Defining the Project

Project Management

Dr. Shuja ul Islam

Defining the Project
Project Scope

 Project Scope is a definition of the

end result or mission of your
project – a product or service for
your client/customer.
Project Scope - Checklist
 Employing a Project Scope
Checklist

 Project Objective
 Deliverables
 Milestones
 Technical requirements
 Limits and exclusions
 Reviews with customers
Project Scope
 Scope definition should be as brief as possible but
complete, one or two pages are for small projects.

 Also known as Scope statement or Statements of

Work(SOW)

 Project Charter – authorizes the project manager to initiate

and lead the project.

 SCOPE CREEP – which is the tendency for the project

scope to expand over time.
Project Priorities
 Primary job of a project
manager to manage
trade-offs among time,
cost and performance

 Define & understand

nature of priorities of
project
Project Priorities
 Priority Matrix (to identify which criterion is
constrained, which should be enhanced & which is
accepted)
Creating Work Breakdown Structure
 WBS is defined as: “a
deliverables-oriented
depiction of the work
involved in a project that
defines the total scope of
the project”. Subdividing
the project work into
smaller work elements
 WBS- Map of the
Project giving different
levels of detail
WBS- Project Manager
• WBS defines all the elements of the project in a
hierarchical framework & establishes their relationships to
the project end item

• It facilitates evaluation of cost, time & technical

performance at all levels in the organization over the
project life

• Provide appropriate information to each level

• Act as a framework to track cost and work performance

WBS- Project Manager
 Define communication channels & assists in
understanding and coordinating many parts of project

 Problems quickly addressed because the structure

integrates work and responsibility
Work Breakdown Structure
WBS Development
 Define the project end item
 List of deliverables necessary to develop end item
 List down sub deliverables for each deliverable
 Each sub deliverables requires work packages that is to be
completed by the assigned organizational unit
WBS Development
• WORK PACKAGE
– Defines work (what)
– Identifies time to complete a work
package (how long)
– Identifies a time-phased budget to
complete a work package (cost)
– Identifies resources needed to
complete a work package (how much)
– Identifies a single person responsible
for units of work (who)
– Identifies monitoring points for
measuring progress (how well)
Work Breakdown Structure
• Product of group effort
• Small project- entire project team can be involved in
making WBS
• Complex Project- people responsible for major
deliverables to establish first two levels of deliverables.
Further detail to be delegated to the people responsible for
the specific work.
• Final version be reviewed by the higher echelon of the
project team
Step 4: Integrating WBS with the
Organization
An integral part of WBS is to define the organizational units
responsible for performing the work. This results in
Organization breakdown structure.
Organization breakdown structure- OBS
It depicts how the firm has organized to discharge the
work responsibility
• Purpose of OBS:
– Provide framework to summarize organization unit work
performance
– Identify organization units responsible for work packages
– Tie the organizational unit to cost control accounts
Integration
Integrationofof
WBS
WBSandandOBS
OBS
Coding the WBS for the Information
System
 WBS Coding System
 Defines:
 Levels and elements of the WBS
 Work packages
 Budget and cost information
 Allows reports to be consolidated at any level in the
organization structure
WBS Coding
Work Breakdown Structure

Activity
 Responsibility Matrix
 Responsibility Matrix (RM)
 Also called a linear responsibility chart.
 Summarizes the tasks to be accomplished
and who is responsible for what on the
project.
 Lists project activities and participants.
 Clarifies critical interfaces between units
and individuals that need coordination.
 Provide an means for all participants to view
their responsibilities and agree on their
assignments.
 Clarifies the extent or type of authority that
can be exercised by each participant.
Responsibility Matrix for a Market
Research Project
Responsibility Matrix for a Conveyer Belt
Project
Project Communication Plan
 What information needs to be
collected
and when?
 Who will receive the
information?
 What methods will be used to
gather and store information?
 What are the limits, if any, on who has access to
certain kinds of information?
 When will the information be communicated?
 How will it be communicated?
Project Communication Plan
Information Needed
 Project status reports
 Deliverable issues
 Changes in scope
 Team status meetings
 Accepted request changes
 Action items
 Milestone reports
THANKS