Individual Literature Review

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Individual Literature Review

Literature on the basic principles, concepts, tools, techniques, and terminologies employed in project management is abundantly provided by Project Management Institute (2013) in the PMBOK Guide. Other scholars have also focused on addressing these elements in detail from different multidisciplinary and multidimensional perspectives. The current literature review delves into major principles, tools, and techniques used particularly in the preparation of a project charter document.

Different PM Methodologies

Project management methodologies are the set of best practices, principles, methods, procedures, tools and techniques, guidelines, rules, and templates used in managing projects (Špundak, 2014). Based on the PMBOK Guide and the ISO 10006 system, researchers have identified four broadly known and commonly applied project management methodologies, namely, agile, traditional, extreme, and hybrid approaches.

The agile project management methodology is an incremental, adaptive, and iterative approach to delivering project requirements throughout its lifecycle (Project Management Institute, 2013; Wysocki, 2014). The agile project management methodology combines several project management lifecycle models to manage projects with clearly specified goals but without known solutions at the onset of the project. Agile approaches to project management are characterised by high change-oriented adaptability throughout the lifecycle of the project, besides being supportive of team collaboration, communication, a balance between stability and flexibility, and high discipline in attaining incremental progress on project priorities (Špundak, 2014).

The traditional project management methodology represents a universal PM practice that includes developed and proven orthodox techniques in planning, controlling, estimating, and managing project activities. So, traditional project management is regarded as the default approach to project management, even though it appears to be outside the mainstream contemporary projects (Wysocki, 2014). This project management approach underscores low risk and complexity, limited scope change requests, well-comprehended technology infrastructure, plan-driven tasks, and experienced and skilful project teams throughout project initiation, planning, execution, and controlling, as well as closure phases (Wysocki, 2014).

The extreme project management methodology is used in managing complex projects with unknown solutions, unclear goals, and hard-to-understand endpoints. Wysocki (2014) attests to this definition and adds that this approach works best when projects involve pure research and development, process improvements, and product development where risks and project changes are high. The extreme project management methodology has a direct association with the agile project management approach except that it aligns with extreme programming.

The last approach, hybrid project management methodology, combines formal traditional and agile methods to establish a novel project management model (Špundak, 2014). A hybrid project management approach leverages the meticulousness of work breakdown structures, along with the lean and speed benefits of the agile approach to create a detailed and rapid project management approach (Robins, 2017).

Chin, Yap, and Spowage (2012) also argue that project management methodologies can be classified based on the degree of specificity. Based on this classification, five levels of project management methodologies are known. The first level covers guidelines, standards, and best practices. The second level includes the sector-specific methodology, while the third level encompasses the organisation-specific tailored methodology. While the fourth level covers the project-specific methodology, the fifth level includes the individualised methodology (Chin, Yap, & Spowage, 2012).

Project Phases

Based on the conventions of traditional project management, five phases of a project are well-established. The first is the initiation phase during which the feasibility and value of the project are measured and ascertained using tools such as feasibility studies and business cases (Aapaoja, Haapasalo, & Söderström, 2013). During this project stage, the processes that can culminate in project authorisation or endorsement are launched as the Project Management Institute (2013) confirms. Activities in the project initiation phase include creating a project proposal, descriptions of works, and project initiation documents, and organising the kick-off meeting (Chin, Yap, & Spowage, 2012; Macek, 2010).

The second phase is the planning stage where a detailed and well-written project plan is developed to guide financing acquirement, resource attainment, and materials procurement necessary for the project work. The Project Management Institute (2013) says that the project scope’s definition and description is clearer and more specific as more project facts are known. The project plan directs the project team as regards creating quality project outputs, managing risks, communicating project benefits to stakeholders, and optimising project activities and efficiency during their execution (Špundak, 2014; Wysocki, 2014). Activities during project planning include creating work breakdown structures, creating resource, budgetary, communications, quality, and risk plans, establishing the responsibility assignment matrices, scheduling, and stakeholder analysis (Chin, Yap, & Spowage, 2012).

The third phase is the execution stage that entails building project deliverables that meet customer needs through the allocation of resources to the project team while keeping the team focused on task accomplishment according to requirements (Wysocki, 2014). During the project execution phase, results may necessitate updates to the project plan and adjustments to the baselines. Such changes could include resource obtainability and productivity changes, variations to expected activity durations, and changes in unanticipated risks (Project Management Institute, 2013). Activities in this phase include creating change request plans and change request logs (Chin, Yap, & Spowage, 2012).

The fourth phase is the project control and monitoring stage. It involves controlling and monitoring teams’ progress in activities during project execution. Here, the aim is to guarantee the attainment of project deliverables through strategic team task monitoring to eliminate scope creep (Project Management Institute, 2013; Wysocki, 2014). Key performance indicators are deployed at this stage to track team and project performance and cost and time variations.

