TAPUniversity » PMBOK process

2010 in review

tapuniversity — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 13:50:06 +0000

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

2010 Stats for the TAPUniversity Blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.

About 3 million people visit the Taj Mahal every year. This blog was viewed about 43,000 times in 2010. If it were the Taj Mahal, it would take about 5 days for that many people to see it.

In 2010, there were 108 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 361 posts. There were 21 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 3mb. That’s about 2 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was March 15th with 265 views. The most popular post that day was Conflict of Interest and the PMI Code of Ethics .

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were en.wordpress.com, onprojects.net, linkedin.com, google.com, and google.co.in.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for pert formula, stakeholder register, stakeholder management strategy, estimate at completion, and project exclusions.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Conflict of Interest and the PMI Code of Ethics March 2010

Project Exclusions, Assumptions, and Constraints April 2009

Estimate at Completion – Using CPI and SPI Method August 2009
1 comment

PMP Exam – PERT Formula February 2009

Earned Value Management – CPI and SPI August 2009

Filed under: Agile, Business Analysis, Contract Management, ISACA, Lean Six Sigma, Project Management, Six Sigma, TAPUniversity Tagged: BABOK, Business Analysis, Earned Value Management, PMBOK, PMBOK process, Professional Responsibility, Six Sigma, Stakeholders, TAPUniversity

Risk from a Business Analysis Perspective

David Kohrell — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:30:29 +0000

The International Institute of Business Analysis was founded just a few years ago in 2003.

Kudos to Learning Tree for a very cool CBAP display!

In terms of professional associations it’s a new kid on the block. Yet in a short time it’s made a profound impact on the discipline and profession of business analysis.

One success factor of The IIBA for making a swift impact has been embracing other best practice association’s bodies of knowledge (BOKs). The primary body of knowledge that The IIBA and its Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK®) reference is the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®). That, in our opinion, is a good thing. As best practices, BOKs, standards are established, allied or “nexus” organizations do well to embrace those competencies and not re-invent the wheel.

Risk assessment and management is an example of the BABOK®’s inclusion of the PMBOK®. The full definition of it is in the Technique Chapters (Section 9.24.5). Much of it repeats verbatim from the PMBOK®’s risk identification and management chapter/knowledge area (Chapter 11). That definition provides one addition to the PMBOK® – specifically the further elaboration of risk tolerance. Three categories of risk tolerance are provided:

Risk-Aversion
Neutrality and
Risk-Seeking

Those tolerances may be applied to people or organizations. Understanding the risk tolerance of either people or organization guides the building of risk management approaches for enterprise analysis, requirements management and organizational readiness (for solution implementation). For example a risk averse organization typically does not embrace leading edge technologies. Business Analysts in those organizations may want to opt for incremental improvement with proven technologies or approaches.

Risk from a Business Analysis Perspective (tapuniversity.com)
Risk Management Approaches (tapuniversity.com)
Risk Priority Number (RPN) (tapuniversity.com)
Business Analysis Techniques: 72 Essential Tools for Success (deurainfosec.com)
January 25, 2011 Risk Management: Protecting Your Business and Profits (learnedatscore.wordpress.com)

Filed under: Business Analysis, Project Management Tagged: A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, BABOK, Business Analysis, Business analyst, CBAP, International Institute of Business Analysis, PMBOK process, Risk, Risk aversion, Risk Management, Risk Management Plan, Risk Register, Stakeholders

Request For Quotation (RFQ)

tapuniversity — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:52:21 +0000

A Request For Quotation is a seller selection process where the buyer knows what they need and specifies quantity, terms, even target price. It is a companion, complimentary seller/vendor selection tool to the Request For Proposal. You might use a RFQ at your work place and not even realize it. For example purchasing 100 copies of Microsoft Windows, 25 chairs, 200 notebooks or, dare to dream, 25 Apple IPads are examples of a RFQ. You know what you want and even the quantity, but you desire to do some comparison shopping. Some organizations develop a meta-RFQ list, such as the United States General Services Accounting (GSA) list or Wal-Mart’s preferred vendor list.

