Project Management Resources

Project Management for Dummies

Project Management Notes from Internet

Notes:

Project/Task Factors in choosing project management style/approach:
Duration – Short (same day-week) Long (week-months)
Resources – Quantity/Availability One/Many
Scope/Plan/Definition – Vague-Clear Verbal-Written
Priority – Visibility/Benefit/Impact/Age

Learning Stages:
Shu – Follow Rules
Ha – Change Rules
Ri – Nevermind Rules

Etymology—
Shuhari roughly translates to “first learn, then detach, and finally transcend.” (Japanese)
—shu (守^?) “protect”, “obey” — traditional wisdom — learning fundamentals, techniques, heuristics, proverbs
—ha (破^?) “detach”, “digress” — breaking with tradition — detachment from the illusions of self
—ri (離^?) “leave”, “separate” — transcendence — there are no techniques or proverbs, all moves are natural, becoming one with spirit alone without clinging to forms; transcending the physical

Agile Manifesto

Agile Tools:

Introduction to JIRA & Agile Project Management (45 minutes)
JIRA concepts introduction and actual use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrHpXvDXVrw

Agile Cheat Sheet for Dummies

Comparative Notes:

Scrum – Development oriented, Sprints to completion/releases, story points/sprints for estimation and velocity

Kanban – Operations oriented, Limiting WIP, focusing on getting it done rather than just getting it started/in queue

Scrum – Target Sprint/Release Oriented

SCRUM SBOK Study Guide 2016

Introduction to Scrum (6 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP3TBpWWwJ8

Introduction to Scrum (7 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TycLR0TqFA

Scrum Training – Crash Course – 2013-06-18 (1.5 hours)
Detailed ground up introdction to Scrum/Agile Process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNwfFStmtw8

Kanban – Work Load based for Support/Service Teams, focused on prioritization with No plan/sprints

Intro to Kanban in Under 5 Minutes (What is Kanban, Learn Kanban)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8dYLbJiTUE

Kanban for Software Engineering
https://leanandkanban.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/kanban-for-software-engineering-apr-242.pdf

Books:

Getting Started with Kanban
https://kanbanery.com/ebook/GettingStartedWithKanban.pdf

http://kanbantool.com/kanban-library/books

Lean – Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma for Dummies

Primavera P6 – Project Management Software

Primavera P6 Training
Good Introduction Video Series, http://www.grook.net/primavera-p6

Project Management Notes

Planned Value (PV) – Planned value is also known as the Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS). It is the physical work as per time schedule alongside an authorized budget for the work. This is a value that may be assigned at the beginning of the project, based on the different ‘work’ phases in a project. A combination of different works in the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) gives rise to the Budget at Completion (BAC).

Actual Cost / Actual Value (AC) – The Actual Cost was once known as Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP). As the term implies, it is the cost for the actual physical work accomplished.

Earned Value (EV) – Every project manager has to develop the knack on how to calculate earned value with ease. It is simple to understand once the above mentioned terms are familiarized with and calculated.   Earned Value is the percentage of work covered by the PV, or planned value. For example, if the PV is $1,000 and the project is 20% complete, the EV would be calculated as, EV = PV x % = 1,000 x 20/100 = $200     When the Earned Value is used in conjunction with Actual Cost Values, it results in a performance ratio of the project.  For example, in addition to the values stated in the previous example, if the Actual Costs on project completion for that phase is 20%, or $800, then the performance ratio would be:  (800 / 1000) x 100 = 80%     If the Performance Ratio is more than 100%, it means the project exceeds the budget (negative expenditure), and if it is equal to 100%, it means that it is alongside the planned budget. In this case, it is well below 100%, at 80% and gives room for positive expenditure.

The basic premise of earned value management (EVM) is that the value of a piece of work is equal to the amount of funds budgeted to complete it. As part of EVM, you use the following information to assess your schedule and cost performance throughout your project.

• Planned value (PV): The approved budget for the work scheduled to be completed by a specified date; also referred to as the budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS). The total PV of a task is equal to the task’s budget at completion (BAC) — the total amount budgeted for the task.

• Earned value (EV): The approved budget for the work actually completed by the specified date; also referred to as the budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP).

• Actual cost (AC): The costs actually incurred for the work completed by the specified date; also referred to as the actual cost of work performed (ACWP).

Monitoring your project’s performance involves determining whether you’re on, ahead of, or behind schedule and on, under, or over budget. But just comparing your actual expenditures with your budget can’t tell you whether you’re on, under, or over budget — which is where EVM comes in.

To describe your project’s schedule and cost performance with EVM, you use the following indicators:

• Schedule variance (SV): The difference between the amounts budgeted for the work you actually did and for the work you planned to do. The SV shows whether and by how much your work is ahead of or behind your approved schedule.

• Cost variance (CV): The difference between the amount budgeted and the amount actually spent for the work performed. The CV shows whether and by how much you’re under or over your approved budget.

• Schedule performance index (SPI): The ratio of the approved budget for the work performed to the approved budget for the work planned. The SPI reflects the relative amount the project is ahead of or behind schedule, sometimes referred to as the project’s schedule efficiency. You can use the SPI to date to project the schedule performance for the remainder of the task.

• Cost performance index (CPI): The ratio of the approved budget for work performed to what you actually spent for the work. The CPI reflects the relative value of work done compared to the amount paid for it, sometimes referred to as the project’s cost efficiency. You can use the CPI to date to project the cost performance for the remainder of the task.

You can approximate the amount of time you’re behind or ahead of the approved schedule by drawing a line from the intersection of the EV and assessment date lines parallel to the x-axis to the PV line. Doing so suggests that the project being described by the graph is about one month behind schedule.