Summary

In 1999, the XY Department of the Federal Government scoped a $1.5M project for replacing
hardware and software for managing public clients, and planned to complete it by June, 30th, 2001.
However, in view of the shortfall on its original $2.3 million budget request, the project steering
committee opted not to employ a project manager. The corresponding responsibilities were
assigned to the Finance Manager in addition to his normal duties. Besides, “Good Programs”
Company was contracted to assist in the implementation of software. On the initial stages, the
project committee met regularly, but gradually the activities of “Good Programs” in performing R&D
duties were substituting internal project management solutions. Meanwhile, the new versions of
software were not tested amongst all of the managers, and their effects were often unanticipated.
Moreover, as the original CEO and finance manager had been moved out of the department, the
project got revised in its budget at about $185,000 without signing off the original project. In the
absence of reliable reports, the new CEO was not sure of the original project schedule, tasks
implemented by the moment, as well as project spending for each part. Besides, the latest software
versions were not tested, while the previously found problems were not yet addressed.

Questions

1. Report your assessment of the current project status.

Current project cannot be considered completed, and the methods of evaluating milestones and
accomplishment of corresponding tasks is hindered due to the absence of reliable reports on original
project scope, scope changes, schedule and budget. Therefore, even the initial stage of project
planning is not performed properly. In this situation, we may use EVA methodology to claim that
project planned value was exceeded, and its budget cost of work performed is significantly deviated.
Here, cost performance index should be calculated as ratio between earned value and actual cost.

2. Compare your assessment with sound project management practices.

In order to efficiently monitor the execution of the project, it is necessary to meet a number of
requirements:

•The format of reporting should be the same for all members of the project team. The data reports
should be comparable with the plan. Obviously, if the plan takes certain parameters into account,
and reporting is done basing on the other ones, tracking the achievement of control events and
understanding whether the project is carried out properly is almost impossible.

•It is necessary to define the criteria by which the project will be assessed. Such criteria should
include the major functional areas of project management: time, cost, quality, organization of work,
subject area.

•It is necessary to establish methods to be used during controlling, determine the degree of detail.
For example, the monitoring of the actual implementation of the individual works may include 0-100
method, detailed control method, method of milestones, earned value method, etc.
In any case, project monitoring methods used should be simple and convenient. It is necessary to
keep the balance between the amount of time spent by members of the project team to carry out
monitoring, reporting and the amount and frequency of data presentation needed for effective
control. Excessive detail, complexity of performance assessment can lead to large losses of time on
reporting, and the distraction of project participants from direct working on the project. At the same
time, the lack of significant indicators during monitoring can lead to a distorted understanding of the
implementation of the project.

3. Recommend steps to bring the project to a close.

Often, as the project approaches its completion, the enthusiasm of the project team falls, the team
members start thinking about new projects, which naturally reduces the concentration on the
objectives of the project. All of this leads to the fact that in many very successfully implemented
projects significant mistakes take place at a stage of closing, often calling into question the success
of the project as a whole.

Meanwhile, during the completion of the project, it is necessary to ensure that all contracts are
fulfilled and closed, all acts are signed, and calculations are made, all works on the project are
completed and accepted with the quality of their performance checked; all the tasks are performed
efficiently, the product meets the customer’s expectations, and all members of the project team are
officially exempt from their project duties. Therefore, generally, Project Close Out includes the
following groups of tasks:

•Completion of the works on creating the project product

•Delivery of the project results

•Disbandment of the project team

•Analysis of the experience of the project, and documenting the results.

To perform them, first of all, you need to plan and implement control measures: analyze the
situation and make a list of outstanding works, draft out a detailed plan for their implementation,
organize daily operational meetings. Thus, the process of delivering the product includes not only
factual and documentary presentation of the project result to the customer, but also educating the
users of the final product. At the final stage, each team member as well as the entire project also
need an objective evaluation of activities. A detailed analysis of mistakes will help avoid depression
and negative emotional state in the company.

