Course Outline

Course: Project Management Techniques

Code: MBA 837
Class: MBA
Overview of Project Management
Project
Project Management
Project Manager (Roles, functions, and duties of a Project Manager)
Characteristic of Project
Type of Project
Project Management Approaches
Project Life Cycle
Project Planning
Project Scheduling
Project Execution
Project Monitoring
Project Control
Project Implementation
Project Evaluation
Project Closure
 Project Management Terminologies

Every field around the world has its own special jargon and a particular vocabulary
that keeps evolving over time. The same holds true for project management. Over
the years, just like the discipline itself, the lingo has also developed unique project
management terms that one should know. Below are some of the most referred to
project management concepts and key terms that will benefit you even if you are a
seasoned project management professional.

1. Project Plan
A project plan is one of the key formal documents created before starting any
project. The document usually consists of approved cost, schedule, and project
scope. It guides the execution of a project from initiation to project closure. The
project plan also lays the foundation for all kinds of communication among the
stakeholders.

2. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Work Breakdown Structure is one of the important project management terms. A
work breakdown structure (WBS) is hierarchical that breaks down the work into
manageable clods so that each level of WBS could be easily understood by the
project team. Project team creates WBS by analyzing major deliverables and then
dividing them into sub-deliverables. This dividing process is continued until it is
assigned to a single person. A work breakdown structure comprehensively divides
the project deliverables into manageable sections. This hierarchical organizing of
the team’s work helps everyone understand the nature of work better and execute
project goals effectively.

3. Project Manager
The person responsible for handling every aspect of a project from the day it starts
till it closes is called a project manager. The responsibilities of a project manager
typically entail powerful planning, smart resource utilization, and managing the
scope of the project.
Project Manager is an individual who is responsible for a project. He/She is
responsible for aspects like execution, planning, and closure of a project. There are
various occupations like healthcare, information technology, architecture and
others that requires Project Managers. No doubt, project manager is worth to be
included in the list of top project management terms.
4. Project Stakeholder
Any individual that has a direct or indirect interest in a project is known as
a project stakeholder. They usually affect or are affected by the project decisions
being taken over the course of the project lifecycle. A stakeholder can be anyone
from the project team, executives, sponsors, customers, or the end-users.
Stakeholders are the people engaged in and influenced by the project. Some of the
stakeholders cover every section of the organization whether some have limited
scope. Some of them are outsiders as government bodies. They must be informed
about the necessary information. To deliver a product on the basis of customer’s
demand is not enough for the success of a project. Projects must meet all the
expectation of stakeholder.

5. Project Portfolio Management

Project portfolio management (PPM) involves collective management of a series of
projects to achieve organizational goals. It allows the teams to visualize the big
picture of all projects and maximize the return on investment.

6. Collaboration
The process of actively involving each team member in project activities is
called collaboration. The whole concept demands the development of an
interconnected network through which individuals exchange information and
monitor the project performance.

7. Project Budget
Project budget is a formally approved document featuring a comprehensive list of
financial resources, including project expenses, required to complete a project.

8. Project Timeline
A project timeline outlines the project events in order of their occurrence. It
captures exactly what needs to be done over the course of the project lifecycle and
how it will be done.

9. Milestone
A milestone represents a major event in a project lifecycle. It is used as a reference
point to measure the progress of a project. Usually represented as diamonds,
milestones greatly help with project scheduling and monitoring.
A milestone is a scheduling process that describes the set of related deliverables.
These are the significant points in time or an event that mark important moments
during the project. This is a best practice for project managers to use a milestone in
the project to celebrate something expressive being created. Milestone is one of the
components of Gantt chart and you will be able to see them on the project
schedules presented as a diamond. These are mainly used for
 Starting phase
 Ending phase
 Fixed dates on plan

10. Dependencies
Dependencies specify the relationship between project activities and the order in
which they are to be performed. There are 4 kinds of dependencies:
1. Start-to-start – Predecessor task must start before the Successor can start
2. Finish-to-start – Predecessor must finish before Successor can start
3. Start-to-finish – Predecessor must start before Successor can finish
4. Finish-to-finish – Predecessor must finish before Successor can finish

11. Work in Progress (WIP)

At any point during a project, the number of task items a team is currently working
on is called work in progress. It indicates the capacity of the team’s workflow at
any moment.

12. Work in Progress Limit

WIP limit restricts the maximum amount of work that can exist in different stages
of a workflow. Limiting work in progress allows teams to identify bottlenecks
faster and focus on single work items better.

