Scope (project management) In project management, the term scope has two distinct uses- Project Scope and Product Scope. Scope involves getting information required to start a project, and the features the product would have that would meet its stakeholders requirements. Project Scope "The work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions Product Scope "The features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result Notice that Project Scope is more work-oriented, (the hows,) while Product Scope is more oriented toward functional requirements. If requirements are not completely defined and described and if there is no effective change control in a project, scope or requirement creep may ensue. Scope creep management is important for effective project management. Business scope creep occurs when decisions that are made with reference to a project are designed to solve or meet the requirements and needs of the business.
Requirements elicitation In requirements engineering, requirements elicitation is the practice of collecting the requirements of a system from users, customers and other stakeholders. [1] The practice is also sometimes referred to as requirements gathering. The term elicitation is used in books and research to raise the fact that good requirements can not just be collected from the customer, as would be indicated by the name requirements gathering. Requirements elicitation is non-trivial because you can never be sure you get all requirements from the user and customer by just asking them what the system should do. Before requirements can be analyzed, modeled, or specified they must be gathered through an elicitation process. Commonly used elicitation processes are the stakeholder meetings or interviews. Problems[edit] In 1992, Christel and Kang identified problems that indicate the challenges for requirements elicitation:[2] 'Problems of scope'. Requirements quality can be improved through these approaches:[3]
Project Charter Template Note: This is our One-Page Project Charter Template. We also have a longer version available if your organization requires a more detailed project charter. Paragraph 1: Formally authorize the project in this section of the Project Charter. This Charter formally authorizes the Payroll Project to develop and implement a new payroll system for use in Jones Consulting Company’s payroll group. A project plan will be developed and submitted to the Project Sponsor for approval. Paragraph 2: Project Scope - State the scope of the project, its deliverable and what business needs, problems or opportunities the project addresses – a market demand, business need, legal requirement, social need, customer request or technological advance. The purpose of the Payroll project is to improve the timeliness and accuracy of payroll operations. Paragraph 3: Identify the Project Manager and give him authority to apply organization resources to the project. The budget for the Payroll project is $420,000.
PMO The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) established by the Project Management Institute (PMI) for training certified Project Management Professionals (PMP) discusses the structure of a projectized organization, a common management structure in organizations in which a major component of the value of the business is based upon the success of individual projects into which investments of resources are made based on their potential value.  The projectized organization structured around programs and portfolios is shown in the figure below. Projectized Organization The PMO at each level also assumes responsibility for the resources that are not allocated, and is also responsible for hiring, developing and evaluating resources within their hierarchy. Optimized Project Management Office Structure – I Figure 1. A Matrix Project Management Organization 1. 2. 3. 4. As mentioned above, my next blog will explain how PMOs will work within “projectized†organizations.
Developing a Project Charter The project charter is the planning team’s concise statement of core goals, values, and intent in order to provide the ultimate policy direction for everything that comes next. Designing a substantial web site is costly and time-consuming. When you’re up to your neck in the daily challenges of building the site, it can be easy to forget why you are doing what you are doing and to lose sight of your original priorities, not knowing whether the decisions you are making firmly support the overall objectives. At minimum, a project charter should define the content scope, budget, schedule, and technical aspects of the web site. Goals and strategies What is the mission of your organization? Production issues What is the budget for the site? These are big questions, and the broad conceptual issues are too often dismissed as committees push toward starting the “real work” of designing and building a web site. Avoiding scope creep Shaping the final project charter Statement of work or deliverables
Unified Modeling Language The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a general-purpose modeling language in the field of software engineering, which is designed to provide a standard way to visualize the design of a system.[1] It was created and developed by Grady Booch, Ivar Jacobson and James Rumbaugh at Rational Software during 1994–95 with further development led by them through 1996.[1] In 1997 it was adopted as a standard by the Object Management Group (OMG), and has been managed by this organization ever since. In 2000 the Unified Modeling Language was also accepted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as an approved ISO standard. Overview[edit] A collage of UML diagrams The Unified Modeling Language (UML) offers a way to visualize a system's architectural blueprints in a diagram (see image), including elements such as:[3] History[edit] History of object-oriented methods and notation Before UML 1.x[edit] UML 1.x[edit] UML 2.x[edit] There are four parts to the UML 2.x specification: Modeling[edit]
