BUS 4017. Wk three lecture note summary etc.

Again my apologies for the room. I have now advised Elizabeth Speers, our Dept. Chair in writing of the challenges we face in that room. I have also re. Requested lab. time so we can demonstrate and practice MS Project.

We started with the most excellent presentations of web sites/project which helped us remember the project cycle. Define , Plan, Execute/control and Close out. It was difficult to understand what was being said by some student's because of accents, voice projection, articulation and confidence levels. This is not a criticism because accents give give individuality and this is what makes us memorable. It would be suggested that students who know they do not YET speak clear Engish provide the audience with a handout of their written notes. Even though this was not asked for in our presentation it is a thought for future occasions.

Introducing the group member's by name was well done. I think in most circumstances it would an advantage for each member of the group to repeat their name when it is their turn to speak. You never know who is making notes in the audience and might remember you more because they know who you are.

Separating the Group member's when it is their turn to speak. There is a small advantage if the speaker "step forward" when it is their turn. Helps the audience focus on one person.

I would like to add the web sites you referred to as a resource page for students.. I will ask for the URL's next class.

Explanation of Supplementary Handouts.

P. 1 Complete the Quiz ready for review in Wk. 4

P2. Take all the steps you have learned in the past two week in Defining a Project and create a Flow chart to help you understand the process. You do not hand this in. We will review it in class.

P3. H.R. Issues. This shows you the complexity and range of H.R. department activities that may be project related. Obviously H.R. staff need to have a good general understanding of general management practices in addition to their specialty.

P. 4 A blank Matrix. This is similar to the form you will receive in the Mid Term test. You will complete the form based on the information provided. We will practice class wk. 4

P5. Try using the data from the this add and make up the criteria and weight for a Decision Matrix. We will revisit this as part of Mid term test review.

P.6. Refer to the class web page link p. 39 Gido to help you get thinking about this Decision Matrix would be completed. we will finish in Wk. 4

P7. to get you started using MS Project found on computers in the Library and the labs on the 3rd Floor in St. James.

P.8 (not numbered). This shows the sequence of steps as the project develops. This might be useful to develop your flow chart. Remember we are only interested in the flow chart for the definition stage at this point.

PowerPoint review.

The Stakeholders. You need to know the five types of Stakeholders. Customer, PM., Functional management, A sponsor (one person not a company), Team members-who do they work. We will complete a quick project in Wk. 4 to help identify the roles of the Stakeholders on a project especially during the Definition stage.

The Proposal is a separate document from the project. In other words you do not have to have a written proposal to do a project. However, it is helpful to get input from various experts on bigger project. you send out a request for proposals. R.F.P.

Proposal writing is a skill. You can take seminars on the subject. Good Proposals win contracts. Good Proposals carefully match the details asked for in the R. F.P. and add in a few improvements. For details on what goes into a Proposal check this link.http://www.timemanage.com/verzuh.htm Scroll to the end of the page and you will find many Terms and Definitions for projects. This long page is includes a summary of all the steps in project management and might be useful for exam review.

Decision Matrix. After you have received suggestions from Stakeholders (meetings) and possibly through Proposals you have to decide what to do. For this you can use a Decision Matrix, but you don't have to. You might use a Decision making before you write your R.F.P. to decide what should be in it or after you receive the Proposals to determine what is the best project/company to choose.

S.O.W. We learned that a after the all the decision making processes and input from the various Stakeholders you need to confirm what has been agreed upon. This is done using the Statement of Work (S.O.W.) This document can be referred back to when there is conflict between as to what the Customer requested and the teams are delivering. In cases where outside companies are providing the services the S.O.W. needs to be also written as a contract.

Payment terms may be written as a separate contract.

Additional Considerations slide. What did I miss from the S.O.W. ? Do I have a management section, a Technical Requirements section? Do I need one. If the project is complex this is when we would create a more comprehensive S.O.W.

Charter. When we have decided to go ahead with the Project (selected it) we create a single page document announcing the fact with some key information on it as described in the P.Point.

Responsibility Matrix. We are still at the hi level planning stage within the Defection phase of the project. Now we assign Major Responsibilities to various Stakeholder/sGroups so we can get started. This will be in the Mid Term. I give you a description of a project you identify the various Stakeholders by category and what they have to do and enter the info. into the Matrix.

Communication Matrix. You would also establish a Communication Matrix at this point but we will save that for the second half of the Semester. Its not included in your P.Point.

Home Assignment. You don't need to bring any start up documents to class for Wk. 4. They are due in Wk. 5. You might looking for them sooner. There is no formal Home Assignment this week, just work on the Quiz and Flow chart and review the p. 39 case. See the link from the Class page.

The end.