13. Bottleneck
A bottleneck is a work stage where the inflow of workload is greater than the
capacity of the system, resulting in hindering the smooth flow of work overtime.

14. Sprint
A sprint is a fixed unit of time during which specific tasks has to be completed.
Typically, the duration of a sprint is determined by the Scrum Master (team’s
facilitator). During a sprint, daily standups are conducted to monitor the progress
towards sprint goals.

15. Kickoff Meeting

A kickoff meeting is generally the first meeting that occurs between the project
team and their client. This meeting usually occurs after the basic project details
have been finalized, but the main project work has not been started yet. It serves
the purpose of reviewing the project expectations and to create alignment between
everyone involved in the project.
16. Meeting Agenda
A meeting agenda is simply a list of all the topics that are to be discussed during a
meeting. It may include detailed topic descriptions, their sequence, and the
expected outcomes of each topic.

17. Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes are written notes of whatever is discussed during a meeting.
These minutes can be circulated among meeting participants after the meeting to
gain valuable insights and take appropriate follow-up actions.

18. Stand-up Meeting

A stand-up meeting, also known as the daily Scrum, is a daily short meeting
conducted to get an update from every team member about their work progress.
Usually, a stand-up meeting is conducted at the same time and same place every
day.

19. Follow Up
A meeting follow-up includes all the activities that are targeted towards collecting
feedback from the meeting participants after a meeting. Sometimes a dedicated
follow-up meeting is conducted to serve the purpose.

20. Resource Allocation

Resource allocation involves scheduling and assigning resources for a project in
the most efficient way possible. The purpose of resource allocation is to maximize
the use of available resources in a way that supports the project’s end goals.

21. Resource Breakdown Structure

A comprehensive list of resources required to complete a project. This list is
usually made according to the function and resource type, facilitating the planning
and control of a project work.

22. Resource Leveling

Resource leveling is the process of adjusting the project schedule in a way that
keeps a resource use below a set limit. It ensures that a resource doesn’t have to
work overtime. Resource leveling has an impact on the project’s critical path.

23. Resource Availability

Resource availability specifies whether a particular resource is available at a given
time or not.
24. Resource Calendar
A resource calendar indicates all the working and non-working days a specific
resource will be available.

25. Risk Management

In a nutshell, the process of identifying and assessing risks to decrease their
negative impact on project operations is called risk management. During the
process, it is made sure that overall project goals are not affected in any way.
In every project, you can have some risks. To reduce risks, there are few methods
where you can manage risks. Also, you can write down the potential risks occurred
in the project and through the management tools, you can reduce them easily. Risk
management is worth to be included in the list of top project management terms.

26. Risk Mitigation

A strategy devised to decrease the probability of adverse effects of risk is known as
risk mitigation. A successful risk mitigation strategy focuses on developing actions
that reduce possible threats to overall project objectives. At the beginning of the
project, it is important to know the risk that surrounds the project because you can
change your plan or can choose some other option to avoid the risk occurrence.
And risk mitigation is that project management term which identifies the risk. It is
a risk reaction devising technique associated with menace to the project. If risks
are not identified, then it can cause a failed project by taking so much time as you
are not prepared for that. So, this risk mitigation, risk identifying term is of much
use as this idea reduces the possibility of occurring risk and also reduces the
imprint of risk on the project.

27. Risk Monitoring and Control

Risk monitoring and control involve tracking how the risk responses are
performing in comparison with the original risk management plan.

28. Risk Owner

A person responsible for ensuring that a particular risk is managed appropriately is
a risk owner. One of the core duties of a risk owner is to make sure that the
mitigation strategy is implemented effectively. He can also sometimes be involved
with performing qualitative and quantitative risk analysis.
29. Issue Management
The comprehensive process of identifying, resolving, and tracking issues
associated with your projects comes under issue management. The purpose of issue
management is to timely resolve the issues before they become big disasters.

30. Issue Tracking

Issue tracking is the process of identifying a possible bug or error in the product
which is affecting its optimal performance. Most of the time, a professional issue
tracking software is kept in place for efficient issue tracking.

31. Issue Log

A complete record of all the project issues (ongoing and closed), along with the
persons responsible for resolving them is included in an issue log. The document
may also include each issue’s status and resolution deadlines.

