IMS654 – i-class exercises

1. Explain what a project is?

A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined
scope and resources. It is unique in that it is not a routine operation, but a specific set of operations
designed to accomplish a singular goal.
2. Provide any examples of IT projects or other projects that you have involved before in your
workplace.
I have experienced in managing IT Project while working in TM. Recent IT project that I involved
was in 2018 Ominificient where to replace current call centre system for TM to new cisco platform.
3. List various attributes of projects
Answer :

 has a unique purpose

 is temporary
 is developed using progressive elaboration
 requires resources, often from various areas
 should have a primary customer or sponsor - The project sponsor usually provides the
direction and funding for the project
 involves uncertainty

4. Describe the triple constraint of project management

Answer :The triple constraint of the project is :

 project scope
 time
 cost .

5. Briefly discuss the 10 Project Management Knowledge Areas that are needed by a Project
Manager?
Answer :

1. project integration
2. scope
3. time
4. cost
5. quality
6. human resource
7. communications
8. risk
9. procurement
10. stakeholder management
1. Explain what a project is?
  A project is an interrelated set of activities that has a definite starting and ending point
andresults in the accomplishment of a unique, often major outcome.
2. Provide any examples of IT projects or other projects that you have involved before in your
workplace.
3. List various attributes of projects

1. Effective communication skills. ...

2. Strong leadership skills. ...
3. Good decision maker. ...
4. Technical expertise. ...
5. Inspires a shared vision. ...
6. Team-building skills. ...
7. Cool under pressure
8. Good negotiation skills
9. Empathetic
10. Competence
4. Describe the triple constraint of project management

That’s easy, it’s a model of the constraints inherent in managing a project. Those constraints are
threefold:

1. Cost: The financial constraints of a project, also known as the project budget
2. Scope: The tasks required to fulfill the project’s goals
3. Time: The schedule for the project to reach completion

5. Briefly discuss the 10 Project Management Knowledge Areas that are needed by a Project
Manager?
1. Project Integration Management
2. Project Scope Management
3. Project Time Management
4. Project Cost Management
5. Project Quality Management
6. Project Human Resource Management
7. Project Communications Management
8. Project Risk Management
9. Project Procurement Management
10. Project Stakeholder Management
1) Explain why stakeholder management and top management commitment are critical for a
project’s success?
Key stakeholders can make or break the success of a project. Even if all the deliverables are met
and the objectives are satisfied, if your key stakeholders aren’t happy, nobody’s happy.
2) Describe latest trends in project management:
1. AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently the talk of the town. But most of the content that you get
to hear is more from a consumer-based perspective. Evidently, the top-notch AI technologies
like Siri, Google Home, and Amazon Echo line up of the products are finding themselves a sweet
spot in your home, it is of no surprise that there are multiple AI applications that are also
associated with the project management functionality.
2. Hybrid Approach
The one-size-fits-all strategy is now facing extinction. The conventional waterfall methodologies
are now being tweaked with the modern strategies and adapted vividly to help with the various
processes of project management. The implementation of these hybrid methodologies is best
suited for the scenarios where the projects are handed over with an exceptionally larger work
base with an imperative requirement of multiple project managers to be involved in it.
3. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Emotional Intelligence is not at all a new concept in today’s corporate world. But it is definitely
a progressing and inspiring trend in our process-based practical industry. And in a world where
productivity and efficiency are all that matters, the chances are high that we might get lost in
the diversity of the implemented methodologies. Hence, when the technical skills are staying
rock steady, the existence of soft skills have to be ensured at any cost. The better you are in
managing the people and establishing proper communication with them, higher are the chances
of your plans to proceed without a pitfall.
4. PMO (Project Management Office)
The PMO (Project Management Office) is what fuels the projects to make them meet their pre-
defined goals and objectives. These have the innate ability to bridge the gap between the
effective implementation of the project and the organization’s high-level strategic
prescience. And due to this robust reason, the PMOs have been seen gaining more popularity
in the recent future project management trends 2019.
5. Kanban Boards
Kanban is a Japanese term, that means “billboard” in English. Initially invented and
implemented by the automobile company Toyota to improve manufacturing, the Kanban theory
is currently being integrated into the various action items of the project management
methodology.
6. Analytics
Project managers are fond of numbers. A majority of their expectations are related to crunching
these numbers and peering into the results. And to help them achieve this, a perfect and
accurate analytics of the performance and the project dashboard is the apt solution. The project
 management analytic tools are going to be more of a cloud-based structure in the coming future.
This will help you collect real-time data and reflect the results even more accurately.
7. Cybersecurity
With all the advancements in the internet technology around us, it won’t be wrong to say that
security over the internet is a myth. Until and unless you are securing your data with a highly
protected firewall, the concerns about the security of your project is highly valuable as the data
getting compromised is only going to increase every minute.

