Lecture 8

Project Quality Planning & Project Kick-off

MN601 Network Project Management

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 Outline

Project Quality Planning and Project Kick-off

1. Project Quality Management
2. Development of Quality Concepts
3. Core Project Quality Concepts
4. Project Quality Management Plan
5. Project Quality Tools
6. Kickoff Project
7. Conclusions
8. References

Ref: https://accendoreliability.com/introduction-quality-triangle/

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 Project Quality Management

• Processing of creating and following policies and

procedures in order to ensure that the project will
satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken
• The first step in project quality management is
planning quality
– Planning quality – “the process of identifying quality
requirements and/or standards for the project and product,
and documenting how the project will demonstrate
compliance.” PMBOK® Guide
– Quality planning may be performed simultaneously with
other aspects of project planning
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 Development of Quality
Concepts
– Quality Gurus
– ISO Standard
– Six Sigma

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 Development of Quality
Concepts
Quality Gurus - Dr. Walter
Shewhart
Created
• Plan Do Check Act- PDCA Wheel
• First of the Top Ten Quality Gurus
is Dr. Walter Shewhart who
developed the Plan, Do, Check,
Act (PDCA) cycle (known as
“Plan-Do-Study-Act” in some
circles) as well as theories of
process control and the Shewhart
transformation process
Ref: https://www.bizmanualz.com/improve-quality/who-are-the-top-quality-
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gurus.html
 Development of Quality
Concepts
Quality Gurus - W. Edwards Deming
• It is important to understand how companies operate as systems
• Understanding variation is essential to improving quality
• Managers need insight in order to accurately predict the future
“Mere allocation of huge sums of money for quality will not bring
quality”. — Edwards Deming

Ref: https://www.qualitygurus.com/w-edwards-deming/
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 Development of Quality
Concepts
W. Edwards Deming created the System of Profound Knowledge, or
management by positive co-operation, is described in its four interrelated elements.
Appreciation for a System
The need for managers to understand the relationships between functions
and activities, and that the long-term aim is for everyone to win –
employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers and the environment.
Knowledge of Variation
Knowledge and understanding of variation, process capability, control charts,
interactions and the loss function.
Theory of Knowledge
As all plans require prediction based on historical information, the theory
must be understood before it can successfully be copied.
Knowledge of Psychology The understanding of human interactions, how
people are motivated and what disillusions them.
Ref: https://www.qualitygurus.com/w-edwards-deming/

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 Development of Quality
Concepts
Quality Gurus - Joseph Juran
• Introduced the Quality Trilogy:
– Quality Planning
– Quality Control
– Quality Improvement

Ref: https://www.qualitygurus.com/joseph-juran/
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 Development of Quality
Concepts
Quality Guru - Joseph Juran
1. Quality Planning
– Quality Planning is the activity of developing the products and processes
required to meet customer’s needs. It involves a series of universal
steps which can be abbreviated as follows:
– Establish quality goals
– Identify the customers- those who will be impacted by the efforts to meet
the goal.
– Determine the customers’ needs
– Develop product features that respond to customers’ needs
– Develop processes that can produce those product features
– Establish process controls, and transfer the resulting plans to the
operating forces

Ref: https://www.qualitygurus.com/joseph-juran/
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 Development of Quality
Concepts
Quality Guru - Joseph Juran
2. Quality Control
This process consists of the following steps:
– Evaluate actual quality performance
– Compare actual performance to quality goals
– Act on the difference

Ref: https://www.qualitygurus.com/joseph-juran/
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 Development of Quality
Concepts
Quality Guru - Joseph Juran
3. Quality Improvement
– This process is the means of raising quality performance to unprecedented levels
(“breakthrough”). The methodology consists of a series of universal steps:
– Establish the infrastructure needed to secure annual quality improvement.
– Identify the specific needs for improvement -the improvement projects
– For each project establish a project team with clear responsibility for bringing
the project to a successful conclusion
– Provide the resource, motivation, and training needed by the team to:
– Diagnose the cause
– Stimulate establishment of remedies
– Establish controls to hold the gains

