Week 6: Analyzing Scope Creep

The type of projects that are most prone to scope creep are those that are more complex, and longer in duration – most likely a ‘waterfall’ run project (Gatherspace.com, 2012). I cannot recall any recent projects in which it or we the team faced scope creep, but there is one that occurred several years ago, early in my IT support career.  I recall while working in the IT Operations department we were in the process of deploying new laptops to those whose laptops where coming off of corporate lease that needed to be returned in order for our company to receive a particular rebate or kick-back.  In the midst of the project I recall quite a few people, especially those in leadership roles or executives that felt a certain sense of entitlement requesting a new laptop, which at the time where IBM Thinkpad’s.  The scope of the project  was to essentially deploy these Thinkpad’s to those who were using an outdate DELL with an old configuration that was no longer compatible with the network topography that we had recently transitioned to.  The scope creep that we as a department was facing was the fact that the IT Manager, who at that time was an easy going young-lady who ran two different offices and seemed to have everything under control, however her new boss was potentially the biggest problem for us at this time.  Often time in projects there are some pretty common issues that can occur that can potentially cause scope creep in a project that can be addressed early on with proper planning with the team.  One of those issues is being the “yes man” who tends to want to please all the customers they serve to keep them happy.  Gatherspace states: “While we all want to seek approval from our customer and keep them happy, you run the risk of being a "yes man". The value in saying "yes" is critical when trying to close a sale, but after the close and during the development of a project a good project manager will resist the urge to coddle their customer by saying yes.

I do not remember anything being done about distributing new laptops to those that they were not necessarily allocated for, which leads me to think that the director at that time had the authority to make that particular call - one way or another.  In looking back at that particular situation, I can see that without good project management knowledge and experience, I too could have possibly made the same mistake out of just not knowing how to better manage the process.  I do think however, when working in role such as that one, fast forward ahead, it is key that managers and directors on that level have a better wherewithal about project management, in order to handle the potential risks, scope creep, and issues that innately arise as a result of being a major project.

References:

Author Unknown. (2012). Managing Out of Control Requirements and Scope Creep. Retrieved from http://www.gatherspace.com/static/scope_creep.html#1 on June 7, 2012.

Week 5: Cost Estimation Help and All...


I am NOT a numbers person.  Well, let me be honest, yes I handle the payment of all my household bills, and yes I am the one who carries the checkbook, and yes I typically make most if not all purchases in my household, and while we do adhere to a budget, it is a rather loose and casual approach that works for our household.  I have no problem calculating the taxes when the waiter leaves the bill, in fact I live for a discount for any and all services and purchases that I make on a daily basis - nothing is worse than going to the mall with a particular coupon or discount in mind, getting in line and then checking out, just as your realize that you do not have that coupon or the coupon code to get that additional 25% off your purchase.  Now while that is pretty simple math, thinking about budgeting a project and all the intriciate details that go along with doing so honestly make me nervous.  I worked for an accounting firm for several years, but I was IT audit and not financial audit for a reason - financial and budgeting things are intriguing to me, but are not my particular forte. For this assignment I have combed the web for some help to get me on the right track for budgeting because I know it will be an assignment and task that I should master if I want to feel confident in the PM realm of business.  The first site that I referenced is:
http://woork.blogspot.com/2009/02/simple-process-to-estimate-time-and.html

This particular website initially seemed simple, but the more I read, the more I seemed to feel like I could grasp the concepts, part in due to the visuals that are provided.  I guess that tells me that I am indeed a visual learner rather than auditory.  The example provided is a simple process to estimate times and cost in a web project.  As an ID what better way to get a sense on how to make projections web-based, potentially training type of projects. It appears that the website owner is a web designer and web developer who wants to share his experience and knowledge about the time and cost involved in a web-based project.  What I found to be most helpful about this site is the fact that he does not just list all aspects of the project in bullet points or on a mind-map, but he actually categorizes and provides details for each stage of the project.  Those categories include: Process main phases; Define activities; define tasks and some subtopics for that. He also includes Defining HR, and a section on assigning specific tasks to HR personnel. This site although it appears simple, provides a great visual of the different sections of a project that can be used almost by anyone.

The second site that I referenced was:
http://www.cs.odu.edu/~cs410/costing.htm

Now, this site reminds me of a very vanilla bowl of ice cream.  It has no graphs, no charts, no color, is very black and white and to the point of the Project Cost Estimation and The Problem.  It does contain bullet points that are organized by telling the reader who the PM is, what their job is, and what the problem is that they will be addressing. It goes on with details that are spelled out using text only to make a point about PM and how to cost estimate and budget for a very general project.  This site is indeed my second choice to the first site mentioned above.

Week 3: Communicating Effectively

The ability to communicate well, both orally and written, is a critical skill for project managers (Portney, et. al, 2008). Formal communications are preplanned and conducted in a standard format in accordance with an established schedule, whereas informal communication occur as people think of information they want to share.  In this week’s video, “The Art of Effective Communication”, after reading it my synopsis of it is this: 

Email: When I initially read the email, my first thought was that Jane was beginning to lose patience with Mark, but that she kept the message straight and to the point.  Reading the text and with no audibility it is hard to understand Jane’s emotions about the project, to mention the urgency of it. 

Voicemail: Jane was very patient and professionally monotone in the voicemail message, once again sending a very non-emotion and straightforward message to Mark.

Face to Face: In the face-to-face conversation and message, Jane seemed more empathetic if anything else, and certainly not impatient with not receiving Mark’s input for her report.  

Hearing a voice and Jane’s actual tone influenced how I interpreted and perceived the message.  In both the voicemail and face-to-face, she seems to maintain her professionalism and patience with Mark in spite of the fact that she pressed for time on meeting a deadline.  Furthermore, I would almost venture to say that in the F2F, Jane almost seems to relaxed and casual and extremely empathetic to Mark, which that in and of itself could send the wrong message.  

There is formal and informal communication, and it is important that communication is clear, concise and focused; helps everyone to stay on target.  It is suggested that communication is not just looked at as words, but spirit and attitude can be deemed as important words (Dr. Stolovitch, 2012).  Tonality, body language, and even timing of the communication becomes part.  Important communication is best delivered with all team members present.  The voicemail message in my opinion was the best method of delivering the message in this particular instance.  I think Mark knows after listening to that voice message exactly where Jane is coming from and thus he understands the urgency and how imperative it is for him to follow-up to her in a timely fashion.  

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). Multimedia Program: "The Art of Effective Communication"

Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). Video Program: "Communicating with Stakeholders"

Dr. Stolovitch discusses communication strategies and managing client expectations.

Portney, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., Sutton, M., (2008). Project Management: Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling Projects. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