Part I: Understanding Expectations

(The Who, What, and Why of Your

Project)

Aguila, Maria Fatima J. Tinaza, Jomar T.

Saliendra, Jamaica C. Yara, Jhean R.
Uy, Ian Christopher R.

http://www.free-powerpoint-templates-design.com
 Chapter 2
Clarifying What You’re Trying
to Accomplish—andWhy
 Defining YOUR
Chapter 2 01 Project with
a Statement of
Clarifying What Work
You’re Trying to
Accomplish—and
Why 02 Looking at the BIG
Picture

03 Marking the
BOUNDARIES

04 Facing the
UNKNOWNS when
Planning
 Defining your Project
with a Statement of Work
Statement of Work
a written confirmation of what your project will
produce and the terms and conditions under which you will
perform your work. Both the people who requested the project
and the project team should agree to all terms in the SOW
before actual project work begins.

u Market Requirements document

u Business Requirements document

u Project Request

u Project Charter

u Project Profile

u Work Order

u Contract
What's in a Statement of Work??

Purpose Objectives
How and why your project Specific outcomes you’ll
came to be, the scope of produce
your project, and its general
approach
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Constraints
Restrictions that will limit
what you achieve, how and
when you can achieve it,
and their cost
Assumptions
Statements about how you
will address uncertain
information as you conceive,
plan,and perform your
project
 Looking at the Big
Picture Your “Purpose Statement”
shouldinclude the following information:

Background: Why people authorized your project

Scope: What work will be performed

Strategy: How you'll approach the major work of this

project

The Purpose Statement helps...

- identify all the people wo may use your project's results and
their specific expectations, needs and interests,
- clarify the extent of the project's work and describe your
strategies for accomplishing major project activities.
 Looking at the Big
Picture Identifying the Initiator

1. Ask the person who assigns you the project whether she originated
the idea.
2. If that person’s didn’t initiate the idea, ask:
Who gave her the assignment?
Who else, if anyone, was involved in passing the assignment to her?
Who had the original idea for the project?
3. Check with any other people you identified in Step2 and ask them the
same questions.
4. Check the following written records that may confirm who originally
had the idea:
v minutes
v correspondence and emails
v reports of planning or feasibility studies
 Looking at the Big
Picture

A feasibility study is a formal investigation to determine the likely

success of performing certain work or achieving certain results.
In addition to helping you identify the people who initiated your
project, these sources may shed light on what these people hope to
get from it.

5. Consult with people who may be affected by or need to support

your project; they may know who originated the idea.
Distinguish between drivers and supporters as you seek to
find your project initiator. (See Chapter 3 for more
information about drivers and supporters.)

Drivers have some say when defining the results ofthe

project. They tell you what you should do.

Supporters help you perform your project.They tell you what

you can do.
 Looking at the Big
Recognizing other People who may
Picture benefit from your project

Identify these people as soon as possible to determine their particular

needs and interests and how you can appropriately address them.
These additional audiences may include people who:

• Know the project exists and have expressed an interest in it.

• Know it exists but don’t realize it can benefit them.
• Are unaware of your project.
 Looking at the Big
Distinguishing the Project
Picture Champion

A project champion is a person in a high position in the organization who

strongly supports your project; advocates for your project in disputes, planning
meetings, and review sessions; and takes necessary actions to help ensure
that your project is successful.

Sometimes the best champion is one whose support you never have to use.
 Looking at the Big
Considering people who’ll
Picture implement the RESULTS of YOUR
project

Most projects create a product or service to achieve a desired result. Often,

however, the person who asks you to create the product or service isn’t the
one who’ll actually use it.

To identify the users of project products and services, try to:

• Clarify the products and services that you anticipate producing.

• Identify exactly who will use these products and services and how
they’ll use them.
 Looking at the Big
Determining YOUR project drivers’
Picture real expectations and needs

When you clearly understand the needs your project must satisfy, you can:

• Choose project activities that enable you to accomplish the true desired
results (see Chapter 4 for information on identifying project activities).

• Monitor performance during and at the end of the project to ensure that
you’re meeting the real needs (see Chapter 12 for more information on
how to track a project during performance).

