Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Communicate project status to stakeholders—Distribute Information

Information Distribution is information collecting, sharing, and distribution during the project life cycle. It makes information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner. PMP Exam Preparation courses will include templates explaining information distribution processes and procedures.

Tools & Techniques used to Distribute Information:

As part of the distribution of information within the communications process, The sender is responsible for making information clear and complete so the receiver can receive it correctly. The receiver is responsible for ensuring the information is received in its entirety and correctly understood. PMP Prep courses will explain the tools and techniques in detail.

Communications can be:

Internal - communication which is within the project
Horizontal - communication which is among peers
Informal - communication in the form of memos or conversations
External - communications with customers, the public, or media
Internal - communication which is within the project
Vertical – communication which is top-down

Information may be gathered and retrieved through a variety of media including:

Manual and electronic filing systems and databases
Project management software
Systems that allow access to technical documentation
Project information may be distributed by almost any method that is credible. Project meetings, video, and web conferencing, hard-copy document distribution, manual filing systems and shared access e-databases, email, fax, voice mail, telephone, and web publishing, and interface scheduling, are only a few of the available distribution methods and channels.

Lessons learned focus on identifying project successes and failures and recommendations for improvements for future performance.

Lessons learned, which are identified during the project life cycle include managerial, technical and process aspects of the project. They are compiled, formalized, stored throughout the project's duration and life cycle.

If the project yields less than desirable results, the project manager has a professional obligation to hold a lessons learned session. All key stakeholders should attend the session, especially if the project is currently showing failing results or has already “failed”. PMP Exam Preparation courses will include lessons learned examples.

Specific results gained from lessons learned include updates to:

The lessons learned knowledge base
Corporate policies, procedures and processes
The risk management plan
Input is added to the knowledge management system and improvements are made to business skills and to the overall project and service. PMP prep courses will include templates for risk management plans.

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Lessons Learned Documentation

Lessons Learned Documentation that is archived includes:

The causes of issues
Reasoning behind corrective actions taken
Other documented information involving lessons learned

Project Records Information should be appropriate and organized and include correspondence, memos, and documents describing the project. Project team members may also maintain records in a project notebook or diary. The project team provides information to stakeholders, either formally or informally, in a presentation and format that is appropriate and relevant to the audience. Courses for Project Management PDUs will include will often include detailed examples of project records information such that Project Management PMP certificates can have a comprehensive understanding of these concepts.

Formal and Informal Project Reports detail the project status and include:

Lessons learned and issues logs
Project closure reports
Outputs from other knowledge areas

Feedback Output is information received from the stakeholders regarding project operations which is used to modify or improve future project performance.

Requested additions, modifications or revisions to the information distribution process result in changes in:

The project management plan
The communications management plan
Communicate Project Status to Stakeholders — Managing Stakeholder Expectations:

Stakeholder Management involves managing communications necessary to satisfy the needs of resolve issues with, project stakeholders. The project manager is usually responsible for stakeholder management. Actively managing stakeholders reduces the likelihood the project will veer off track due to unresolved stakeholder issues. It also enhances the ability of members to operate with synergy and limits disruptions during the project. Stakeholder requirements and expectations provide an understanding of stakeholder goals, objectives and level of communication during the project.

The Communications Management Plan contains the identified and analyzed needs and expectations of the stakeholders.

Project success may be measured according to scope, time and cost goals or by customer satisfaction.

The Expectations Management Matrix aids project sponsors in ranking the importance of project scope and time and cost goals in an effort to clarify expectations and balance the triple constraint. Courses for Project Management PDUs will include will often include detailed examples of matrices information such that Project Management PMP certificants can have a comprehensive understanding of these concepts.

The Expectations Management Matrix includes success measures such as:

Priorities
Expectations
Guidelines
Quality
A Certain satisfaction rating
Any others needed to meet project needs
Closing the Project
Closing the Project
Knowledge and Skills
Closing the project involves several administrative skills and techniques.

