Marc C. McCune

Project Management Capstone

> Planning

3.4 Planning Process Group “The Planning Process Group consists of those processes performed to establish the total scope of the effort, define and refine the objectives, and develop the course of action required to attain those objectives” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 46).

The Planning Process Group has the most activity and some of the most critical elements of all of the process groups. Here the Project Management Plan, Scope definition, and Work Breakdown Structure are all developed. Activities definition, sequencing, resource estimation, and duration estimation are identified and a schedule developed.  Costs are estimated and a baseline budget is implemented. The quality requirements are determined and incorporated into the quality plan.

A Human Resources plan will identify the type and skills of personnel needed creating the staffing management plan. The communications plan is developed during the planning phase as well. The risk management plan is a significant part of the planning process and includes identify risks, performing both qualitative and quantitative risk analysis. The risk response plan provides the appropriate actions to mitigate possible threats.  Planning procurement rounds out the planning process and it identifies the purchasing requirements for the project and potential suppliers. 

More effort made during the planning phase will reap dividends throughout the project.

Below are the Knowledge Areas and Process Groups from the Planning Process Group. 

4.2 Develop Project Management Plan “Develop Project management Plan is the process of documenting the actions necessary to define, prepare, integrate, and coordinate all subsidiary plans. The project management plan defines how the project is executed, monitored and controlled, and closed” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 78).


At the Planning phase, the Project Management Plan defines the 'broad brush' outline of the entire project. This document will be utilized and updated throughout the remainder of the project.

Artifacts

CNM Construction Bridge Project

The CNM Bridge Project culminates the elements necessary to develop a Project Management Plan and demonstrates my knowledge in this area.

Denver International Airport (DIA) Airport Case Study

The Denver International Airport, (DIA) the objective of the city, the airlines, and various stakeholders are considered as to how DIA was developed into a project management plan. The section on page five 'Scope Creep' and from page eight the 'Risk' section on describe inadequate planning and its impact on the project.

PGMT 502 Term Paper ReEngineSTCProject APA-RevB2 mm.docx

Page three begins the project description that will lay the groundwork for the project management plan.

5.1 Collect Requirements “Collect Requirements is the process of defining and documenting stakeholders’ needs to meet the project objectives” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 103).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project document below identifies change control management, activity tracking / responsibilities, business needs, project objectives, and the assumptions used to develop requirements. 
This problem demonstrates knowledge from PMBOK for 5.1 ‘Collect Requirements’. When planning a project historical data is typically available and will be used in 6.3 ‘Estimate Activity Resources’. MGMT CP-1 analyze a Flight School who wishes to predict the number of students for the following years resource requirements. The first step is to collect the requirements and use mathematical models to best predict the following year's requirements. 

Page three begins the project description that will lay the groundwork for the project management plan. Stakeholder and regulatory requirements are specified.

5.2 Define Scope “Define Scope is the process of developing a detailed description of the project and product” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 103).


Artifacts:
The details of the project are elaborated in the section Schedule Baseline and Work Breakdown Structure and in the CNM Construction Bridge Project WBS. A Schedule Management Plan is included summarizing project deliverables, while the Quality Management Plan identifies an acceptance plan for the deliverable. Project constraints are ascertained in the Business Case / Proposed Solution section with rational for the conclusion.

Elements of scope are identified in the Scope Creep section outlining the objectives of the various stakeholders.


5.3 Create WBS “Create WBS is the process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller, more manageable components” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 103).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project WBS below satisfies creation of a WBS. Within the CNM Construction Bridge Project document, section Schedule Baseline and Work Breakdown WBS dictionary criteria is defined. Further project definitions are contained throughout the CNM Construction Bridge Project document. A schedule baseline and work breakdown structure (WBS) is created in Microsoft Project which you will find in the 'CNM Bridge Project Gannt' link below.

The Denver International Airport, (DIA) paper identifies the basic areas of the WBS and specifications germane to this project.  

6.1 Define Activities “The process of identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 129).



Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project documents below demonstrate further definition of activities as identified in PMBOK. The CNM Bridge Project Schedule R03 Gantt Level 6 link provides quick access to an overview of project milestones and schedule.

