REMINDERS FROM LAST WEEK …
1. Have you grabbed a copy of the prescribed textbook?
2. Have you done (or at least started) your digital
assessments (MCQs) for Sections 7.1 – 7.4?
3. Additional enrichment material shown in purple
SCOPE OF CONTENT
7.1 An overview of project management 1 – 3
7.2 Project problem analysis --
7.3 Project team management 11–12
7.4 Project planning 4, 5, 8 & 10
7.5 Project scheduling 6 – 7
7.6 Project monitoring and control 13
7.7 Project documentation and reporting --
7.8 Contract and tender management 14
7.9 Project closure 16
Assignment
Unit in study guide Chapter in prescribed text book
INTRO TO … ‘LIBREOFFICE’
• LibreOffice is a free and open source office suite (from The
Document Foundation) available for Microsoft Windows,
macOS, and Linux
• Descended from OpenOffice in 2010 (other descendent =
Apache OpenOffice)
• LibreOffice uses the OpenDocument file format (ODF) as
standard, but also saves as / opens from MS-Office and
most other major office suite formats
Writer A word processor = MS-Word
Calc A spreadsheet = MS-Excel
Impress A presentation program = MS-Powerpoint
*DrawA vector graphics editor = MS-Visio (and
parts of MS-Publisher)
MathCreating and editing mathematical
formulae
Base A database = MS-Access
• The basic package of LibreOffice does word processing, spreadsheets, slideshows, diagrams, databases, and mathematical formulae (all available in 110 languages)
• One of the basic components is ‘LibreOffice Draw’ which mimics MS-Visio
• It is designed to be used, amongst others, for drawing networking (and other) diagrams
• It comes with a standard package of common network diagram icons, but additional specialised network icon packs can also be downloaded for specialised flowcharts, etc.
• In addition to the ‘basic’ package, there are also additional add-ons available, such as PRM software (which can be installed independently)
ProjectLibre is the leading open source alternative to Microsoft
Project. It has been downloaded over 3,000,000 times in over
200 countries and has won InfoWorld "Best of Open Source"
award. The goal of ProjectLibre is to provide free and open
source project management software around the world.
ProjectLibre is compatible with Microsoft Project 2003, 2007
and 2010 files. You can simply open them on Linux, Mac OS or
Windows. ProjectLibre key features include:-
• Compatibility with Microsoft Project
• Gantt Charts and PERT diagrams
• Network Diagrams
• WBS / RBS charts
• Earned Value Costing
• Resource Histograms
The main menu bar from ProjectLibre
• You can see how all main project planning and
management functions (e.g. WBS, network diagram, Gantt
chart, people and other resources, etc.) are integrated with
‘click button’ convenience
• ProjectLibre even generates (amongst others) ‘click button’
progress reports (in textual or graphic formats), showing
progress of work, expenditure, contributions of people, etc.
DAY 2 – HOW’S OUR PROGRESS?
7.5 Project scheduling ✓
7.6 Project monitoring and control
7.7 Project documentation and reporting
7.8 Contract and tender management
7.9 Project closure
Assignment
7.5.1 WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE
Pages 133 – 135 in textbook
• Either: “A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a
deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work
to be executed by the project team to accomplish the
project objectives” (PMBOK)
• Or: “A WBS is when you take a big job and break it down
into small steps”
• Or alternatively: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at
a time”
• A WBS can take any one of several different styles or
formats, but they generally follow the same rules
• 100% rule: The WBS must include 100% of the work
defined by the project scope and capture all deliverables –
internal, external, interim; no more, no less
• Mutually exclusive elements: The WBS must allow no
overlap in scope definition between different elements,
causing possible ambiguity or duplication
• Plan outcomes, not actions: The WBS elements must be
defined in terms of outcomes or results, not actions. This
avoids being over-prescriptive regarding methods, allowing
for greater creative thinking
• Level of detail: The WBS breaks work down into the
smallest unit, i.e. ‘work package’, the smallest reasonable
unit of work that can be costed / delegated / monitored, etc.
• Numbering: WBS elements must be numbered
hierarchically and sequentially
7.5.2 PROJECT LOGIC EVALUATION
Pages 135 – 142 in textbook
The next step is to sequence the activities through project logic evaluation (PLE). This is important for planning:-
• Time: The project manager must know when each WBS activity will start and finish, and, by extension, when the project as a whole will be complete.
