of project management but not all of the detailed information in the Project

Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK™). I wrote this book for people running smaller projects with

most of the project team coming from their own organization.

You’ll also learn to use project management software in a very straightforward, simple way. This

book has many illustrations of applying this simple methodology in Microsoft Project®. Using project

management software with this simple methodology is a big time saver so we recommend that approach. Our objective is not to spend a lot of time in the software. I designed the methodology so you spend only

an hour or two developing the plan & schedule and then 10 or 15 minutes a week using the software to update it. You'll spend the rest of your time managing the project.

In sum, Essentials of Construction Project Management teaches you basic-level project management

tools and techniques. It’s appropriate for smaller projects and teams with a few people from different functional units. Our more advanced publications like Managing Information Technology Projects,

Managing Healthcare Projects, Managing Construction Projects and Advanced Project Management Techniques address managing larger, more complex projects.

55--SStteepp 44PPMM PPrroocceessss I list the 5 steps in the process on the chart on the next page along with the 12 best practices

techniques you will learn. We’re going to take you through a five-step process for planning projects,

developing a work breakdown structure, building a dynamic schedule, assigning people to tasks and tracking results.


Main Page

Planning Scope &

Requirements

Work Breakdown Structure

Predecessor Relationships

Team Building

People & Schedules

Implementation & Tracking

Project Closing

5-Step 4PM Process

As you move through those five steps, you'll learn 12 best practice techniques for delivering projects on time. You'll go through the process of working with the Customer and other interested parties who will be affected by your project (we’ll call them project stakeholders).

The 12 best practice techniques you'll learn are:

1. Definng the Project Scope As a Measured Business Result

2. Decomposing the Scope into a Deliverable Network

3. Avoiding Problems with the Project Charter

4. Using Project Software in 10 Minutes a Week

5. Decomposing Deliverables into a Work Breakdown

Structure

The Essentials of Project Management

6. Sequencing Your Tasks to Finish As Early As Possible

7. Making Clear Assignments to Your Project Team

8. Using the Critical Path to Optimize Your Schedule

Work Breakdown Structure

Predecessor

Project Closing

9. Leading a High-Performance Team

10. Using the Baseline to Spot Problems Early

11. Solving Problems and Reporting to the Customer

12. Closing Projects to Make the Next One Easier

Planning Scope &

Requirements

Relationships

Team Building

People & Schedules

Implementation & Tracking


Main Page

Overview

KKeeyy OOuuttppuuttss ffrroomm tthhee 55--sstteepp PPrroocceessss

Broadbrush Project Plan - 1½ page Document for Project Initiation

The Broadbrush Plan is a concise 1½-page plan that allows executives to make decisions and

exercise strategic control over projects and the business value they produce. It also provides them with hard-edged metrics for measuring performance and the quality of the deliverables.

Scope & High-Level Deliverable Network

This network of deliverables is the path from where we are now to where we want to be, which is

the scope of the project. Every entry in the network is a deliverable that you define with a metric. The metric tells everyone what you will produce and how you will define success.

Work Breakdown Structure Decomposition - Crystal-clear Accountability & Scope Control

Rather than creating mindless "to do" lists, project managers (PMs) craft work breakdown

structures by breaking down the scope into a high-level deliverable network of measurable results that become peoples' accountabilities. Every team member's assignment is in the form of a measurable

business outcome. The resulting WBS is compact so the PM can update it quickly. You will support each entry with a work package that makes the details clear so they miss nothing. The PM and the Customer

have unambiguous checkpoints to measure progress.

Dynamic Project Scheduling - Update Schedules in 10 Minutes a Week

PMs use dynamic project scheduling techniques that let them update plans in minutes each week

and quickly model alternatives to cut duration, lower budgets and adjust the business value a project

produces. These techniques give executives the hard data they need for decision-making and consideration of alternatives.

Status Reporting - Clear Checkpoints to Identify Problems Early

With weekly tracking, PMs and Customers have hard-edged checkpoints to measure progress. They

can anticipate problems and implement corrective action early, when it costs the least. PMs make concise status reports on projects and always offer alternatives for the Customer to consider.