6.2 Sequence Activities “The process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 129).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project network diagram shows the project activities with critical paths identified and presents a logical flow of work dependencies and precedence. 

The PPt p31 tab in MGMT 524 Queuing-Resource Chp 14 Problems.xlsx is a base line to establish my excel formula utilizing a known question and answer. You can change inputs in cells D1 and D2 to your own obtain custom results that are indicated in blue.

Imagine coordinating hundreds of trucks, hauling concrete to a massive new parking structure. How many trucks will be needed has to be determined, but there are other considerations. This artifact aids in determining the rates that the trucks should be dispatched based on the time it takes to empty the trucks load.  This prevents wait times, lowers cost, and inputs to the sequencing of activities since the activity durations for the operation are predictable.  Activity resources are better managed as resource cost can be anticipated.

The tab SP 14-2 in MGMT 524 Queuing-Resource Chp 14 Problems.xlsx provides the following information given the parameters in E1 and E2, (you can place your own data in E1 and E2 for custom results indicated in blue).

Customers in the system on the average, show the time that an average customer spends in the system, the number of customers waiting in line on the average, the average waiting time per customer, the percentage of time Marty, (or a truck), is busy, and the probability that there are 0 customers in the system. Cell I48 Implies that there is a 19.8% chance that more than three customers are in the system under the current parameter. Tab ‘P 14-19 to 22’ cells M53 through O61 in MGMT 524 Queuing-Resource Chp 14 Problems.xlsx demonstrates how to extrapolate the best mix of resources to off-load the trucks. As indicated, this problem was originally incorrect in class due to an oversight of the labor rate time the number of workers. The remainder of tab ‘P 14-19 to 22’ in MGMT 524 Queuing-Resource Chp 14 Problems.xlsx is ancillary information.

The remainder of the tabs contains notes and additional problems.

PGMT 502 Term Paper ReEngineSTCProject APA-RevB2 mm.docx

As this is an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certification project, the sequence of events is structured and cannot be deviated from. The FAA divides the project into phases and this paper correlates the phases to the process groups of project management.

6.3 Estimate Activity Resources “The process of estimating the type and quantities of material, people, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 129).


Artifacts:
The CNM Bridge Project Gannt contains the resources necessary for each step of the project. Labor, material, equipment, and supplies are broken out within the Task Information 'Resources' tab.

This problem demonstrates knowledge from PMBOK for 6.3 Estimate Activities Resources. When planning a project historical data is typically available and will be used in 6.3 ‘Estimate Activity Resources’. MGMT CP-1 analyses a Flight School who wishes to predict the number of students for the following year's resource requirements. After the requirements are collected, data is analyzed using mathematical models. This can be used for many projects that have historical data, tailoring the numbers for the specific project. 

The PPt p31 tab is a base line to establish my excel formula utilizing a known question and answer. You can change inputs in cells D1 and D2 to your own obtain custom results that are indicated in blue.

Imagine coordinating hundreds of trucks, hauling concrete to a massive new parking structure. How many trucks will be needed has to be determined, but there are other considerations. This artifact aids in determining the rates that the trucks should be dispatched based on the time it takes to empty the trucks load.  This prevents wait times, lowers cost, and inputs to the sequencing of activities since the activity durations for the operation are predictable.  Activity resources are better managed as resource cost can be anticipated.

The tab SP 14-2 provides the following information given the parameters in E1 and E2, (you can place your own data in E1 and E2 for custom results indicated in blue).

Customers in the system on the average, the time that an average customer spends in the system, the number of customers waiting in line on the average, the average waiting time per customer, the percentage of time Marty, (or a truck), is busy, and the probability that there are 0 customers in the system. Cell I48 Implies that there is a 19.8% chance that more than 3 customers are in the system under the current parameter. Tab ‘P 14-19 to 22’ cells M53 through O61 demonstrates how to extrapolate the best mix of resources to off-load the trucks. As indicated, this problem was originally incorrect in class due to an oversight of the labor rate time the number of workers. The remainder of tab ‘P 14-19 to 22’ is ancillary information.

The remainder of the tabs contains notes and additional problems.

6.4 Estimate Activity Durations “The process of approximating the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with estimated resources” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 129).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project document provides an overview of activity durations and the methods used to derive at the estimation. CNM Bridge Project Gannt reflects activity duration further.