• Realize when the projectisn’t meeting the real needs and suggest
modifying or canceling it.
See whether your organization performed a formal benefit-cost analysis for
your project. A benefit-cost analysis (see Chapter 1 for further details) is a
formal identification and assessment of:

• The benefits anticipated from your project

• The costs for
• Performing your project
• Using and supporting the products or services produced by your
project

The benefit-cost analysis documents the results that people were counting on
when they decided to proceed with your project. Therefore, the analysis is an
important source for the real needs that your project should address.
 Looking at the Big
Emphasizing the importance of
Picture YOUR project to the organization

Your project’s perceived value depends on its intended benefits and people’s
awareness of those benefits. Take the following steps to help people
understand how your project will support the organization’s priorities:

q Look for existing statements that confirm your project’s support of

organization’s priorities. Consult the following sources to find out more
about your organization’s priorities:

• Long-range plan: A formal report that identifies your organization’s

overall direction, specific performance targets, and individual initiatives
for the next one to five years
• Annual budget: The detailedlist of categories and individual initiatives
that require organization funds during the year
• Capital appropriations plan: The itemized list of all planned expenditures (over an
established minimum amount) for facilities and equipment purchases, renovations, and
repairs during the year
• Your organization’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Performance measures that
describe your organization’s progress towards its goals

q DescribeintheBackgroundportionofyourpurposestatementhow yourproject
relatestotheorganization’spriorities.Includeexisting discussions of your project from the
information sources mentioned previously.
 Looking at the Big Drawing the line: Where YOUR
Picture project starts and stops

Your project’s statement of scope should clearly describe where your project
starts and where it ends.

• Check for hidden inferences.

• Use words that clearlydescribe intended activities.
• Confirm your understanding of your project’s scope with your
project’s drivers and supporters.
 Looking at the Big Designing YOUR approach to project
Picture work

Your project strategy is the general approach you plan to take to perform the
work in your project scope.

When selecting a strategy,

• Consider your organization’s usual approaches for handling similar

projects. Chances of a mistake are smaller if you ask people to use
processes or procedures they’ve used before.
• Where possible, choose a strategy with the fewest risks,uncertainties,
and uncontrollables. You don’t want a strategy that may work; you want
one with the greatest chance that it will work.
• For riskier projects, consider developing backup strategies in case
your primary strategy runs into problems. A different strategy may be
the simple answer for meeting an unachievable expectation.
 Looking at the Big Specifying YOUR project’s objectives
Picture

Objectives are outcomes your project will produce. These outcomes may be
products or services you develop or the results of using these products and
services. The more clearly you define your project’s objectives, the more
likely you’ll achieve them.

Include the following elements to make your objectives clear and specific:

Statement: A brief narrative description of what you want to achieve

Measures: Indicators you’ll use to assess your achievement
Performance targets: The value of each measure that defines success
 Looking at the Big Making YOUR objectives clear and
Picture specific

You need to be crystal clear when stating your project’s objectives. The more
specific your project objectives, the greater your chances are of achieving
them. Here are some tips for developing clear objectives:

q Be brief when describing an objective.

q Don’t use technical jargon.

q Make your objectives SMART, as follows:

• Specific: Define your objective clearly, in detail, with no room for
misinterpretation.
• Measurable: Specify the measures or indicators you’ll use to
determine whether you’ve met your objective.
• Aggressive: Set challenging objectives that encourage people to
stretch beyond their comfort zones.
• Realistic: Set objectives the project team believes it can achieve.
• Time-sensitive: Include the date by which you’ll achieve the objective.
q Make your objectives controllable.

q Identify all objectives. Time and resources are always scarce, so if you don’t
specify an objective, you won’t (and shouldn’t) work to achieve it.

q Be suredrivers andsupporters agreeonyour project’s objectives.

 Looking at the Big Probing for all types of objectives
Picture

When you start a project, the person who makes the request often tells you
the major results he wants to achieve.

You need to identify all project objectives as early as possible so you can
plan for and devote the necessary time and resources to accomplish each
one. When you probe to identify all possible objectives, consider that projects
may have objectives in the following three categories:

ü A physical product or service

ü The effect of a product or service
ü A general organizational benefit that wasn’t the original reason for the
project
Marking the
BOUNDARIES

Limitations: Restrictions that other people place on the results you have to
achieve, the time frames you have to meet, the resources you can use,
and the way you can approach your tasks.