Main Page

Step One: Broadbrush Project Plan

SStteepp OOnnee:: BBrrooaaddbbrruusshh PPrroojjeecctt PPllaann You will start your project management work by defining the scope of the project with the

Customer. That is, you’ll define the business objective the Customer wants the project to deliver. When you set about defining the scope during

project planning there are a number of traps Project Plan: Scope/Requirements

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to avoid. One trap is thinking about what

you have to do rather than the project’s end results. Thinking about the activities you

A C

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I “activity trap” with V Measured I Achievements T

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need to complete is much easier than thinking about the business outcome the

project should produce. This is the activity

trap where you focus on the details and ignore the project’s business purpose. In the

activity trap, a PM receives a project assignment, thinks about the first thing to do

and starts work, figuring to think about the next step when they come to it.

Sometimes, PMs cloak their descent

into the activity trap by writing a long and flowery mission statement for the project.

This does no harm unless it is a substitute for politely pushing the Customer to make the

hard “end result” decisions up front. You need to specify exactly what the project will deliver and what it

will not deliver. The Customer has to make this decision and tell you how he will judge the success of the project. Being that explicit at the beginning may cause some discussion and disagreement but it is far

better to work through those conflicts before you start work rather than discovering the success measures when you are almost done. Unfortunately, the activity trap snares so many PMs that it is one of the two

leading causes of project failure. The activity trap wastes resources and frustrates project team members with continuously changing assignments. The lure of the activity trap, that bottomless pit, has ruined

countless projects.


Main Page


TToopp DDoowwnn PPrroojjeecctt PPllaannnniinngg

You’ll avoid the activity trap with a 1-2 page document, called the Broadbrush plan, which covers

the big-picture decisions that are required before you can start your project. When the project Customer and stakeholders approve the Broadbrush plan, the Initiation phase of the project is complete. The key to

this process is to avoid those delicious technical details that quickly drag you into the "activity trap." Your focus during a Broadbrush planning process is to provide the Customer with the opportunity to make

decisions about the end results the project will produce. Your focus is on the measured business-relevant

outcomes not the details of how you will achieve them. You also want to secure the project executive’s decisions on the authority you'll need to manage the project team. You keep the document short and

high-level so you engage the executive’s attention. You can develop long formal plans later when the Customer has approved the strategy.

A Broadbrush project plan is never long but requires thought, decisions and agreement on three things:

Project Scope - an unambiguous measurement of the project's outcome. For example,

“Answer 90% of our customers’ inquiries in 120 seconds or less with no more than 5% callbacks on the same problem.”

A High-level Deliverable Network (HLD) - a hierarchical network of measured deliverables that leads to the scope.

Project Charter – a short narrative covering risks, assumptions, constraints, resource requirements, change control, and PM authority.

Collectively, these elements define our project scope, requirements and charter. Your organization may

also require other narrative documents but the elements above are critical for controlling projects and achieving success. They are the strategic foundation for a project.

TTeecchhnniiqquuee ##11 SSccooppee && MMeeaassuurree ooff SSuucccceessss


easure of Success

verifiable business outcome

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We need to drive projects from quantifiable scope definitions. Driving a project plan from the success measures keeps the focus where it should be; on achieving the end result. By working with the Customer

to define success before the project starts, the PM is in a much better position to control

the project.

Scope: M As an example, let's say the Director of

Human Resources for a medium sized

An objectively company, contacts you about doing a project. She says, “I know that this is not your

Clarity on what the sponsor wants specialty but you are the only project manager I know. I need your help. Our

Scope change control personnel records are so out-of-date that it

Clarifies what is included in the project takes me days to find out what department a person works in. On top of that, employees’

What is excluded because it’s not necessary

quarterly performance reviews are useless, if

Clear team performance expectations they get them at all. I want you to straighten out that whole mess so when a line manager

calls, we can find up-to-date employee

personnel records on the system and quickly give them the data they want. We may also

need some remodeling of our office to make all this work. And we want the employee reviews to give solid, detailed feedback on their performance.”