• Cost: With regard to budgeting, the project manager should indicate when expenditure will start and end for each activity (i.e. cash flow implications).
• Quality: The PLE defines the work windows for each task and work package, which will determine the scheduling of any necessary testing.
• Sequence: Activities may run sequentially or in parallel, and have predecessors / dependencies.
7.5.3 PROJECT TIME CONTROL
Pages 138 – 142 in textbook
• How long does each activity take? (e.g. calculated using
*PERT)
• What is the longest (slowest) path in your network
diagram? This is your ‘critical path’ defining the quickest
path to completion
• Which activities fall along this critical path? These are the
critical activities
• When a risk delays a critical activity, it causes ‘drag’ (i.e.
slows down the whole project)
• Non-critical activities don’t directly affect the core
timeline, and can have ‘float’ or ‘slack’, which means any
delays don’t directly affect the whole project
*Programme Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
Pages 227 – 230 in textbook
When you want to estimate how long any particular project
activity will take, you should:-
• Make an optimistic estimate (‘If everything goes right first
time, how long would this take …?’)
• Make a realistic estimate (‘If most things go right, and a
few things go wrong, how long would this take … ?’)
• Make a pessimistic estimate (‘If everything that can go
wrong, does go wrong, how long would this take …?’)
• Then combine (1 x optimistic) + (4 x realistic) + (1 x
pessimistic) and divide by 6 for PERT estimate
• Note: The gap between (a) optimistic and realistic is usually
smaller than the gap between (b) realistic and pessimistic,
which is normal
7.5.4 SCHEDULING
Pages 143 – 146 in textbook
• Project scheduling is the conversion of work breakdown
structures and logical sequencing into an achievable
methodology for their completion: it creates a timetable and
reveals the logic that relates project activities to each other
in a coherent fashion.
• Gantt charts (also known as ‘project barcharts’, ‘timebar
schedules’, etc.) are the most common tools for scheduling
project information.
• Gantt charts have been automated in almost every
available PRM software package (resulting in many
different styles)
Example of ProjectLibre Gantt Chart
Add, edit, delete tasks, timeframes (including
progress), predecessors, resources, etc.
Gantt Chart with same info automatically
develops itself as info is changed
7.5.5 SCHEDULE CONTROL
• One of the most common tools to monitor and control the
schedule is milestone analysis.
• A milestone is an event or stage of the project that
represents a significant accomplishment on the road to the
project's completion.
• Completion of a deliverable (a combination of multiple
project tasks), an important activity on the project's critical
path, or even a calendar date can all be milestones.
Setting milestones in ProjectLibre
• Each task in ProjectLibre is fully editable, and one of the
options available is to “display task as milestone” which
then changes the visual appearance, reporting, etc.
• Note: It may sometimes be better to insert a ‘milestone task’
in between all the normal tasks at important stage points
QUICKIE PRACTICAL
• ‘Project scheduling’ is when you make a WBS, network
(sequencing) diagram, do PERT calculations, and
compile everything into a Gantt chart
Can some brave volunteer please come forward and …
• Tell us about a project you know of
• Describe the kind and amount of planning the project team
did or did not do
• Explain the end result of the project’s success or failure
www.regenesys.co.za
END
OF
THE
UNIT
Congratulations!
Nice going … !!
Please remember not to forget to
remember to:-
1. Check out the ‘Key Points’
summarising this unit
2. Do your digital assessment
(MCQs) for this unit online
DAY 2 – HOW’S OUR PROGRESS?
7.5 Project scheduling ✓
7.6 Project monitoring and control ✓
7.7 Project documentation and reporting
7.8 Contract and tender management
7.9 Project closure
Assignment
7.6.1 APPROACH TO PROJECT M&C
Pages 291 – 305 in textbook
• Significant challenges with running projects have to do with
maintaining accurate monitoring and control systems.
• Projects are designed around constraints – time, cost, and
quality – and therefore all three must be tightly controlled.
• As such, there are two important questions:-
1.What information regarding the project timeframes, costs
and quality should be measured?
2.When are the best times to measure them (daily, weekly,
monthly, ad hoc, etc)?