Ref: https://www.qualitygurus.com/joseph-juran/
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 Development of Quality
Concepts
Other Project Quality Pioneers
• Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa developed
the Ishikawa diagram, also
known as the fishbone or
cause-effect diagram. He was
known for popularising the 
seven basic tools of quality and
the philosophy of total quality.

https://www.bizmanualz.com/improve-
quality/who-are-the-top-quality-gurus.html

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 Development of Quality
Concepts
Other Project Quality Pioneers

• Dr. Genichi Taguchi developed the “Taguchi methodology” of robust

design, which focused on making the design less sensitive to variation
in the manufacturing process, instead of trying to control manufacturing
variation. This idea of “designing in quality” has become an important
tenant of six sigma today.
• Philip B. Crosby developed the idea of Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) to
explain how “quality is free”. Implementing quality improvement pays for
itself through the savings from the improvement, increased revenue from
greater customer satisfaction, and the improved competitive advantage
that results. He popularised “zero defects”.
https://www.bizmanualz.com/improve-quality/who-are-the-top-quality-gurus.html

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 Development of Quality
Concepts

Quiz:
1. Who have been some well recognised Gurus of
Quality Management? What have been their key
contributions?
2. What aspects of Quality Management are common
to most of the concepts developed by Quality
Gurus?

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
ISO 9001:2015
•ISO 9001 is a standard that sets out the requirements
for a quality management system. It helps businesses
and organisations to be more efficient and improve
customer satisfaction.
•A new version of the standard, ISO 9001:2015 replaces
the previous version (ISO 9001:2008).

Source: https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/standards/docs/en/iso_9001.pptx

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
What is a quality management system?

• A quality management system is a way of defining how an

organisation can meet the requirements of its customers and
other stakeholders affected by its work.
• ISO 9001 is based on the idea of continual improvement.
• It doesn’t specify what the objectives relating to “quality” or “meeting
customer needs” should be, but requires organisations to define
these objectives themselves and continually improve their
processes in order to reach them.

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
Who is ISO 9001 for?

• ISO 9001 is suitable for organisations of all types,

sizes and sectors.
• In fact, one of the key improvements of the newly
revised ISO 9001:2015 was to make it more applicable
and accessible to all types of enterprises.
• Smaller companies that do not have staff dedicated to
quality can still enjoy the benefits of implementing the
standard – ISO has many resources to assist them.

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
What benefits will it bring?

Implementing a quality management system will help you:

• Assess the overall context of your organisation to define who is
affected by your work and what they expect from you.
– This will enable you to clearly state your objectives and identify new
business opportunities.
• Put your customers first, making sure you consistently meet their
needs and enhance their satisfaction.
– This can lead to repeat custom, new clients and increased business
for your organisation.

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
How do I get started with ISO 9001:2015?
Key tips
• Tip 1 – Define your objectives. Why do you want to implement the
standard?
• Tip 2 – Ensure senior management is on board. It is crucial that everyone
is supportive of the initiative and its objectives. The publications Reaping the
benefits of ISO 9001 and ISO 9001: Debunking the myths may help with this.
• Tip 3 – Identify your organisation’s key processes for meeting your
objectives and customers’ needs. Within each of these processes, ensure
you understand your customers’ requirements and can guarantee that these
are met. This will form the basis of your quality management system.

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
Other standards in the 9000 family
• ISO 9000 contains detailed explanations of the seven quality
management principles with tips on how to ensure these are
reflected in the way you work. It also contains many of the terms and
definitions used in ISO 9001.
• ISO 9004 provides guidance on how to achieve sustained success
with your quality management system.
• ISO 19011 gives guidance for performing both internal and external
audits to ISO 9001. This will help ensure your quality management
system delivers on promise and will prepare you for an external
audit, should you decide to seek third-party certification.

