Introduction to Project Management

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Business Finance

PRM300

Ashford University

Description

Week 1 - Learning Activity 1


Project Selection for Learning Activities Interactive [WLO: 3] [CLOs: 2, 3, 4]

Prior to beginning work on this learning activity, review the learning activities and assignments where you will be working through the project you choose. These are: (1) Week 2 learning activity - Project Planning: Project Scope Management, (2) Week 3 learning activity Time and Cost Estimation Exercise, and (3) Week 5: Final Paper.

Next, read pages 98-102 from Chapter 3 of your text. Additionally, read ProjectLibre—Project Management Software Alternative to Microsoft Project (Links to an external site.), and watch the Learn the Basics of ProjectLibre—Your Quick Start to Project Management With ProjectLibre (Links to an external site.) video. You will be using this software throughout this course.

Over the next five weeks, you will be working on a project of your choice, which will eventually become part of the Final Paper in which you create a project management life cycle. This week, you are in the project initiation stage of project management, where you will choose your project and propose it to the class. Come up with a project idea that you would like to complete during this class. You can start by downloading and completing the PRM300 Week 1 Project Selection Form Template. In this form, you will identify a clear project name, define the problem that you are trying to solve as a problem statement, and create a project charter statement.

Additional project selection criteria:

  • Your project must last at least two weeks.
  • Your project team must have at least five members.
  • Your project budge must be at least $5,000.
  • Your project must have at least 12 tasks.

Tip: Over the next few weeks, you will be sharing your project with your classmates so make sure you choose a project that you can both explain to others and break down into manageable tasks and subtasks. For more information, please review the PRM300 Week 1 Project Selection Form Sample and the Week 1 - Weekly Lecture.

Once you have completed your Project Selection Form, embed a copy of it into this discussion thread so the entire class can see your work without downloading anything. For help on embedding an image into the Canvas discussion forum, review the video tutorials How to Embed Images Inside Canvas’ Discussion Threads (Links to an external site.) and How to Use Snipping Tool in Windows 10 [Tutorial] (Links to an external site.).