32. Issue Types

Issue type defines the particular category of an issue your project is likely to
encounter during its lifecycle. The process makes assigning and tracking issues
easy for their timely resolution.
Usually, there are three types of issues your project encounters over its lifetime:
1. Bug – Any problem or issue that affects the functionality of your product
2. Epic – A large chunk of work consisting of multiple issues is called an epic
3. Story – Also known as ‘user stories’ are short feature requests from the
perspective of an end-user

33. Quality Planning

Quality planning identifies the expected quality standards that are to be met during
the project and creating systems which ensure these standards are met with
effectiveness. In quality planning, it is determined how vigilant a team needs to be
when fulfilling the quality standards.

34. Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance is a set of planned and systematic activities implemented to
monitor the project processes in a way that project quality requirements are
fulfilled. Quality assurance is done during the project and involves regular quality
audits.

35. Quality Control

Quality control involves the use of standardized practices to evaluate whether the
resulting product of a project meets quality expectations or not. The process is
conducted after the product has been created to identify any changes that might be
required in the quality assurance process.

36. Quality Management Plan

A quality management plan is a detailed plan consisting of stakeholders’ quality
expectations, quality assurance, and quality control policies to successfully execute
a project. This plan is usually a part of the project management plan.
This marks the end of our compilation of project management concepts. If you
would like to make any corrections or additions to the list, please don’t hesitate to
comment below.

37. Work Plan

One of the key terms of project management is its work plan. A work plan is an
outline of a group of goals with the help of which project team can reach those
goals. The aim of the project work plan is to promote efficiently, systematized and
completion of the project according to budget, schedule, and requirements. It
presents all the tasks involved in a project, who is responsible for each task and
when these tasks will be completed. It includes the job scope, work product
definition, task sequencing, budget, schedule etc.

38. Baseline
The baseline is one of the most popular project management terms among project
managers. A baseline is used to measure the performance of the project. There are
three baselines in project management. These are –
 Schedule baseline
 Cost baseline
 Scope baseline
The combination of these three is considered as complete performance
measurement baseline.

39. Triple Constraint

All the projects are brought about under some constraints. Triple constraint is a
four components group (time, scope, cost and quality of the product) represented
by a triangle with time, scope and cost at corner side and quality at the central
theme. There must a balance among all these components as the change in any one
will impact the other components.

40. Project Life Cycle

Project life cycle refers to the stages or phases and project passes through from
inception to closure or from start to finish. It includes project planning, analysis,
design, implementation, and budget. A project life cycle can have many models but
each model represents a single phase to build the deliverables of the project. A
project life cycle consists of initiating the project, it’s planning, monitoring and
controlling, executing, and closing.

41. Change Management

Change management is one of the project management buzz words. It is a project
management plan that has authority to approve or reject the changes on the project.
Purpose of this management is to manage the change that occurs during project
according to the previous planned requirements and statements. If change
management approves the new change in the project, only then the project manager
will be able to modify the budget and deadline to reflect the additional work.

42a. Activity
During a project, Work or Work Package consists of an Activity. Sometimes it is
defined as the smallest part of a project. It identifies the timeline development,
accurate estimating, and many other aspects by turning into small tasks. Activity
has a unique function i.e., sequencing. Along with Work Breakdown Structure
(WBS), it states two main processes: Identification and Documentation.

42b. Dummy Activity

Before going through final activities, every project manager suggests dummy
activities. Dummy Activities are shown with dashed lines. Dummy Activities are
used after a failure, to describe that.

43. Assumptions
While dealing with statement of work (SoW) and working on a project,
Assumptions are listed as factors. It ensures the validation and result of projects.
Assumption Analysis is a practice in which one can identify or calculate the
accuracy part.

44. Brainstorming
Before executing or designing a project, a complete SWOT analysis should have to
be performed by teams involving in the same project. The technique used to
calculate solutions, risks etc. by professionals is known as Brainstorming. It is
basically an analysis method.

45. Business Case and Use Cases

Business Case is referred to a doc file which is used to store data like costs,
calculations, benefits etc. Moreover Use Cases also help users by providing the
requirement of software tests. These requirements are directed from end consumer
directly. Use cases also concentrates on daily actions.

46. Business Plan

Business Plan is termed as a doc file which evidently describes about the project
goals. It includes the business goals and their strategies to achieve them. Business
Plan also concludes contextual information.

47. Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)

CAPM is generally found among the project management buzz words. Certified
Associate in Project Management is an entry-level project management
certification offered by Project Management Institute (PMI). This is a knowledge
guide by the Project Management Institute to provide an associate level
certification.