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
Quiz:
1. What are the key elements of the ISO 9001: 2015
standard?
2. List and explain the key tips useful in implementing
ISO 9001 for Quality Management.
3. What are some of the related Quality Management
standards in the ISO 9000 family, and how do these
help the Quality Management process?

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
Six Sigma
• Is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement. It was
introduced by an engineer, Bill Smith while working for Motorola
in 1986
• Is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for
eliminating defects.
• Six sigma quality means that quality problems are measured in
parts per million opportunities
• The rigor of the statistics in Six Sigma is not always applicable
• Six Sigma uses a disciplined process DMAIC (define, measure,
analyse, improve, control) to plan and manage improvement in
projects
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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
DMAIC Methodology
• A 15-step process broken up into 5 Define
project phases
• DMAIC is a continuous circular flow used Measure
as a method of implementing continuous
improvement
Improve

Analyse

Control
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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
DMAIC Methodology

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
• To fully understand quality and how to
achieve it we have to understand the
following quality concepts:

1. Stakeholder satisfaction
2. Process management
3. Fact-Based management
4. Empowered performance

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
1. Stakeholder Satisfaction
• Identify all stakeholders
– External stakeholders – customers, suppliers, the
public
– Internal stakeholders – shareholders and workers at
all levels
• Determine relevant quality standards
• Understand ultimate quality goals with respect to
stakeholders

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
1. Stakeholder Satisfaction
Developing Quality Standards Based Upon
Stakeholder Requirements:
i. Identify all stakeholders
ii. Prioritise among the stakeholders
iii. Understand the prioritised stakeholders’
requirements
iv. Develop standards to ensure the requirements
are met.
v. Make tradeoff decisions
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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
2. Process Management
• Process – “A set of interrelated actions and activities
performed to achieve a pre-specified product, result, or
service.” – PMBOK
– To effectively manage project processes, project
managers need to understand, control, and improve
them
• Process Understanding with a SIPOC Model
• Process Control
• Process Improvement with a PDCA Model

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
2. Process Management
Process Understanding with a SIPOC Model:
• Demonstrate that all work flows from suppliers, through the
project, to customers
• Use a Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer (SIPOC) model to
envision this flow
• Think backward from the project’s customer
• Determine whether the process is capable of creating the project
deliverables
• It is far better to design quality into their processes than to find
problems with inspection

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
2. Process Management
• New Hire Benefits Enrollment SIPOC Example

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
2. Process Management
• Process Control –
– “Comparing actual performance with planned
performance
– Analysing variances
– Assessing trends to effect process improvements
– Evaluating possible alternatives
– Recommending appropriate corrective action as
needed.” PMBOK
• The purpose of process control is to be able to have
confidence that outputs are predictable
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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
2. Process Management
Process Improvement – PDCA Model:
• Processes can be improved in either a continuous or
breakthrough fashion
• Slow and steady improvement is a good foundation
• Substantial improvement requires a breakthrough
• Many models exist to guide the improvement process
• Many models are based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act
(PDCA) improvement cycle

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
2. Process Management

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
3. Fact-Based Management
• Making decisions using facts is difficult
due to:
– Opinions get in the way
– It is hard to know what data need to be
collected
– Projects often operate with so much time
pressure that decisions need to be made
quickly.

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
3. Fact-Based Management
• Four Aspects of Fact-Based Management
– Understanding variation
– Deciding what to measure
– Working correctly with data
– Using the resulting information appropriately

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
3. Fact-Based Management
Understanding Variations:
• Common cause vs. special cause
• Something unusual is happening

COMMON SPECIAL
CAUSE CAUSE

Within the
Something
range of what
unusual is
can be
happening
expected
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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
3. Fact-Based Management
Deciding What to Measure:
• Avoid not measuring anything
• Avoid measuring many things just to be sure
• A milestone schedule with acceptance criteria
can provide useful measures
• Lessons learned from previous projects
• Agree on what to measure, when, and under
what circumstances