For more information on PMP Exam Preparation, PMP Prep courses, Project Management PDUs, Project Management PMP, PMP PDU training, PMP Online training, PMI pdu courses, PMP pdu courses. Please visit:- http://www.pmeducate.com

Obtaining Project Acceptance

The following knowledge areas and skills are necessary to possess in order to execute the tasks:

Contract closure requirements
Basic project accounting principles
Close-out procedures
Feedback techniques
Project review techniques
Archiving techniques and statutes
Compliance
Transition planning techniques

Obtain final acceptance—Summary: In this task, the project manager obtains final acceptance of the project deliverables, working with the sponsor and customer. The objective of this task is to confirm that the project scope and deliverables were meet.

Acceptance
Obtaining final acceptance from sponsor

Final project acceptance is an important step in the project- closing phase. Although most of the activities performed throughout the project are focused on meeting the sponsor’s expectations, obtaining a formal acceptance of the project will ensure the project is closed properly.

Having clear deliverables and acceptance criteria defined from the beginning of the project help to make the acceptance process easier. When drafting the acceptance criteria, write a clause such that if the sponsor does not respond according to the time specified for acceptance, the deliverables will be deemed as accepted. PMP PDU training, and in particular PMP Online training, will include these concepts so students have a complete understanding of deliverables.

Obtaining Final Acceptance- An acceptance form should be drafted and contain the following information:

Project Name
Document Name
Date Submitted
Description of the deliverable
Name and signature of person submitting acceptance form
Name, Title, signature of person accepting the deliverable
Date Accepted
Comments area

Obtaining Final Acceptance- Here is a possible process for obtaining final acceptance of a project:

Assign deliverable to an agent to present to sponsor
Have deliverables prepared for review
Have assigned agent review deliverables with project performers
Make any revisions
Have assigned agent and project performers present deliverable to sponsor
Make any revisions
Present deliverables for final approval
Make sure all sponsors approve

Requirements Traceability- Requirements Traceability Matrix:

The Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) is used to maintain the scope of the project by connecting each project requirement to the deliverables. The RTM is used throughout all project phases. PMP PDU training and in particular PMP Online training, will include these matrices so students have a complete understanding of matrix related concepts.

Requirements Traceability- As the requirements will be used to measure project acceptance by the sponsors, the RTM helps to create other project documents and testing criteria.

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Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) Documents

A basic RTM document should contain the following fields:

A requirements number for each project requirement
A short name or description of the requirement
A reference number that identifies this requirement in the request for proposal
A reference number that identifies the specific deliverable related to this requirement
A reference number that identifies the tasks associated with this requirement on the task schedule
A reference number that identifies the testing criteria and process document
A field for capturing when this requirement has been verified by the sponsor(s) as being meet

Obtain final acceptance— Project Close Out. Closure includes developing the index and location of project documentation using the configuration management system.

The Project Close Out process establishes procedures to:

Verify and document project deliverable
Formalize project deliverable acceptance
Define reasons for early termination, if applicable

The administrative closure procedure:

Documents all project activities, roles, and responsibilities needed in executing the administrative closure of the project formally closes and transfers the completed project or portion of project scope and associated activities applicable to some project phase.

PMP pdu courses and PMI pdu courses will include detail on adminstrative closure, along with comprehensive examples, so students fully comprehend this items. In this task, the project manager transfers the ownership of deliverables to the appropriate stakeholders as indicated in the project plan.

Transition Planning- Transfer to stakeholders (Transition planning):

The closing process can easily become disorganized if mishandled. The transfer of the project to the stakeholders must be managed carefully. Once final acceptance of the deliverable is acknowledged, it is a good practice to use a transition plan, which is usually developed during the initial planning stages of the project. PMP pdu courses and PMI pdu courses will include detail on the closing process, along with comprehensive examples, so students fully comprehend this closing process and activities.

Here are some tasks to list on the transition plan:

Coordinate transition planning meeting
Distribute project initiation plan or project plan
Attend transition planning meeting
Review project schedule
Review deliverable s list to determine requirements
Develop matrix of required resources/skills for those who will use product
Conduct skill gap analysis against all staff if launching something that requires training
Identify project activities to be completed before transition can start Determine time-line
Establish transition milestones
Assign support staff

For more information on PMP Prep courses, PMP Exam Preparation, Project Management PDUs, Project Management PMP, PMP PDU training, PMP Online training, PMI pdu courses, PMP pdu courses. Please visit:- http://www.pmeducate.com