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PRM300 - Week 1 - Project Selection Form Template [Remove brackets and instructions in brackets and fill out form] Project Name Date Project Manager [Think about a short yet descriptive name that captures the essence of your project] [Add today’s date] [Insert your name] Problem Statement [Chose a project that you want to do the planning for during this course. Describe problem in non-technical terms. Statement should explain why project is important and why working on this project is a priority. Make sure what you write stands on its own. You are welcome to make up content but the writeup should sound legitimate.] Project Charter Statement [The project charter is the first draft of the project scope statement. It creates a common understanding among the project team, the project sponsor and the key stakeholders. It also defines the boundaries of a project. Document what will and will not be included in this project. Document a list of project goals, including deliverables, functions, tasks, and deadline.] Note: Once you have completed this form, take a screen shot, and embed it in the “Week 1 – Project Selection for Learning Activities” discussion thread. . Week 2 - Learning Activity Project Planning: Project Scope Management Interactive [WLO: 3] [CLOs: 3, 4, 5] In Week 1, you conceptualized a project to work through (on paper) during this course. Now it is time to add more details by expanding and defining the scope of the project you chose earlier. Prior to beginning work on this learning activity, review the Weekly Lecture and the assigned page ranges in Chapters 2, 3, and 4 in your textbook. This week’s lecture will provide examples and additional information on this learning activity. Working through this assignment will give you a glimpse of the initial planning stage of project management. At the beginning of the planning stage, the project manager defines the project scope statement and starts defining key details of the project. In this case, you, as a project manager, will present this information to the project sponsor. This week you will be completing a project scope for your chosen project and present it to the class where your classmates will act as the project sponsor and review your work. Week 3 - Learning Activity Time and Cost Estimation Exercise Interactive [WLOs: 1, 2] [CLOs: 3, 4] Now that you have conceptualized your project, it is time to add more details to your project by incorporating time and cost estimates. Specifically, you will use ProjectLibre to create a work breakdown structure (WBS), a Gantt chart, and estimate the cost for various components of your project. Week 5 - Final Paper Project Management Final Paper [WLO: 3] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] Before starting with this final assignment, please (a) complete this week’s readings, (b) review the weekly lecture, (c) review grading rubric, (d) read the 8 Simple Rules of Good Writing, and (e) review the PRM300 Week 5 Final Paper Template from your class. It is highly recommended that you use grading rubric as your checklist to ensure every element is included in your final paper. While a five-week course barely covers the full range of responsibilities of a project manager, it should have given you a solid perspective on what does it take to manage a project. Now that you have a basic understanding of the project management life cycle, it is your turn to share what you have learned. The Project Management Final Paper needs to include screenshot examples and explanations of project selection form, project scope template, work breakdown structures (WBS), and the Gantt chart created in prior weeks. Be sure to update these examples based on: (a) any new criteria presented in these instructions, (b) any feedback you received on the previous assignments, (c) any knowledge you obtained in the class, and/or (d) any additional information you obtained during your research so that your final paper can reflect project management best practices. Include the following elements in your paper: Introduction • • • Introduce the paper and highlight what the paper will include. Explain what a project is and how project management can contribute to an organization’s success. Briefly outline the five process groups in the project management life cycle. Initiating • • Explain the pre-planning stage of the project management lifecycle. o Explain project management terms, tools, and techniques that are applicable to the pre-planning/project selection stage. Describe the elements of the project selection form. o Provide an example of a project selection form. o Explain the purpose of a project selection form. o Insert an updated and corrected copy of the project selection form from week 1 to use as an example. o Explain the elements of the project selection form and their importance. Planning • • Explain the planning process of the project management lifecycle. o Explain project management terms, tools, and techniques that are applicable to the planning stage. Explain the purpose of the project scope statement and all the terms used in the project scope template. o Project Basics: ▪ Project Name ▪ Project Sponsor ▪ Project Scope Statement o Project Scope: ▪ Assumptions ▪ Milestones ▪ Out of Scope (Exclusions) o Project Execution: ▪ Stakeholders ▪ Time estimate ▪ Cost estimate ▪ Project Acceptance Criteria o Insert a corrected and updated screenshot of your project scope template from week 2 into your final paper. ▪ o o Be sure to use the feedback you received and what you learned in the class ▪ If you need help with obtaining a screenshot or embedding an image, then please review these tutorials: See How to Use the Snipping Tool in Windows 10 [Tutorial]. (Links to an external site.) Explain the work breakdown structure (WBS), project milestones, and the critical path. ▪ Explain how these elements relate to your project’s status. Create a work breakdown structure (WBS) in the ProjectLibre or modify the example you created in week 3, incorporating both instructor and peer feedback (as applicable). ▪ Include a screenshot of the WBS as an example in your paper. (Make sure the example contains the appropriate level of details, so the reader understands the full context of the project without assuming anything.) Executing • • Explain the executing process group of the project management lifecycle. o Explain project management terms, tools, and techniques that are applicable to executing the project. Explain the change control process. Monitoring and Controlling • Explain the monitoring and controlling within the project management lifecycle. o Explain project management terms, tools, and techniques that are applicable to monitoring and controlling the project. Closing • • Explain the closing process within the project management lifecycle. o Explain project management terms, tools, and techniques that are applicable to closing a project or phase. Explain what a “Lessons Learned” report is and highlight its importance for future projects within the organization. Conclusion • Conclude the paper by reiterating how project management improves an organization’s success and highlighting the importance of using the five process groups for accomplishing a project’s objectives. (Review the Writing Center’s page on Introductions and Conclusions (Links to an external site.)for more information.) Your Project Management Final Paper • • • • • • • • The final paper must be 2,500 to 3,500 words in length (10 to 12 double-spaced pages, not including title page, screen captures, or references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource. Must include a separate title page with the following: o Title of paper o Student’s name o Course name and number o Instructor’s name o Date submitted For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013. (Links to an external site.) Must utilize academic tone in your final paper. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.)for additional guidance. Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper. o For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.)as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.)refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources. Must use at least four scholarly, peer-reviewed, or credible sources in addition to the course text. o The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.)table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment. Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide. o Refer to APA Style Elements (Links to an external site.)for the use of section headings throughout this paper. Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.)resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications. Welcome to PRM300 - Introduction to Project Management! Hello Class, Welcome to PRM300 - Introduction to Project Management. It is a pleasure to have you in this course. PRM300 Week 1 – Introduction to Project Management and the Project Initiation Phase Projects versus Operations Project management is all about managing projects to further the goals of the company, while operations are all about managing the day-to-day activities that make business of doing business possible. See Figure 1 below for additional information. Figure 1: How projects and operations differ As can be seen in Figure 1 above, projects are different from operations. Operations are the things that are done repeatedly and produce the same product, service, or result. An example of day-to-day operations from your personal life could include paying the bills and dropping the kids off at school. The results of these operations are the same each time (e.g., bills paid and children at school), and this is true whether you do these tasks in April or September. Projects, on the other hand, are temporary, unique, non-routine in nature. Project Management Institute (PMI, 2017) defines a project to be a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Projects are intended to move the organization or a person to the next level, so they should align with the organization’s (persons) mission, goals, objectives, and strategy. Overall, the success of projects and how they help realize the mission goals are dependent on the way the triple constraints of scope, time, and project costs are managed. It is important to understand that project management skills can be applied to any industry of any size in any country. Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. The Project Life Cycle The project lifecycle consists of five project management process groups that become the basis of project management. The project lifecycle progresses through phases that define and produce specific project deliverables. Some project managers or sources you come across may use project phase names and project management process groups interchangeably, this is technically incorrect. To help keep things straight, remember that project phases deliver outcomes that meet project objectives (e.g. brick the front of the house) and project management process groups deliver outputs for the best practices for project management (e.g. scope statement). Throughout the project lifecycle there are different goals and tasks to accomplish to complete the project objectives. The tasks are performed throughout the project phases which may be named the same as the five project management process groups (such as planning). Remember the five process groups refer to the project management processes (performed by the project manager) while the project phases refer to the work to produce the project deliverables (by the team). Project life cycle addresses the question, “What to do to get the work done? While the project management process addresses the question: “What to do to manage the project?” Figure 2: The process groups for project management (PMI, 2017, p. 25): The project management process group are performed within each phase. For example, when designing a new product, the phase must be initiated, the design planned and created (executed), and the project manager controls this development through execution, and then delivers the final product design during the closing project management process group. Process groups are sets of functions or processes particular to that stage of project management. See Table 1-4 in Project Management Process Group and Knowledge Area Mapping on page 25 of the PMBOK® Guide, sixth edition (2017), for a graphic that shows the process group domains. The PMBOK® Guide is available through the Ashford Library. While other sources may use different names for the five project management process groups, this course will be using the vocabulary and standards of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the PMBOK® Guide. PMI and the PMBOK® Guide are the industry standards in the United States and the basis of the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam. To help you understand some of the terms you will encounter in the reading material, a short list of key terms is presented below. Putting it all together – The Project Life Cycle, Process Groups, and Phases For those majoring in project management or planning on taking the Project Management Professional (PMP® ) Exam understanding the differences in terminology is helpful. See Figure 3 below for Dr. Ardolino’s (2019) graphic and explanation of how the components being discussed fit together. Figure 3: The Project Life Cycle, Process Groups, and Phases (Ardolino, E. 2019): The Project Life Cycle • • • • The framework of project phases from project initiation through closure Organized by deliverables, processes, milestones, or order of development Progression through the project phases (start to finish) based on the project scope Spans life of the project, but not necessarily the life of the product Product Life Cycle • • • Phases of a product related to work performed before, during, and after the project life cycle Spans life of the product through from idea through expiration Typically, longer than the project life cycle Project Management Process Groups (5) – Project Management Processes Driven • • • Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing All projects must progress through each project management process group Progression through the project life cycle and phases Phase – Deliverable/Product Driven • • • • • • A phase is a group of activities that are performed to deliver a major outcome All phases must progress through each project management process group May be sequential or overlap Output of the phase transfers to next phase or is verified as a final project deliverable Stage gates, kill points, milestones, phase reviews are used to mark the completion Phases may have the same name as a process groups but serve a different purpose Ensuring your Work Stands on Its Own - The ‘Airport Test’ Before we begin discussing this week’s learning activity, lets discuss the importance of creating project documents that stands on their own. Whenever you write something it must stand on its own. Meaning that someone should be able to comprehend what you have said without having to refer to any other material. Some people call this the ‘Airport Test’. Meaning if you drop your document at the airport, a stranger should be able to read and understand at least 90% of what you are talking about. In project management and in the project management documents you create in the class, this means that your work needs to stand on its own and be clearly understood by those who may not be involved in your project. This applies to your project name, the project scope statement, and the elements in your work breakdown structure (WBS), and the documents you are creating in this course. Help Creating a Clear Project Charter Project Charter (Done in the Initiation Phase of the Project Life Cycle) Larson and Gray (2014) and Project Management Institute (PMI) (2017) indicate that the project charter is the initiating document that authorizes the project. PMI further indicates that charter