Tom Schriber is a hypothetical businessperson who wants to know what 'tall poles' face him for a project. Since there are deadlines for the project, he also needs to understand the probability of project completion within certain periods.  This artifact demonstrates the ability to develop a Project Evaluation and Review Technique, (PERT), to ascertain milestones and schedule constraints. 

6.5 Develop Schedule “The process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 129).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project document provides an overview of the schedule and the methods used to derive at the estimation. CNM Bridge Project Gannt reflects milestones, start/finish dates, and a project baseline.

Tom Schriber is a hypothetical businessperson who wants to know what 'tall poles' face him for a project. Since there are deadlines for the project, he also needs to understand the probability of project completion within certain periods. This artifact demonstrates the ability to develop a Project Evaluation and Review Technique, (PERT), to ascertain milestones and schedule constraints.  He will use this data to develop a schedule.

7.1 Estimate Costs “The process of developing and approximation of the monetary resources needed to complete project activities” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 165).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project document provides an overview of cost estimating and the methods used to derive at the estimation. CNM Bridge Project Gannt has cost within the Task Information 'Resources' tab.

This artifact provides substantiation of the estimate cost area of knowledge.  Although some of my responses were incorrect, the feedback given during classroom review re-enforces the concept. Responses are highlighted with the following meaning: Yellow = Correct, Red = Incorrect, Gray = Correct answer.

7.2 Determine Budget “The process of aggregating the estimated costs of individual activities or work packages to establish an authorized cost baseline” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 165).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project document provides an overview of cost estimating and the methods used to derive at the estimation. CNM Bridge Project Gannt has the project budget accessed by the 'Reports' menu that is under the 'Project' tab.

This artifact provides substantiation of the estimate cost area of knowledge.  Although some of my responses were incorrect, the feedback given during classroom review re-enforces the concept. Responses are highlighted with the following meaning: Yellow = Correct, Red = Incorrect, Gray = Correct answer.

8.1 Plan Quality “The process of identifying quality requirements and/or standards for the project and product, and documenting how the project will demonstrate compliance” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 189).


Artifacts:
The Quality Management Plan is contained within the CNM Construction Bridge Project document. Organizational leadership takes the helm and deploys the Quality Management System taking into consideration safety, sponsor/stakeholder expectations, and quality/value metrics. The cost of quality is considered and audits assure an effective/efficient system is implemented. Data gathered from this activity would be used to implement any process improvements.

Tab P 14-11 will help plan quality when a base-line failure rate has been established providing the expected down time for a particular machine.  For projects in process, data can be input to establish a base line. When the service rate exceeds a pre-determined threshold, a corrective action plan should be enacted to determine root-cause.

MGMT 532 Leadership-TQM-Culture R2 mm.docx

This paper focuses on quality leadership, the organizational cultures role in quality, and the metrics utilized to sustain quality. These elements should be incorporated in the plan quality phase of the project.

9.1 Develop Human Resource Plan “The process of identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, and required skills, reporting relationships, and creating a staffing management plan” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 215).


Artifacts:

PMGT 612 Cultural Implications of International ProjectsR4 doc (1).docx

The Cultural Implications of International Projects is a lessons learned for human resources planning. When the project spans across many countries each site will have unique needs.

MGMT 532 Leadership-TQM-Culture R2 mm.docx

This paper focuses on quality leadership, the organizational cultures role in quality, and the metrics utilized to sustain quality. These elements should be incorporated in the plan quality phase of the project.

PMGT 611 Project Management Human Resources Planning, Execution, and Control2.docx

Team dynamics play an important role during the 'develop human resource plan' phase of a project. You need the right people, with the right skills, at the right place throughout the project. Page two of this paper identifies these requirements.

10.2 Plan Communications “The process of determining the project stakeholder information needs and defining a communication approach” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 243).


Artifacts:
The Communications management plan in the CNM Construction Bridge Project document outlines the communications necessary to run a project. Stakeholder identification and expectation is a significant part of developing a comprehensive communication plan. The CNM Bridge Communications Register breaks down stakeholder to their level of influence, level of need, and the role they play in the project. A communication management strategy is the result of this data.