Filed under: Business Analysis, Contract Management, PMP Exam, Project Management, Six Sigma Tagged: BABOK, Business Analysis, CBAP, CBAP Exam, Plan Procurements, PMBOK, PMBOK process, Professional Responsibility, vendor selection

Plan Risk Management Process

tapuniversity — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:22:56 +0000

Plan Risk Management is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the six Risk knowledge area processes, and one of the twenty Planning processes. The purpose of this process is to develop the Risk Management Plan which lays the foundation for the other risk processes on how risk activities will be performed for the project. The Project Scope Statement is referenced to better understand the project and its deliverables as every project has a unique set of risks. A project that involves unchartered territory will have more unknowns involved than a more routine project based on a history of similar projects. Understanding the contingencies in place for risks affecting the budget and schedule can be accomplished through examining the Cost Management Plan and the Schedule Management Plan. Knowing with whom to discuss project risks and responses may be found in the Communications Management Plan (from the Plan Communications process). Interestingly, Planning Meetings and Analysis is the only tool and technique of this process. This demonstrates that planning for risk management essentially is determined by a group of stakeholders discussing and deciding what is best for the particular project at hand. The result of these discussions is the only output of Plan Risk Management—the Risk Management Plan which describes what risk activities will be performed and how they will be performed throughout the project.

Posted in PMP Exam, Project Management Tagged: Plan Risk Management, Planning Meetings and Analysis, PMBOK process, pmp, Project Management, Risk Management Plan

Plan Communications Process

tapuniversity — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 05:30:29 +0000

Plan Communications is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the five Communications knowledge area processes, and one of the twenty Planning processes.

The purpose of this process is to create the Communications Management Plan based on the communication needs of the stakeholders. It must be documented who should receive what information, how often, in what format, and from whom. Information about the key stakeholders can be found in the Stakeholder Register and Stakeholder Management Strategy (both documents are from the Identify Stakeholders process). This is the starting place for performing Communication Requirements Analysis, which is the identification of the unique communication needs of the various stakeholders. In developing the Communications Management Plan, one needs to know what type of communication technology is available (phone, email, video-conferencing, etc.) and should have knowledge of Communication Models and Communication Methods. The primary output of the Plan Communications process is the Communications Management Plan, which becomes part of the overall Project Management Plan. This document can contain much information depending on the size and formality of the project, including stakeholder communication requirements, what information should be communicated and why, who is responsible for communications, when communications should occur, the time and budget allowed for communication activities, communication constraints, and information flowcharts.

Please also see the related, earlier posts of Identify Stakeholders Process (posted February 19, 2009) which is a predecessor to this process, and PMP Exam – Communication Formula (posted February 3, 2009), which is part of performing Communication Requirements Analysis.

Posted in Business Analysis, PMP Exam, Project Management Tagged: Communication Requirements Analysis, Communications Management Plan, Plan Communications, PMBOK process, pmp, Project Management

Develop Human Resource Plan Process

tapuniversity — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:20:09 +0000

Develop Human Resource Plan is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the four Human Resource knowledge area processes, and one of the twenty Planning processes. The purpose of this process is to create the Human Resource Plan. The Activity Resource Requirements document (from the Estimate Activity Resources process) is needed as a reference for knowing what human resources are needed for the project. To document the roles and responsibilities in the Human Resource Plan, the organization’s Organizational Charts and Position Descriptions are used, which outline reporting relationships. Networking in order to know more people, and to know people better is especially helpful at the beginning of the project when people are being selected for the team. Having an understanding of how people work together and are motivated is also helpful in putting together a good team, and this is called Organizational Theory.

The Human Resource Plan contains the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the project, organization charts outlining reporting relationships specific to the project, and the staffing management plan. There is much information contained in the staffing management plan, including a description of how staff will be acquired and released, resource calendars, training needs, how safety and compliance issues will be addressed, and how rewards will be given to team members.

Posted in Business Analysis, CBAP Exam, PMP Exam, Project Management Tagged: Develop Human Resource Plan, Human Resource Plan, PMBOK process, pmp, Project Management, Staffing Management Plan

Cost of Quality

tapuniversity — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:17:33 +0000

How much should be invested in quality efforts? Cost of Quality is a tool and technique of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Plan Quality process. These are the expenses associated with the investment to make a quality product and the costs of failing to meet quality standards.

Cost of Quality is broken down into these two major categories which are called the: Cost of Conformance and the Cost of Non-conformance.

The Cost of Conformance may be further broken down into Prevention Costs and Appraisal Costs. Prevention Costs represent the investment of keeping the defects from happening at all. This could include extra training for staff members and sophisticated equipment that accurately assembles a product. Appraisal Costs are the expenses of checking the product in order to find any defects that may have occurred. This could include visually inspecting the product, turning the product on to see if it works, and using equipment that detects products that are not within the set parameters.
The Cost of Non-conformance may also be broken down into two categories—Internal Failure Costs and External Failure Costs. If a defective product is discovered in-house before being sent to the customer, the costs of scrapping or re-doing the product are Internal Failure Costs. If the product is sold to the customer, the costs of handling returns, complaints, lawsuits, and lost business are called External Failure Costs.

