CHAPTER 1 - PROJECT SCOPE ●​ unclear project objective

●​ last minute customer feedback

●​ unrealistic project objectives
Project Scope - is the part of project planning that involves determining and documenting a
list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks, costs and deadlines.
THE BENEFITS OF PREVENTING SCOPE CREEP
Project Deliverables - are the output you expect to have at the end of your project.
1.​ Ensure all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the boundaries of the project.
Project Objectives - are what you plan to achieve by the end of your project.
2.​ Manage stakeholder expectations and get buy-in.
Project Stakeholders - are the people who can impact or be impacted by the project you’re
3.​ Reduce project risks.
working on.
4.​ Budget and resource plan appropriately.
Scope Creep - is what happens when project deliverables exceed the project scope.
5.​ Align your project to its main objectives.
Project Plan - sometimes called a work plan — is a blueprint of the goals, objectives, and
6.​ Prevent scope creep.
tasks your team needs to accomplish for a specific project.
7.​ Establish a process for change requests.

PROJECT SCOPE
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEFINING A PROJECT’S SCOPE
Project scope is the part of project planning that involves determining and
●​ It articulates what the project entails so that all stakeholders can understand what's
documenting a list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks, costs and deadlines. It
involved;
explains the boundaries of the project, establishes responsibilities for each team member
●​ It provides a roadmap that managers can use to assign tasks, schedule work and
and sets up procedures for how completed work will be verified and approved. Scope creep
budget appropriately;
is a situation in which one or more parts of a project end up requiring more work, time or
●​ It helps focus team members on common objectives; and
effort because of poor planning or miscommunication.
●​ It prevents projects, particularly complex ones, from expanding beyond the
established vision.
WHAT IS A PROJECT SCOPE STATEMENT?
●​ It provides a roadmap. Any team member can refer back to the project scope at any
The project scope statement is a detailed written outline of the project, including
point during the project for alignment and a clear view of project goals.
timeline, budget, assigned tasks, project stakeholders, and workflow strategies. With a
●​ It manages stakeholder expectations. Stakeholders may have different priorities for
well-defined project plan and project scope statement, it’s easier for project managers to
the project. The project scope sets the parameters, ensuring everyone is aware of the
oversee each step in the delivery of a project. The scope statement keeps contributors on
specific intentions and goals.
task, within budget, and on track to meet deadlines.
●​ It makes budgeting and scheduling easier. Clearly defining deadlines and
constraints in the project scope before beginning helps you plan resources.
WHAT IS SCOPE CREEP?
●​ It prevents scope creep. Setting the boundaries of your project in the project scope
Scope creep is the outline of requirements and deliverables in a project and it is
helps alleviate issues that may shift the focus of your project away from the plan.
what happens when project deliverables exceed the project scope.
When your project suffers from scope creep, you end up working on tasks you didn’t
HOW TO DEFINE THE SCOPE OF A PROJECT
expect at the beginning of the project. This can lead to project delays, overwork, or
➔​ INTRODUCTION: This defines the what and why of a project. An example would be
low-quality deliverables.
"This content creation and marketing project is being undertaken by the company
RealContent Inc. to distribute articles on its blog and social media sites to raise
WHAT CAUSES SCOPE CREEP?
brand awareness and increase traffic to the website."
●​ no project scope
➔​ PROJECT SCOPE: This defines the project requirements. It sets the general goals
●​ too many stakeholders
for the project schedule and tasks and identifies who will be involved. In the content
●​ poor communication
creation example, it might state: "The project will include research, writing, content
●​ ineffective change control process
strategy and search engine optimization, and publishing on the company's website
 and social media profiles, in March of 2021. John Smith, RealContent content This includes things like a company training course or a quarterly budget report. If
director, will oversee these tasks. Staff and contract writers will create the your project’s end-user is your company, then you’re probably working on an internal
deliverables." deliverable.
➔​ DELIVERABLES: The deliverables section defines what will be provided at the end
of the project and specifies a submission date. In our example, "Deliverables for the PROJECT OBJECTIVES
project will include a well-researched, 2,000-word article to be delivered no later ​ Project objectives are what you plan to achieve by the end of your project. This
than Feb. 28, 2021. Ten related and linkable articles, expanding on points in the main might include deliverables and assets, or more intangible objectives like increasing
article will be delivered on that same deadline." productivity or motivation. Your project objectives should be attainable, time-bound, specific
➔​ ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA: This describes the project objectives and the metrics that goals you can measure at the end of your project.
will be used to assess success. For example, "The main article will gain 3,000
cumulative pageviews within six months of publication and generate two new leads." BENEFITS OF PROJECT OBJECTIVES
➔​ EXCLUSIONS: This describes what will not be included in the project. For example, ​ A clear project objective helps you know where you’re going with your project.
"The project will not need the creation of multimedia to go with the articles." Without a project objective, you don’t have an easy way to know if your project succeeded or
➔​ CONSTRAINTS: This lists hard limits of the project and things that cannot be failed—nor can you plan improvements for the next project you work on.
changed. Project constraints may pertain to the project schedule, project budget or
technical issues. For example, "The project has a hard submission date of Feb.28, 5 TIPS TO WRITE GREAT PROJECT OBJECTIVES
2021, and a firm budget of $5,000 dollars." 1.​ Set your project objectives at the beginning of your project.
➔​ SHARE YOUR PROJECT SCOPE STATEMENT WITH THE TEAM: Your 2.​ Involve your project team in the goal-setting process.
stakeholders have seen and signed off on your project scope—the next step is to 3.​ Create brief, but clear. Project objective statements.
share it with your project team. Make sure your team has a one-stop shop to access 4.​ Make sure your objectives are things you can control.
all of your work, like a work management tool. 5.​ Check in on your project objectives during the project’s lifecycle.
➔​ REFER BACK TO YOUR PROJECT SCOPE STATEMENT DURING THE PROJECT:
It’s helpful to reference your project scope document frequently to make sure you’re CHAPTER 2 - WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE
on track and not at risk of scope creep. If anyone introduces new elements to the
project that haven’t gone through your change control process, refer them to the
WHAT IS WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE?
project scope statement and encourage them to submit their idea as a request or
●​ The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines WBS as "a deliverable-oriented
fast-follow.
hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to
accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables."
WHAT IS PROJECT DELIVERABLE?
●​ A Work Breakdown Structure is a hierarchical decomposition of a project into
​ Project deliverables are the output you expect to have at the end of your project.
smaller, more manageable components. It breaks down the project into distinct work
Deliverables can be anything—a new product, marketing campaign, feature update, a sales
packages, tasks, and activities.
deck, a decrease in churn, or an increase in NPS score, just to name a few.

