IT and Engineering


Although all projects follow basic phases, it's important to note that IT projects and engineering projects differ, for a few simple reasons. First, engineering is a discipline that is taught with very rigid standards that have been gathered for thousands of years. In fact, as you go through an engineering school, you will be taught project management implicitly because engineering projects are conducted according to well-designed plans. You don't start building a bridge without something written down. It just won't work.

IT, however, has a very different feel to it. Many of the people I meet each day in IT didn't start in the area and were not trained in it. Instead, they had extraordinary skills of some sort, and they often began as codersthat is, writers of the language for the machines. They then continued up the corporate ladder but often topped out as a group leader or lead technical person. For many, the next step is project management, and because most people don't take anything like project management topics in their undergraduate studies, PMI offers a way to become aware of and then competent in Project Management Practices.

Another major consideration in IT is that often a single "build" is done and then sent to the sponsor for approval. This means that often it is difficult to write a complete project plan because rework or sponsor input sometimes change the original schedule. This issue causes consternation among those who want project management to be a rigid science, as in the engineering realm. But in fact there is a major divide between IT and engineering that should be acknowledged even as we teach for the exam. The notion of an "agile" programming process originated conceptually as a response to the more rigid building standards of engineering, and it is becoming more and more important in the IT world. For this exam, most of the model describes a plan that is written at the beginning and followed to completion of the project. The original writers of PMBOK seem to have had an engineering frame of reference, and the book reflects it. Remember this point if you want to pass the exam, no matter what your area of project management.

Each of the Knowledge Areas has a plan within it that is a part of the overall project plan. Here is a list of the various parts of the project plan as explained in the PMBOK:

  • Project Scope Management Plan

  • Schedule Management Plan

  • Cost Management Plan

  • Quality Management Plan

  • Process Improvement Plan

  • Staffing Management Plan

  • Communications Management Plan

  • Risk Management Plan

  • Procurement Management Plan

  • Major Milestones and Target Dates

  • Resource Calendar

  • Schedule Baseline

  • Cost Baseline

  • Quality Baseline

  • Risk Register

Q.

Which one of these comes first in the project plan?

 

A.

Scope Statement

 

B.

WBS

 

C.

Risk Management Plan

 

D.

Quality Plan


The answer is A. You have to have a Scope Statement before doing any other parts of the plan.

As you can see, a full-blown project plan is a major undertaking. Planning can be one of the longest phases in a project because project management consists of being able to forecast and control actions that will occur during the project itself. The more detail that goes into the planning, the more control the project manager will have during the execution of the project.

Do all of these plans get written on every project? No. But it is still a good idea to know what they are and how they need to be managed, even without writing down all the details.

A question on the project plan might have this form:

Q.

Which of these plans is not done during the writing of a project plan?

 

A.

Risk Management

 

B.

Quality Management

 

C.

Procurement Management

 

D.

Executive Communication


The answer is D, Executive Communication. There are two aspects of this question that you should consider. First, be careful when the questions are phrased in the negative. Second, although Executive Communication might be a part of your overall communication process, it is also the name of a plan that is found in the PMBOK. It is important that you know the parts of the project plan. As we go through the knowledge areas later in the book, we will look at each of these plans in much more detail.

Q.

Who is responsible for the formation of the final project plan?

 

A.

Project Team

 

B.

Sponsor

 

C.

Project Manager

 

D.

Team Leader


The answer is C, the project manager. I say again, usually on this exam if there is a chance to pick "project manager" as the answer to a question, do it. Because this entire exam is about project managers, it stands to reason that they will be the answer to several questions.

Organizational Design

As you begin to work in various organizations, one of the major factors of project success is the way in which the organization is organized and managed. For the purposes of this exam, consider that there are three major types of organizational structures. The first type is titled "Functional." This is also known as line management. The working person is in one group type, such as marketing or accounting, and the members within that group report to their superiors, who then report to their superiors, and so on. It is the classic business pyramid. It looks like Figure 3-1.

Figure 3-1. The classic business pyramid.


In this functional diagram, the marketing department is set up with a hierarchy that starts with a district manager reporting to a regional manager, who reports to a VP Marketing, who then reports in turn to the CEO. Each person in the marketing area of this company reports directly up to only one person. How does this translate into project management systems? First, the PM has no control over anyone in the marketing department, so although the marketing people may be included in the project team, they report to someone in the structure of the marketing department. Given a project team that has a marketing component, an accounting component, a sales component, and a technical component, each of these project team members will report to a superior who is not on the project team. If these people report to their superiors within their group, then the project manager has little or no authority and is often a part-time person who is called a project administrator or coordinator. Thus, the functional structure is the weakest of all from the project management viewpoint.