You finished writing some notes, wishing you could stick with your kind of project. Then the Customer

went on, “You can use anyone you want to get this done. This is a high priority. You'll probably have to

involve five or six people from our group, some line mangers and someone from Administration, IT, and Construction so you get a lot of good input. Decide on how to organize the files and what standards the

performance reviews should meet. A good place to start is probably by updating all the records. Then maybe you can draft a memo, for my signature, telling managers that they have to do performance

reviews on time and give their people useful feedback on their performance and developmental needs. You get the team put together and we will figure out the rest of the project from there."


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11 ©Copyright 2012 The Hampton Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without written permission


The Customer has given you a lot of information about this project and what you’re supposed to do. It would be very easy to start work on the files and draft that memo. However, all of the information is in the form of activities. The Customer hasn't told you what end result she wants. To succeed with this

project, we have to know how the Customer is going to measure the success of the project when you're done. That definition will give you a tool to control the scope of the project and decide what should, and

what should not, be included in the project work.

So, you have to ask the Customer some questions to get at the business purpose of the “laundry list” of changes that she talked about. You might start by asking, “After the files are up to date and

managers are doing thorough performance reviews on time for all the employees, what will that do for us?”

The Customer answers, “We’ll be on top of things!”

You sense the Customer is getting just a little bit angry at the questions but you press on because if you don’t find out what problem the Customer wants to solve and how they will measures success, you

have almost no chance of delivering it. So you continue.

“If I know exactly what end result you want, I can do a good job and give you exactly what you want. So let me ask this, three months after we finish this project, what will be different; what will you expect to see?”

“Okay,” the Customer sighs and then pauses for a moment to think. “Three months after the project’s done, I won’t have managers complaining to me that we don’t know what’s going on and how it

takes forever to get employee information from us.”

The Customer is talking about end results instead of activities so you know you’re on the right track.

Now you have to change these end results into metrics.

You ask, “So if I understand what you want, the employee records have to be current. How

current? Would five days be good enough?”

The Customer thinks for a moment and says, "No, we can do better than that. Let’s say the

personnel system is never more than 3 days behind.”

You make a note and then ask, “With the records current to within 3 days, how fast do we have to

answer a line manager’s questions about our people?”

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p: Project Death Spiral nly on what to do next…


“That’s a hard one,” the Customer says, frowning in thought. “Some complex data requests will take time- a day or two, others just a few seconds.”

“Well, how about we set the goal at 80% of the requests are answered in 10 minutes or less?’’

The Customer grins and says, “How about 95%?”

You smile back and say, “It will take a lot longer to get that close to perfection. What percentage are we answering within 10 minutes now?”

The Customer frowns again and says, “About 1%. Let’s go with 80%; that’ll be a great

improvement.”

What you’ve done in this planning session is to get agreement on the scope of the project. You now

have an unambiguous scope defined with a metric. You have quantified the Customer’s expectations for the project and you will use it to drive the planning process. . You’ve also given yourself a tool for

controlling changes to the scope of the project. When the Customer was talking about objectives like “straightening up the records” and “being on

top of things” it’s very hard to decide what is,

and what is not, a change in the scope. With

Activity Tra

We focusing o not the outcomes we want at the end

Activities are so easy to list, that we think are making progress

A sound project plan is not a list of attractive features or good ideas

a measurable deliverable to quantify your

scope, controlling scope creep is much easier.

AAccttiivviittyy TTrraapp You avoided the activity trap in the

discussion with the Customer, but it is such an obstacle to project success that we should

delve into it in a bit more detail. The deadly lure of the activity trap defeats many efforts

to clarify the scope of projects during initial planning. This initial planning phase is the

point at which a Project Manager (PM) and the Customer can easily fall into the activity

trap. The Customer usually has a few ideas about features and the first several steps for

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you to do and then says, “It’s time to get going on that project and start work immediately.” That “start fast and plan later” approach is a project killer.

Why? Everyone has a list of good ideas and activities that we can make in it a long "To Do" list. We can

hope that these activities improve performance and hope the result satisfies the Customer. But there's

entirely too much hoping going on here. In the activity trap, the project manager has no way to measure when the tasks are successfully completed. How does the PM decide what tasks to include or how much

time and resources to invest in each of them? Politics and power alone will determine what’s in the project and it will forever be a moving target.

The main problem is that none of the activities connects with a deliverable. Because the PM never asked the executive to define success, the PM is in a situation where the Customer will define success as

the project progresses or at its conclusion. Worse, the definition of success will be a moving target and people will change it to move the effort in directions they favor.

