APPENDIX B

Project Management Decisions

I
n Chapter 5 our catalog of project management decisions was de-
scribed at the top level. The entire catalog is reproduced here for your
reference.* The following tables appear in this appendix:

N Table B-1: Operational System Decisions—Needs Analysis

N Table B-2: Operational System Decisions—System Analysis and

Concept Design

N Table B-3: Product System Decisions—Product System, Subsystem,

and Component Requirements and Design

N Table B-4: Operational System Decisions—Test Planning

N Table B-5: Operational System Decisions—Product System, Subsys-

tem, and Component Testing

N Table B-6: Operational System Decisions—Life Cycle Planning

N Table B-7: Development System Decisions—Management Structure

N Table B-8: Development System Decisions—Project Management

Planning

N Table B-9: Development System Decisions—Development System

Construction
*To download a poster-size document featuring all the tables in one layout, please go to
http://www.pmgooddecisions.com/downloads.
266 The Project Manager’s Guide to Making Successful Decisions

TABLE B-1: Operational System Decisions—Needs Analysis

Category Decisions
Needs Analysis Problem Definition
s What are stakeholder needs?
s What is the set of relevant variables and factors?
s What is the market assessment strategy?
s Set of mission requirements?
s What is the consumer vision?
s What is the purpose (expectation) of the system?
s What is the operating environment definition?

Problem Validation
s What is the acceptable level of consistency between
stakeholder needs and the mission requirement?
APPENDIX B Project Management Decisions 267

TABLE B-2: Operational System Decisions—System Analysis and Concept

Design
Category Decisions
Product System Analysis Concept Definition
and Concept Design Set of operational scenarios
s What is the user concept of operation?
s What is the system concept of operation?
s What is the system employment definition?
s What is the set of generic concepts?
s What is the set of feasible concepts that meet stakeholder
need, cost, schedule and initial performance?
s What are the risks?
s What is the set of prototyping requirements?
s What is the set of technology requirements?
s What is the product system boundary?
s What are the product system constraints?
s What is the product definition?
s What is the initial product design?

Concept Evaluation
s What is the methodology for determining concept and
technical feasibility?
s What are the evaluative tools, methods, and objectives for
evaluating concept design alternatives?
s What is the set of trade-off objectives required to satisfy the
problem definition and cost requirements?

Concept Validation
s What is the set of concept validation criteria?
s What is the concept validation methodology?
s What are the validation tools for concept designs, e.g.,
modeling and simulation?
268 The Project Manager’s Guide to Making Successful Decisions

TABLE B-3: Product System Decisions—Product System, Subsystem, and

Component Requirements and Design
Category Decisions
Product System, Requirements Definition
Subsystem, and s What are the source and method for defining
Component Requirements requirements?
and Design s What is the method for requirements validation?
s Define the method for validating requirements
s What are the intended functions and operations of the
product system?
s Acceptance of sets of product-level requirements
s What are user interface and coupling/decoupling
requirements?
s What are performance requirements?
s What are imposed external requirements e.g., security,
OSHA?
s What are functional redundancy requirements?
s What are version two product requirements?

Design Definition
s What are the additional design cycles (redesign, rebuild,
retest)?
s What is the concept/supplier selection?

Design Requirements of the Subsystems and Components

s What are the design thresholds and baselines?
s What are the values of the key design parameters
(Krishnan and Ulrich 2001)?
s What are the design constraints and limitations?
s What are the physical attributes of the system?
s What are the configuration of the components and
assembly precedence relations?
s What is the detailed design of the components, including
material and process selection (Krishnan and Ulrich
2001)?
s What are the technologies to be employed (Krishnan and
Ulrich 2001)?
s What are the available COTS elements?
s What is the level of the product system hierarchy requiring
technology flexibility?

Design Changes (Trade-offs) Required to Meet Key

Performance Parameters
s What are the “must cost” changes?
s What are the “customer desire” changes?
s What is the prototype building and testing plan?
APPENDIX B Project Management Decisions 269

TABLE B-3: Product System Decisions—Product System, Subsystem, and

Component Requirements and Design (Cont’d)
Category Decisions
Test Definition
s What are the design test requirements?
s What are the test performance and evaluation criteria?
s What are the conditions for new technology testing?
s What are the data collection requirements to support
design trade-offs?
s What are the data collection mechanisms?

