PMP Critique: Improving the SPINGRID Project Management Plan

This critique analyzes the PMP for the SPINGRID project and identifies areas for improvement. It discusses the project description, sponsor's details, project manager and team details, deliverables, organization details, management and technical approach, project controls, risk management, project staffing, technical process, work to perform, schedule, budget, and concludes with recommendations for improvement.

PMP Critique
SPINGRID
9/14/2019

PMP Critique
Table of Contents
PMP Introduction..................................................................................................................................2
Aims & Purpose................................................................................................................................2
Name.................................................................................................................................................2
Description........................................................................................................................................2
Sponsor’s Details...............................................................................................................................2
Project Manager and Team Details........................................................................................................2
Deliverables.......................................................................................................................................2
Definitions.........................................................................................................................................3
Organization Details..............................................................................................................................3
Organizational Charts........................................................................................................................3
Project Responsibilities.....................................................................................................................3
Management & Technical Approach.....................................................................................................4
Management Objectives....................................................................................................................4
Project Controls.................................................................................................................................4
Risk Management..............................................................................................................................4
Project Staffing..................................................................................................................................4
Technical Process..................................................................................................................................5
Work to Perform....................................................................................................................................5
Major Work Packages.......................................................................................................................5
Key Deliverables...............................................................................................................................5
Others................................................................................................................................................6
Schedule................................................................................................................................................6
Summary...........................................................................................................................................6
Details...............................................................................................................................................6
Other..................................................................................................................................................7
Budget...................................................................................................................................................7
Summary...........................................................................................................................................7
Details...............................................................................................................................................7
Other..................................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................7
References.............................................................................................................................................9
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PMP Critique
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PMP Introduction
Aims & Purpose
The purpose of the report is to critique the PMP of the SPINGRID project. The aim is to
highlight the improvement areas of the PMP so that the overall structure and the contents can
be enhanced.
Name
SPINGRID Project
Description
The project includes the design of a system to carry out grid calculations. The software that is
to be developed in the project will comprise of three applications and these shall interact with
the aid of the Internet. The project description that is included in the PMP provides a brief
overview of the project that provides clarity on the project background and the aim of the
project (Bannazadeh, Zomorodian & Maghareh, 2013). The information on the platforms,
such as Java that will be used to develop the software is also included in the description
section. The description does not highlight the budget or schedule that will be spent in the
project and this is one piece of information that should have been present.
Sponsor’s Details
The details of the sponsor could not be found in the PMP of SPINGRID and it is one of the
major drawbacks of the plan. The PMP must highlight the name and contact details of the
sponsor.
Project Manager and Team Details
The organization structure is presented in the form of the table and it includes the role and
name of the resources involved. These cover the details of the project manager along with the
information of the team. The contact details, such as email address and phone number of each
of the resource is also included in the table.
Deliverables
The project deliverables are listed and described in the introduction section of the PMP. This
section comprises of the elaboration and description of the deliverables that will be provided
(Brioso, 2015). Also, a table is plotted that includes the name of every deliverable associated
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PMP Critique
with the project. It is then mapped with the phase, target resource, and the format. This adds
to the clarity of the information and the project team members and stakeholders can easily
refer to the table to understand the deliverables that are due.
Definitions
There are a number of abbreviations that are used in the project and the definition of the same
is included in the introduction section.
Organization Details
Organizational Charts
The process model for the project has been plotted in a diagram and the illustration of the
phases is done in this diagram. There will be a total of five phases that will be involved in the
project and all of these are represented in the process model. The description of these phases
along with the information on the dependencies is also included.
There should have been an organization hierarchy diagram that should have been included as
well. This would have provided clarity on the authority and the communication process that
should have been followed. The organization structure is represented as a table which does
include the names, roles, and contact details of the resources; however, the hierarchical
structure would have added the understanding on the control and accountability associated
with the managers and the resources (Fanning, 2014).
Project Responsibilities
The project will include a number of managerial and operational resources. The managers
will include Project Manager, Vice Project Manager, Quality Assurance Manager,
Configuration Manager, and Team Leader. The team members will also be involved in the
project to carry out the operational tasks and activities.
The details of the tasks and responsibilities that will be carried out by these managers and the
resources are covered under the project organization section. The task details are clearly put
across; however, the tasks of the team members are generalised. There could have been
