The Role of Integration and Scope Management in Relation to Project Management - Assignment Example

Running Head: Applied Project Management Student name: Name of Institution: Course Code: Name of Supervisor: Date of Submission: Word Count: 2102 (excluding question titles and in-text citations) Executive Summary For the last many decades, the field of project management in research and its application for organizational achievement of goals and objectives has been on the rise (Harrison & Dennis, 2004, 32). Organizations engage in various projects that include product development, launching a marketing campaign, erecting a new branch, and ensuring improved customer service among other projects. Employing project management techniques enables organizations to accomplish their projects in a more efficient and effective manner while at the same time contributing to the society and ensuring the maintenance of their competitive advantage in the business environment (PMI, 2013, 33). With this information, this paper seeks to analyze the role of integration and scope management in relation to project management, describe the tools used in collecting requirements, generate at least 20 requirements for defining scope, and describing whether five requirements were achieved. Introduction Project integration involves activities aimed at identifying, defining, combining, bringing together, and coordinating all the processes involved in project management. The specific activities necessary for successful project integration include characteristics of unification, enhanced communication, among other integrative actions that enhance project execution from inception to completion while at the same time taking to meet all stakeholder expectations and requirements (PMI 2013, p. 58). On the other hand, the project scope is the description of what is required to be done throughout the project and thus the definition of project objectives and goals. What is the role of integration as defined by the PMBOK? The main role of integration according to PMBOK is that of ensuring smooth flow of project coordination with management activities within the Project Management Process Groups. Secondly, integration facilitates alignment of knowledge areas into the project management framework through control point deliverables (Gray and Larson 2000, p. 61). What contribution it makes in project management? Integration brings with it many positive contributions to project management. According to the PMBOK, the integration helps in developing project charter, developing the project management plan, directing, and managing project work, monitoring and controlling project work, performing integrated change control, and aiding in closure of the project or certain project phase (Gray and Larson 2000, p. 47). Development of project charter This implies the process of coming up with a document that helps the project managers to officially authorize the existence of the project work and authorize them to utilize the available organizational resources to facilitate the project activities (David & Ronald 2006, p. 107). This ensures that the project acquires a well-defined start and clear boundaries, ensures that there is a formal record for the project, and provides a framework for the management to formally admit the project kick-off and commit their efforts towards the project success. Develop Project Management Plan This is another important contribution of integration into project management. Development a proper management plan is indeed critical for the success of every project work (PMI, 2013). Generally, developing project management plan involves the entire process of defining, preparing, and coordinating the subsidiary plans and making them appear like one integrated and comprehensive project management plan. Directing and Managing Project Work Directing and managing project works have been usually not a simple task for most organizations yet very important for project success (Gray and Larson 2000, p. 93). Directing and managing projects is a contribution of integration to project management that entails the process of leading and carrying out the defined work in the project management plan. Monitoring and Controlling Project Work This is another identified contribution of integration towards project management. Monitoring and controlling project work are the process of tracking, reviewing, and reporting project progress to ensure successful achievement of project objectives and goals as defined in the project management plan (PMI 2013, p. 114). The process is useful in the sense that stakeholders will have a clear view of the project progress with more concern on the steps taken, budget, schedule, forecast, and the project’s current state. Perform Integrated Change Control This is the process of reviewing any necessary change request that may include approving changes, managing change deliverables, project documents, and communicating their disposition. This is a crucial element and beneficial contribution of integration to project management since change is always inevitable in the project life cycle (Gray and Larson, 2000, 102). It is also important to note that this process takes place since the project inception and all through to its completion. Close Project or Phase This is the final contribution of integration to project management. It is the process of bringing to an end all the activities of project management to s complete the project in a formal and successful manner. It is important processes since it enables the organization learn some lessons and free the organization’s resources for execution of other projects (PMI 2013, p. 126). Why scope management is important Since scope entails that process describing what the objectives activities needed for each process of the management top complete the project successfully, it is correct to argue that the project scope management is important in laying down the necessary activities required in the project life cycle, and thus clear definition of its objectives and goals (Kerzner 2009, p. 108). How would you control scope in a project? I would use five inputs to control scope as discussed below. Project Management Plan Information from the project management plan would be useful in controlling scope. Such information include scope baseline that I would use to compare the actual results to make the right decision of whether there is a change, corrective, or preventive action is necessary for the project. Scope management plan is information that would be useful in describing how to monitor and control the scope while change management plan would provide a clear definition of how to manage change in the project (PMI 2013, p. 108). Requirement Documentation This is necessary since it is a reference of the original agreement in the event where change request is inevitable. Requirements Traceability Matrix This matrix helps the project manager to value change requests against the original requirements to enhance identification of deviations and the impact of changes to the project (Gray and Larson 2000, p. 74). It is also important in identifying the source of each requirement selected to facilitate appropriate communication of the necessary stakeholder. Work Performance Data This is another major input that I would employ in controlling scope. Work information data provide information on the number of changes requested, total changes received, and the number of deliverables accomplished among others. This serves as a good source of information necessary for controlling project scope management (IPMA 2006, p. 85). Organizational Process Assets Organizational process assets specific policies and procedures provided by the delivering organization concerning scope management. It is important to use these formal guidelines for changes introduced to the scope should be incorporated into organizational processes to avoid future complication (PMI 2013, p. 96). Finally, the variance analysis tool would also be useful in controlling the scope management. This is a tool used for measuring the original definition of scope baseline against what became the actual creation. The technique is important in determining the