Introduction
Project management has become a routine concept in today’s world because it is used in various spheres, ranging from hospital administration and college courses to creating new products and proposing policies. Projects are usually performed in four distinct stages: defining, planning, executing, and closing (Larson and Gray, 2019). Furthermore, projects possess five characteristics that include clear objectives, a distinct duration, involvements of several professionals or departments, cost, performance demands, and novelty (Larson and Gray, 2019). Estimating duration and deadlines is a critical step to complete specific activities and attain final results on time.
One of the methods that focus on achieving particular milestones within a restricted period is known as Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) (The Redbooth Team [RT], 2018). The essence of this tool is performing tasks in a sequence or simultaneously to reach the next level (RT, 2018). Figure 1 represents activities, their predecessors, and the duration of each of them for the software projects provided in this scenario. PERT and network building will be used to calculate deadlines for this project, consisting of ten activities.
The software project presented, in this case, comprises ten activities from A to J. In fact, an activity in a project can be defined as any task that demands a particular time to be finished (Larson and Gray, 2019). Project networks can be applied to this scenario to plan, schedule, and monitor the progress (Larson and Gray, 2019). Adding the number of days needed for the completion of each activity shows that seventy units of time are required for this project: 6 + 10 + 11 + 9 + 5 + 8 + 2 + 8 +7 + 4 = 70. In other words, if the team follows the critical path, the longest way to perform the project, it will take seventy units of time to reach the final goal.
It seems that 70 is the pessimistic duration based on the established deadlines for every task if each is done in series. Figure 2 shows this software project’s network of duration and interdependencies of activities, highlighting the fact that some stages require previous activities to be finished. In fact, the arrows without letters and numbers show the connectedness of the subsequent tasks to the previous ones.
Optimization of some steps can help shorten the duration of the project. Since activities A, B, C, D are not preceded by other tasks but all of these four are needed to the subsequent steps, they can be done in parallel with each other by different team members and completed in 11 units of time instead of 36. However, the activities E, F, G, H, I, and J cannot be performed without the prior steps being finished. Hence, they are considered as merge activities with more than one arrow flowing to them (Larson and Gray, 2019). Furthermore, E and G can be performed simultaneously after the previous four stages are done, saving 2 additional days. However, the remaining tasks can only be done when other steps are finished. Indeed, the project network does not allow to start an activity until all the earlier phases are completed (Larson and Gray, 2019). Moreover, calculating different time estimates for the project is crucial to understand what path allows for the faster completion of the project.
It appears that independent activities can be completed simultaneously, shortening the estimated project duration. If this approach is used, the optimistic completion time will be equal to 43 units of time: 11 + 5 + 8 + 8 + 7 + 4 = 43. However, if only two tasks can be done at the same time, then the realistic period is the following: 10 + 11 + 5 + 8 + 8 + 7 + 4 = 53. Overall, the calculations demonstrated that the pessimistic duration is 70, optimistic is 43, and realistic is 53. Still, PERT methodology should be applied to estimate the average period required to complete this software project.
PERT can be implemented to calculate the most likely due date for the project. Indeed, PERT is considered the most effective methodology for estimating project deadlines by calculating the realistic, shortest, and worst-case scenario due dates: (optimistic time + (4x most likely time) + pessimistic time)/6 (RT, 2018). Applying this formula shows that the due date is approximately 54 units of time because (43 + 4 x 53 + 70)/6 = 54.2. However, this deadline can only be achieved if some independent tasks are performed in parallel and there are no delays during every step.
Practical Application
Orchestrating a project could be an incredibly challenging task without the management tools that were developed. Still, having all the information does not automatically signify success in a venture because this knowledge should be applied properly. In this writing, I will describe the project that I plan to do in the future independently from my work and school. It will focus on creating an online health coaching platform that will allow people to find a qualified person to help them achieve specific goals, including weight loss, increasing muscle mass, and learning the basics of balanced eating. Like any other project, it will consist of the five lifecycle phases: initiating, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing.
Initiation Phase
Goals, Milestones, Technical Requirements, and Constraints of the Project
At this stage of the project, the team will be formed, major objectives will be established, duties will be distributed, and the Charter should be signed. Charter is a collaborative document that states values, rules, responsibilities, and relationships in the team (Larson and Gray, 2019). The purpose of this platform will be to help people find professional help to improve their lifestyles. The secondary goal of this project is to allow certified health coaches to find clients and have stable employment.