further classifications and descriptions included to provide information on the team member
roles.
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Management & Technical Approach
Management Objectives
The section provides a clear objective with a brief of the methodology on the steps that will
be followed to achieve these objectives. There is no clear definition on the priorities of these
goals included in these objectives which would have further strengthened the description.
Project Controls
There are monitoring and control mechanisms explained in this section and these are included
after the description of the risks. These control mechanisms are illustrated on the basis of the
meetings that will be conducted in the project. These include the progress meetings, team
meetings, project metrics, and others (Tavan & Hosseini, 2016).
There are other forms of controls that could have been explained, such as review and audit
processes, feedback & discussions, collaborative controls, and likewise. This information is
missing from the PMP.
Risk Management
There are four categories of risks that are identified in the PMP for SPINGRID. These
include the risks in terms of the work to be done, management risks, resource risks, and
customer associated risks. The risks in each of these four categories are described in terms of
the probability, impact, prevention measures, and correction measures associated with the
risks. The risks from each category are described; however, only the important risks are
determined. The criteria behind the selection of these important risks have not been explained
in the PMP. A summary of these risk details is also included in the PMP.
The information on the risks has been included adequately. The inclusion of the information
as a risk register, such as the form of a table would have been a better alternative to present
the same information. This is because the tables are easy to read and understand the details
that are included.
A brief on the methodology to be followed for the purpose of risk management would have
also been adequate in terms of the understanding of the entire process (Rose, 2013).
Project Staffing
The project staffing details for the SPINGRID project are included in the form of a table. The
table comprises of the names of the members in the staff along with the email addresses and
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phone numbers of each of these resources. The function of the project staff members are
covered in the table as well.
These staffing details are an essential component for the PMP of any project. The inclusion of
these details is correctly done in the PMP.
Technical Process
The project is a technical project and it is necessary that the technical details and information
of such a project are included in the PMP (Rose, 2013).
The technical process is defined across three sections as methods, tools & techniques in the
first section followed by the software documentation in the section two. The third section
covers the project support functions. The description under all of these sections clearly puts
across the technical details associated with the project. The support functions form an
essential part of the project and the inclusion is apt in terms of adequate management of the
project as a whole.
Work to Perform
Major Work Packages
The execution of the project can be properly done only when the entire set of project
activities are divided in to a series of phases and sub-phases. These are referred as the work
packages. The utilization of these packages shall be properly done. It is also necessary that
the division of these packages is done in such a manner that the adequate schedule is assigned
to these processes. The mapping of the work packages with the respective managers is also
done so that the understanding of the managerial processes can also be obtained.
The work package ids are not included in the table which could have been done.
Key Deliverables
The project deliverables are listed and described in the introduction section of the PMP. This
section comprises of the elaboration and description of the deliverables that will be provided.
Also, a table is plotted that includes the name of every deliverable associated with the project.
It is then mapped with the phase, target resource, and the format. This adds to the clarity of
the information and the project team members and stakeholders can easily refer to the table to
understand the deliverables that are due (Zwikael, 2014).
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PMP Critique
The information on the key deliverables mapped with the specific work packages is not
included in the PMP.
Others
There are numerous dependencies that are present in the work packages. For example, the
dependency on the start of a work package may be on the completion of a previous work
package attached to it and likewise. Such details are covered in the section of dependencies
soon after the work package details. This provides further clarity on the entire project process
as the completion of the work packages can be effectively done. This is in accordance with
the project management guidelines as well.
Schedule
Summary
The total schedule that is allotted for the project is 2464 hours. The project schedule summary
is included that highlights the important dates that will be associated with the project. It also
includes the details of the holidays and other off days that will be covered in the project. The
milestones and the planned dates of these milestones are included in the table under the
schedule section.
The information on the unavailability is also presented as an overview in the PMP. The
summary of the schedule covers all the necessary information regarding the schedule of the
project (Zwikael, 2014).
Details
The detailed schedule in terms of the details of the work packages along with the timeframe
that will be taken to complete the specific activities is included in the appendix section of the
PMP. This is the adequate way to present the information. This is because the inclusions of
the entire schedule table and timeline information in the main content makes the PMP look
extremely lengthy.
The Gantt chart is one of the tools that could have been used in the detailing of the project
schedule. The Gantt chart represents the project information in the form of a timeline and this
is not included in the SPINGRID PMP.
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PMP Critique
Other
The schedule has a number of assumptions and dependencies associated with it. The
information on all of these along with the associated constraints is not present. A brief on the
schedule tracking process could have been included as well. This information is also missing
from the PMP.
Budget
Summary
The budget details for the project are represented in the form of man hours. These man hours
are represented as a table in the PMP and the mapping with each of the phase is done. The
additional factors, such as tools and materials are also listed.
This is one of the weaker sections in the PMP as the information included under the budget
section does not convey the funds that will be spent on the project tasks and activities. It also
does not include any information on the specific costs that will be allocated to the project
activities.
The cost management is one of the significant areas of project management. However, the
PMP of SPINGRID does not include it properly (Kinsella, 2015).
Details
The budget details are not present in the PMP and there is no elaboration of the estimation
technique that is used, classification of the costs, and likewise.
Other
The budget has a number of assumptions and dependencies associated with it. The
information on all of these along with the associated constraints is not present. A brief on the
budget tracking process could have been included as well. This information is also missing
from the PMP.
Conclusion
The SPINGRID project’s PMP is critiqued in the report above. There are various sections
that are included in the project. There are certain improvements that are required in terms of
the budget details, inclusion of risk register, Gantt chart for the schedule, and likewise. The
PMP does not include the stakeholder map, quality management plan, and communication
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guidelines as well. These are some of the areas that shall be included in the project
management plan so that the accurate information may be available. It is also needed that the
details of the sponsor are included so that the project team may have the clarity on the
authority levels and the point of contact for the project.
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