Posted in PMP Exam, Project Management Tagged: Appraisal Costs, Cost of Conformance, Cost of Nonconformance, Cost of Quality, External Failure Costs, Internal Failure Costs, Plan Quality, PMBOK process, pmp, Prevention Costs, Project Management

Leads and Lags

tapuniversity — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:10:02 +0000

Applying Leads and Lags is a tool and technique of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Sequence Activities process; and Adjusting Leads and Lags is a tool and technique of the Control Schedule process. In order to manage a project schedule, a project manager should understand the simple concepts of leads and lags. Leads and lags are sometimes needed in order to more accurately describe the relationship among project activities. For example, the relationship between two project activities may be that one is the predecessor (it needs to be done before the successor activity) and the other activity is the successor (it occurs after the predecessor). If one activity is mixing cake ingredients and the other activity is placing the cake batter in the oven, then the relationship between these two activities is that mixing cake ingredients is the predecessor and placing the cake batter in the oven is the successor.

A lead allows the successor activity to begin more quickly, and a lag means there is a delay before the successor activity may begin. For example, the activity of turning the oven on may take less than 1 minute, and the successor activity of placing the cake batter in the oven may take less than 1 minute. The schedule would be flawed, however, if only a couple minutes were allowed for completing both turning on the oven and placing the cake batter in the oven. This is because there is a lag of the time it takes for the oven to heat to the desired temperature. We may need to add a lag of 15 minutes to account for the oven heating before we can place the cake batter inside the oven. However, even though the oven is not done heating, we could be mixing cake ingredients while it is heating, which gives us some lead time (the ability to start on this activity sooner).

Posted in PMP Exam, Project Management Tagged: Control Schedule, Leads and Lags, PMBOK process, pmp, Project Management, Sequence Activities

Plan Quality Process

tapuniversity — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:40:27 +0000

Plan Quality is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the three Quality area processes, and one of the twenty Planning processes—which should not be difficult to remember with its name. The purpose of this process is to decide what quality requirements and standards should apply to the project and develop a plan (Quality Management Plan) to assure compliance with them. The Scope Baseline includes acceptance criteria for the project which is especially useful in the development of the Quality Management Plan.

The quality processes contain many tools and techniques. In fact, after listing Cost-Benefit Analysis, Cost of Quality, Control Charts, Benchmarking, Design of Experiments, Statistical Sampling, Flowcharting, and Proprietary Quality Management Methodologies as tools and techniques of this process, “Additional Quality Planning Tools” is listed. See earlier posting of Control Chart (posted February 17, 2009). The Cost of Quality technique examines costs of conformance (prevention and appraisal costs) and nonconformance (internal and external failure costs). The primary output of this process is the Quality Management Plan, which describes how the conformance to the selected quality standards will occur. The Quality Management Plan is then used to guide the other two quality processes—Perform Quality Assurance and Perform Quality Control.

Posted in PMP Exam, Project Management Tagged: Plan Quality, PMBOK process, pmp, PMP Exam, Project Management, Quality Management Plan

Determine Budget Process

tapuniversity — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:41:45 +0000

Determine Budget is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the three Cost knowledge area processes, and one of the twenty Planning processes. The purpose of this process is to add up the estimated costs of the project activities in order to create the budget. These cost estimates and their explanations are found in Activity Cost Estimates and Basis of Estimates, which were outputs of the Estimate Costs process. Cost Aggregation is the fancy term for simply adding up these estimated costs. Additionally, there are a few other documents that are good to reference when developing the budget—the Scope Baseline, Project Schedule, Resource Calendars, and Contracts. The Scope Baseline should be referenced for mention of funding constraints. Assuring that the budget is within these funding constraints is called Funding Limit Aggregation. The Project Schedule and Resource Calendars are used as a basis for knowing how much to budget for different calendar periods of the project. For example, costs may be low for the first couple months, but according to the calendar, in the third month a substantial amount of material may need to be purchased and specialized labor hired, so more funds will be budgeted for that time. Contracts associated with the project should also be examined for agreed-upon costs.

While developing the budget, having some information available on relevant past costs is called Historical Relationships, and taking advantage of someone’s expertise in the area is called Expert Judgment.

The major outputs of Determine Budget are the Cost Performance Baseline and Project Funding Requirements. The Cost Performance Baseline is usually a graph illustrating the budget over the length of time of the project. It does not include reserves which are funds set aside in case they are needed. Please see the earlier posting of Reserve Analysis. Project Funding Requirements, however, includes the cost baseline in addition to any reserves.

Posted in PMP Exam, Project Management Tagged: Cost Aggregation, Cost Knowledge Area, Cost Performance Baseline, Determine Budget, PMBOK process, pmp, PMP Exam, Project Funding Requirements, Project Management