The final deliverable will be the online platform that will help customers to identify their current health status and find the right health coach for their purpose. Furthermore, the website will contain free information on nutrition, exercise, the advantages of a healthy lifestyle, and the dangers of not leading it. The main milestone, for now, is to create the team by May 1, 2022. Since this project is primarily online-based, each team member will need laptops and iMac desktop operating systems, which will be located in our office. The major constraint of this project is limited finances, but this problem can be resolved by applying for start-up grants.
Creating a Team
I plan to work with a team of four computer science students, four medical students, and one certified health coach. The latter will consult us on the current trends and requirements in this field. All of them will have a particular task to complete, and I will be coordinating their work. All of them will receive payment for their work, but it will be low at the initial stages of the project. I want to recruit four students from the Computer Science department to join the project to create the working website. Furthermore, I will ask four of my friends, who are medical students, to create the content for the website since I want only evidence-based information on our platform because it is related to human health. When the team is formed, we should create a work breakdown structure. It is a selective outline needed “to ensure that all tasks are identified and that participants of the project have an understanding of what is to be done” (Larson and Gray, 2019, p. 101). Good communication and collaboration between team members should be established from the beginning.
Planning Stage
Scope, Budget, Schedule, and Risk Analysis
At this stage of the project, the objectives, and the course of action will be refined and the management plan with schedules and budget estimates will be approved. After ensuring that the scope and objectives are clear to all participants of the project, an organized schedule should be developed. Timing and deadlines will be calculated using the PERT model and visualized with the project network. Next, it is essential to identify the budget and financing sources.
The approximate sum that this project demands for initiation are $50,000. I plan to apply to receive seed funds from local or international angel investors. Furthermore, the project stakeholders will be investors and the team. Moreover, risk analysis should be conducted to identify potential internal and external problems to prevent them in the future. We will conduct this assessment using the severity matrix that revolves around “the impact and likelihood of the risk event” (Larson and Gray, 2019, p. 212). However, it is critical not to view the risk register part as a formal assignment; thus, each risk and its influence will also be described in detail in the project plan.
The Critical Path
The critical path of this project will comprise nine steps that will commence with the team formation and end with the launching of the website. Firstly, it will take about 2 months to recruit participants for this project and finalize the team members. Secondly, I plan to distribute tasks between my fellows within two weeks. Activities three to five can be done simultaneously because they will be performed by different people: online platform creation and design, assembling materials for the website, and developing a questionnaire for potential customers. The time allowed for all of these tasks is about four months. Sixthly, I will ask the hired certified consultant to recruit health coaches who will be interested in working on this platform. Notably, we are interested in both inexperienced and entry-level professionals. Seventhly, the created website will be tested on a small cohort of volunteers among our friends and colleagues. Next, we must conduct the final internal evaluation of the platform for one month to reveal flaws and correct them. Lastly, the official presentation for investors and launching the website should be completed in less than one week.
Execution Phase
When the activities related to the online platform generation begin each small group working on a particular task will be asked to provide monthly progress updates and final reports. Furthermore, since the final product will be an online platform, the software team will be asked to display their codes and scripts on GitHub. The medical students’ group and our consultant will be required to upload their work in an organized manner on Google Cloud Storage. Indeed, this stage is considered the most dynamic phase of the project; hence, it requires substantial mental and physical input from the team (Larson and Gray, 2019). Furthermore, if the activities lag behind the schedule, the project participants should propose possible changes or interventions to resolve the problems that resulted in these delays. Overall, the execution stage is the biggest and most laborious part of the project because it is when all the work is done to obtain the final product or service.
Monitoring and Control
Monitoring the project progress is essential to see that the performed activities are aligned with the final objectives. Teams usually “look at risks, issues, critical path analysis, resource analysis, sponsorship, alignment with strategy, earned value metrics, dependency, and other factors impacting … time, cost, and scope” (Larson and Gray, 2019, p. 581). In fact, according to Larson and Gray (2019), progress evaluation demands asking specific questions about risks, deviations from the plan, changing objectives, and completion of intermediate steps. To have adequate control, we will conduct small group and whole team meetings twice a month to ensure that the short-term and long-term visions are clear and receive updates about the tasks. Notably, if some activities will be impossible to do as planned, the team needs to reassess the initial scope of the project to make necessary corrections and alterations with minimal financial or other losses.
Closing Stage
Final Report and Lessons Learned
The final step is formally closing the project and preparing the completion report. Although it is the last stage, the outcomes of it must be established during the planning phase because without a clear perspective it will be challenging to lead the team. The final report for the project should incorporate the summary of project performance, analysis and review, recommendations for further improvement, lessons learned, and appendices (Larson and Gray, 2019). After the project is finished, a post-completion evaluation is done (Larson and Gray, 2019). The executive summary highlights the key findings and results of the project (Larson and Gray, 2019).
