Notes I put together in a Project Management Course I took.

1. Project Management Fundamentals
Notes by Whitney Earls
Initiating
Planning
Executing
Monitoring and
Controlling
Closing
CHAPTER 1 Exploring Project Management
Project– Unique endeavorwithaspecificgoal,beginning,end,andbudget
Unique – specificneedforthe same goal indifferentcontext
Goal – solve a problem,take advantage of opportunity
BeginningandEnd – define goal toidentifywhendone
Budget– money,resources,andtime
A projectis NOT Operations.The same taskday afterday
Questionsto ask
What problemare yousolving?
How will yousolve thisproblem?
What isyour plan? – Howlongwork takes,resourcesneeded,how muchtheycost
How will youknowwhenyouare done? – Clearlydefinedobjectivesandsuccesscriteria.Measureable
results
How well didthe projectgo? – Lessonslearned
SkillsRequiredto be a Project Manager
Tech Skills - projectplan, measure projects,andscheduling
BusinessExpertise - bringvalue,organizational business, whatdoesyourcompanydo
Interpersonal Skills - motivate people,interface withpeople
StrongLeadership - inspire otherstodowell
5 ProcessesofProject Management
Initiating–whatproblemare you solvingandhow will youdoit
Planning–how to performproject,whatisitand whenwill youknow it’sdone
Executing– bringresourcestogether,explainprojectprocess
MonitoringandControlling –make sure projectisrunningas plannedandmake adjustments
Closing– lessonslearned,closecontracts,projectperformance,disperseresources

2. Project Management Fundamentals
Notes by Whitney Earls
Executing
Monitiorong
and
Controlling
Closing
Planning
Traditional vs. Agile Style
Traditional foruse whenprojectstepshappenone afteranother
Use When:
- Familiarwith project
- Cleargoal and solution
- Clearscope and deliverables
- Familiartechnology
Agile forwhenthere isnoclearsolution
Solutionisfiguredoutasmovingalong
Requiresiteration/rotationthroughplanning,executing,monitoring,andclosing stepsseveral times
before final closing
Each iterationhasitsown closing
Initiating
Final Closing

3. Project Management Fundamentals
Notes by Whitney Earls
Project ManagementSoftware
Task Management
- MicrosoftExcel
- MicrosoftProject
- Oracle Primavera
- Fast Track Schedule
- OpenProject
- @Task
Word Docs and SpreadSheets
- Google Docs
- MicrosoftExcel
Presentations
- Powerpoint
- Apple Keynote
- Prezi
DocumentSharing& Collaboration
- 37 SignalsBase Camp
- MicrosoftSharePoint
- Enterprise (largerorganizations)
Considerthiswhenchoosingsoftware toworkwith:
- CompanyCulture andworkenvironment
- Cost
- # of Projects
- Complexity

4. Project Management Fundamentals
Notes by Whitney Earls
CHAPETER 2 Initiating a Project
Obtain commitment to start a project
Identify problem to solve and gather info to define project for project summary
Write Problem Statement
Clearly define a problem/opportunity
Don’t jump straight to the solution before defining the problem
Always ask why in association with proposed solutions
Problem statements:
- Keep it Simple
- Not a solutions
- Ask why until underlying reason for project is defined
Define Goals and Objectives
What will project achieve?
Keep it simple and easy to understand
Objectives further define goals, they are smaller detailed goals there are several different kinds
- Business Objectives
- Financial Objectives
- Quality Objectives
- Technical Objectives
- Performance Objectives
Objectives Should Be:
- Set Specific
- Measurable
- Realistic
- Time Related

5. Project Management Fundamentals
Notes by Whitney Earls
Choose a Strategy
Brain Storm the Problem Statement, Goals, and Objectives
Suggest Strategies and Evaluate:
- Does strategy meet objective? (strategy matrix)
- Is strategy feasible?
- Are risks Acceptable? (risk analysis)
- Does strategy fit organization culture?
Gather Requirements
Requirements will detail specific needs of project and what the outcome will look like
Wish lists can get mixed with requirements, make sure to identify true requirements
Identifying True Requirements:
- Requirement meetings/ large or targeted groups
- Work With End User : Observe, report, review
- Interview Key groups/individuals
Gathering Techniques
- Reuse info from similar projects
- Build a prototype
- Business process modeling
- Use case
Document very detailed of what must be accomplished to satisfy objective
Deliverables and Success Criteria
Deliverables – products or services delivered, help define project scope, help measure progress
End deliverables – end product
Intermediate deliverable – delivered during process

6. Project Management Fundamentals
Notes by Whitney Earls
Have deliverables that:
- Can be completed between reports to evaluate progress
- Break up into manageable pieces
Success Criteria Must be Clear and Quantifiable
Assumptions and Risks
Assumption - something taken to be true without confirmation
Ask about expectations to clear up assumptions
- What results do they expect
- What do they consider project success
Risk – situation or event that might negatively affect project
Analyze the risks
Document everything
Scope Statement
Boundaries of project, what a project will and an will not do
Scope Creep – little additions to project that increase scope. Keep to a minimal
Change management – process to adjust for scope additions
Stake Holders
Project Customer – person or group with problem to solve
1. Funds project
2. Influences project
3. Approves deliverables
Sponsor – responsible for project
1. Prioritizes objectives
2. Talks to stakeholders

7. Project Management Fundamentals
Notes by Whitney Earls
3. Suggest improvements
Functional Manager – achieve department goals and manages team
Team Members – perform tasks
Know what motivates stakeholders and how they interact with project (stakeholder analysis)
Obtain Approval
Obtain approval by mail or Face to Face Sign Off (ideal)
Make sure all stake holders understand information
Review project summary
Obtain signatures
Write a Project Charter
Team members need to understand project manager authority
Project Charter, published by sponsor
- Name of project
- Purpose
- Project manager
- Responsibilities
- Authority
- Sponsors Support