7.6.2 EARNED VALUE MANAGEMENT
Pages 297 – 298 in textbook
This simply means:-
• Calculating progress of ‘work by time’
• But not calculating ‘budget by time’
• Rather calculating ‘budget by work’ (using ‘unit costs’)
• Example:
• Planned: Resurface 12 kms of road at a cost of R12 million
between Jan and Dec 2018 (i.e. in 12 months)
• Actual: By the end of June 2018, we have resurfaced 5
kms of road at a cost of R6 million
Performance 1: Work by time ✓
• Actual work = 5 kms
• Planned work = 6 kms
• Performance = 83% (formula = actual ÷ planned x 100)
Performance 2: Money by time X• Actual spend = R6 million
• Planned spend = R6 million
• Performance = 100%
Performance 3: Money by work (‘earned value’) ✓
• Actual unit cost price = R6 million ÷ 5 kms = R1.2 m/km
• Planned unit cost price = R12 million ÷ 12 kms = R1 m/km
• Performance = 120%
QUICKIE PRACTICAL
• When ‘performance monitoring’ shows poor results
(lack of progress against benchmark), then you can
either (a) analyse how to improve progress or (b)
change the benchmark
Can some brave volunteer please come forward and …
• Tell us about a project you know of
• Describe how some aspect (e.g. quality, time or cost) fell
behind schedule
• Explain your reaction to this poor performance, and how
you knew which option (‘a’ or ‘b’ above) to choose?
www.regenesys.co.za
END
OF
THE
UNIT
Congratulations!
Nice going … !!
Please remember not to forget to
remember to:-
1. Check out the ‘Key Points’
summarising this unit
2. Do your digital assessment
(MCQs) for this unit online
DAY 2 – HOW’S OUR PROGRESS?
7.5 Project scheduling ✓
7.6 Project monitoring and control ✓
7.7 Project documentation and reporting ✓
7.8 Contract and tender management
7.9 Project closure
Assignment
7.7.1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT INFO SYS
Most organisations are managing multiple projects with
different scopes, complexities, timelines and documents. In this
context, the implementation of a project management
information system (PMIS) is considered advantageous
• PMIS is a framework, tool or system for:
• Collecting • Organising • Storing • Processing, and •
Disseminating project information (documentation)
• That:
• Provides answers to stakeholder questions
• Facilitates communication among stakeholders
• Assists in ‘what if’ analyses, and
• Helps organisational learning
• PMIS software should ideally support all project
management knowledge areas such as Integration
Management, Scope Management, Time Management,
Cost Management, Quality Management, Human Resource
Management, Communications Management, Risk
Management, Procurement Management, and Stakeholder
Management.
• Software that can manage multiple projects at one time is
generally considered to be starting point / basic level PMIS
software (e.g. ProjectLibre)
• Software that can manage multiple projects at one time and
also allow projects to see / reference / calculate based on
each other (e.g. resource sharing) is ‘real’ / enterprise-wide
PMIS software
7.7.2 WORK PERFORMANCE REPORTING
• During project implementation, data is collected and
analysed in the context of the project to provide information
for stakeholders (e.g. circulated in a project work
performance report).
• Project performance reports are the physical or electronic
representation of work performance information collated on
a regular basis intended to “generate decisions or raise
issues, actions, or awareness”
7.7.3 EFFECTIVE PROJECT REPORTING
• Demonstrate knowledge and expertise (proficient use
and understanding of project management principles and
practices applicable to the context)
• Maximise reader insight (logical development of report
leading to conclusive findings and prioritised and realistic
recommendations/ actions where appropriate), and
• Minimise reader effort (organise text logically using
appropriate headings; reader should be able to choose the
level of technical detail he or she wishes to read through
the use of headings, subheadings, display techniques and
appendices)
QUICKIE PRACTICAL
• One of the major problems with project reporting is that
the Project Manager is essentially ‘both the player and
the referee’ and, by reporting on the project, is
indirectly reporting on his or her own performance
Can some brave volunteer please come forward and …
• Tell us about a project you know of
• Describe how some project reports were misleading or
even false
• Explain how reporting could be improved to minimise this
risk
www.regenesys.co.za
END
OF
THE
UNIT
Congratulations!
Nice going … !!
Please remember not to forget to
remember to:-
1. Check out the ‘Key Points’
summarising this unit
2. Do your digital assessment
(MCQs) for this unit online
DAY 2 – HOW’S OUR PROGRESS?
