Planning Processes

Posted on October 18th, 2021

Part of Notes on Project Management

Starting an IT project needs a good understanding of the requirements. As specification documents are produced, they wil become increasingly specific. For projects with specifications which lack detail:

• Reject the bid

  • Not worth the time/money/effort

• Conduct a thorough risk analysis

  • Assumptions must be documented and agreed with the customer
  • Can be done by the project manager
  • Better option if done by risk manager

Breaking Down Requirements

Reductionism is the practice of analysing and describing a complex phenomenon in terms of its simple or fundamental constituents, especially when this is said to provide a sufficient explanation.

In project management terms, it's the process of decomposing a project into smaller activities. But when do we stop?

• When activity doesn't readily decompose (you're there!)
• When activities are small enough to estimate with reasonable accuracy
  • Each activity should be 0.5–2 days duration
  • Ensures the creation process does not outweigh the management workload

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchical outline of the tasks required to complete a project.

Similarly, a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) hierarchical structure of things that the project will make or outcomes that it will deliver.

By tackling the end products over the project's activities, a PBS can be much simpler from a project management perspective:

• Easier to determine products over technical activities
  • PM can focus is on what is to be achieved
  • Individuals responsive for creation can tackle this
  • Estimates can be delegated to them
• Once the products are identified, easier to determine
  • Quality standards
  • Who will review products
  • Organisational structure

A Product Flow Diagrams (PFD) provides the inputs for the planning process, such as a set of activities which we will need to resource or an understanding of dependencies between activities.

Product Descriptions & Work Packages

Product descriptions are the bottom level of PBS; they clearly specify the quality and completion criteria for the product by addressing four areas:

• Purpose
  • Why is the product required?
• Composition
  • What makes up the product?
• Derivation
  • Which, if any, previous products is it based upon?
  • Where will information needed to develop it come from?
• Quality
  • What criteria are required to complete the product?

By adding an assignee, due date, and estimated effort, a product description can be moved into creation; this is a work package.

Tracking Progress

Using a Linear Responsibility Chart, individuals can be associated to an activity in a capacity:

• Responsible - for actually creating the work package
• Accountable - manages its creation
• Consultable - provides information
• Informed - must be kept informed about progress