4. Recommend improvements to the XY Department’s future project management practices.

To ensure that the lessons learned in the implementation of the project could be used in the future,
it is necessary to save them; documenting the lessons learned will not affect the success of the
complete work, however, it can play a key role for future projects.
Don't use plagiarized sources. Get Your Custom Essay

Get custom paper

Thus, XY Department needs to consider that seemingly small deviations can have far-reaching
consequences, and the sooner deviations are revealed in the course of the project, the more likely
their minimization is. In addition, reaction to deviation should not be spontaneous. As a rule,
spontaneous, chaotic actions exacerbate the problem and did not contribute to the exit from the
unfavorable situation. Instead, XY Department should develop a consistent risk management plan.
The effectiveness of developing responses to risks will directly determine whether the effects of
exposure to risk on the future projects will be positive or negative. Here, strategy planning should
take into account the types of risks, the profitability of resources and time parameters. Issues
discussed during meetings should be adequate to the tasks at each stage of the project and agreed
upon by all members of the project management team.

In addition, when deciding who should take charge of a business project, it is necessary to consider
the risks of taking this or that decision. It is obvious that the task of the head of the financial
department of XY Department is primarily in the direct management of the development and
operation of the unit at the proper level, while project management is a demanding task and may
require not only special skills, but also a considerable time for the operational project management.
Apart from that, it is obvious that the more deeply the head is involved in the operational work on
the project, the more general management of one’s main unit may suffer. Becoming a project
manager for a department head concurrently without prejudice to other work is only possible under
the condition that there are no intense changes taking place in the project department, and one has
no other such priority tasks, or if the head has a deputy, who will be able to ensure functioning of
the unit at a decent level. In other cases, it is not recommended to save on hiring a project manager.

5. If a very similar project had to be done again, what attributes and/or skill sets would you
recommend in selecting a project manager?

Project manager is a key figure in any project: one must interact with both the customer and the
development team. If the project manager has only a general idea about the work of one’s
subordinates, they will eventually get either a supervisor who will always rely only on their honesty
or a boarder, whom the whole team will fool, and the project will continue to fall behind schedule.
Thus, in selecting a project manager, the company should make sure a candidate possesses the
following attributes and skills:

•Being able to assess and apply the strengths of the team members, give them the work that most
suits them;

•Motivating and inspiring, exuding confidence;

•Setting high standards of planning and schedule following;

•Having experience of successful completion of projects and able to learn from past mistakes;

•Excellent communication skills;

•Creative thinking.

Indeed, remember that no project is carried out in exactly the same way as the previous ones, so the
project manager must be able to think through all the branches of the project plan to ensure the
adaptation of the tasks and the methods, identify, resolve potential problems of the project,
minimize the obstacles or even avoid them. Some people call this skill risk management: either way,
there are always unique conflicts that need to be resolved; and the project manager is the position,
which should solve them best.

On a whole, project manager must have the skills that are inherent to the leader: one must be able
to organize the work of the team from the point of allocating the time required to solve a given
problem, its discussion and priority. In addition, the project manager must be able to establish work
with top-management, presenting to it all the achievements, overseeing every phase of the project. I
would call it multi-functionality, since it is necessary to conduct several projects simultaneously and
perform various types of tasks.

Recommendations

Every project manager should have in one’s arsenal the most effective way of responding to a
problem situation. The most effective, in our opinion, is the step by step approach to decision-
making, the essence of which is the following:

Step 1. Recognizing the problem, determining its causes.

Step 2. Developing solutions to the problem.

Step 3: Analysis of solution options.

Step 4. Selecting the optimal solution.

Step 5. Informing all members of the project team.

Step 6. Implementation of the decision.

The whole range of possible solutions, reactions to deviations from the progress of the project can
be organized into five groups: Revision of the project cost (which has already been done by the new
CEO of XY Department), Changing the project timing, Changing the project scope, Developing
alternative solutions, or Termination of the initial project, which is strongly recommended in this
case.

After significant changes in company’s management and the loss of reliable monitoring data, it
would be appropriate not simply to make necessary adjustments in the existing project, but rather
start the project cycle anew. Planning, execution of works, control, analysis and introducing
corrections are to be performed throughout the entire phase of project implementation.

Lessons Learned

Above all, the case of XY Department shows that each new project should be managed by a
professional sharing unique duties, rather than performing project management tasks in addition to
normal functional responsibilities. Second of all, project implementation requires strict control and
monitoring throughout each stage. Absence of appropriate documentation makes it impossible to
introduce measured solutions in case of occurring problems like not meeting the budget or schedule.
In this regard, risk management planning is also essential and should not be under-evaluated.