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
3. Fact-Based Management
Using the Resulting Information Appropriately:
• Encourage truth and transparency in
communications
• Use information to challenge opinions and
decisions

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
4. Empowered Performance
• Have capable and willing workers at every
level/function within a company
• Corporate leaders develop the organisational culture
• Project sponsors and managers develop the project
culture
• Recognise individuality
• Capitalise on individual strengths
• Emphasise individual responsibilities
• Use appropriate collaboration

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts

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 Core Project Quality
Concepts
Quiz:
1. What are the underlying concepts that Six Sigma
system is based on? Briefly explain each concept.
2. DMAIC Methodology is a 15-step process broken up
into 5 project phases. Explain each phase briefly.
3. What are the main elements of the following quality
concepts:
1. Stakeholder satisfaction
2. Process management
3. Fact-Based management
4. Empowered performance

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 Project Quality
Management Plan
• Quality management plan – “A component of the
project management plan that describes how an
organisation’s quality policies will be implemented. ”
PMBOK® Guide
It includes:
– Quality Policy
– Quality Management Plan Contents
– Quality Baseline
– Process Improvement Plan
– Quality Assurance
– Control Quality

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 Project Quality
Management Plan
Quality Policy
• Concise statement written by top management
to guide quality efforts and meeting standards
– Reference to customers
– Improving processes
– Satisfying requirements
– Mention products and services
– Value / cost to customers

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 Project Quality
Management Plan
Quality Management Plan Contents:
• The project’s overall quality objectives
• Key project deliverables and the standards to evaluate
each
• Deliverables’ completeness and correctness criteria
from the customer’s viewpoint
• Quality control activities
• Critical project work processes and standards to review
each

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 Project Quality
Management Plan
Quality Management Plan Contents:
• Stakeholder expectations for project processes
• Quality assurance activities
• Quality roles and responsibilities
• Quality tools
• Quality reporting plan

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 Project Quality
Management Plan
• Quality Baseline
– Reflects the agreed-upon quality objectives
– Includes Metrics
• Define exactly what will be measured
• How each objective will be measured
• Includes the target value of each objective

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 Project Quality
Management Plan
• Quality Assurance
– “The process of auditing the quality requirements
and the results from quality control
measurements to ensure appropriate quality
standards and operational definitions are used.” –
PMBOK
– Two primary methods of quality assurance
Used to
determine wha Quality Process to
t Used
methods are audit improvement
improv ty
e
being used an u al i
d t h q
whether they bo
are effective an d
u c ti vity
prod
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 Project Quality
Management Plan
• Quality Control
– “The process of monitoring and recording
results of executing the quality activities to
assess performance and recommend
necessary changes.” - PMBOK
– Test whether specific project deliverables
meet their quality standards
– Includes inspection of inputs, activities,
deliverables, and a reporting system

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 Project Quality
Management Plan
• Quality Control Recommendation
Outputs
– Preventive actions– “Documented direction to perform an
activity that can reduce the probability of negative consequences
associated with project risks.” PMBOK® Guide
– Corrective actions - “Documented direction for executing the
project work to bring expected future performance of the project
work in line with the project management plan.” PMBOK® Guide
– Defect repair – “Formally documented identification of a defect
in a project component with a recommendation to either repair
the defect or replace the component.” PMBOK® Guide
– Validated deliverables– “Components or products that have
been completed and checked for correctness by the Perform
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Quality Control process.” PMBOK® Guide
 Project Quality
Management Plan
Quiz:
1. A Quality Management Plan should include the following
elements. Explain each of these.
• Quality Policy
• Quality Management Plan Contents
• Quality Baseline
• Process Improvement Plan
• Quality Assurance
• Control Quality
2. What are the main Quality Control Recommendation
Outputs?