The project manager and the executives have fallen into the “activity trap.” They’ll add new

activities each week rather than driving the project plan toward the scope. They buried themselves in the minutia of tasks rather than focusing on the end result. They added tasks to the plan because they

sounded good or they had used them before. The project won't solve the business problem that triggered it.

TTeecchhnniiqquuee ##22 RReeqquuiirreemmeennttss && HHiigghh--lleevveell DDeelliivveerraabbllee NNeettwwoorrkk The scope is not the last measured deliverable we'll develop, but it is the most important and the

most difficult to conceive. With the Customer’s approval of the scope, the project manager can begin decomposing it into high-level deliverables that lead to the scope. The high-level deliverables are not

activities; they are also measured business results. You don't think about how you’re going to do the work, you simply identify the major measured results which will carry you from where you are now to

where you need to be; the project scope.

Let’s continue with our example and see how you need to handle the development of the high-level

deliverables for the personnel department project, using the scope the Customer has approved.

Sometimes, you’ll sit down and lay out the requirements for a project yourself. Other times, you’ll

involve the project team in the process. Let’s start by thinking it through, develop some requirements

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ideas and then show them to the team. To reach the project’s scope, “80% of the info requests answered in 10 minutes,” the Customer gave you a few ideas.

The records have to be current on personnel actions

Managers have to turn their quarterly performance reviews in on time

The performance reviews have to be thorough

HR staff has to know how to efficiently answer inquiries in the system.

With these ideas in mind, you might start talking to a number of other people, including line

managers, HR staff and the IT department, to flesh out the deliverables. Each of these discussions starts

with you acquainting everybody with the project scope. These discussions are another opportunity to dive headfirst into the activity trap and all those delicious ideas. You keep the conversations on track by

talking about end results. If people think the requirements make sense, then you work to convert them into measured deliverables.

Let’s take one of the requirements, “The performance reviews have to be thorough,” as an example. Now that is an activity and you’ll have to convert it into a measured deliverable. That’s your normal process.

You think through the activity and then convert it into a measured deliverable. You might talk to some managers and find that they don’t know what should be in a “thorough” performance review or how to do

it. This gives you some ideas. You talk to the Customer in Human Resources and get a list to 17 items that are required for a thorough employee performance review. Another requirement is to train the

managers on how to complete those 17 reviews. From this thinking, you might come up with an end

result like “95% of the quarterly reviews contain the 17 required items.” That’s your high-level deliverable, and to support it you’ll need sub-deliverables for developing and getting approval of the

standard. How do you measure that requirement? Maybe the management committee should approve the review standard. So you’ll assign a team member to develop the performance review standards and

that assignment will produce a measured business outcome of “Management committee approves 17 item performance review standard.”

You also need to train the managers in doing performance reviews that meet the standard. How do you measure training? You think through the purpose of the training, which is to increase the managers’

competency in doing employee performance reviews. Then you think about how you will assess the

training program you finish it. Last, you think about how you would measure if the training succeeded.


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You might decide that a test at the end of training is the best way to measure its effectiveness. That might lead to a deliverable of “90% of the managers score 80% or higher on a test of the performance review

standards.”

The thinking you’ve gone through is to gather ideas on your requirements then transform them into

measured deliverables. You think about the activity and how you will assess the assignment when the

team member finishes it. The criteria you will use in assessing the completed assignment becomes your measured deliverable. Conceiving measured deliverables is difficult for everybody because we are all so

accustomed to activity lists. But the thinking investment leads to everyone knowing what you expect of them before they start work.

The completed high-level deliverable network, with the deliverables subdivided, is below. This is a

very simple looking document, reflecting a great deal of thought. When the Customer approves this network, you can proceed with the rest of the plan.


