Cynthia Snyder Dionisio - Microsoft Project For Dummies

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

FIGURE 1-1:Waterfall approach.

As the pace of technological growth accelerated, the waterfall approach was no longer effective for technology development projects. By the time you had planned and executed a two-year technology project, the technology had changed, and the end result was already out of date. Therefore, a new approach to managing technology projects evolved.

In early 2001 an approach called Agile project management was created. Agile is a mindset that is documented in the Agile Manifesto. It starts with four values:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

Note there is less emphasis on following a plan, and change is expected. This is very different than managing construction projects where following the plan is paramount. There are also 12 principles that are documented in the Manifesto. You can find the Agile Manifesto here: https://agilemanifesto.org .

Over time project practitioners have recognized that the type of project you are managing determines the project management practices you should employ. For scope that is stable and can be well-defined up front, a waterfall approach is appropriate. For scope that is not well defined or can evolve based on feedback and market changes, an agile approach (also known as an adaptive approach) is appropriate. To make things more interesting, there are many projects with some deliverables that can be well defined and other deliverables that can’t — for these projects a hybrid approach that incorporates aspects of waterfall and adaptive approaches is best.

As project management practices have evolved, so has Microsoft Project. This version of Project allows you to set up Gantt charts that are resource loaded to manage well-defined scope and Task Boards to manage evolving scope, all in one glorious piece of software. To keep things simple, I use Parts 1through 4to talk about how set up and manage a Waterfall Project and I use Part 5to show you how to set up and lead an Agile Project. For those of you who work on hybrid projects, you can use both waterfall and Agile functionalities.

Project does use the term Agile. Projects with evolving scope that use adaptive approaches are called Sprints Projects.

In this book, a project is defined as a unique venture undertaken to produce distinct deliverables, products, or outcomes. In the context of a project, a deliverable is an individual component or item that meets the requirements of the project, such as a design document or a prototype.

Project management is the practice of organizing and managing project variables to meet the project outcomes and mission. Some of the variables we work with are listed in Table 1-1.

TABLE 1-1Project Variables

Projects that use waterfall approaches generally have a project manager who creates the master plan for a project and ensures that it is implemented successfully. A project manager uses technical, business, and leadership skills to manage the completion of tasks and keep the schedule on track. Project teams can be small, mid-size, or very large.

A truly professional project manager may have a degree in project management or a professional certification . For example, if you see the initials PMP beside a name, that person has been certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute, the leading global organization establishing project management standards and credentials.

A Scrum master is usually found on projects that use Agile approaches. A Scrum master assists the team in following Agile processes and delivering the work. Teams are optimized at 6 to 10 members.

We look at the roles of project managers and Scrum masters in the following sections.

The project manager is the person who ensures that aspects of the project are integrated and assumes hands-on responsibility for successes as well as failures.

The project manager manages these essential pieces of a project:

Leadership: Documents the project vision in a charter. Facilitates negotiations, problem-solving, and decision-making activities.

Scope: Defines and organizes all work to be done in order to meet the project objectives and create deliverables.

Quality: Identifies, manages, and controls requirements. Establishes a process for quality management and control and ensures it is sufficient and followed.

Schedule: Develops the schedule, by working with Project, including the tasks, relationships, duration, and timing involved to achieve the project objectives.

Resources: Assigns resources and tracks their activities on the project as well as resolves resource conflicts and build consensus. Working with resources also involves managing physical resources such as materials and equipment.

Cost: Estimates project costs and applies those estimates across the schedule to create a time-phased budget.

Stakeholder Engagement: Notifies appropriate stakeholders (everyone who has a legitimate stake in its success) of the project status. Facilitates communication with internal and external stakeholders.

Uncertainty: Establishes a system to identify, analyze, respond to, and track project risks and issues. Guides the team in working with uncertainty, ambiguity, complexity, and volatility.

Managing a project requires overseeing all its variables to ensure that the project goals are accomplished on time, within the limits of the budget, and using the assigned resources while also addressing risks, managing change, and satisfying stakeholders.

A Scrum master is a servant leader. Servant leaders are focused on supporting their teams, rather than directing them. They educate and support team members in maintaining alignment with Agile practices.

A Scrum master engages in these activities and behaviors:

Leadership: Practices servant leadership. Motivates the team. Provides coaching and mentoring to team members as needed.