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 Project Quality Tools
1. Project Quality Tools

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 Project Quality
Management Plan

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 Kickoff Project
Pre-Kickoff
Complete Master Project Management Plan:
• Resolve conflicts if any
• Establish configuration management
– Configuration management system– “a collection
of formally documented procedures used to … identify
and document functional and physical characteristics
of a product, result, service or component; control any
changes; record and report each change; and support
the audit…to verify conformance to requirements.”
PMBOK® Guide
• Apply sanity tests to all project plans
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 Kickoff Project
Does the
critical path Sanity Test Questions Does everyone
understand
look
what they are
reasonable
supposed to
?
Do the do?
Do we
milestones
really
look
understand
achievable
our
?
customers?
Are some Are the customers’ desires likely to change?
resources How well do we understand the standards we will be
over judged against?
Are the methods for completing our work really sensible?
allocated? Are we confident we can gather and analyse the data we
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need to control this? 54
 Kickoff Project
Kickoff Project
• Everyone should express their legitimate needs and
desires and should strive to understand the desires of all
the other stakeholders
• Kickoff meetings help convince all the project
stakeholders that the project leaders (sponsor, project
manager, and core team) will be good stewards of the
customer’s and the parent organisation’s assets
• All interested parties should be eager to commit to the
project and get on with the work

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 Kickoff Project
Preconditions to Kickoff Meeting Success
• The sponsor and project manager need to set clear
direction during the planning
• The core team needs to commit to the project first. (It is
hard for them to convince others if they do not believe
themselves)
• An atmosphere of trust and relationship building should
be set by all
• Project leaders need to practice active listening to
uncover potential problems
• As many people as possible should be included in parts
of the planning to enhance chances that they will “buy in”
to the resulting project plan
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 Kickoff Project
Meeting Activities
1. The sponsor and project manager describe the importance of
the project
2. The customer describes their acceptance standards, sense of
urgency, and budget concerns
3. The project manager outlines the project goals
4. The project manager and the core team describe work
expectations
5. The project manager unfolds the project plan and its current
status (if work has commenced)
6. The core team explains the communications, risk, and quality
plans.
7. Everyone asks questions and makes suggestions
8. The project manager authorises appropriate changes to the
project plan
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concurs with the overall plan individual action items 57
 Kickoff Project

Baseline and Communicate Project Management

Plan
– Baseline – “the approved time phased plan, plus or
minus approved project …changes.” PMBOK® Guide
• A project plan becomes official when enough
information is available for key stakeholders to commit
to all details and baseline the plan
• The majority of planning is done when the majority of
executing is just beginning
• Communicate the project management plan in
accordance with the communications plan
requirements
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 Kickoff Project

Quiz:
1. List and explain five main Project Quality
Tools
2. Describe how a project should kickoff to
ensure successful completion

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 Conclusions

1. Project Quality Management is essential for the successful

completion of any project execution
2. Development of Quality Concepts has seen many Quality
Gurus propose concepts throughout the 20th century
3. Core Project Quality Concepts include Quality Planning,
Quality Control and Quality Improvement as a continuous
process
4. Project Quality Management Plan should include: Quality
Policy, Quality Baseline, Process Improvement Plan, and
Quality Assurance methods to be able to control the project
quality
5. A wade variety of Project Quality Tools can be used for Quality
Management
6. Project Kickoff should begin by resolving any conflicts,
followed by configuration of the product, and finally applying a
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 References
Acknowledgement: Some of the text in this lecture is taken almost verbatim
from the following references:
• Kloppenborg, T.J. Contemporary Project Management: Organize, Plan and Perform,
South-Western Cengage Learning, (2012).

• Gray, C., & Larson, E. (2011). Project management – The managerial process (Fifth edn).
NY: McGraw-Hill.

• Fuller, Mark A., Valacich, Joseph S., and George, Joey F. (2008), Information Systems
Project Management: A Process and Team Approach, Pearson Education Inc. Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey, 07458.

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