WHEN TO USE WBS?

TWO TYPES OF PROJECT DELIVERABLES
●​ A scope of work is a comprehensive document that explains your project scope,
❖​ EXTERNAL DELIVERABLE. This is probably what you think of when you hear
which is all the work to be performed. A WBS is the perfect tool to break down the
“project deliverable.” External deliverables are anything you’re producing for clients,
scope of a project into work packages that are easier to control. On top of that, a
like a product or new feature, a social media or marketing campaign, or a sales
work breakdown structure allows you to easily identify milestones, deliverables and
deck. External deliverables will help you win or maintain your customer base.
phases.
❖​ INTERNAL DELIVERABLE. An internal deliverable, as the name suggests, is
something that benefits your company but may not directly impact your customers.
WHY USE A WBS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
●​ Making a WBS is the first step in developing a project schedule. It defines all the
work that needs to be completed (and in what order) to achieve the project goals
and objectives. By visualizing your project in this manner, you can understand your
project scope, and allocate resources for all your project tasks.

A well-constructed work breakdown structure helps with important project management

process groups and knowledge areas such as:
●​ Project Planning, Project Scheduling and Project Budgeting
●​ Risk Management, Resource Management, Task Management and Team
Management

IMPORTANCE OF WBS
★​ clarity - It provides a clear and visual representation of the project's scope and
structure.
★​ efficiency - Helps in resource allocation, time management, and cost estimation.
★​ communication - Facilitates effective communication among project stakeholders.
★​ risk management - Identifying risks associated with specific work packages
becomes easier.