Scope Management Plan Template Introduction Scope Management is the collection of processes which ensure that the project includes all the work required to complete it while excluding all work which is not necessary to complete it. The Scope Management Plan details how the project scope will be defined, developed, and verified. It clearly defines who is responsible for managing the projects’ scope and acts as a guide for managing and controlling the scope. Project Scope Management follows a five step process; Collect Requirements, Define Scope, Create WBS, Verify Scope, and Control Scope. Collect Requirements – this first step is the process by which we define and document the requirements needed to meet all project objectives. The Scope Management Plan provides the scope framework for this project. This project is for designing, programming, and testing a new software product which will be used to track the company’s finances and improve various financial processes. Scope Management Approach Roles and Responsibilities
Team Charters - Team Management Training from MindTools Getting Your Teams Off to a Great Start © Veertoxawww Do your team know where they're going? Working in teams can be fantastic – if team members work well together. However, if people are pulling in different directions, the experience can be awful. Team Charters are documents that define the purpose of the team, how it will work, and what the expected outcomes are. For teams to get off "on the right foot," Team Charters should be drawn up when the team is formed. Tip: At the start of a project, all is momentum and excitement, and people are eager to start work right away. In particular, it will speed the process of forming, storming, norming and performing , meaning that the team becomes effective much more quickly. The precise format of team charters varies from situation to situation and from team to team. Adapt the following elements to your team's situation. Context. Context This is the introduction to the charter. What problem is being addressed? Example: Mission and Objectives Operations
CAPM Certification Ready to apply? Register and log in to get started. PMI’s Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® is a valuable entry-level certification for project practitioners. Whether you are new to project management, or already serving as a subject matter expert on project teams, the CAPM can get your career on the right path or take it to the next level. Who should apply? If you’re a less experienced project practitioner looking to demonstrate your commitment to project management, improve your ability to manage larger projects and earn additional responsibility, and stand out to potential employers, the CAPM certification is right for you. CAPM Eligibility Overview To apply for the CAPM, you need to have: A secondary degree (high school diploma or the global equivalent)AND At least 1,500 hours of project experienceOR 23 hours of project management education by the time you sit for the exam. This is an overview of the requirements. How to apply and prepare for the exam Maintain Your CAPM
PMP Credential The Project Management Professional (PMP)® is the most important industry-recognized certification for project managers. You can find PMPs leading projects in nearly every country and, unlike other certifications that focus on a particular geography or domain, the PMP® is truly global. As a PMP, you can work in virtually any industry, with any methodology and in any location. The PMP also increases your earning potential. Employers benefit as well. The PMP signifies that you speak and understand the global language of project management and connects you to a community of professionals, organizations and experts worldwide.
Work Breakdown Structure Recap Work Breakdown Structures The following notes are copied from myProject management quick reference The following notes are copied from myProject Management Office Quick Reference Typically a project schedule shows tasks as the rows in the schedule. The following notes are copied from mySix Sigma Quick Reference A work breakdown structure (WBS) is both a product management and a project management tool. Note that there are predefined WBS templates available through the Project Management Institute, the USA government and other bodies for many products and projects.
What is Agile Project Management Within agile development, Scrum has the most to say about exactly what is agile project management. So let’s use Scrum as our model for answering this question. On a Scrum project, there are three roles: product owner, ScrumMaster and team. The product owner is responsible for the business aspects of the project, including ensuring the right product is being built, and in the right order. A good product owner can balance competing priorities, is available to the team, and is empowered to make decisions about the product. The ScrumMaster serves as the team's coach, helping team members work together in the most effective manner possible. The team itself assumes agile project management roles when determining how to best achieve the product goals (as established by the product owner). So, what is “agile” about this process? In agile project management, the world may come to view the ScrumMaster as a 21st century version of the project manager.
The PMI Agile Community of Practice Wiki / Scope Management This page contains links to files and other pages that discuss Agile practices that align with the PMBoK Scope Management knowledge area. Please refer to the Content Guidelines if you are unsure how to contribute to this page. White Paper - Five Levels of Agile Planning: From Enterprise Product Vision to Team Stand-up Existing Agile methods often focus on small, single-team projects and overlook the broader impact of large, multi-team and multi-year projects. This paper outlines a distinct planning framework that has been used successfully in large-scale Agile software development projects and relies on five levels: product vision, product roadmap, release plan, sprint plan and daily commitment. Each of the five levels of planning addresses the fundamental planning principles: priorities, estimates and commitments. How we do sprint planning Author: Henrik Kniberg