Project Execution and Control for PMP Project- myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theProject Execution and Control for PMP Project. Answer: Introduction While any project team desires to ensure that a project is completed as per the initial plan, sometimes changes may become necessary for the successful implementation of a project (Burke, 2013). This report explores the various aspects of project change management. Time, cost, and quality impacts of the change in the project and the techniques used to manage them. Time There are very few projects that are completed according to the initial plan. While change can be viewed as inevitable, Change control processes put in place can be the bridge between project success and failure. Each project has a specific duration upon which it should be completed in its desired form. Project changes such as widening the scope can lead to delays which can lead to a project being completed later than it was scheduled although this requires additional budget (Helgason,2011). On the other hand, changes aimed at reducing the scope of the project can lead to the completion of a project before its scheduled completion time. Project time can be managed through increasing the budget or reduction of project scope (Heldman,2013). Cost Cost is an important aspect of any project. Successful completion of a project can be defined based on the completion of a project within its initial budget. While each project has a finite budget, sometimes project changes may become a necessity. The impact of this is that it can affect a project either positively or negatively. Project changes focused on reducing the scope of a project can have a have a positive impact on the budget by minimizing it while changes aimed at increasing the scope can escalate the budget beyond the initial estimates(Snyder,2013).Project cost can be managed by maintaining the initial project scope or reducing it through the elimination of unnecessary activities. Quality Projects must meet certain deliverables that are usually established beforehand. A project is deemed to have been completed in the desired quality if it has met its various objectives within time and budget estimates. Project changes that increase the scope of a project without increasing projects budget, time or both can lead to the completion of a project whose quality is below the intended quality (Blomquist,2010) Quality, time and cost of a project can also be managed through continuous monitoring by the project team. Options to satisfy the change request and any associated risks for each change Project change requests occur when an alteration or an additional deliverable is required by the client of the project. Several options can be used to satisfy change request for various projects. Filling of change request form This is the first step in the change request. The client fills a change request form in which they state the actual request, the reason for the request including negative impacts of not undertaking the request, expected outcome from the request expected completion date and expected value which is a justification of why the request is needed (Wysocki,2012). Submission and review of the request form After the documentation, the change request form should be submitted to the project team for review in which the team analyses the possible impacts of the requested change for decision making (Shenhar Dvir,2007). Definition of option and creation of response document After the request form has been reviewed, options should then be created by the project team. The team should include in their response the proposed solution, proposed timeline, impact of the change to the project and a timeframe for the client to respond to the proposed time and cost impact and the proposed solution (Ika, 2009). Final Decision and Approval The client should the make a final decision within the timelines set by the project team. The decision is then approved by the project team Associated risks Project scope, time and budget changes are associated with risks such as the abandonment of a project, unavailability of adequate of resources failure of the project to deliver expected results and resistance of the project. Other risks include impacts on suppliers and customers, the decline of the morale of the project team and possible stress and confusion (Meredith Mantel Jr,2011) Explanation of scope creep, examples and tools and techniques that can be used to manage scope creep Scope creep is used to refer to the continuous and uncontrolled changes in the project scope usually after the beginning of a project caused mainly by lack of proper definition, control, and documentation of project scope (Kendra Taplin, 2014). For example, scope creep can be said to have occurred where a project that began with two or three features end up having ten features. Major causes of scope creep are internal miscommunication and disagreements between the project team as well as a change of project requirements by project stakeholders. Scope creep also called feature creep; requirement creep, kitchen sink syndrome or function creep (Project Management Institute, 2013). One of the worst examples is the Denver International Airport Baggage handling system which involved the change of the project scope to include additional features barely two years to the launch of the project. Scope creep resulted in the absolute failure of the project. The following techniques can be used t o manage scope creep Clear definition and documentation of project scope Since one of the main causes of scope creep is lack of a defined project scope having a well-defined work scope can help in avoiding scope creep. This should be well written explained and made available to all project parties so that there is an overall understanding of what should be included and what should not be included in the scope (Snyder,2013). Setting up of change control processes It is not quite possible to entirely implement a project in its original form due to the inevitability of changes. This, therefore, calls for an establishment of change control processes which entail suggestion of the desired change, reviewing of the suggestion which is then followed by approval or rejection. If approved, the change is incorporated into the project plan .This technique ensures that change is controlled and does not merely happen without the awareness of the project team (Heldman,2013). References Blomquist, T., Hllgren, M., Nilsson, A., Sderholm, A. (2010). Project?as?practice: In search of project management research that matters. Project Management Journal, 41(1), 5-16. Burke, R. (2013). Project management: planning and control techniques. New Jersey, USA. Heldman, K. (2013). PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide (7th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Helgason, V. (2011). Project scope management. Ika, L. A. (2009). Project success as a topic in project management journals. Project Management Journal, 40(4), 6-19. Kendra, K., Taplin, L. J. (2014). Project success: A cultural framework. Project management journal, 35(1), 30-45. Meredith, J. R., Mantel Jr, S. J. (2011). Project management: a managerial approach. John Wiley Sons. Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK Guide)(5th ed.). Newtown Square, Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute. Shenhar, A. J., Dvir, D. (2007). Project management research-the challenge and opportunity. Project management journal, 38(2), 93. Snyder, C. S. (2013). A project managers book of forms: A companion to the PMBOK guide (2nd ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Wiley. Wysocki, R. K. (2012). Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme (6th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Wiley.