7.5 Project scheduling ✓
7.6 Project monitoring and control ✓
7.7 Project documentation and reporting ✓
7.8 Contract and tender management ✓
7.9 Project closure
Assignment
7.8.1 CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
Pages 322 – 324 in textbook
• Contracts are integral to project management from small
projects to large complex programmes and, therefore, an
understanding of the different types of contracts is essential
for project managers
• A contract is a legal and binding agreement between two
parties — the contractor and the client
• The contractor agrees to perform a service and the client is
obligated to pay for the service
• This document governs the relationship spelling out the
conditions, responsibilities, and legal rights should there be
a breach of the contract
Three basic types of contracts
• Fixed price or lump sum contracts: A specific price is
agreed for the good or service with well-defined
deliverables
• Cost reimbursable contracts: All the costs that the seller
incurs during the project are charged back to the buyer
(seller reimburses costs). The costs that are allowable are
clearly defined in the contract
• Time and materials (T&M) contracts: This type of
contract is a cross between fixed price and cost-
reimbursable contracts.
The ‘battle of the forms’
• Customer: We place the order subject to our terms and
conditions …
• Supplier: We accept, subject to our terms and conditions …
• Various forms of ‘standard contracts’ offered by
professional associations or regulatory councils
Risk management of the ‘iron triangle’
• Risk of poor quality: ‘Retention clause’
• Risk of time delays: ‘Penalty clause’
• Risk of cost over-runs: ‘Escalation clause’
• … and always: ‘Escape clause’
7.8.2 TENDERS (BIDS)
• The project scope document is a key document used to develop the request for tender proposal. The clearer you are about the project the better the request for tender proposal will be. This, in turn, will improve the quality of the tender submissions.
• Remember, the project scope statement clearly puts forward what needs to be accomplished:-
• Product scope description, service description and or result description;
• The list of deliverables together with acceptance criteria;
• Important information regarding technical issues or concerns that could impact cost estimating; and
• Identified constraints (e.g. required delivery dates, organisational policies and procedures).
South African government tender evaluation process
• Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act No. 5 of
2000 plus Regulations, 2011
Screening
• Is it complete? E.g. tax clearance certificate
• Is it acceptable? E.g. within expected price range
• Is it functional? E.g. above threshold of 65%
• Does it have sufficient ‘local content’ (if applicable)
Scoring
• Points for price (e.g. out of 80 or 90 by formula)
• Points for BEE scorecard (e.g. out of 10 or 20 by table)
Awarding
• To bidder with highest points
QUICKIE PRACTICAL
• Tendering and ‘tenderpreneurs’ have, rightly or
wrongly, become associated with fishy business, fraud
and corruption in South Africa
Can some brave volunteer please come forward and …
• Suggest one or more weaknesses in government’s current
tenders processes
• Propose some ways in which to improve government’s
tender process until it actually achieves its objectives (good
service delivery at fair price)
www.regenesys.co.za
END
OF
THE
UNIT
Congratulations!
Nice going … !!
Please remember not to forget to
remember to:-
1. Check out the ‘Key Points’
summarising this unit
2. Do your digital assessment
(MCQs) for this unit online
DAY 2 – HOW’S OUR PROGRESS?
7.5 Project scheduling ✓
7.6 Project monitoring and control ✓
7.7 Project documentation and reporting ✓
7.8 Contract and tender management ✓
7.9 Project closure ✓
Assignment
7.9.1 TYPES OF TERMINATION
Pages 362 – 374 of textbook
There are four main reasons for projects to be terminated:-
• Extinction: When the project is completed successfully or
is no longer viable in terms of quality, time or cost
• Addition: When one project is added to another similar
project in order to form one new, larger, project
• Integration: When the (originally short-term) project and its
people, resources, structures, etc. get absorbed into the
company (e.g. as an ongoing programme)
• Starvation: When a project loses its priority status, and
thus loses ‘political’ support, budget, etc.
7.9.2 HANDING OVER THE PROJECT
The process of handing over is often complex and goes
beyond formal transfer of ownership, e.g.:-
• Establishing training programmes for users;
• Transferring and sharing technical designs and features;
• Connection and commissioning;
• Licences, certifications and registrations;
• Defect liability periods, including maintenance and callouts;
• New supplier contracts; and
• New end user policies and procedures (including manuals).
• Example: Build – Operate – Transfer (‘BOT’)
7.9.3 PROJECT REVIEW
Lessons learned analysis is one of the most important
elements in the project closeout. Some lessons include:-
• “We failed to recognise the strategic link with the project.”
• “The wrong business requirements were addressed.”
• “We didn't understand the problem fully before we started
work.”
• “We didn't have the right team members or expertise.”
• “Stakeholders were so demanding.”