Needs: Requirements that you specify to achieve project success.

This section helps you determine your project’s limitations and needs.
Marking the Working within limitations
BOUNDARIES

Project limitations may influence how you perform your project and may
even determine whether to proceed with your project. Consult with your
project’s drivers and supporters to identify limitations as early as possible so
you can design your plan to accommodate them.
Understanding the types of limitations

Project limitations typically fall into several categories. By recognizing these categories, you can focus your
investigations and thereby increase the chances that you’ll discover any limitations. Your project’s drivers
and supporters may have preset expectations or requirements regarding:

q Results
q Time frames
q Resources
q Activity performance
Be careful of a vague limitation; it provides poor guidance for what you can or can’t do, and it can demoralize
people who have to deal with it. Here are some examples:

Schedule limitation:
• Vague: “Finish this project as soon as possible.” This statement tells you nothing. With this limitation, your
audience may suddenly demand your project’s final results — with no advance warning.
• Specific: “Finish this project by close of business June 30.”

Resource limitation:
• Vague: “You can have an analyst part-time in May.” How heavily can you count on this analyst? From the
analyst’s point of view, how can she juggle all of her assignments in that period if she has
no idea how long each one will take?When people aren’t specific about a constraint, you can’t be sure
whether you can honor their request. The longer people wait to be specific, the less likely you can adhere to
the limitation and successfully complete your project.
• Specific: “You can have an analyst four hours per day for the first
two weeks in May.”
 Marking the Looking for project limitations
BOUNDARIES

After you know what people expect, you can determine how (or whether) you can
meet those expectations. Try the following approaches:

q Consult your audiences. Check with drivers about limitations regarding

desired outcomes; check with supporters about limitations concerning work
approach and resources.
q Review relevant written materials. These materials may include long-range plans,
annual budgets and capital-appropriations plans, benefit-cost analyses, feasibility
studies, reports of related projects, minutes of meetings, and individuals’
performance objectives.
q Whenyouidentifyalimitation,besuretonoteitssource.Confirming a limitation from
different sources increases your confidence in its accuracy. Resolve conflicting
opinions about a limitation as soon as possible.
 Marking the Addressing limitations in YOUR plan
BOUNDARIES

List all project limitations in your SOW. If you have to explore ways to modify
your project plan in the future, the list can help define alternatives that you
can and cannot consider.
You can reflect limitations in your project in two ways.

First, you can incorporate them directly into your plan.

Second, you can identify any project risks that result from a limitation. For
example, if you feel the target completion date is unusually aggressive, the
risk of missing that date may be significant. You’ll want to develop plans to
minimize and manage that risk throughout your project.
 Marking the Dealing with needs
BOUNDARIES

As soon as possible, consider the situations or conditions necessary for your

project’s success. Most of these needs relate to project resources. The
follow_x0002_ing are examples:
• Personnel: “I need a technical editor for a total of 40 hours in August.”
• Budget: “I need a budget of $10,000 for computer peripherals.”
• Other resources: “I need access to the test laboratory during June.”

Be as clear as possible when describing your project’s needs. The more

spe_x0002_cific you are, the more likely other people will understand and meet
those
needs.
Facing the
Unknowns When
Planning
As you proceed through your planning process, you can identify issues or
questions that may affect your project’s performance. Unfortunately, just
identifying these issues or questions doesn’t help you address them.

For every issue you identify, make assumptions regarding unknowns associated with it.
Then use these assumptions as you plan your project. Consider the following examples:

Issue: How much money will you get to perform your project?
Approach: Assume you’ll get $50,000 for your project. Plan for your project to spend up
to, but no more than, $50,000. Develop detailed information to demonstrate why your
project budget must be $50,000 and share that information with key decision makers.
Issue: When will you get authorization to start work on your project?
Approach:Assume you’ll receive authorization to start work on August 1. Plan your
project work so that no activities start before August 1. Explain to key people why your
project must start on August 1 and work with them to facilitate your project’s approval by
that date.

Consider all project assumptions when you develop your project’s risk management plan.
THANK YOU