Validation Definition
s What is the set of validation benchmarks?
s What is the set of design test criteria, e.g., stakeholder
perspective?
s What is the set of design validation mechanisms?
s What is the set of acceptable stakeholder risks?

TABLE B-4: Operational System Decisions—Test Planning

Category Decisions
Test Planning Product System, Subsystem, and Component
s What is the strategy for proving the product will meet
its key performance targets and perform its intended
functions?
s What is the strategy for prototyping methods and
technologies?
s What will the project test strategy include?
s Set of testing purposes?
s Testing strategy for new technologies?
s Operational test environment and test conditions?
s Required risk scenarios and their test requirements?
s Set of test constraints?
s Data collection requirements?
s Set of metrics to be used and how?
s Set of functional testing requirements?
s Set of test facility requirements?
s Selection of test participants?
s Selection of roles/responsibilities for test participants?
s Set of test mechanisms?
s Amount of testing to be conducted?
s Allowable extent of combining design and operational
testing?
s Stakeholder role during testing?
s What to test and how to test as defined by performance
indicators?
s Test cycle time for product system, subsystem, and
components?
s What is the risk management plan?
270 The Project Manager’s Guide to Making Successful Decisions

TABLE B-5: Operational System Decisions—Product System, Subsystem, and

Component Testing
Category Decisions
Product System, Integration (Product System through Components)
Subsystem, and What are the assembly process and methodology?
Component Testing What is the set of product system integration test criteria?

Verification (Product System through Components)

What is the set of product system verification criteria?
What are the sets of subsystem verification criteria?
What are the sets of component verification criteria?

Product Validation
What are the aspects of the product system to be validated?
What is the set of product system validation benchmarks?
What is the set of operational test conditions?
What are the stakeholder satisfaction criteria?
What validation tools and mechanisms are required?

Market Validation
What is the market validation strategy?

TABLE B-6: Operational System Decisions—Life-Cycle Planning

Category Decisions
Life Cycle Planning Life-Cycle Requirements and Architecture
s What are the stakeholder roles in determining life-cycle
requirements?

Manufacturing
s What is the set of manufacturing requirements?
s What is the manufacturing architecture?

Operation, Support, Maintenance, Upgrades

s What is the set of product system support requirements as
determined by:
– Configuration management strategy?
– Data requirements to define support requirements?
– Support data purchasing?
– Support provider and length of support?
s What are the maintenance concept and architecture?
s What is the operational support architecture?
s What is the set of upgrade and replacement requirements?
APPENDIX B Project Management Decisions 271

TABLE B-7: Development System Decisions—Management Structure

Category Decisions
Management Structure Project Definition
s What is the project process plan?
s What is the set of goals for the project, product, processes,
organization, and environment?
s What are the schedule goals?
s What are the cost goals?

Success Criteria
s What is the set of success criteria for the project, product,
processes, organization, and environment?
s What are the project risks?
s What is the project type?
s What is the project team structure?
s What are the project risks?

Stakeholder System
s What is the strategy for defining:
– Operational users?
– Elements influenced by product development?
– Elements impacted by product development?
– Stakeholders’ activities and roles?
s Who are the stakeholders?

Project Manager Construction

Role Definition
s What are the set of roles and the authority of the project
manager with respect to the requirements of planning the
product and development systems?
s What is the set of project manager criteria with respect to
project requirements?

Evaluation
s What is the strategy for evaluating organizational
competency factors?

Training
s What is the training plan?
272 The Project Manager’s Guide to Making Successful Decisions

TABLE B-8: Development System Decisions—Project Management Planning

Category Decisions
Project Management Information Definition and Validation
Planning s What is the strategy for getting information from stakeholders?
s What is the set of information-gathering tools?
s What data have to be purchased?
s What is the set of baselines to be designed and managed?
s What is the strategy for interacting with stakeholders?
s What is the strategy for handling trade-offs with the
stakeholders (cost versus performance, cost versus schedule)?
s What is the method for clarifying the consumer’s vision and
need?
s What is the requirements analysis strategy?
s What is the method for validating organizational processes?
s What are the reporting structure and meeting schedule?
s What are the means and technology of communication—local
and global?