• “Time and again we had governance issues.”
• “We failed to see the importance of planning.”
• “We didn’t identify the risks correctly.”
• “We did not react quickly enough to emerging risks.”
7.9.4 PROJECT CLOSURE CHECKLIST
The closure of a project is in effect a mini-project, and
demands planning, e.g.:-
1 PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT PURPOSE
2 PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT GOALS
3 PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY
3.1 Project Background Overview
3.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices
3.3 Project Closure Synopsis
4 PROJECT METRICS PERFORMANCE
4.1 Goals and Objectives Performance
4.2 Success Criteria Performance
4.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance …
QUICKIE PRACTICAL
• Projects can and should be terminated when they reach
the end of their useful lifespan, i.e. completed, no
longer viable, merged with another project, absorbed
into the company, or downgraded in terms of priority
and budget
Can some brave volunteer please come forward and …
• Tell us about a project you know of that ended through
‘extinction’, ‘addition’, ‘integration’, or ‘starvation’
• Explain how that project came to the end of its useful
lifespan, and how its termination was managed
www.regenesys.co.za
END
OF
THE
UNIT
Congratulations!
Nice going … !!
Please remember not to forget to
remember to:-
1. Check out the ‘Key Points’
summarising this unit
2. Do your digital assessment
(MCQs) for this unit online
DAY 2 – HOW’S OUR PROGRESS?
7.5 Project scheduling ✓
7.6 Project monitoring and control ✓
7.7 Project documentation and reporting ✓
7.8 Contract and tender management ✓
7.9 Project closure ✓
Assignment ✓
GROUP ASSIGNMENT
• “Go beneath the surface and you can see that the project
manager role changes from situation to situation.
Sometimes the project manager is leading the project by
setting direction, motivating the stakeholders, making
architectural and strategy decisions, resolving conflict, and
exercising authority. In other situations, the project manager
may be co-ordinating and administrating while an architect,
strategist or leadership team makes the key decisions that
drive the project” …
• … Write a report for the HR director in which you motivate
the need for a standard project manager role definition,
what [responsibilities] it must incorporate, how it should be
supported at organisational level, and how you will ensure
its acceptance by both line and project managers.
Study guide
• Section 7.1.1, p 18
Textbook
• Section 3.3, pp 62 – 64
• Section 12.1, pp 266 – 271
Recommended Reading
• Pitagorsky, G. (2016). What a project manager does: A
multi-faceted role. https://www.projecttimes.com/george-
pitagorsky/what-a-project-manager-does-a-multi-faceted-
role.html
• Plus your own research … ☺
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT
QUESTION 1 [25 MARKS]
Identify a project to complete in your department at your organisation
(or an organisation that you are familiar with). Present a professionally
written project proposal, including:-
• An executive summary;
• A background to the proposed project (how it is aligned with the
organisation’s vision and mission);
• The key project goals and objectives (apply SMART criteria and
explain the strategic link between plans, programmes and project);
• A stakeholder analysis;
• Findings stemming from your feasibility study and market research;
• Financial projections or cost projections (best, middle and worst
case scenarios of initial estimates of time and resources); and
• General recommendations (tactics) based on your research and
financial projections.
QUESTION 2 [20 MARKS]
• Concerning your project, document how implementation
will take place (strategy) and how you would address
potential challenges (resistance to implementation) in this
regard. Also, provide an overview of the committees,
decision makers and task teams that will be involved in
your project, including their responsibilities.
QUESTION 3 [10 MARKS]
• Create a work breakdown structure (WBS) for your project.
QUESTION 4 [15 MARKS]
• Conduct a risk analysis on your chosen project, clearly
showing the impact and likelihood of specific risks. Be sure
to determine the risk acceptance criteria, risk acceptability
and what action will be proposed to reduce the risk.
QUESTION 5 [10 MARKS]
• Discuss the earned value management (EVM) technique
and its role in forecasting and controlling performance of
your chosen project.
QUESTION 6 [5 MARKS]
• Together with monitoring and control is the process of reporting on progress. Discuss what you would include in the project progress report of your chosen project.
QUESTION 7 [10 MARKS]
• During which development stage of the project management life cycle would leadership be likely to acknowledge successes and failures of the project? Justifyyour answer, and critically discuss how you could manage potential failure and success factors.
QUESTION 8 [5 MARKS]
• Present a sample project closure checklist that you would use to close your project effectively.
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