1. Project Definition and Context

💡 A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined start and end date

• Creates a unique output (product, service or process) → Scope

• Defined and limited Budget

• Own (temporary) organization → usually embedded in an organization

A program is a

• set of interrelated projects and / or programs 

• that are managed in a coordinated manner 

• to deliver results or services that could not be delivered without coordinated management

Example program: Organizing the olympics → One overarching output

A portfolio is

• a set of projects and / or programs and other work 

• that is managed in a coordinated manner 

• to achieve benefits and control 

• in line with strategic business goals.

Example portfolio: Projects of the same type of technology → Don’t need to have on overarching output, they are structured by a specific dimension (e.g. customers, technologies)

A product is

• the result of a production process or a project 

• and objective of an enterprise 

• or means of the satisfaction of (customer) needs.

A service is

• a way to add value to customers 

• by facilitating the achievement of customer-desired outcomes. 

• Customers do not have to take the responsibility for certain costs and risks.

The deliverable product of a project is the output. The value that gets created by the output is the outcome.

• Example: A office facility is built (project) → The finished building (output) is rented to businesses (service that creates outcome)

The success of a project is determined by time, budget and scope (quality)

• A project is successful if it is ended: “In time, in budget and in scope”

The main areas of project management are scope, time/schedule and cost/budget management.

• Supplemental areas:

  • Risk Management

  • Stakeholder & Communication Management

  • (Human) Resources Management

  • Quality Management

Projects can be regarded as a control loop - a set of processes with a feedback loop

• Initiation: E.g. creating the infrastructure, get the team on board

• Planning: E.g. identify work steps and milestones

• Execution and Control: Execute the planned steps in the control loop (s. above)

• Completion: E.g. hand-over results, close contracts, lessons learned

Waterfall Projects are organized by technical stages and deliver the usable output at end of the project.

Stages:

analyze —> design —> implement —> test —> roll out

Problems:

1. RoI very late (product at the end)

2. changes expensive (can’t switch stages)

3. no transparency

Waterfall Project are typically done hierarchical

• might be very inflexible

• Reporting lines:

  • Lack of transparency (e.g. about the scope)

  • Lack of motivation and commitment

• Dedicated roles for work packages

  • unsteady workflow

  • Additional effort caused by on- and offboarding of team members

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

• Working software over comprehensive documentation

• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

• Responding to change over following a plan

  
  

Lean Management is a holistic approach of principles, methods and procedures for more effective process design and implementation → focus on small, incremental, continuous changes

Aim: Maximize Productivity, Product Quality and Speed

Focus: Creating value without waste (e.g. by value stream analysis)

Perspectives: Balance out customer and company view

• Customer View: Requirements

• Company View: Profit, competitiveness

Cynefin is a analytical decision framework and sense-making model supporting the decision of how to work.

• Simple: Cause and reaction effects are known; no special expertise needed → apply plans/best practises/common sense → Waterfall

• Complicated: Cause and reaction effects are known; special expertise for understanding is needed → apply plans/best practises by experts → Waterfall

• Complex: Unkown cause and reaction effects (uncertain); Probing and testing is needed → Agile

• Chaotic: No knowledge about the environment → Best approach might be to just act and reestablish a structure

• Disorder: We do not know where we are → We need to find out in which domain we are to apply the best steps

• It is not possible to go from chaotic to simple directly → need to go over complex and complicated

• After a approaching principle is found (e.g. by Cynefin or a company standard) the approach needs to be tailored to the individual project

• Systematically check the individual subject areas (e.g. scope management) and adapt them

• Further adjustments may be made during the course of the project

• Decisions should be documented in the project manual