Tools for Organising, Planning and Monitoring Project-Based Programs in Project-Based Environment - Essay Example

RОАСHЕS/MЕTHОDОLОGIЕS AND TООLS FOR ОRGАNISING, РLАNNING AND MONITORING РRОJЕСT-BАSЕD РRОGRАMMЕS IN А РRОJЕСT BASED- ЕNVIRОNMЕNT By (Name) Presented to (Instructor, Course) (Institution, Location) Date Introduction Project-based organizations carry out most of their functions through properly defined programmes that have specific projects that need to be adequately managed to achieve the desired goals. Each project goes through the project management life cycle. On a general note, project management involves the employment of various methods, processes, skills, knowledge, and experience towards achieving the various objectives of a project. As such, the project management process starts from the planning of such objectives and the mechanisms through which they can be achieved, and ends with achievement of benefits, outcome, or outputs. In this view, project management methodologies including the PRINCE 2, Six Sigma, Agile, Waterfall, Project Initiation Document, Work Breakdown Structure, Critical Path Approach, Quality Function Deployment, risk/impact matrix, SIPOC diagram, and seven quality tools are step by step methods and tools through which a project can be managed. It is important to note that all these methodologies and tools differ in terms of their themes, processes, principles, and mechanisms. However, the major similarity between these methodologies and tools in their end goal, which is to ensure adherence to the budget, time frame, and scope of the project while ensuring that all the objectives and goals of the project are well addressed. This paper is going to review some of the methodologies and goals of project management and how they can be employed at the different stages of a project to ensure success. Employed Techniques/ Methods and Tools Project Planning PRINCE 2 PRINCE 2 is a project management methodology that was developed by the UK government, specifically the Office of Government Commerce (OGC). This is a generic methodology that separates specialist from management products[Bur031]. Specialist products are specialization areas such as Engineering, Software Application Development, or Construction. Case in point, one may use SRUM methodology for product development within a project, while running the project using the PRINCE 2 methodology. A management product on the other hand may be a Business Case, assessment and justification of the development of the same product. One of the major strengths of this methodology is that it is compatible with other methods[Bur031]. Work breakdown structure The work breakdown structure is another effective tool in the planning stage of a project. The structure allows for the breakdown of huge objectives into small tasks that can be handled by members of the project team[Cha03]. It employs visual graphics to define a project’s scope into small more manageable chunks of tasks that can be better understood by members of the project team. The WBS is created by proper identification of deliverables that are functional and sub-dividing them into sub-deliverables and smaller systems. Such sub-deliverables are also broken down into more specific tasks until each single member of the team is assigned. At such a level, the required specific work packages in the production of the sub-deliverables are clearly identified and placed into the same groups. Each work package comprises of a list of tasks that are to be done for a specific work unit to be produced. From the perspective of cost, the work packages are categorized and assigned to different departments for them to produce the required work. For project-based organizations, such departments are clearly identified in the breakdown structure of the organization and a budget is allocated to them to facilitate production of the specific deliverables. Integration of the departments and the work breakdown structure of the project allows for proper tracking of the organization’s financial progress besides performance of the project. Critical Path Methodology The critical path technique is a frequent application in the project planning stage. Any project is a collection of tasks that involve various individuals, thus project managers may find themselves overwhelmed by the responsibility of keeping track of the progress. It is easier for some of the tasks to fall behind schedule or even get lost in the multitude of tasks, only to be realized later, when they really matter. Such errors and forgotten tasks can greatly affect a projects time scale. Late projects are not only costly but also lead to customer dissatisfaction. As such, the critical path approach allows managers to determine the two most important aspects of a project, the actual time scale of a project and the critical tasks that ought to be completed prior commencement of other dependent tasks[Gra05]. Thus, poor planning can be avoided by organizations through inclusion of the critical path technique in their diagrams. Inclusion in the diagrams allows the managers to develop a visual perspective of the most significant project tasks. The activities included in the network diagram are those that must be finished on time. Including them on the diagram allows for proper projection of the actual time that might be taken to complete them. This allows managers and the project team to plan and visualize their work accordingly. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) The quality function deployment technique is employed by most manufacturing project-based organization and allows for inclusion of the demands of the consumers in the designing of the product. This approach is meant to achieve the best quality outcomes of a project by considering aspect of quality at the very initial stage of a project, planning. This approach ensures that the component parts of a product are significantly influenced by the design’s quality. The baseline of the QFD is the customer needs, which may also referred to ass the customer’s voice in the planning stage of a project[Loc07]. Such needs are transformed into a product of service test methods. Every characteristic need of thee consumer of the project output (product or service) is given priority and development targets are set. The needs of the customer are thus incorporated into the service or product from the very initial stage. As such, the customer remains at the heart of the designing process and the entire project revolves around them. The major QFD components that must be addressed are what is valued by the customer and the customer needs. As much as customer needs may appear as obvious in most cases, it is not enough to assume and it remains upon the project team to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the wants and needs of the consumer. It is important to involve the customer in the exploration of their needs in order to obtain a clear picture into what they value. The other important issue involves what is actually valued by the customer. Likewise, such cannot be assumed and there is need to involve the customer in understanding their perspective of the product or service in view of value. Risk analysis & risk/impact matrix Risk management involves the identification, analysis and response given to various risk factors that might present themselves in a project. Risks pose a threat to the accomplishment of the objectives of the project and thus they have to be mitigated to allow for the full potential of the project to be realized[May10]. The planning stage forms an ideal phase in which a risk assessment can be performed for the entire project and risk factors identified. This allows for earlier detection of areas that might be detrimental to the project and putting in place measures to deal with internal risk factors and to minimize the impact of external risk factors, on which the organization may not have influence. Organizations could use Risk Management Systems which are designed in such a way that they not only identify risks but also quantify and predict a risk’s impact on the project. As such, this allows for the rating of the risks at the earliest possible time of a project in terms of whether they are acceptable or not. The level of acceptability of risk depends on the risk tolerance level of the project manager. Suppliers Inputs Processes Outputs Customers (SIPOC) Diagram The SIPOC diagram is a visual tool employed by project teams in the documentation of the project process from onset to the end. It is a process map that provides an outline of a project, identifying the most important aspect of the project at the earliest stage and what has to be included in the project to obtain certain outcomes[Off09]. This tool is mainly used in the six sigma technique in which the project team members identify all the vital project elements before the project begins. This is important in developing a clear definition of the projects that may not have a clear scope. In the Six Sigma technique, it is used at the measure stage of the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control). The SIPOC tool allows the project team to consider the suppliers of a project process, inputs into such a process, the process being improved by the team, the process outputs, and the consumers of such outputs[Sla04]. Project Organization Waterfall Methodology The term waterfall is used to present the sequential nature in which different stages of a project take place, such that the end of one phase marks the beginning of another, making a long string of project activities, just like water flows from a waterfall. This methodology has proven to be highly effective in project management. Nevertheless, the methodology has highly been criticized especially in the domain of Software Development, where the critics argue that excessive employment of documentation up front design, and planning requirements are too much and not in line with the real situations on the ground, including changes that consistently occur in requirements as dictated by changes in Stakeholder needs[Hil11]. As much as this criticism hold water, those who support this methodology maintain that thorough documentation of requirements during the early stages of the project Life Cycle leads to cost and time savings. In addition, champions of the methodology also insist that thorough documentation of requirements is good practice, more so in industries that are highly regulated. As such, in order to address the inevitable changes that will occur in terms of the requirements, it is important to have a change management process that is properly defined and implemented. As such, the waterfall method’s strong suit involves documenting all the requirements and tracing them back to the need of the business in a formalized way[Hil11]. The Agile Methodology Unlike the waterfall methodology, the Agile methodology does not emphasize on documentation, but instead favours efforts that are time-boxed in the production of application components that are referred to as ‘Sprints’[Joh01]. Such an approach requires a project team that is closely-knit and highly skilled, which includes Stakeholders and Subject Matter Experts, to develop software applications within short periods. As such, the strength of this methodology lies with its flexibility and hence the ability to deal with the Stakeholder requirements that are ever-changing[Joh01]. However, the lean documentation upheld by this methodology may not be compatible with the projects regulatory environment. Case in point, a Pharmaceutical Industry, whose regulations are established by the Food and Drug Administration, is likely to require thorough documentations of requirements to facilitate compliance. Seven tools of quality control Various organizations employ quality tools for different reasons, which are related to the assuring and controlling of quality. In most projects, seven basic quality tolls may be employed in determining and measuring quality. Such tools come in handy in the identification of the various problems within a project and aid in the establishment of solutions to such problems. Proper training of the team members in the use of these techniques would be required for them to be used aptly. One of these tools is the flow chart, which is used to map pout events that occur sequentially within the organization, thus allowing for development of a better understanding of the complex processes and the dependencies and relationship between different events[Sch05]. The histogram is another tool, which is employed in illustrating the extent and frequency of two variables. The cause and effect diagram, on the