1. Define the Project at the Onset

When you fail to properly define the project in the beginning, scope creep is inevitable. Sit down
with the client and confirm their expectations regarding budget, timeline, and delivery. How do they
define success for this project? Go over any potential challenges to meeting this goal. What should
the milestones be? If the client cannot be reached for a quick approval, is there anyone else
empowered to make such a decision? Given their answers, does the budget seem reasonable? The
answers to all of these questions can dispel the ambiguity that nourishes misunderstandings and
scope creep.

[bctt tweet=”Stop your project from turning into a never-ending #story with these tips.”
username=”toggl plan”]

2. Set the Right Expectations

Many clients are good at conveying their expectations, especially if they’ve been involved with
similar projects in the past. But that’s not everyone. When clients fail to clearly express what they
want, confusion and scope creep results.

If you’re dealing with an inexperienced or uncertain client, ask a lot of questions and have a meeting
or two to identify project essentials vs. add-ons that would be nice to have. Once these expectations
are clarified, guide the client towards greater involvement in the approval process and convey their
feedback to the team. This way the project can remain on track and completion is not likely to be
derailed by scope creep.

how to prevent scope creep

3. Create a Firm Timeline

Every project should begin with a well-defined timeline for each deliverable. Communicate your
team process to the client before work starts and once an important milestone is reached, have the
client sign off on it before taking the next step. These protocols will give the project definition and
reduce the likelihood of an unexpected client request or setback dragging it out.

Here’s an example of an app development timeline:

Client signs off on the project proposal, which contains key information such as app functions and
features, a definition of the target market, and which resources must come from the client instead
of developed by the team.

Client signs off on the UI/UX design wireframe and mockups.

Client signs off on the frontend development, which includes a prototype app that demonstrates the
interaction experience.

Client signs off on the backend development results, which includes backend architecture, API and
quality control.

Client signs off after the testing stage, which includes functional, integration, and user testing as well
as bug fixing.

The app is finally deployed.

Client signs off on the project.

When stages are firmly defined, there is a reduced risk of projects spiraling out of control and
costing you and the client time and money.
how to prevent scope creep

4. Find the Right Balance

Projects can be a bit like teenagers at times. Be too rigid and they fail to achieve their potential. Be
too flexible and they’ll become dizzy from lack of boundaries. The key is finding the right balance.

Some project managers are so worried about scope creep that they develop a zero-tolerance policy
for changes. This approach can be just as damaging as an ‘anything goes’ attitude. Instead, leave a
certain amount of room for changes and consider billing for the project as a whole instead of hourly.
This way, clients can make reasonable change requests without the project price increasing
significantly. As long as the job is well-defined and contains a firm timeline, scope creep should not
become an issue.

5. Document Changes

Scope creep is every bit as crafty as its name suggests. Despite your best efforts, it can still set in, but
if you have a contingency plan in place, you can minimize its effects.

One popular strategy is to apply a Change Order to every request the client makes that is outside the
scope of the proposal. It doesn’t matter if it involves $10 or $10,000 worth of new work or revision:
the very act of signing it reminds the client that there is a cost involved. This way, they tend to be
less inclined to ask for changes that are more experimental than essential.

communication prevents scope creep

6. Maintain Good Lines of Communication

Your team may change during the course of the project. People leave for personal or professional
reasons and others take their place. If responsibilities are not clearly delineated with each personnel
change, you can be left with a situation where everyone passes the buck when problems arise. It’s a
situation ripe for scope creep to set in, so make sure that everyone understands their roles and the
entire team remains on the same page.

7. Use the Right Software

One of the best antidotes to scope creep is good project management software. Toggl Plan uses a
gantt chart alternative that makes it easy to keep the project and the team organized. The visual
roadmap capability delivers a valuable project overview to everyone and a capacity planning feature
lets you see who is working on what so that you can better allocate resources. You can even set
milestones and check them off as each one is achieved. Toggl Plan also supports better
collaboration, eliminating communication breakdown and keeping dialogue flowing for the duration
of the project.

In Conclusion

No project runs smoothly from beginning to end, but when you plan carefully, communicate clearly,
and use the right support tools, you can avoid expensive changes and setbacks. When it comes to
scope creep, prevention is better than damage control, so getting started on the right foot will get
your team to the finish line that much faster.