The last phase is project closure, and it entails delivering the completed project to the client, communicating its completion to all involved stakeholders, and releasing and committing resources to other essential projects. Guidelines are used in establishing lessons learned, conducting concluding project audits, evaluating project performance, and ascertaining acceptance benchmarks and product validations (Project Management Institute, 2013). Project teams document their successes and mistakes and utilise them to build stronger processes for subsequent projects.

Project Manager’s Role

A project manager, as defined in the PMBOK Guide, is the individual assigned by the performing organisation the task of leading the team tasked with reaching the objectives of a project (Project Management Institute, 2013). Depending on a firm’s organisational structure, the role of this individual involves reporting the progress of enterprise-wide projects to a functional manager or a portfolio manager. The project manager also works closely with functional and portfolio managers to ensure alignment between the project management plan and overarching program plans, hence attaining project objectives. The project manager’s role also encompasses restoring a project’s on-plan status by establishing remedial procedures (Wysocki, 2014). Furthermore, the project manager collaborates with business analysts and specialists, quality assurance managers, and other roles in ensuring project benefits realisation. The project manager also establishes a sound system of double-checking and validating task status’ integrity as reported by the team to avoid falling into off-plan status traps (Wysocki, 2014). Lastly, the role of the project manager involves establishing and maintaining effective and repeatable communication processes to keep the team informed about the project.

Project Charter

The PMBOK Guide acknowledges that project charters are among essential project initiation documents. Managers outside the project scope but at levels considered fitting to its needs issues project charters to offer formal authorisation for phases of the project or the entire project (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2000; 2013). A project charter covers the product description and the business need requiring addressing, both of which can either be provided directly or referenced to other crucial documents utilised in project initiation. Snyder (2017) suggests that a detailed project charter defines project reasons, besides assigning a project manager’s authority level for the project. Its contents include project purpose, objectives, boundaries, key deliverables, and success criteria, and high-level project descriptions. Other items forming its content are high-level requirements, a concise milestone schedule, general project risks, preapproved fiscal resources, key stakeholders, project approval requisites, sponsors’ names and authority, and project exit principles (Snyder, 2017). A project charter also documents the assumptions and constraints associated with the customers’ needs, anticipated outcomes, and the high-level requirements (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013).

Project Plan

Based on the PMBOK definition, a project plan is an official document that directs project execution, control, and monitoring. In project management practices, this document is used to highlight decisions and assumptions surrounding project alternatives and facilitate communication amongst project stakeholders, together with detailing the costs, scope, and schedule baselines (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2000). While a project plan can be detailed or summarised, its information should be sufficient to define key management appraisals of project timing, content, and degree and offer a project measurement and control standard.

In project plan development, outputs of additional strategic planning processes should be used to ensure a reliable and articulate document that offers adequate guidance to project execution and control (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2000). The development of a project plan may require several iterations of the initial document to reflect changes in work breakdown structures, project scope, project schedule, and integrated management control plans. Project plan development has five inputs, namely, outputs of other planning processes, constraints, historical information, assumptions, and company policies. Some project plan development tools include structuring a project planning methodology, leveraging stakeholders’ knowledge and skills, using project management information systems, and employing earned value management (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2000).

Project Scope

A project’s scope is the project work that must be done and completed to deliver the project product with specific functions and features (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2000; 2013). According to Snyder (2017), a good project scope statement enables the definition and development of a project and product scope because it captures the major deliverables, constraints, and assumptions. This scholar adds that the information contained in such a scope statement includes project deliverables, project scope description, project exclusions, and product acceptance criteria. To define project scope, information can be obtained from the project charter, project scope management plan, assumption log, the risk register, and the requirements documentation. In project scope management practices, the project scope offers information essential in drafting the work breakdown structure and the scope baseline (Snyder, 2017; Wysocki, 2014).

Risk Management Plan

Researchers have demonstrated consensuses that effective projects must be based on adequate risk management. Based on the PMBOK Guide, a risk management plan is an indispensable project management plan element in that it expresses the approach to structuring and handling risk management activities (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013). Typical information covered in a risk management plan includes risk methodology and strategy, risk identification, analysis, and response criteria, stakeholders’ risk appetite, risk probabilities and categories, risk management responsibilities, risk impacts, risk probability matrices, and risk tracking and audit approaches, among other items (Snyder, 2017). The information for creating a risk management plan comes from the project charter, companywide risk management policies, definite risk management roles, work breakdown structures, organisational risk management plan templates, and stakeholders’ risk tolerances (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2000). Information contained in a risk management plan can guide the creation of cost management plans, risk registers, and quality management and stakeholder engagement plans (Snyder, 2017).

