Project Implementation Approach

  As an employee of a medium-sized company, you have worked on projects run by department heads with no formal project management training or education. Imagine you recently completed your first project management course. You have identified a process improvement project that, upon completion, will improve customer retention and help grow the business into a new market. As this is a process improvement project, there are many unknown factors, and the company possesses most of the expertise to complete this project. It is your goal to present this idea to your boss. Prior to doing so, you want to be prepared. Use this scenario to address the following in 525 to 700 words. Assess which development approach or life cycle best fits this project. Evaluate the 2 key documents in the initiating phase that you will develop. These documents can help you present this idea to your boss. You can apply what you learned in class to prepare many of the key documents to be considered in the initiating and planning phase. By doing this, you hope to answer your boss’s questions and concerns to help her decide to support and fund this project. Summarize 4 key deliverables that you would develop or deliver in the planning phase. Summarize 4 key deliverables in the executing phase that you would develop or deliver. Read the following scenario and address the steps that follow. You are a business analyst for a project that is currently in the execution phase. It is an engineering project that has specific statements of work calling for parts, specifications, and acceptable tolerance levels, along with price, delivery, and other contracted terms. This project has a budget and schedule that is baselined and has a management reserve of 5%. Use this scenario to address the following in 525 to 700 words Evaluate the 4 key areas you will focus your efforts on when analyzing and monitoring the scope of the project. Identify 3 monitoring activities or processes you would engage in to ensure product quality, cost, schedule, and risk run according to plan. Identify 3 controlling activities or processes you would engage in to ensure product quality, cost, schedule, and risk run according to plan. Identify 4 primary questions you will help answer in the closing phase. Identify 4 activities you might engage in or documents you may help deliver in the closing phase. Explain project termination for this engineering project. It will be integrated into the company’s existing product line manufacturing system once completed.  

Sample Solution

 

Scenario 1

Project Development Approach

Since this is a process improvement project with many unknown factors, the most appropriate development approach would be an iterative or agile approach. This approach allows for flexibility and continuous learning, which is essential for projects with a high degree of uncertainty. The iterative approach also allows for early feedback from stakeholders, which can help to ensure that the project is on track to achieve its goals.

Full Answer Section

   

Key Documents in the Initiating Phase

The two key documents that you will develop in the initiating phase are:

  1. Project Charter: This document will define the project's objectives, scope, stakeholders, and resources. It will also outline the project's deliverables, schedule, and budget.

  2. Business Case: This document will make the financial argument for the project. It will identify the project's benefits and costs, and it will calculate the project's ROI (return on investment).

Key Deliverables in the Planning Phase

The four key deliverables that you would develop or deliver in the planning phase are:

  1. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): This document will break down the project into smaller, more manageable tasks.

  2. Schedule: This document will outline the project's timeline, including the start and end dates for each task.

  3. Budget: This document will detail the project's costs, including labor, materials, and equipment.

  4. Risk Management Plan: This document will identify the project's risks and develop strategies for mitigating them.

Key Deliverables in the Executing Phase

The four key deliverables that you would develop or deliver in the executing phase are:

  1. Progress Reports: These reports will track the project's progress against the schedule and budget.

  2. Issue Log: This log will document any issues that arise during the project and track their resolution.

  3. Change Requests: These requests will propose changes to the project's scope, schedule, or budget.

  4. Quality Assurance (QA) Plan: This plan will outline the procedures for ensuring that the project's deliverables meet the required quality standards.

Scenario 2

Monitoring Scope

The four key areas you will focus your efforts on when analyzing and monitoring the scope of the project are:

  1. Changes to the original requirements: Ensure that any changes to the original requirements are approved by the project sponsor and that they are properly documented.

  2. Scope creep: Be vigilant in identifying and addressing scope creep, which is the tendency for projects to grow in scope beyond what was originally planned.

  3. Unforeseen issues: Monitor for any unforeseen issues that could impact the project's scope, and take corrective action as needed.

  4. Stakeholder satisfaction: Regularly communicate with stakeholders about the project's scope and ensure that they are satisfied with the direction of the project.

Monitoring and Controlling Activities

The three monitoring activities or processes you would engage in to ensure product quality, cost, schedule, and risk run according to plan are:

  1. Performance measurement: Track the project's progress against the plan in terms of quality, cost, and schedule. Use metrics and dashboards to visualize the project's performance.

  2. Issue management: Identify and address issues as they arise. Maintain an issue log and track the resolution of each issue.

  3. Variance analysis: Compare the project's actual performance to the planned performance. Analyze any variances and take corrective action as needed.

The three controlling activities or processes you would engage in to ensure product quality, cost, schedule, and risk run according to plan are:

  1. Scope control: Implement change control procedures to manage changes to the project's scope.

  2. Cost control: Implement cost control measures to ensure that the project stays within budget.

  3. Schedule control: Implement schedule control measures to ensure that the project is completed on time.

Questions to Answer in the Closing Phase

The four primary questions you will help answer in the closing phase are:

  1. Were the project's objectives achieved?

  2. Did the project stay within budget and schedule?

  3. Did the project deliver the expected quality products and services?

  4. What lessons learned can be applied to future projects?

Activities and Documents in the Closing Phase

The four activities you might engage in or documents you may help deliver in the closing phase are:

  1. Project acceptance process: Facilitate the process of acceptance of the project's deliverables by the customer or stakeholder.

  2. Lessons learned: Document the lessons learned from the project and share them with the project team and the organization.

  3. Project retrospective: Facilitate a project retrospective meeting to discuss the project's successes and challenges.

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