Summary

In 1999, the XY Department of the Federal Government scoped a $1.5M project for replacing
hardware and software for managing public clients, and planned to complete it by June, 30th, 2001.
However, in view of the shortfall on its original $2.3 million budget request, the project steering
committee opted not to employ a project manager. The corresponding responsibilities were
assigned to the Finance Manager in addition to his normal duties. Besides, “Good Programs”
Company was contracted to assist in the implementation of software. On the initial stages, the
project committee met regularly, but gradually the activities of “Good Programs” in performing R&D
duties were substituting internal project management solutions. Meanwhile, the new versions of
software were not tested amongst all of the managers, and their effects were often unanticipated.
Moreover, as the original CEO and finance manager had been moved out of the department, the
project got revised in its budget at about $185,000 without signing off the original project. In the
absence of reliable reports, the new CEO was not sure of the original project schedule, tasks
implemented by the moment, as well as project spending for each part. Besides, the latest software
versions were not tested, while the previously found problems were not yet addressed.

Questions

1. Report your assessment of the current project status.

Current project cannot be considered completed, and the methods of evaluating milestones and
accomplishment of corresponding tasks is hindered due to the absence of reliable reports on original
project scope, scope changes, schedule and budget. Therefore, even the initial stage of project
planning is not performed properly. In this situation, we may use EVA methodology to claim that
project planned value was exceeded, and its budget cost of work performed is significantly deviated.
Here, cost performance index should be calculated as ratio between earned value and actual cost.

2. Compare your assessment with sound project management practices.

In order to efficiently monitor the execution of the project, it is necessary to meet a number of
requirements:

•The format of reporting should be the same for all members of the project team. The data reports
should be comparable with the plan. Obviously, if the plan takes certain parameters into account,
and reporting is done basing on the other ones, tracking the achievement of control events and
understanding whether the project is carried out properly is almost impossible.

•It is necessary to define the criteria by which the project will be assessed. Such criteria should
include the major functional areas of project management: time, cost, quality, organization of work,
subject area.

•It is necessary to establish methods to be used during controlling, determine the degree of detail.
For example, the monitoring of the actual implementation of the individual works may include 0-100
method, detailed control method, method of milestones, earned value method, etc.

In any case, project monitoring methods used should be simple and convenient. It is necessary to
keep the balance between the amount of time spent by members of the project team to carry out
monitoring, reporting and the amount and frequency of data presentation needed for effective
control. Excessive detail, complexity of performance assessment can lead to large losses of time on
reporting, and the distraction of project participants from direct working on the project. At the same
time, the lack of significant indicators during monitoring can lead to a distorted understanding of the
implementation of the project.

3. Recommend steps to bring the project to a close.

Often, as the project approaches its completion, the enthusiasm of the project team falls, the team
members start thinking about new projects, which naturally reduces the concentration on the
objectives of the project. All of this leads to the fact that in many very successfully implemented
projects significant mistakes take place at a stage of closing, often calling into question the success
of the project as a whole.

Meanwhile, during the completion of the project, it is necessary to ensure that all contracts are
fulfilled and closed, all acts are signed, and calculations are made, all works on the project are
completed and accepted with the quality of their performance checked; all the tasks are performed
efficiently, the product meets the customer’s expectations, and all members of the project team are
officially exempt from their project duties. Therefore, generally, Project Close Out includes the
following groups of tasks:

•Completion of the works on creating the project product

•Delivery of the project results

•Disbandment of the project team

•Analysis of the experience of the project, and documenting the results.

To perform them, first of all, you need to plan and implement control measures: analyze the
situation and make a list of outstanding works, draft out a detailed plan for their implementation,
organize daily operational meetings. Thus, the process of delivering the product includes not only
factual and documentary presentation of the project result to the customer, but also educating the
users of the final product. At the final stage, each team member as well as the entire project also
need an objective evaluation of activities. A detailed analysis of mistakes will help avoid depression
and negative emotional state in the company.

4. Recommend improvements to the XY Department’s future project management practices.

To ensure that the lessons learned in the implementation of the project could be used in the future,
it is necessary to save them; documenting the lessons learned will not affect the success of the
complete work, however, it can play a key role for future projects.