STEPS TO CREATE A WBS

1.​ Define Project OBjectives: understand the project’s goals and deliverables
2.​ Identify Major Phases: break the project into major phases or milestones
3.​ Decompose Phases: decompose each phase into work packages and tasks
4.​ Verify and Validate: ensure that the WBS align with project objectives

WBS SOFTWARE TOOLS

Several software tools, such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, and Trello, can assist in
creating and managing WBS.
WBS GANTT CHART
WBS LAYOUT A Gantt chart is both a spreadsheet and a timeline. The Gantt chart is a WBS that
At the top of the work breakdown structure is your final deliverable. Immediately can do more than a static task list or tree diagram. With a dynamic Gantt chart, you can link
beneath that is the next WBS level, which are the main project phases required to complete dependencies, set milestones, even set a baseline.
the project. The third and lowest level shows work packages. Most WBS charts have 3 levels,
but you can add more depending on the complexity of your projects. CONCLUSION
Work Breakdown Structure is an invaluable tool for project managers to effectively plan and
WBS - is based on an hierarchy structure. execute projects. Its role in scope definition, resource allocation, and risk management
cannot be overstated.
CHAPTER 3 - FACTORS INFLUENCING THE QUALITY OF ESTIMATES 5.​ IT RESULTS IN IMPROVING BUSINESS IMAGE AND REPUTATION
With accurate cost estimation, funds and resources can be more efficiently allocated
IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
to individual project operations. As a result, the project timeline is meticulously
planned and assets are expected to arrive on time. And when projects are completed
WHAT IS ESTIMATES? on time and within budget, you’re more likely to have satisfied customers, repeat
According to Merriam Webster... business, and referrals.
●​ to judge tentatively or approximately the value, worth, or significance of
●​ to determine roughly the size, extent, or nature of FACTORS INFLUENCING THE QUALITY OF ESTIMATE
●​ to produce a statement of the approximate cost of ●​ PLANNING HORIZON. The quality of the estimate depends on the planning
horizon; estimates of current events are close to 100 percent accurate but are
COST ESTIMATE reduced for more distant events.
A cost estimate is the service provider’s best guess about how much the job will cost. ●​ PROJECT DURATION. Time to implement new technology has a habit of expanding
An estimate is much more than a simple cost breakdown of a project. Expense estimates in an increasing, nonlinear fashion. Sometimes poorly written scope specifications
outline the assumptions behind each cost, as well as inclusions and exclusions, and related for new technology result in errors in estimating times and costs.
risks, to bring the project to reality. ●​ PEOPLE. The people factor can influence the quality of time and cost estimates.
●​ PROJECT STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION. Which project structure is chosen
IMPORTANCE OF ESTIMATES to manage the project will influence time and cost estimates. One of the major
1.​ IT SUPPORTS MORE ACCURATE PLANNING advantages of a dedicated project team discussed earlier is the speed gamed from
You’ll be able to easily create a work breakdown schedule, assign work to personnel, concentrated focus and localized project decisions. This speed comes at an
and stick to estimated timetables if you can precisely forecast what activities and additional cost of tying up personnel full time.
resources are required to complete the job. With accurate estimating, you can ●​ PADDING ESTIMATES. In some cases people are inclined to pad estimates.
efficiently plan your workflows once you have a proper budget drafted for every In work situations where you are asked for time and cost estimates, most of us are
task. inclined to add a little padding to increase the probability and reduce the risk of
2.​ IT RESULTS IN IMPROVED PROFITS being late. If everyone at all levels of the project adds a little padding to reduce risk,
Different factors such as unforeseen events, poorly scoped work, and inflation can the project duration and cost are seriously overstated.
cause job costs to rise over time, posing a risk to finishing the job on time and within ●​ ORGANIZATION CULTURE. The prevailing belief in some organizations is that
budget, as well as meeting profitability targets. Accurate estimating accounts for detailed estimating takes too much time and is not worth the effort or that it's
both expected and unexpected costs, ensuring that your profit margins are impossible to predict the future. Other organizations subscribe to the belief that
protected. accurate estimates are the bedrock of effective project management. Organization
3.​ IT RESULTS IN MORE EFFICIENT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT culture shapes every dimension of project management, estimating is not immune to
You can ensure you have the specific skills needed to complete each deliverable, this influence.
identify resourcing gaps, hire additional people as needed, and take on new projects ●​ OTHER FACTORS. Finally, nonproject factors can impact time and cost estimates.
with confidence now that you have a better understanding of the tasks and timelines Project priority can influence resource as- signment and impact time and cost.
required to complete work.
