PGCC Managing Project Scope Discussion – Description
Can you answer the instructor’s questions? Just a few sentences.
My response: Failure Experience and the Project Life Cycle
I have never participated in a large-scale project. However, I was once in charge of a cabling project in our agency. We renovated the premises and upgraded the office electronics and IT equipment. The remaining task was to complete the cabling to ensure all equipment were well-connected and functioning. We contracted a local IT supplier to execute the project. The deadline was three days. On the scheduled last day of the project, the work was 75% complete. We had missed the deadline. On the same day, we ran out of materials and had to buy more. The project took five days instead of three as originally planned and exceeded the budget. This failure to meet the deadline seriously disrupted the department’s operation. When I conducted a post-mortem of the project, I realized that our planning was poor. For example, we did the cabling work during the day when the agency was busy. Yet, working at night would have been ideal when the site was less busy and had few distractions. Second, we arrived at the materials projections through brainstorming instead of performing actual measurements to determine the amount of material needed.
Subsequently, I think the most critical stage of the project life cycle is the planning phase. This phase entails determining the project scope, actual work to be done, the procedures, budget, skills required, the people needed to execute the project, deliverables, and deadlines (Heagney, 2011). This phase is critical because it involves the greatest number of activities in any project. Secondly, every other aspect depends on the project scope. Therefore, if the project planner gets the scope wrong, there is a high chance that all subsequent project phases will go wrong. Lastly, a project requires money. If the budget is inaccurate, the project may stall before completion, or the organization may overspend and fail to realize value for money.
Reference
Heagney, J. (2011). Fundamentals of project management (4th edition). AMACOM. ISBN: 978-0-8144-1748-5
Instructor Response: Shameka,
You made some great observations about your project. I often say projects require critical thinking, especially during the planning stage. You have to anticipate problems. You mentioned “when the project planner gets the scope wrong, there is a high chance that all subsequent project phases will go wrong”. In what way(s) do you think a project manager could reduce or eliminate the likelihood of the scope being wrong?
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