Don't use plagiarized sources. Get Your Custom Essay

Get custom paper

Thus, XY Department needs to consider that seemingly small deviations can have far-reaching
consequences, and the sooner deviations are revealed in the course of the project, the more likely
their minimization is. In addition, reaction to deviation should not be spontaneous. As a rule,
spontaneous, chaotic actions exacerbate the problem and did not contribute to the exit from the
unfavorable situation. Instead, XY Department should develop a consistent risk management plan.
The effectiveness of developing responses to risks will directly determine whether the effects of
exposure to risk on the future projects will be positive or negative. Here, strategy planning should
take into account the types of risks, the profitability of resources and time parameters. Issues
discussed during meetings should be adequate to the tasks at each stage of the project and agreed
upon by all members of the project management team.

In addition, when deciding who should take charge of a business project, it is necessary to consider
the risks of taking this or that decision. It is obvious that the task of the head of the financial
department of XY Department is primarily in the direct management of the development and
operation of the unit at the proper level, while project management is a demanding task and may
require not only special skills, but also a considerable time for the operational project management.
Apart from that, it is obvious that the more deeply the head is involved in the operational work on
the project, the more general management of one’s main unit may suffer. Becoming a project
manager for a department head concurrently without prejudice to other work is only possible under
the condition that there are no intense changes taking place in the project department, and one has
no other such priority tasks, or if the head has a deputy, who will be able to ensure functioning of
the unit at a decent level. In other cases, it is not recommended to save on hiring a project manager.

5. If a very similar project had to be done again, what attributes and/or skill sets would you
recommend in selecting a project manager?

Project manager is a key figure in any project: one must interact with both the customer and the
development team. If the project manager has only a general idea about the work of one’s
subordinates, they will eventually get either a supervisor who will always rely only on their honesty
or a boarder, whom the whole team will fool, and the project will continue to fall behind schedule.
Thus, in selecting a project manager, the company should make sure a candidate possesses the
following attributes and skills:

•Being able to assess and apply the strengths of the team members, give them the work that most
suits them;

•Motivating and inspiring, exuding confidence;

•Setting high standards of planning and schedule following;

•Having experience of successful completion of projects and able to learn from past mistakes;

•Excellent communication skills;

•Creative thinking.

Indeed, remember that no project is carried out in exactly the same way as the previous ones, so the
project manager must be able to think through all the branches of the project plan to ensure the
adaptation of the tasks and the methods, identify, resolve potential problems of the project,
minimize the obstacles or even avoid them. Some people call this skill risk management: either way,
there are always unique conflicts that need to be resolved; and the project manager is the position,
which should solve them best.

On a whole, project manager must have the skills that are inherent to the leader: one must be able
to organize the work of the team from the point of allocating the time required to solve a given
problem, its discussion and priority. In addition, the project manager must be able to establish work
with top-management, presenting to it all the achievements, overseeing every phase of the project. I
would call it multi-functionality, since it is necessary to conduct several projects simultaneously and
perform various types of tasks.

Recommendations
Every project manager should have in one’s arsenal the most effective way of responding to a
problem situation. The most effective, in our opinion, is the step by step approach to decision-
making, the essence of which is the following:

Step 1. Recognizing the problem, determining its causes.

Step 2. Developing solutions to the problem.

Step 3: Analysis of solution options.

Step 4. Selecting the optimal solution.

Step 5. Informing all members of the project team.

Step 6. Implementation of the decision.

The whole range of possible solutions, reactions to deviations from the progress of the project can
be organized into five groups: Revision of the project cost (which has already been done by the new
CEO of XY Department), Changing the project timing, Changing the project scope, Developing
alternative solutions, or Termination of the initial project, which is strongly recommended in this
case.

After significant changes in company’s management and the loss of reliable monitoring data, it
would be appropriate not simply to make necessary adjustments in the existing project, but rather
start the project cycle anew. Planning, execution of works, control, analysis and introducing
corrections are to be performed throughout the entire phase of project implementation.

Lessons Learned

Above all, the case of XY Department shows that each new project should be managed by a
professional sharing unique duties, rather than performing project management tasks in addition to
normal functional responsibilities. Second of all, project implementation requires strict control and
monitoring throughout each stage. Absence of appropriate documentation makes it impossible to
introduce measured solutions in case of occurring problems like not meeting the budget or schedule.
In this regard, risk management planning is also essential and should not be under-evaluated.
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