4.​ YOU CAN BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS CONCLUSION
Accurate estimating provides a detailed breakdown of all project costs. Clients are Project estimating is a complex process. The quality of time and cost estimates can be
more likely to trust your expertise and expect changes to the cost estimate as the improved when these variables are considered in making the estimates. Estimates of time
project progresses if they understand the “why” behind a project’s cost. This leads to and cost together allow the manager to develop a time-phased budget, which is imperative
better working relationships. for project control.
CHAPTER 4 - ESTIMATING GUIDELINE FOR TIME, COST, AND appropriate as a time unit. One such project that used minutes as the time unit was
the movement of patients from an old hospital to an elegant new one across town.
RESOURCES
​ Since there were several life-endangering moves, minutes were used to
ensure patient safety so proper emergency life-support systems would be available
7 Guidelines for Estimating Times, Cost and Resources
if needed. The point is, network analysis requires a standard unit of time. When
1.​ Responsibility
computer programs allow more than one option, some notation should be made of
​ At the work package level, estimates should be made by the person(s) most
any variance from the standard unit of time. If the standard unit of time is a
familiar with the task. Draw on their expertise! Except for super technical tasks,
five-day workweek and the estimated activity duration is in calendar days, it must
those responsible for getting the job done on schedule and within budget are usually
be converted to the normal workweek.
first-line supervisors or technicians who are experienced and familiar with the type
5.​ Independence
of work involved. These people will not have some preconceived, imposed duration
​ Estimators should treat each task as independent of other tasks that might
for a deliverable in mind.
be integrated by the WBS. Use of first-line managers usually results in considering
​ They will give an estimate based on experience and best judgment. A
tasks independently; this is good. Top managers are prone to aggregate many tasks
secondary benefit of using those responsible is the hope they will "buy in" to seeing
into one time estimate and then deductively make the individual task time estimates
that the estimate materializes when they implement the work package. If those
add to the total.
involved are not consulted, it will be difficult to hold them responsible for failure to
​ If tasks are in a chair and performed by the same group or department, it is
achieve the estimated time.
best not to ask for all the time estimates in the sequence at once to avoid the
2.​ Use several people to estimate
tendency for a planner or a supervisor to lock at the whole path and try to adjust
​ Use several people to estimate. It is well known that a cost or time estimate
individual task times in the sequence to meet an arbitrary imposed schedule or some
usually has a better chance of being reasonable and realistic when several people
rough "guesstimate" of the total time for the whole path or segment of the project.
with relevant experience and/or knowledge of the task are used (sometimes called
6.​ Contingencies
"crowdsourcing"). True, people bring different biases based on their experience.
​ Work package estimates should not include allowances for contingencies.
​ But discussion of the individual differences in their estimate leads to
The estimate should assume normal or average conditions even though every work
consensus and tends to eliminate extreme estimate errors.
package will not materialize as planned.
3.​ Normal condition
​ For this reason top management needs to create an extra fund for
​ When task time, cost, and resource estimates are determined, they are
contingencies that can be used to cover unforeseen events.
based on certain assumptions. Estimates should be based on normal conditions,
7.​ Adding risk assessment to the estimate helps to avoid surprises to the
efficient methods, and a normal level of resources. Normal conditions are sometimes
stakeholders
difficult to discern, but it is necessary to have a consensus in the organization as to
​ It is obvious some tasks carry more time and cost risks than others. For
what normal conditions mean in this project.
example, a new technology usually carries more time and cost risks than a proven
​ In addition, possible conflicts in demand for resources on parallel or
process.
concurrent activities should not be considered at this stage. The need for adding
Simply identifying the degree of risk lets stakeholders consider alternative
resources will be examined when resource scheduling is discussed in a later chapter.
methods and alter process decisions.
4.​ Time units
A simple breakdown by optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic for task time
​ Specific time units to use should be selected early in the development phase
could provide valuable information regarding time and cost.
of the project network. All task time estimates need consistent time units. Estimates
of time must consider whether normal time is represented by calendar days,
workdays, workweeks, person days, single shift, hours, minutes, etc. In practice the
use of workdays is the dominant choice for expressing task duration. However, in
projects such as a heart transplant operation, minutes probably would be more