is issued by the sponsor. In practice though, the sponsors probably will not write out the project charter; instead, they will verbally go over the charter with the project manager. The project manager will need to take the information, write the charter, and then have it approved by the sponsors. The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) by PMI further identifies the major elements of a project charter which are (2017, p. 81, 155): • • The project's purpose or justification Measurable objectives and the criteria for success • • • • • • • High-level project description and boundaries Project assumptions and constraints High level schedule that identifies the projects key milestone Summary budget List of stakeholders Requirements for the project to be deemed a success and by whom. The project manager and their level of responsibility Name and responsibility of the sponsor or other person(s) authorizing the project charter The project charter is one of the most important documents in project management. It provides the project manager with the authority to proceed. The project charter is the major outcome of the project defining or initiation process. The project charter will help you create your project scope statement next week. The project charter is a short statement that provides an overview of what the project is. It will be 1-5 sentences that describes the core of the project. The project charter contains a high-level scope of the project based on the sponsor’s vision, this will be refined into a detailed scope statement in project planning. An example of a high-level project scope statement within the project charter might be: Paint the dining room of Bill and Mary Smith’s home. The project is complete when Mary Smith reviews the work and signs off on it. The project’s budget is $1,100 and the project must be completed before July 25, 2019. Within the project charter you will create a clear project name. The project name should reflect the project in a few words. This serves as shorthand for the project. For example, ‘Dining Room Paint Job’. Learning Activity #1 - The Project Selection Form (Charter) This week you will be choosing a project to work on throughout this course. You will start this process by filling in the Project Selection Form and posting it in Learning Activity #1 forum for the instructor and class to review. You will take this feedback and make necessary changes for the upcoming weeks. It is highly recommended that you choose a project that is relatively simple and the one that you can articulate clearly. Some project ideas include planning a vacation, renovating/building something (shed, garden), planning a party, etc., The project should have at least four (4) main deliverables with two (2) subtasks each. All tasks will need to be defined in days, not hours, or minutes. Choose a project that takes between two weeks to three months to complete. You may want to start and post these steps for your project in this week’s discussion to help ensure you are on the right track. For help doing this see information on the work breakdown structure in the week two and three lectures or your textbook. This week you will fill out the project selection form for your project. See figure 3 below for an example of a filled-out project selection form. Figure 4: The Project Selection Form and Some Things to Remember Use the Snipping Tool to Take Professional Screen Shots You will be using the Snipping Tool (in Windows Operating System) and embedding technique to capture and display your work into in this course. Be sure to take the time to learn these tasks as you can also use them outside of the classroom to communicate quickly and effectively. The Snipping Tool is an application on PCs that enables you to precisely choose what to 'snip.' This gives you a lot more flexibility than just capturing entire screenshots and will allow you to have more professional looking inserts. Note a key part of the Snipping Tool is setting up your screen. Here are some resources on how to do this: • • • How to use Snipping Tool in Windows to capture a professional looking screen shot: How To Use Snipping Tool In Windows 10 [Tutorial] (Links to an external site.) How to embed a picture into a Canvas discussion thread: https://youtu.be/ywsnMuCb-jI (Links to an external site.) How to take a screen shot on a variety of operating systems:http://www.take-ascreenshot.org/ (Links to an external site.) To find the Snipping tool on your PC, either type 'snipping tool' in the search area in your PC it will pull up. You can also click on the windows icon (also on the far left of the screen) and scroll down to "S." If you do not have the Snipping Tool, it can also be found online and downloaded. Learning Activity #2 – Downloading ProjectLibre ProjectLibre is a free downloadable open source program that closely resembles MS Project and can even open MS Project files. ProjectLibre has been certified to run on Linux, MacOS and MS Windows. Here is the website for the free download: https://www.projectlibre.com/ (Links to an external site.) If you need assistance setting up ProjectLibre, please see the ProjectLibre Installation Guide here (Links to an external site.). Key Terms This Week: Operations Operations are repetitive, recurring, and ongoing activities with specific standing personnel roles. The operations activities are those that support the day-to-day activities of an organization doing business. Project Projects are temporary activities with a distinct beginning and end (PMI, 2017, p. 4) that are set up to produce a “unique product, service, or result” (Larson & Gray, 2013, p. 6). Projects are unique because they bring together people from multiple functions to work outside of normal routines. Project Manager (PM) A manager with the knowledge and specific skills to realize business value from projects (McKay & Ellis, 2014) Project Process Groups The PMBOK® Guide (PMI, 2017, p. 554) identifies five process groups that define the project management processes/work for the project which include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring and Controlling Closing Strategy This is the means by which companies decide how they will compete (Larson & Gray, 2014). It is also the means for non-profits and governments to determine how they will serve their members or citizens best with limited resources. References Ardolino, E. (2019). Project Life Cycle, Phases and Process groups. Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2014). Project management: The managerial process (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. McKay, D. & Ellis, T.J. (2014, January). Tracking the flow of knowledge in IT organizations; The impact of organizational learning factors and project learning practices on project success (Links to an external site.) [Paper presented at the 47th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences, Kona, HI]. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=6759241 Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK®) (6th ed.). Newtown Square, Pa: Author. How to Cite This Lecture Milligan, S. & Ardolino, E. (2019). Welcome to PRM300 – Week 1 - Introduction to Project Management. Ashford University. The Project Management Professional (PMP) and the PMBOK are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. Materials in this lecture are based on the Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Project Management Institute, Inc., 2017. Copyright and all rights reserved.
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Project Name
Date
Project Manager
Problem
Statement

Project Charter
Statement

PRM300 - Week 1 - Project Selection Form Template
Organizing a Training Session for 200 Employees
February 26th, 2020.

The need for employee training is inevitable for many companies. However, every
company will want to minimize the training time as much as possible and ensure that
everything goes to plan. Such efforts wou...


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