cause of such differences and their degree (Kerzner 2009, p. 111). As a controlling tool, variance analysis would enable to determine whether to apply a preventive or a corrective action. Describe the tools that you would use to collect requirements Interviews This is a formal tool used to seek information from various project stakeholders through one-on-one conversion with them (PMI 2013, p. 140). Asking spontaneous questions and recording the response on the questions asked helps in identifying features and functions of various project requirements to come up with the best choices. Focus Groups Using focus groups to bring together prequalified stakeholders and subject matter experts brings about necessary knowledge of stakeholder expectations and perceptions of the proposed project requirements. This is an even more effective tool since it is more of an interactive discussion as opposed to interviews (Gray and Larson, 2000, p. 181). Facilitated Workshops Using this tool brings together the project key stakeholders to define the product requirements jointly. The technique is very vital in solving stakeholder differences and builds trust, improve relationship, and improve communication among the stakeholders (PMI 2013, p. 140). This will facilitate stakeholder perception and earlier identification of problems. In the end, it will have a good tool for collecting information about requirements. Observations Otherwise known as job shadowing, observations are useful in viewing how individuals use certain products and whether they have trouble in doing so. This will offer information on which products and requirements can be efficient for a project. Prototyping This is a tool for obtaining early feedback about the requirements. This is achievable through provision of a working model of the proposed product before actual initiation of the product. This will offer room for stakeholders to experience with the prototype before deciding on whether to build it or if it meets their expectations and needs (Gray and Larson 2000, p. 201). Benchmarking This technique involves comparing real or actual practices against those comparable organizations to come to the best practices, come up with the best ideas for improvement, and decide on the best basis to measure project performance (PMI 2013, p. 142). Document Analysis This implies the analysis of existing documents on requirements to come up with the relevant information. Such documents include business plans, agreements, policies, procedures, and codes among others. Generate at least 20 requirements to define scope of a new Smartphone development project Requirement Description Stakeholder requirements It is important to identify what the suppliers, customers, shareholders, and management expect of the new smartphone (PMI 2013, p. 142). Scope management plan Helps in scope definition by offering information on the necessary activities for developing, monitoring, and controlling the scope of the project in the new smartphone development project Project charter This document provides a vivid description of the characteristics of the smartphone. It also provides a detailed information for the project marketing plan and research Requirements documentation The document is useful in the identification of requirements such as features, software, and applications to be incorporated in the smartphone (Gray and Larson, 2000). Organizational process assets This tool offers the formal procedure used in developing the new smartphone Business requirements The new smartphone in the project should have a clear definition of its use by targeting high-class segment of the market due to its applicability in various dimensions Budget Budget describes the financial requirements of the new project and the projected amounts of money to be used for the success of the project. In this particular project, the budget estimation is $200 million Product analysis and market reserach This involves analysis of the new smartphone features and carrying out market research on its feasibility. Generating alternatives Generating many potential options to come up with different approaches for executing the new smartphone project in the event of any problem cropping up Holding facilitated workshops This is a requirement for scope definition in the sense that a workshop attended by the key stakeholders in the project facilitates an intensive interaction to reach at a common understanding of the project scope. Solution requirements This implies that there should be a solution procedure that involves technology, support, quality, and reporting of the project progress (Gray and Larson 2000, p. 121). Project requirements and collection Before commencing the project, there should be 75% of the requirements collected and assembled Transition assessment From one phase of the project to another, relevant assessment need to be conducted. The various stages of this project include research, preliminary design, detailed design, exam production, official production, and marketing in the order Schedule Project schedule provide a clear definition of time frame within which certain activities should be accomplished. The entire project should take no more than two years in this case Environmental needs The project should consider its impact on the environment. This is to say, the project should comply with CSR requirements Product deign Research on the project design should be viable and approved before the project commences Competitive advantage The scope of developing a new smartphone is to provide a unique product to compete effectively with the existing ones Creating WBS This involves the process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller, more manageable Components in order to provide a clear vision of the smartphone Describe a test to assess whether five requirements had been achieved In conducting scope definition, describing a test to assess the achievement of some requirements may be through certain perspectives as project progress, performance, and material availability. In our particular project, we use project progress. For instance, stakeholder requirements and project charter are among the first requirements needed. However, in assessing the particular project whose definition requirements appear in the table above table and still in its early stages, the following requirements have not been achieved with their reasons. 1. Transition requirements- transition requirements are determined after the project scope is determined. 2. Product analysis- the product is not yet available for analysis 3. Facilitated workshops- workshops are organized after the project is midway 4. Project requirements and collection – collection of 75% of the requirements not yet attained 5. Budget- the $200 million required for the project is not yet put in place since sourcing funds is still in progress Conclusion From the above analysis, it is evident that project management is a crucial component for every organization. Integration contributes to project management in various ways. Among the identified methods with which integration proves to be useful in project management include developing project charter, developing the project management plan, directing, and managing project work, monitoring and controlling project work, performing integrated change control, and aiding in closure of the project or certain project phase. The paper also discussed the relevance of scope management its control. It is discussed that scope definition is necessary for definition of project activities and objectives. Reference List David, I & Roland, G 2006, Global Project Management Handbook, McGraw-Hill Professional. Gray, C & Larson, E 2000, Project management, New Delhi, McGraw-Hill. Harrison, F & Dennis, L 2004, Advanced project management: a structured approach. Gower Publishing, Ltd. IPMA 2006, IPMA Competence Baseline, Version 3.0. Kerzner, H 2009, A project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling and Contracting, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons. Project Management Institute (PMI), 2013, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 5th Edition (PMBOK® Guide), Project Management Institute, Inc. Read More