Tips to get Started on your Final Group Project. Posted Feb. 10, 2004. Noon. Will be added to as necessary.

Project Managers have been given the Marking Standard for the Project Report and the Presentations. If the Group Produces all the documents listed and they contain the necessary information related to the project the Mark for the Writtten portion should be in the higher ranges.

Scoring will be O, 1, or 2 for each line. Total = 100. In some cases, as shown on the scoring sheet, each Team/Group Member will be required to include some documents that related specifically to their part of the project. e.g.

Individual: WBS showing Summary Tasks and Work packages, Estimates for those packages, a Network diagram for their schedule and a GANTT chart for each Group Member.

The Project manager will create the above for the entire project - in other words the Hi level plan. To get the project estmimate the PM will show the addition of the individual estimates from the TEam Members.

To show the summary/tasks at the Hi level they should correspond in some way to the Top heading on each member's WBS.

In assembling the Written documents the Project Manager could put more than one WBS per page to save space if they are legible. Same applies to the GANTT and Network diagrams. The estimated costs of the work packages from each team member would be combined for a Grand $ Total.

I suggest using XL for the Estimates for all Team Members. Easier to add items, multiply and forecast. MS Project will calculate automatically but is is much more difficult to enter resources, expenses, materials. If you wish to learn how to do this I will create extra handouts. There is a Resource guideline for MS Project in Wk. 6 web page.

If you use MS Project to create your task list and want to estimate it outside of the MS Project program just copy and paste it into MS XL and calculate your estimate from the XL worksheet.

Keep all your work both in MS Project, XL and MS word on a floppy disc. You can Email your documents to each other as needed. Use the lab and library if you don't have MS Project software.

Project Manager could assign specific forms to Team members and they can design and develop and complete them as the project moves along. Even if you don't know what the form is you can get some idea by reading the book and finding samples on web sites. Then create a blank template and as the information unfolds you can add to it each week or at the end of the project. Project Managers should ask Team Members to bring samples of started forms to meetings to show progress. I can assist during classes to show the purpose and use of the forms. This will help you pass the final exam because you will know the names and use of control documents.

By Week 7 you should have decided on your project, completed an Executive overview, started a final copy of the Charter, set some decision criteria, purpose of the project , assigned all the forms to various Team Members and be working on the final Definition items to create your Statement of Work as a group. Set times for meetings, make up a Communication Matrix and start a Responsibility Matrix (RM). Add to the RM each week as the project develops.

Discuss and record Risks and strategy, both for the project and for what might go wrong between the group members in terms of communication, responsibility, assignments, timing of receiving the weekly work etc. Record your discussions and agreements on Risk Strategy documents and Risk logs.