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CCoommpplleetteedd DDeelliivveerraabbllee NNeettwwoorrkk

Requirements: High-Level Achievement Network

80% of the inquiries

answered in 10 minutes

95% of performance

reviews (PR) meet

standard

90% of Qtrly

reviews done by

due date

Personnel system

current to with 3

days

90% of HR staff

score 90 or above on

test of inquiries

Mgt. committee

approves PR

standards

Managers told of

missing reviews

within 24 hours of

due date

Missing items

identified in all

employees’

records

IT approves

system training

class curriculum

95% of managers

score 80% or

higher on PR test

HR grades PR

tests within 5 days

of submission

Manager’s boss

notified if review

missing after 48

hours

HR director calls

manager after 72

hours late

Managers

provide data for

90% of missing

items

100% of HR

actions in system

within 24 hours of

receipt

100% of HR staff

attend class

The graphic above shows the requirements for the project in deliverable network form. You’ll use this deliverable network as the backbone of your project plan after the Customer has approved it. There is

a blank copy in your homework template for your use.

With the scope and high-level deliverables defined, you can move on to the other components of

your charter.

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ns, Constraints & Risks

ment and avoidance


TTeecchhnniiqquuee ##33 CChhaarrtteerr:: PPrroobblleemm AAvvooiiddaannccee

The risk section of the Charter is the place to identify potential issues concerning resources and politics. Uncovering the assumptions underlying a deliverable requires some thought. Below are a few

risks for your project. Note that we've stayed at the business results level and avoided those pointless assumptions like, "everyone will do their task on time." Instead, we have focused on what can cause the

project to fail:

1. Notifications of missed review

Assumptio

Risk assess

Assumptions about customer or

employee behavior and reactions

Politics, conflict and messy turf issues

Covers only the “show-stoppers” that threaten the MOS™

dates from HR do not cause managers to

turn their reviews in on time.

2. Managers and their bosses don’t

do reviews that meet the approved standards.

That’s it. You may add another one or

two but the point here is to keep the list short so the risks to the project’s success

get the attention they deserve.

With the scope, a high-level network of

deliverables and risks, you can complete the plan by proposing to the Customer the

authorities you will need to manage the project.

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It’s time to do a little thinking on the resources you need and your authority to manage them. You’ll use your deliverable network for this and it shows the deliverables you’ll need from many other people. When you subdivide the high-level deliverables, you involve people from other organizational units who

will produce some of the deliverables.

Now not all the people who’ll be on the team

work for you. Many may have the same boss but

you don’t have any formal authority to assign them work or evaluate their performance. They all have

other jobs besides working on the project.

So your project charter aims at getting the

Customer to help you secure the resource and the

authority to manage them. You’ll want to avoid going to the Customer every time a team member’s

assignment is late. So you establish your authority now to avoid problems later.

You ask for the resources you need and the

authority to manage them during the planning process because your chances of getting some level

of authority are far better now than if you wait until you have a problem with a team member. So in the

charter you’ll ask for resources and authority. For a

trainer named Jill, you might say, “I need approximately 50 hours of Jill’s time during the next 60 days to develop and deliver the performance

review training. Please adjust her workload to make these hours available and tell her that I will be

assigning her work within that 50-hour block of time. Also, my evaluation of her work will be considered in her quarterly performance review.” You may not always get that authority but it’s worthwhile to ask for it.

Another part of the charter is your recommended procedure for controlling changes to the scope of

the project. This process should include documentation of the requested change, analysis of the impact on scope, time, cost and resources, which the Customer accept or rejects.

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ush Plan Approval

asure of Success


Broadbr

Scope – Me

Requirements – Achievement network

Charter

Assumptions, Constraints & Risks

Resources

Authorities

Change Control Mechanism

Approval lets us start scheduling

CChhaarrtteerr PPllaann AApppprroovvaall With the preceding elements of the plan

complete, you are ready for the first of your project presentations. At this first meeting,

you’re looking for the Customer to approve

your charter & strategy for the project. Some Customers want a detailed schedule

and a final commitment on the completion date at this first session. But you are far

better off to get approval of the high-level plan and then develop the details. There are

several reasons for taking this two-step approach:

First, putting a schedule together is a

lot of work. You avoid redoing it by getting the Customer’s approval on the scope and

charter before you put the schedule together. Second, when you present a schedule people

tend to dive into the details and you want some attention paid to the big picture. This session need not be

a long meeting, particularly if you’ve been showing the Customer the pieces as you finish them. But the two-step approval process is the better way to do it.

Construction Project Manager Associate Certification...You will be prepared to pass the Certified...

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