1. What does research suggest as a best practice for how much time should be spent in initiating
and planning activities for projects?
It is good practice to lay the groundwork for a project before it officially starts. Senior managers
often perform several pre-initiation tasks, including the following:

 Determine the scope, time, and cost constraints for the project
 Identify the project sponsor
 Select the project manager
 Develop a business case for a project (see Table 3-2 for an example)
 Meet with the project manager to review the process and expectations for managing the
project
 Determine if the project should be divided into two or more smaller projects

2. Do you think that estimate is realistic? Why or why not?

Yes. Because no matter the size or budget, estimating a project can be a daunting task. In order to
create a workable estimate, we need to know the team, deliverables, tasks, and process like the
back of our hand. We also have to be comfortable asking questions to figure out the things that
maybe we or the potential clients do not know. Therefore, estimation is realistic.
3. How does spending more time on planning help reduce time spent on executing? Give examples
of how this has worked on real projects.
People often underestimate the amount of time needed to implement projects and spending more
time on planning the project, particularly when they are not familiar with the work that needs to be
done. For instance, they may not take into account unexpected events or urgent high priority work
and they may fail to allow for the full complexity of the job. Clearly, this is likely to have serious
negative consequences further down the line. This is why it is important to estimate time
accurately, if you want your project to be successful.

Chap 5----

1. What is involved in project scope management, and why is good project scope management so
important on information technology projects?
Project Scope Management ensures that the project team and stakeholders have the same
understanding of what products the project will produce and what processes the project team will
use to produce them.
 Creating the WBS
 Involves subdividing the major project deliverables into smaller, more manageable
components
 Verifying Scope
Involves formalizing acceptance of the project deliverables
 Defining Scope
Involves reviewing the project charter, requirements documents, and organizational
process assets to create a scope statement, adding more information as requirements are
developed and change requests are approved
 Controlling Scope
Involves controlling changes to project scope throughout the life of the project
 Collecting Requirements
Involves defining and documenting the features and functions of the products produced
during the project as well as the processes used for creating them
2. What is involved in collecting requirements for a project? Why is it often such a difficult thing to
do?

 Collecting requirements is defining and documenting the features and functions of the
products produced during the project as well as the processes used for creating them.
 Part of the difficulty is that people often do not have a good process for collecting and
documenting project requirements.
 For some IT projects, it is helpful to divide requirements development into categories called
elicitation, analysis, specification, and validation. It is important to use an iterative approach
to defining requirements since they are often unclear early in a project.

3. Describe different ways to develop a WBS and why it is often so difficult to do?
Different ways develop a WBS by using guidelines, the analogy approach, the top-down approach,
the bottom-up approach, and the mind-mapping approach. It is difficult to create a good WBS
because each WBS is unique based on the project and the team

What are the main processes of integration management?

 Project Integration Management includes the processes required to ensure that the various
elements of the project are properly coordinated. It involves making trade-offs among
competing objectives and alternatives in order to meet or exceed stake-holder needs and
expectations
 Integration management is a collection of processes required to ensure that the various
elements of the projects are properly coordinated. It involves making trade-offs among
competing objectives and alternatives to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and
expectations.

Chap 4----
What is the main purpose of a project management plan?
The project management plan adds structure to the process by assigning an order to all the
important parts involved in the plan. The purpose of a project management plan (PMP) is to
determine the project outcome, how a successful outcome will be achieved, who will be involved in
the project, and how the project will be measured and communicated. Like any blueprint, you have
to know what you are trying to do; so having a goal is important. Secondly, you have to know how
you are going to achieve those goals by knowing which people in the process play which roles

Provide a few examples of organizational process assets?

Most organizations have developed a range of templates, contracts, registers, and assessment tools
to assist the management of their projects. Organizations have also acquired knowledge in the form
of lessons learned—and the organization’s knowledge base that can be very useful.
Therefore, Organizational Process Assets would include anything the organization has acquired that
you can use in the management of the project. They include formal and informal plans, policies,
procedures, and guidelines. These are very important for the planning stage, irrespective of the
nature of the project. Whether your project is long-term or short-term, OPAs are a must.