Defining a project

Define a project:

 Scope
 Make priority
 Create work breakdown structure
 Integrate WBS with the org
 Coding WBS for info system
I. Define the scope
- Scope: end result/mission of a project, product, service for client/customer in a specific,
tangible, measurable term.
- Purpose:
o Clearly define deliverable for end users
o Focus on total project completion
o Used by project owners, participants as planning tool and for measuring success.
- Checklist
o Objective
o Deliverables
o Milestones
o Technical requirement
o Limits, exclusions
o Review with customer
- Terms, definitions
o Scope statements (statement of works (SOW))
o Project charter
 Can contain an expanded ver of scope statement
 A document authorizing the project manager to initiate and lead the
project
o Scope creep (vượt phạm vi dự án)
 The tendency for the project to scope to expand over time due to
changing requirements, specifications, priorities
II. Set priorities
- Causes of project tradeoffs
o Shifts in the relative importance of criterions related to cost, time, performance
parameters (budget-cost, schedule-time, performance-scope)
- Managing the Priorities of Project Trade-offs
o Constrain: a parameter is a fixed requirement. 
o Enhance: optimizing a criterion over others. 
o Accept: reducing (or not meeting) a criterion requirement.
Laws of Project Management
1. No major project is ever installed on time, within budget, or with the same staff that
started it. Yours will not be the first.
2. Projects progress quickly until they become 90% complete, then they remain at
3. 90% complete forever.
4. One advantage of fuzzy project objectives is that they let you avoid the
embarrassment of estimating the corresponding costs.
 When things are going well, something will go wrong.
 When things just cannot get any worse, they will.
5. When things seem to be going better, you have overlooked something
6. If project content is allowed to change freely. then the rate of change will exceed the
rate of progress.
7. No system is ever completely debugged. Attempts to debug a system inevitably
introduce new bugs that are even harder to find.
8. A carelessly planned project will take three times longer to complete than expected;
a carefully planned project will take only twice as long.
9. Project teams detest progress reporting because it vividly manifests their lack of
progress.
III. Create WBS
- A hierarchical outline (map) that identifies the products, work elements of a project.
- Define relations of final deliverables to its sub deliverables, and in turn, their
relationships to work packages.
- Best suited for design and build projects that have tangible outcomes rather than
progress-oriented projects
 Figure 1 Wbs

- How WBS helps the manager

o Facilitates evaluation of cost, time, technical performance of the org on a project
o Provide management with information appropriate to each organizational level
o Helps in the development of OBS (org breakdown structure) which assigns project
responsibilities to organizational units and individuals
o Manage plan, schedule, budget
o Defines communication channels and assists in coordinating the various project
elements
IV. Integrate WBS in the org
V. Coding WBS for info system