Q.

What is another name for functional structure?

 

A.

Matrix

 

B.

Strict

 

C.

Line

 

D.

Developmental


The answer is C, line structure. Be sure to note when reading if there is more than one word to describe the answer. You may see both on the exam.

The next type of structure to consider is the "Matrix" organization. According to the PMBOK, these range from a very weak matrix to a strong configuration. In the weak matrix, the team members are only assigned to projects for 25% or less of their time. The rest of the time, they go back to functional assignments. The project manager is a part-time function and has part-time staff working with him or her. In fact, in the weak matrix, you will find most often that the person does not use the title "project manager" but rather uses something like "coordinator," "administrator," or "leader." This is still not a very strong position from a project management standpoint.

The next matrix to consider is called the balanced matrix. This is the structure in which the PM has low to moderate authority but starts to get more personnel who are assigned full-time to project work. Up to 60% of the project team in a balanced matrix structure are full-timers. This is the first of the structures we are discussing where a project manager is assigned on a full-time basis, but usually support staff is part-time rather than being fully dedicated to the project.

In a strong matrix structure, the percentage of people on the project team assigned and dedicated to a single project may run as high as 90%. The project manager is assigned full-time and has a full-time support staff. Even though most of the people are assigned to the project full-time, they still have dual reporting lines, with both their functional managers and the project manager giving input into their work.

Any type of matrix (weak, balanced, or strong) indicates that the people on the project have at least two masters. This means that the project manager does not have complete control of the team members.

Q.

Which of these types of matrix structure gives the project manager the most control?

 

A.

Strong

 

B.

Weak

 

C.

Product focused

 

D.

Balanced


The answer is A, strong. Next to a projectized form of organization, a strong matrix gives the most authority to the project manager.

The type of organizational structure in which the project manager does have the highest authority is called projectized. This means that the organization is structured around projects rather than around ongoing standard operations. Construction companies are companies where this type of configuration might be found. In this case the project manager has authority over the people on the project team and is a full-time manager for the project. In the construction company there may be two or three construction projects going on at the same time. If the same project manager is managing multiple projects, the title is actually program manager.

With all three of these organizational types, it is possible to use project management skills and techniques to gain control of different projects. It is important to remember that for the most part, project managers do not have complete control over all aspects of the project in most companies. This is why communication skills and general management skills are so useful to a successful project manager.

Figure 3-2. A projectized organization.


Below the project manager and reporting directly to him or her will be the staff for the particular project. Note that the project managers report directly to the CEO and that the projects are the focus of the organization. Once again, a structure like this is possible in major construction companies, which can have several ongoing projects.

Here are some of the types of questions you can encounter in the exam on this subject:

Q.

Three types of organizational structure discussed in PMBOK are:

 

A.

Matrix, line, departmental

 

B.

Functional, matrix, product driven

 

C.

Matrix, functional, projectized

 

D.

Projectized, departmental, functional


The answer is C, matrix, functional, projectized.

Q.

The type of organization where the project manager has the least authority is:

 

A.

Developmental

 

B.

Matrix

 

C.

Functional

 

D.

Projectized


The answer is C, functional.

Q.

You can use project management skills in which of the following structural organizations?

 

A.

Functional

 

B.

Projectized

 

C.

Matrix

 

D.

All of the above


The answer is D, all of the above. Although different types of organizational structures offer more or less authority to a project manager, project management skills can and should be used in a variety of environments.

Q.

The title of a manager who is responsible for more than one project is:

 

A.

Team Leader

 

B.

General Manager

 

C.

Project Manager

 

D.

Program Manager


The answer is D. A program manager manages multiple projects and project managers.

Q.

Communication in a matrix environment is usually classified as:

 

A.

Simple

 

B.

Direct

 

B.

Complex

 

D.

Relational


The answer is C, complex. This is because the project team members may have reporting lines to more than one person, which causes very complex communication and authority issues.

Q.

A project team member working in a functional organization reports to:

 

A.

The Project Manager

 

B.

The Team Leader

 

C.

The Functional Manager

 

D.

Anyone he can contact


The answer is C, the Functional Manager.

Even when you are in the Planning phase, it is important to know what type of organization you will be in as a project manager. It is certainly easier to manage a project in a projectized structure than it is in a functional structure. As you go from the Planning phase to the Execution phase, you need to be certain of the authority you have and the people to whom your project team needs to report in order to have a successful project. Being a project manager would be much simpler if all organizations were projectized.



Passing the PMP Exam. How to Take It and Pass It
Passing the PMP Exam: How to Take It and Pass It: How to Take It and Pass It
ISBN: 0131860070
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 167
Authors: Rudd McGary

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net