Week 8(6)

• What should learners be able to discuss by the end of the session?

  Use of project management approaches
• What does the structure of projects include?

  Roles, responsibilities, deliverables, and timelines
• How are large and small projects tracked and reported?

  Through defined formats and methods
• What are project indicators used for?

  To measure project success and performance
• What do technology-based project management tools provide?

  Features and benefits for project management
• How can project reporting structures be presented?

  Visually, through charts and diagrams
• What do project management methodologies offer?

  A combination of logical processes
• What is the purpose of following a project management methodology?

  To ensure timely and budget-compliant delivery
• What does project structure refer to?

  The organization of the project process
• What are the arrangements included in project organization structure?

  Decision making and resource allocation
• Who collaborates to create the project organization structure?

  Clients and specialists with the project manager
• What are the three areas of responsibility in a project?

  Leadership, board, and team
• What does the project leadership area involve?

  Overall management of the project
• What is the role of the project board?

  Decision makers who define success
• What does the project team do?

  Implements the project with specialized skills
• What are the learning objectives of this PowerPoint presentation?

  • Discuss the use of project management approaches to define projects
  • Explain the structure of projects including roles and responsibilities, deliverables and timelines
  • Discuss the formats of large and small projects and how they are tracked and reported on
  • Discuss the methods used to measure project indicators
  • Explain the features and benefits of a range of technology-based project management tools
  • Explain the reporting structures of projects and how they can be presented visually
• What is the purpose of project management methodologies?

  They provide a framework detailing every step to ensure project managers know what to do to deliver and implement the project on time and within budget
• What are the three main areas of responsibility in a project?

  Project leadership, project board, and project team
• How do small and large projects differ in terms of timelines?


  Small projects last for hours/weeks/months/one year, while large projects last for months or several years/decades
• What are the three categories of UK government infrastructure projects based on cost?

  Small projects: less than £100 million, Major projects: over £100 million, Mega projects: over £1 billion
• How do small and large projects differ in terms of resources?

  Small projects use one person, small teams, specialists or multi-skilled, and a project manager with other duties, while large projects use a project manager, team leaders, and hundreds/thousands of specialists/general operatives
• What are some key performance indicators (KPIs) used to measure project success?

  Specific direct impacts, return on investment, on-time delivery, on-budget performance, and stakeholder engagement
• What are the three main methods used to measure project progress?

  Completed units, milestones, and start/finish
• What are the main features of a Gantt chart?

  It sets out tasks from start to finish, schedules and assigns project tasks, has a horizontal structure for the critical path, and actively monitors every step of progress
• What is the purpose of critical path analysis (CPA)?

  It identifies all critical and non-critical tasks, sets minimum and maximum time per task, notes task dependencies, and calculates float/slack time and deadline date
• What is the formula used in PERT planning to calculate the expected time for a task?

  $Expected\,time =$$\frac{Optimistic + 4 \times Most\,likely + Pessimistic}{6}$
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of Gantt charts?

  Advantages:

  • Offer a clear visual representation of project tasks
  • Can support effective time management schedules
  • Demonstrate resource allocations across the project
  • Show % completion of each task
  • Help order complex projects into manageable chunks
  • Help project managers coordinate with their teams

  
  

  Disadvantages:

  • Can be very time consuming to set up at the beginning
  • Projects with lots of tasks and sub tasks can become complex
  • Need constant updating to keep information current
  • Can't tell number of hours needed by the size of the bar
  • Not all tasks/resources are available in a single view of chart
  • Not easy to calculate averages or aggregates
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of critical path analysis (CPA)?

  Advantages:

  • It sets out critical tasks that depend on each other in a sequence
  • It identifies parallel tasks that can run concurrently with each other
  • It identifies non-critical tasks that are important but won't hold a project up if they hit any issues
  • It gives a calculated estimate of minimum and maximum times for the project duration
  • It gives a clear picture of how to manage the project efficiently

  
  

  Disadvantages:

  • CPA does not schedule the teams to tasks
  • Timings of tasks are based on best guest estimates
  • The critical path many not be clear in larger, more complex projects
  • It does not enable allocation of other resources, e.g. materials, deliveries
  • It does not show material costs for each task so budgets can not be calculated in this model
• How does PERT planning differ from critical path analysis (CPA)?

  The main difference is how the times of tasks are estimated and calculated. PERT uses optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic times to calculate an expected time, while CPA uses single estimates for each task.
• What does PERT provide for project duration?

  Calculated estimate of minimum and maximum times
• What is a limitation of PERT regarding resources?

  It does not enable allocation of other resources
• How does PERT help in project management?

  It gives a clear picture of project management
• What does PERT not show for each task?

  Material costs for budgeting
• What does PERT allow team members to see?

  Every step in the project clearly
• What is the main difference between PERT and critical path analysis?

  How the times of tasks are estimated
• What are the three time estimates in PERT?

  Optimistic, most likely, pessimistic
• What is the formula for expected time in PERT?

  $Expected time =$$(Optimistic + 4 × Most likely + Pessimistic) / 6$
• What does the critical path in PERT help determine?

  Total project time more accurately
• What do ES and EF stand for in PERT?

  Earliest start time and earliest finish time
• How are ES/EF times calculated in PERT?

  Worked forwards through the network diagram