Activities involved in managing a project
1) Initiating the project
2) Planning the project
3) Executing the project
4) Closing down the project
Activities performed while initiating a project
Establishing...
1) Project Initiation Team
2) Relationship with the Customer
3) Project Initiation plan
4) Management Procedures
5) Project Management Environment and Project Workbook
The Project Workbook (Repository)
1) Project overview
2) Initiation plan and System Service Request
3) Project scope and risks
4) Management procedures
5) Data descriptions
6) Team correspondence
7) Statement of work
8) Project schedule
Project Planning activities
1) Describing the Project Scope, Alternatives, and Feasibility
2) Diving the Project into Manageable Tasks
3) Estimating Resources and Creating a Resource Plan
4) Developing a Preliminary Schedule
5) Developing a Communication Plan
6) Determining Project Standards and Procedures
7) Identifying and Assessing Risk
8) Creating a Preliminary Budget
9) Developing a Statement of Work
10) Setting a Baseline Project Plan
Executing the Project
1) Executing the Baseline Project Plan
2) Monitoring Project Progress Against the Baseline Plan
3) Managing Changes to the Baseline Project Plan
4) Maintaining the Project Workbook
5) Communicating the Project Status
Closing Down the Project
1) Closing Down the Project
2) Conducting Post-Project Reviews
3) Closing the Customer Contract
Representing and Scheduling Project Plans
1) Gantt Chart
2) PERT Chart
Gantt Chart
A graphical representation of a project that shows each task activity as a horizontal bar whose length is proportional to its time for completion.
PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique)
1) A graphical depiction of project task activities and their inter-relationships.
2) The ordering of activities is shown by connecting an activity with its predecessor and successor activities.
Gantt vs. PERT
1) Gantt visually shows the duration of activities whereas PERT visually shows the sequence dependencies between activities.
2) Gantt visually shows the time overlap of activities whereas PERT does not show time overlap but which activities could be done in parallel.
3) Some forms of Gantt charts can visually show slack time available within an earliest start and latest finish duration whereas PERT shows this by data within activity rectangles
Resources
Any person, group of people, piece of equipment, or material used in accomplishing an activity.
Critical Path
A sequence of activities whose order and durations directly affect the completion date of a project.
Slack Time
Areas not on the critical path where the project can be delayed without delaying the final completion of the project.
Constructing a Gantt and PERT Chart
1) Identify each activity to be completed in the project
2) Determine time estimates and calculate the expected completion time for each activity.
3) Determine the sequence of activities and precedence relationships among all activities by constructing a chart.
4) Determine the critical path.