48. Earned Value & Earned Value Management (EVM)

Earned Value is termed as the methodology in which three main aspects of projects
i.e. the actual work, project plan & value at which work is completed, are
observed. It also demonstrates the timeline and total costs that have been spent on
the projects. Moreover, Earned Value Management (EVM) is a process where one
can schedule, measure, and check scope of performances.

49. Feasibility Study

Feasibility Study is among the most popular project management terms. It is
defined as the process of assessment of a designed plan. It is a methodology in
which you can see everything practicality. It consists of the activities like market
research, polls, detailed project study etc.

50. Human Resource Planning

Human resource is responsible for the manpower and their deployment. In human
resource planning, you can identify the individual roles. Also, you can observe the
relationships between individuals who are related to the project.

51. Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)

Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is defined as the organization of a
project in hierarchical depiction. It can rely on work packages to perform all the
organizational activities.

52. Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)

PMBOK is one of the most popular project management terms among the project
managers. Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is a guide which
concludes terms, best practices, strategies and procedures. This guide is a standard
guide provided by The International Organization for Standardization and followed
by the industry.

53. Project Management Professional

Project Management Professional indicates to an individual who is an expert
professional. He/She is a certified project manager who is responsible for all the
activities, elements, strategies etc. The category of certified project manager
includes all the associate and professional level candidates.
What is the best strategy to prepare for PMP? Read here.

54. Project Change Request Form

Formalizes requests from anyone to the project manager. It requires the requestor
not only to describe the change, but also to supply a reason why this change is
appropriate and needed. Once the requestor has completed the form, the project
manager can determine whether the change is indeed necessary, should be rejected,
or should be delayed until the completion of the current project.

55. Project Management and Knowledge Area

An application consists of few key points: information, services, tools, and
methods. These applications are defined by the Project Management Institute
(PMI). Project Management also achieves the expectations of stakeholders. There
is an area defined for project management for the knowledge requirements.

56. Quality, Quality Assurance, and Quality Control

Quality is an interpretation which defines superiority and inferiority of things.
Quality gives products’ sustainability, maintainability, and reliability. It also pre-
decides the requirements which inherits characteristics. Quality Assurance refers to
the approach which includes prevention of errors. It maintains the preferred level
of the quality. Quality Control refers to the procedures which certifies that product
defines the necessary goals.

57. Reporting
Reporting is an essential part in any project. Reporting is basically a document file
in which every information about the project is stored with the development
records. At every phase, one should report to the project manager so that every
team which involves in the same project can gather.
58. Resource Calendar
Resource calendar is termed as the list of working days along with non-working
days which specifies the activity of resources. It is particularly used to calculate the
holidays.
59. Statement of Work (SoW)
SoW stands for the Statement of Work. It describes the method and production of
the project. It is basically a tool by which you can directly work with anyone. You
just need to enter the description of tasks which is to be done.

60. Status Reports

Status reports deliver existing info on the project charge, financial plan, possibility,
and other pertinent info. It also includes the completed tasks and tasks in future. It
also includes a risk list and project duration.

61. SWOT Analysis

if you are in project management, SWOT analysis is among the project
management terms you should know. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats. Before starting a project, there should be a SWOT
analysis so that you can have all the required terms of the project and you can
calculate the key terms. The SWOT analysis refers to the planning by which you
calculate these terms.

62. Time Management

When a project is designed and delivered to the team for reference, then it consists
of the time duration which every team should follow. It also indicates the method
of scheduling and management of time of the project. It also involves the project
manager, management and all the key personnel who are responsible for the
project. It helps to calculate the team efficiency.

63. Three-Point Estimation

Three-point estimation is a method or process by which you can take reviews or
cases. Mainly known Three Point Estimations are best-case, worst-case, and most
likely case. It helps enterprises to generate accuracy, calculate estimation, and
average.
 Project Management Techniques

The Waterfall model (Traditional Project Management)

Waterfall model is a traditional project management approach to the project
lifecycle. The model works in a similar pattern like a ‘waterfall’. The project
development takes place systematically, from one phase to another in a downward
fashion. Each phase must be completed before moving on to the next phase and
there is no overlapping of the phases, making it difficult to make any amendments.

The Waterfall Model was first Process Model to be introduced. It is also referred to
as a linear-sequential life cycle model. It is very simple to understand and use. It
simplifies project management and how you might implement aspects of this
methodology in your own work. It consists of several discrete phases. Each phase
must be completed fully before the next phase can begin and each phase’s
completion is terminal. The model does not allow you to return to a previous
phase.

The Waterfall Model is also called the traditional project management which is a
step-by-step predictive approach to project management. In it you break down and
plan an entire project before launching it. Processes in the requirements stage help
you predict and manage risks.