other hand, are employed in understanding the causes of problem s in business and organizations. Another vital quality tool is the Check Sheet that is used in the collection and organization of data, which may be analysed later using appropriate statistical approaches. The Scatter Diagrams in their case use the Cartesian plane to illustrate the results of two compared variables. Another important tool is the Control Chart, which is mostly employed in monitoring a process’ performance within the project. Last but not least is the Pareto Chart, which is mostly employed in the identification of priorities[Rus03]. This is an important aspect in the project as it allows for clear laying out of the project priorities and thus proper grouping of the deliverables according to how urgent they are and how immediate they should be implemented. These tools are significant to the quality assurance process of a project as they allows for the establishment of the relevance of not only the deliverables but also the processes of a project. Problem-solving tools A project could be viewed as a problem in itself, with the entire process revolving around the development of a solution. As such, problem solving is an integral part of the project with various steps being integral in the problem solving process. The first step of problem solving involves correct definition of the problem. Proper definition of a problem would allow for establishment of proper solutions to such problems[Yea04]. The next step involves establishing the causes of the problem. This is important as it guides the development of solutions such that they address the causes of a problem. After the cause has been identified, generation of ideas follows, where approaches such as mind mapping and brainstorming can be used to come up with alternative solutions to a given problem. Out of the generated solution options, it is then important to select the best using approaches such as the trade-off analysis. The last step involves taking action, which is implementing the solution. In some cases, the solution may involve a series of actions or action from other parties, an aspect that may require development of the solution as a mini-project[Rei02]. Risk analysis & risk/impact matrix Like in the planning stage, this management is important at the organization phase of the project management cycle. Various techniques and tools may be used in the management of risk. However, the impact and probability matrix forms an effective way tool through which priorities can be assigned to risks and a proper way through which risk can be presented. This matrix allows for classification of risk according to the probability that such risk will occur and the likely impact that such risk may have on the project[Bro05]. Under probability, risks are categorized based on their chances of occurrence. As such, the risks may be classified as definitely to occur, likely to occur, occasional, seldom, and unlikely to occur. On the other hand, Impact involves classification of the risks considering the magnitude of impact that such risks pose on the project. In this case, five degrees of rating are used in defining risks, which include catastrophic, critical, moderate, marginal, and insignificant. Team roles (Belbin) The success of a project depends largely on the composition of the project team in terms of the individuals allocated to the team. Most project leaders face a great challenge in combining experience and youth, competencies and skills, and professional certifications and academic qualifications in the development of successful project teams[Fit06]. The success of the team largely depends on the ability of the project leader to identify the right individuals and to slot them into the right roles while promoting team spirit. This is a great challenge especially when the project leader is expected to select such individuals from a large population of individuals who mare highly competent and able to carry out multiple roles. The Belbin team Inventory Method (BTIM) provides a technique through which project managers can be able to determine how suitable individuals are for the various roles within the project teams. The method allows for assigning of members of the team to different Belbin roles within a team, which include the planter, coordinator, resource investigator, evaluator, shaper, implementer, monitor, team worker, specialist, and completer/finisher[Kra07]. Project Monitoring Six Sigma The Six Sigma Methodology employs statistical presentation of data to allow for quality assurance of the implementation of certain aspects of the project. It can be employed in project monitoring, whereby it will allow for deriving of quantitative data that would define the performance of a process[Hei08]. Such quantitative data can be used to determine failures within a project and thus facilitate improvements while reducing variation between the actual and predicted results. The SIPOC may be integrated at the measuring phase of the six sigma process to develop a clear understanding of the elements that are highly relevant to a project. Conclusion It is evident that the project management process is a complex process that requires proper utilization of technique and tools that are efficient in ensuring that all the deliverables of the project are identified and addressed. Some of the measures that are put in place by organizations may fail to address the most significant aspects of the project and lead to complete failure of the project to meet the desired objectives. Right from the planning process, organizations are expected to put in place measures that would identify the objectives of the project and the approaches that would be embraced in ensuring that such objectives are met. The organizing phase also requires proper identification and application of techniques that will allow for proper identification of risks that may be associated with the project and any other aspects that need to be considered in order to facilitate the success of the project. The monitoring of the project is also highly important as it involves a constant review of the implementation of the project. As such, proper measures of quality are important in ensuring that variation in quality are identified early enough and addressed. 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