CompTIA Project+ 2009

• lack of project management skills
• poor communication between the IT organization and business units

• sponsor not involved
• poor project planning
• frequent project manager changes
• responsibilities not clear
• unclear benefits and deliverables
• poor or no change control
• changes in technology
• inappropriate or insufficient skills
• scope creep
• poor project manager

• formal governance and change-approval guidelines
• sponsors accountable for project results
• project management training
• formal procedures for change request
• regular communication with users
• clear tracking of people, skills, time and cost
• inventory of skills-based competencies
• project estimates based on several inputs

Definition:

• individuals and organizations who are affected by and have an interest in the project

Enumeration:

• sponsor
• customer
• project manager
• project team member
• subject matter expert
• end-user
• seller (or vendor)
• general public
• media

• examine the environment
• determine the type of influence
• categorize th level of influence
• gather information (what you needto know about each stakeholder, where and how you can obtain the information, and who'll be responsible for gathering, analyzing, and interpreting thedata collected about each stakeholder's requirements)

The individual that's initiating the work and providing the resources.

e.g.: A member of upper management is an example of a sponsor of an internal project.

The individual or organization that will receive the product or service generated by the project. The customer provides the resources of an external project.

The people who'll be affected by the product or service generated by the project.

Those influenced and affected by the project (such as contractors and subcontractors).

The professionals or other specialists who serve on the project team

The individual responsible for managing the project

Implement their

• needs
• expectations
• requirements
• (critical) success criterias

according to their point of view.

Any personal agenda can affect a project's success!

methods:

• focus groups
• surveys
• interviews

techniques:

• open-ended questions to gather all point of views
• specific questions to focus on specific areas

• business related
• functional
• technical

remember the V-model !

• incorrect
• unclear, inprecise
• missing
• inconsistent

• contingency
• risk
• resources
• design
• quality and reliability considerations
• management considerations
• target audience

contingency: outcome other than expected

request for proposal. Definition by wikipedia:

A solicitation made, often through a bidding process, by an agency or company interested in procurement of a commodity, service or valuable asset, to potential suppliers to submit business proposals.

statement of work is a formal document that captures and defines the work activities, deliverables, and timeline a vendor will execute for a client. 

1. list all the requirements from all stakeholders and analyze them for similarities and differences
2. prioritize the requirements based on business needs
3. develop alternative solutions that encompass the requirements (encompass: bring together all)
4. select therequirements that closely align with the organization's long-term goals
5. present your solutions to all the stakeholders

• Does the project deliver value to the business?
• Does it deliver benefits that the business actually needs?
• How well does the project anticipate future requirements?

when it's  

• delivered on time,
• within cost constraints, and
• meets the scope.

• temporary endeavor
• delivers a unique product or service
• constrained by time
• resources and quality

• initiating / pre-project setup
• planning
• executing
• monitoring and controlling
• closing

project  vs  operations

one-time effort  vs  ongoing effort

unique product or service  vs  repetitive product or service

project charter

project management plan

deliverable

corrective action

sign-off from the customer or sponsor

• define and authorize the project,
• name the project manager,
• define scope, deliverable, duration and resources

• identify stakeholders,
• define objectives and requirements,
• define scope,
• develop the schedule,
• define the budget,
• identify risks,
• identify resources,
• plan procurement

• implement the project management plan,
• complete the work,
• coordinate staff

• Monitor / controle the processes to ensure the objectives ar met. 
• Track the project's progress.
• Monitor performance against the project management plan.
• Identify variances.
• Undertake corrective action.
• Implement approved changes.

• finalize the acceptance of the project and ensure an orderly end
• gather project information
• review the project's time and cost performance
• complie lessons learned
• close contracts

• Identifiy the goal clearly
• identify the project's scope
• translate business requirements into functional and technical requirements
• estimate time and cost
• link activities to performance and deliverables
• establish priorities and ground rules
• identify risks
• negotiate (e.g. for funding and resources

• build a project team
• manage changes
• keep stakeholders informed
• maintain executive management support
• ensure the project's ongoing relevance
• manage handoffs between groups
• manage scope creep
• facilitate communication, cooperation and collaboration

• monitor performance against the project management plan
• identify variances
• undertake corrective action
• implement approved changes

• obtain sponsor or customer sign-off
• turn over the deliverable and ensure that support / maintanance begins
• review the project with all team members
• identify lessons learned
• generate final project report

• the deliverable is often intangible
• the designers are often the implementers
• most IT departments have multiple projects going on simultaneously that are linked
• the IT environment is constantly changing