The only way to return to a previous phase is to start over at phase one. For
example, you cannot put up dry wall if you have not framed a house. Likewise, it is
impossible to un-pour a concrete foundation.

At the end of each phase, a review takes place to determine if the project is on the
right path and whether to continue or discard the project.

Waterfall has its roots in non-software industries like manufacturing and

construction, where system arose out of necessity. This model is basically used for
the project that is small and that has no uncertain requirements.

In Waterfall Model, there are various phases which need to be followed from
sequentially one phase to the next. Waterfall Model is a traditional project
management procedure in which sequential development process is followed. Also
in this model, development moves in downward direction. It also consists of few
phases like.
1. Initiation
2. Analysis
3. Design
4. Build
5. Test, and
6. Maintenance.

A waterfall project management approach consists of clearly outlined objectives,

budget, timeframes, tasks, and activities. The progress of the approach flows in one
direction, like waterfall, by consecutively moving from one phase to another once
they have been completed. These phases are:

1. Conception
2. Initiation
3. Analysis
4. Design
5. Construction
6. Testing
7. Deployment
8. Maintenance

Since this approach is not flexible, it relies heavily on record keeping improving
the approach to the project for the future.

Advantages:
 Simple structure through clearly defined project phases.
 Good documentation of the development process through clearly defined
milestones.
 Costs and workload can be estimated at the beginning of the project.
 Projects that are structured according to the waterfall model can be well
mapped on the time axis.

Disadvantages:
 Complex or multi-layered projects can rarely be divided into clearly defined
project phases.
 Little leeway for adjustments to the project schedule due to changing
requirements.
  The end user is only integrated into the production process after
programming.
 Errors are sometimes only detected at the end of the development process.

The Waterfall Model Suitability

Waterfall models are mainly used for projects where requirements and processes
can be precisely described in the planning phase and where it can be assumed that
the assumptions will change only slightly during the course of the project. Strictly
linear process models are therefore suitable primarily for small, simple, and clearly
structured projects. This model is used only when:-

The requirements are very well known, clear and fixed.

Product definition is stable.
Technology is understood.
There are no ambiguous requirements
Ample resources with required expertise are available freely
The project is short.

Waterfall model is used to develop enterprise applications like

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems
Human Resource Management (HRM) system
Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems
Inventory Management (IM) systems
Point of Sales (POS) systems, etc.

Applications

Software Engineering
Let us understand the concept of Waterfall model with example of a banking
application for illustrating the topic. Let us assume that a bank is planning to have
a new banking application developed and they have approached you as a project
manager for the project.

Requirements Gathering and Analysis

In this phase the requirements are gathered by the business analyst and they are
analyzed by the team. Requirements are documented during this phase and
clarifications can be sought.

The Business Analysts document the requirement based on their discussion with
the customer.
Going through the requirements and analyzing them has revealed that the project
team needs answers to the following questions which were not covered in the
requirements document –
 Where will the new banking application be used?
 Do we have to support multiple branch es?
 How many users are expected to use the application?

System Design
The architect and senior members of the team work on the software architecture,
high level and low level design for the project.
It is decided that the banking application needs to have redundant backup and
failover capabilities such that system is accessible at all times.
The architect creates the Architecture diagrams and high level / low level design
documents.

Implementation
The development team works on coding the project.
They take the design documents / artifacts and ensure that their solution follows
the design finalized by the architect.
Since the application is a banking application and security was a high priority in
the application requirements, they implement several security checks, audit logging
features in the application.
They also perform several other activities like a senior developer reviewing the
other developers code for any issues. Some developers perform static analysis of
the code.

Testing
The testing team tests the complete application and identifies any defects in the
application.
These defects are fixed by the developers and the testing team tests the fixes to
ensure that the defect is fixed.
They also perform regression testing of the application to see if any new defects
were introduced.
Testers with banking domain knowledge were also hired for the project so that they
could test the application based on the domain perspective.
Security testing teams were assigned to test the security of the banking application.
Deployment
The team builds and installs the application on the servers which were procured for
the banking application.
Some of the high level activities include installing the OS on the servers, installing
security patches, hardening the servers, installing web servers and application
servers, installing the database etc.
They also co-ordinate with network and IT administrative teams etc to finally get
the application up and running on the production servers.

Maintenance
During the maintenance phase, the team ensures that the application is running
smoothly on the servers without any downtime.
Issues that are reported after going live are fixed by the team and tested by the
testing team.