The analysis and revision part describes how the process was managed, what issues arose, how they were overcome, access to organizational resources, and scope data (Larson and Gray, 2019). The recommendation section gives suggestions for improvement and avoiding specific errors in the future (Larson and Gray, 2019). The lessons learned part allows to have a retrospective view of the project and extract important morals and knowledge (Larson and Gray, 2019). Finally, in the appendix section, we will include essential tables and figures related to our project.
Team Evaluation
Although the project participants will receive feedback on their performance at the end of each month, the final evaluation will also be done. It is often recommended not only to measure time and cost-effectiveness but also to assess group collaboration, quality of information exchange, and problem-solving process (Larson and Gray, 2019). Moreover, it is crucial to evaluate the project deliverables and customer satisfaction because these two parameters are largely dependent on the team performance (Larson and Gray, 2019). Overall, I plan to give individual and group feedback to my fellows and would want to hear their opinion about my project management abilities.
Arriving at the Critical Path
The critical path, in this case, will last about one year until the platform is eventually launched. Figure 3 represents the critical path for this project, where m. stands for months, and w. is for weeks. Although the critical path is usually the scheme of the project that depicts the longest duration, some activities can be performed in parallel, reducing the completion time. In fact, this project is not time-constrained since it does not have to be completed by a specific date. However, it is resource-constrained because only the seed grant’s money will be available. Still, it is a relatively long path that not only requires the completion of all the activities presented on the project scheme but also demands buffering time.
When analyzing the critical path for the project, it is essential to recognize some key tasks that are necessary for attaining the final result. Specifically, team formation is the foundational step without which the subsequent phases would not be possible. Furthermore, the activities like theoretical material preparation, website creation, and questionnaire are needed for testing, final evaluation, and launching steps. Although the task of recruiting health coaches to the project to work with the future client is essential, it is not required for the final stage because hiring can be conducted later. Although it is realistic to have the working website within the established limits, it is better to add a buffering time of one month (Larson and Gray, 2019). In that case, we will have additional time that will not be displayed on the official schedule.
Tools and Techniques for Project Managers
When projects are completed, the experience gained during the process should not be lost because it helps prevent critical errors in future projects and improves their performance. Therefore, the three methods to avoid losing the benefits of the prior knowledge are closure documents, presentations, and training are utilized. Indeed, final reports help reflect lessons learned, presentations ensure delivering this information to more people, and training prepares individuals for leading new projects.
Presentation, training, and project summary are the three conduits to deliver the past knowledge to other teams starting new enterprises. Firstly, according to Larson and Gray (2019), the recommendation and lessons learned section in the final report help avoid “many pitfalls” and can make “project implementation smoother” (p. 517). Secondly, presentations enable demonstrating the process and results to interested people who may ask questions to clarify particular situations and aspects. The third technique that project managers can use to share their expertise is training sessions for an internal audience like colleagues from a different department of the same organization or external groups from other companies.
In summary, managing projects demands not only in-depth comprehension of a specific field but also requires analyzing the knowledge from previous similar activities to avoid past mistakes and improve the outcome. The three tools that project managers can use to pass the experience gained and lessons learned are final reports, training sessions, and presentations. It appears that experience exchange is an essential element of project management to improve future ventures in business or other spheres.
Conclusion
This course and, particularly, this assessment helped me learn the essence of project management. Specifically, I was able to understand the calculation of project deadlines using the PERT formula and estimate optimistic, pessimistic, and realistic timelines. Furthermore, I learned how to construct project networks to visualize interdependencies between various activities and their impact on the final result. Moreover, I could apply this knowledge to plan my future project, which existed only as a vague idea about a health coaching platform. I was able to see the importance of the stepwise approach, optimization, team formation, task distribution, and evaluation in projects. I also comprehended the need for progress and final reports that provide project details and a general overview. Lastly, I realized that the lessons learned section plays a critical role in future projects helping managers avoid previous mistakes and attain better results.
The information that I learned during this assignment and my experience from work will be helpful for me in managing future business ventures. The health coaching website is the first start-up that I seriously plan to launch by the end of this year, but I have other ideas that require all the skills I gained in this course. Specifically, I plan to open a data training company in the future to provide jobs for unemployed people and collaborate with technical corporations that want to perfect their artificial intelligence software. Finally, I can apply this knowledge at work, where we often have group tasks, to increase team efficiency and shorten the duration of some activities.
Reference List
Larson, E. and Gray, C. (2019) Project management: the managerial process. 8th edn. Irwin: McGraw-Hill.
The Redbooth Team. (2018) A super-quick guide to PERT, critical path, and all the other ways to manage a project. Web.