Communications was at the crux of the Denver International Airport, (DIA) paper and how thing can go wrong. From stakeholder identification to notification of bids to the stakeholders, the communication plan was not apparent.

11.1 Plan Risk Management “The process of defining how to conduct risk management activities for a project” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 273).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project document outlines the basic structure for a risk management plan. As this is a post-earthquake project, the risks could be significant. A general review of the risks is performed using a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats, (SWOT), analysis. Qualitative and quantitative risks assessment techniques are discussed as well. The CNM Bridge Project Risks Register analyzes the data providing a risk priority number that is used by the project manager to action.

The 'Risk' section of Denver International Airport, (DIA) reflects on the risk analysis provided by the case study. Determination of the effectiveness of this analysis is taken and suggestions as to how risk could have been managed are interjected. 


11.2 Identify Risks “The process of determining which risks may affect the project and documenting their characteristics” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 273).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project document outlines the basic structure for a risk management planAs this is a post-earthquake project, the risks could be significant. A general review of the risks is performed using a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats, (SWOT), analysis. Qualitative and quantitative risks assessment techniques are discussed as well. The CNM Bridge Project Risks Register analyzes the data providing a risk priority number that is used by the project manager to action.

The 'Risk' section of Denver International Airport, (DIA) reflects on the risk analysis provided by the case study. Determination of the effectiveness of this analysis is taken and suggestions as to how risk could have been managed are interjected. 

11.3 Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis “The process of prioritizing risks for further analysis or action by assessing and combining their probability of occurrence and impact” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 273).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project document outlines the basic structure for a risk management planAs this is a post-earthquake project, the risks could be significant. A general review of the risks is performed using a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats, (SWOT), analysis. Qualitative and quantitative risks assessment techniques are discussed as well. The CNM Bridge Project Risks Register analyzes the data providing a risk priority number that is used by the project manager to action.

The 'Risk' section of Denver International Airport, (DIA) reflects on the risk analysis provided by the case study. Determination of the effectiveness of this analysis is taken and suggestions as to how risk could have been managed are interjected. 

11.4 Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis “The process of numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 273).


Artifacts:

PMGT 613 Quant-Qual wbs4_6_questions2.doc

PMGT 613 Qual risk WBS 5.5 - questions2.doc

MGMT 524 CP-3 CapstoneProblemSe2.pdf

These documents demonstrate the knowledge required to make quantitative risk analysis of a project. The PMGT 613 Quant-Qual wbs4_6_questions2.doc examines sources and tools for risk analysis while identifying quantitative risk.  PMGT 613 Qual risk WBS 5.5 - questions2.doc addresses simulations, decision trees, and statistical definitions.

MGMT 524 CP-3 CapstoneProblemSe2.pdf demonstrates an application germane to quality metrics that can easily be adapted to quantitative risk analysis. Predicting the dependent variable, analyzing the independent variables, and determining the predictability the accuracy of the independent variables can identify risk with greater accuracy.

11.5 Plan Risk Responses “The process of developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and to reduce threats to project objectives” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 273).


Artifacts:
The CNM Construction Bridge Project document outlines the basic structure for a risk management planAs this is a post-earthquake project, the risks could be significant. A general review of the risks is performed using a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats, (SWOT), analysis. Qualitative and quantitative risks assessment techniques are discussed as well. The CNM Bridge Project Risks Register analyzes the data providing a risk priority number that is used by the project manager to action.

The 'Risk' section of Denver International Airport, (DIA) reflects on the risk analysis provided by the case study. Determination of the effectiveness of actions taken and suggestions as to how risk could have been managed are interjected. 

12.1 Plan Procurements “The process of documenting project purchasing decisions, specifying the approach, and identifying potential sellers” (Project Management Institute, 2008, p 313).




Artifacts:
This artifact uses a purchased template that provided a basic outline for the procurement management process. I adapted the template to a fictional project and added items unique to aviation.

MGMT 533-Repair Station Liability provides insight into the selection and possible repercussion of the suppliers used in aviation related projects. Constraints to supplier selection are also reviewed and advice to avoid supplier pitfalls is presented.

Page two of this article examines the plan procurements phase of a project.


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