Resource Definition and Validation

s What are the management requirements?
s What is the method for defining task durations?

Identification of Resources Required to Maintain Cost, Schedule,

and Performance
s What are the funding allocation requirements?
s What are the facilities required to support product
development?
s What is the training budget and what is its impact on the
project?
s What is the strategy for obtaining resources?
s What are the selection and allocation of available resources
(amounts and timing)?
s What is the reserve allocation, e.g., money, parts, schedule?
s What are the actual and reserve cost requirements as matched
to stakeholder requirements as determined by:
– Project requirements?
– Project risks for the development and product systems?
– Schedule requirements and risks?
– Cost and schedule estimate strategy?
s What is the strategy for determining consistency between
requirements and available resources?
s What is the project feasibility with respect to imposed costs,
schedule, and performance measures?
s What is the convergence goal among skills and resources on
hand, schedule, and costs?
s What are the required decision aids?
s Who are the suppliers?
APPENDIX B Project Management Decisions 273

TABLE B-8: Development System Decisions—Project Management Planning

(Cont’d)
Category Decisions
Project Management Control Structure Definition and Validation
Planning s Define the method for validating the project plan.
s Define the project tasks.
s What are the negotiated contractual agreements?
s What is the set of major project milestones and planned
prototypes?
s What is the project monitoring plan, e.g., reviews, plans, and
decisions, needed at gates?
s How will user requirements be managed?
s What is the risk to project completion?
s What is the risk to project costs?
s What are the planned timing and sequence of development
activities:
– Timeline for concept development?
– Commencement of product design?
s What are the means for controlling project costs, schedule,
and performance?
s What is the critical path?
s What is the management and reporting system?
s What are the data and information requirements?
s What is the strategy for controlling requirements?
s What is the strategy for measuring project performance?
s What are the change effects of requirements on schedule and
costs?
s What is the strategy for project review requirements?
s Definition of project checkpoints?
s Purpose of project checkpoints?
s Checkpoint participants?
s What are the organizational meeting requirements and
strategy?
s What is the project validation strategy for costs, schedule, and
performance?
s What is the strategy for continually validating development
activities?
s What is the strategy for maintaining flexibility relative to system
cost, schedule, and performance to handle system design
changes and risks?
s What are the project termination criteria?
s What is the relative priority of development objectives?
s When are the planned project reviews?

Termination
s What are the project termination requirements?
274 The Project Manager’s Guide to Making Successful Decisions

TABLE B-9: Development System Decisions—Development System

Construction
Category Decisions
Development System Organizational Structure
Construction s What is the project team structure?
s What organizational components are required?
s What is the reporting structure as defined by:
– Communication strategy among team members?
– Communication mechanisms among team members and
among organizational components?
s What are the interrelated requirements between organizational
components?
s What are the organizational risks and risk mitigation measures?

Role Definition
s What is the organizational responsibility matrix (who does
what)?

Makeup
s What are the organizational team composition requirements as
defined by:
– Required degree of efficiency?
– Allocated personnel cost budget?
s What is the set of core skill competencies?
s What is the set of experience, skill requirements, and
interpersonal style requirements for organizational team
individuals?
s What is the time phasing of project personnel into the project?
s What is the process for team staffing?
s What is the set of external components, e.g., contractors,
subcontractors?

Resources
s What are the resource requirements necessary to perform
tasks?
s What are the infrastructure and tool requirements, e.g.,
software, computer support, building, office space?
s What are the resource constraints?
APPENDIX B Project Management Decisions 275

TABLE B-9: Development System Decisions—Development System

Construction (Cont’d)
Category Decisions
Evaluation
s What is the objective basis for evaluating organizational
competency factors, e.g., required skills, experience, and
personal attributes?
s What are the risk factors?

Validation
s What is the team composition validation methodology?
s What is the strategy for validating organizational processes?

Location
s What are the physical arrangement and location of the team as
influenced by:
– Communication objectives?
– Technological capabilities?
s What is the optimal project location and layout?

Training
s What is the required training?
s What is the timing of required training for organizational team
members?