Unit 5 discussion

One of the project manager’s responsibilities involves constant evaluation and control throughout the life of the project. In other words, the PM must know exactly where the project stands at various points in the life of the project. Such project control involves setting goals, measuring progress, comparing progress with plans, and correcting any problems or deviations from the plans. It is relatively easy to determine if a project is on budget or not, or if a piece of equipment is functioning properly. However, behavior or human factors are more difficult to measure. These factors tremendously affect project success.

Your textbook includes a section on Critical Success Factors for Project Management. These success factors are referred to as a Project Implementation Profile (PIP). There are ten factors in PIP: (1) project mission, (2) top management support, (3) project plans and schedules, (4) client consultation, (5) personnel, (6) technical tasks, (7) client acceptance, (8) monitoring and feedback, (9) communication, and (10) troubleshooting.

Continue with the project that you identified during the last three discussions and respond to these points:

• Remind us of your project by first providing a brief overview of the project scope.
• Name which of the ten critical success factors emerged in this project.
• Evaluate and explain how each of these factors affected the success of the project.
• As the project manager, what steps would you take to control the “human” side of project management better?
• How could you use milestones and/or Earned Value Management as a measure of success in this project?
• With respect to project termination, what project closure steps did your team complete (or fail to complete)?