Milestones and Deliverables

Project milestones and deliverables are important components of any project. While project milestones are checkpoints throughout the project lifecycle, deliverables are measurable and tangible project outcomes that are unique and verifiable (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013). Collectively, the two help in identifying when one or multiple project activities have been completed, hence serving as a project roadmap that indicates that notable points within the project have been reached (Snyder, 2017). A milestone event implies the attainment of the next project maturity level (Wysocki, 2014). Deliverables are metrics-based, high-level outcomes associated with the quality of project objectives and are generated as outputs of processes executed towards achieving the project work consistent with project plan and schedule (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013).

When compiling a milestone list, all milestones are categorised as internal vs. external, optional vs. mandatory, or interim vs. final. The information utilised in compiling this list comes from the project charter, scope baseline, and schedule management plan. The milestone list guides the establishment of duration estimates, network diagrams, Gantt charts, and change requests (Snyder, 2017). When compiling a list of project deliverables, they should be identified as summary-level sub-products that mark the holistic and satisfactory project completion (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2000).

The WBS

The PMBOK Guide describes a work breakdown structure as a deliverable-centred graphical outline of the project work expressed as activities to be done to finish the project within the project scope (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2000; Wysocki, 2014). It is both a reporting structure and a planning tool. A work breakdown structure decomposes project work levels into finer levels where lower-level work packages represent discrete project deliverables. A WBS can be created using the scope management plan, the scope statement, and the requisites documentation (Snyder, 2017),

GANTT chart

A Gantt chart represents a project schedule graphically, enabling planning, coordination, and tracking of its specific tasks and competing them on the projected finish dates (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013; Wysocki, 2014). It is a production control and project management tool that assists in planning for upcoming project stages, tracking project progress, and pinpointing flow-on effects and schedule delays.

Network Diagram

Network diagrams are visual layouts that include detailed information about the sequence of flow of project work. These diagrams are essential analytical tools employed in project scheduling and managing project resources throughout the project life. These tools allow for the computation of the earliest time for completing a project, which cannot be viewed from a Gantt chart (Snyder, 2017; Wysocki, 2014). Research has shown the value of both Gantt charts and network diagrams in managing projects as they help in analysing scheduling alternatives. While the two are useful tools, the Gantt chart is the older of the two, with network diagrams being useful in facilitating project planning, planning, and control (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013).

Resource Plan

A resource plan highlights the critical factors relating to all categories of resources deployed for project completion (Wysocki, 2014). This plan covers information about people, materials, equipment, and human resources needed in executing a project (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2000). A resource plan should emphasise the identification of what, when, and the degree to which these resources are required, along with the sources and methods of obtaining and distributing them (Macek, 2010).

Budget

Literature on the importance of project budgets is abundant. The PMBOK Guide defines a project budget as an outline of how overall project cost estimates are allocated to individual activities (Wysocki, 2014; Project Management Institute, Inc., 2000). A project budget is integral to the project cost management process and its components include control accounts, cost baseline, contingency reserve, management reserve, work package cost estimates, activity cost estimates, and activity contingency reserve (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013).

Stakeholder Engagement Plan

This plan is a project management plan component that delineates the actions and strategies for promoting productive stakeholder involvement in project execution and decision-making processes (Snyder, 2017). The information contained in this plan includes current and desired stakeholder engagement levels, stakeholder interrelationships, stakeholder scope and impact, and engagement approach for different stakeholder groups. The information used in compiling the stakeholder engagement plan comes from project charter, change logs, assumption logs, stakeholder register, issue logs, project schedule, and resource management plan, among others (Snyder, 2017). This plan enables the creation of stakeholder register, requirements documentation, communications management plan, and quality management plan.

References

Aapaoja, A., Haapasalo, H., & Söderström, P. (2013). Early stakeholder involvement in the project definition phase: case renovation. ISRN Industrial Engineering, 2013, 1-14. Doi: 10.1155/2013/953915.

Chin, C., Yap, E. H., & Spowage, A. C. (October 2012). Project management methodologies: A comparative analysis. Journal for the Advancement of Performance Information and Value, 4(1), 106-118.

Macek, W. (2010). Methodologies of project management. Contemporary economics, 4(4), 267-280.

Project Management Institute, Inc. (2000). A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 2000 Edition. Newtown Square, PA. Project management institute, Inc.

Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (5 Ed.). Newtown Square, Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute, Inc.

Robins, D. R. (2017). Hybrid: A new project management approach. United States. IDG Communications, Inc. retrieved November 12, 2019, fromhttps://www.cio.com/article/3222872/hybrid-a-new-project-management-approach.html.

Snyder, C. S. (2017). A project manager’s book of forms: A companion to the PMBOK guide (3 Ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons.

Špundak, M. (2014). Mixed agile/traditional project management methodology–reality or illusion?. Procedia-Social and Behavioural Sciences, 119 (2014), 939-948. Doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.105.

Wysocki, R. K. (2014). Effective project management: Traditional, agile, extreme (7 Ed.). Indianapolis, IN. John Wiley & Sons.