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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
A practical guide for putting PMBOK concepts to work
A Project Manager’s Book of Tools and Techniques is an invaluable resource for students and working professionals alike. Whether you’re preparing for the PMP exam or just looking to optimize your project management skills, this book provides detailed explanations for over 100 essential tools described in the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) Sixth Edition. Going beyond theory and concept to real-world practice, these tools and techniques are the “how” of effective project management; from planning, to implementation, to oversight, and beyond, all phases of the project are represented here to help you more effectively apply critical PMBOK concepts. Comprehensive examples illustrate real-world implementation, and detailed discussion provides expert guidance for both new and experienced project management professionals.
Knowing what to do is much different from knowing how to do it; even perfect understanding of the PMBOK Guide doesn’t automatically translate into effective practice. This book is designed to help you bridge that gap and expertly apply current project management standards.
- Delve deeper into the practical tools described in the PMBOK Guide—Sixth Edition
- Follow detailed examples that illustrate effective project management methods
- Master project management applications in preparation for the PMP exam
- Graduate from theory to practice with powerful tools and techniques for success
Concepts are only valuable once they are applied—and then they become a skill set that gets results. The PMBOK Guide is the ultimate authority on project management concepts, but translating those concepts into applicable skills requires a detailed understanding of the tools of the field. A Project Manager’s Book of Tools and Techniques is a practical manual for putting essential project management concepts into practice.
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A PROJECT MANAGER’S BOOK OF TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
A Companion to thePMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition
Cynthia Snyder Dionisio
Cover image: Abstract Background: © strizh-/iStockphoto; Color Wind Rose: © LongQuattro/iStockphoto
Cover design: Wiley
Copyright © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Names: Snyder, Cynthia, 1962- author.
Title: A project manager’s book of tools and techniques : a companion to the PMBOK Guide / Cynthia Snyder.
Description: Hoboken : Wiley, 2018. | Includes index. | Identifiers: LCCN 2017036476 (print) | LCCN 2017057182 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119424840 (epdf) | ISBN 9781119424857 (epub) | ISBN 9781119423966 (paperback)
Subjects: LCSH: Project management. | BISAC: TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Industrial Engineering.
Classification: LCC HD69.P75 (ebook) | LCC HD69.P75 S616 2018 (print) | DDC 658.4/04—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017036476
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1 Data Gathering
1.0 Data Gathering Techniques
1.1 Benchmarking
What It Is
How to Use It
1.2 Brainstorming
What It Is
How to Use It
1.3 Check Sheets
What It Is
How to Use It
1.4 Checklists
What It Is
How to Use It
1.5 Focus Groups
What It Is
How to Use It
1.6 Statistical Sampling
What It Is
How to Use It
Part 2 Data Analysis
2.0 Data Analysis Techniques
2.1 Alternatives Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
2.2 Cost Benefit Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
2.3 Cost of Quality
What It Is
How to Use It
2.4 Decision Tree
What It Is
How to Use It
2.5 Earned Value Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
2.6 Influence Diagrams
What It Is
How to Use It
2.7 Make-or-Buy Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
2.8 Performance Index
What It Is
How to Use It
2.9 Regression Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
Note
2.10 Reserve Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
2.11 Root Cause Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
2.12 Sensitivity Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
2.13 Stakeholder Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
Notes
2.14 SWOT Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
2.15 Technical Performance Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
2.16 Variance Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
2.17 What-If Analysis
What It Is
How to Use It
Part 3 Data Representation
3.0 Data Representation Techniques
3.1 Cause-and-Effect Diagram
What It Is
How to Use It
3.2 Control Charts
What It Is
How to Use It
3.3 Flowcharts
What It Is
How to Use It
3.4 Histograms
What It Is
How to Use It
3.5 Logical Data Model
What It Is
How to Use It
3.6 Mind Mapping
What It Is
How to Use It
3.7 Probability and Impact Matrix
What It Is
How to Use It
3.8 Resource Breakdown Structure
What It Is
How to Use It
3.9 Responsibility Assignment Matrix
What It Is
How to Use It
Note
3.10 Scatter Diagrams
What It Is
How to Use It
3.11 Stakeholder Mapping
What It Is
How to Use It
Part 4 Estimating
4.0 Estimating Techniques
4.1 Analogous Estimating
What It Is
How to Use It
4.2 Bottom-Up Estimating
What It Is
How to Use It
4.3 Estimate at Completion
What It Is
How to Use It
4.4 Estimate to Complete
What It Is
How to Use It
4.5 Parametric Estimating
What It Is
How to Use It
4.6 To-Complete Performance Index
What It Is
How to Use It
Note
4.7 Three-Point Estimating
What It Is
How to Use It
4.8 Variance at Completion
What It Is
How to Use It
Part 5 Interpersonal and Team Skills
5.0 Interpersonal and Team Skills
5.1 Conflict Management
What It Is
How to Use It
Notes
5.2 Decision Making
What It Is
How to Use It
5.3 Nominal Group Technique
What It Is
How to Use It
5.4 Problem Solving
What It Is
How to Use It
Note
Part 6 Other Techniques
6.0 Other Techniques
6.1 Context Diagram
What It Is
How to Use It
6.2 Critical Path Method
What It Is
How to Use It
6.3 Funding Limit Reconciliation
What It Is
How to Use It
6.4 Inspection
What It Is
How to Use It
6.5 Leads and Lags
What It Is
How to Use It
6.6 Precedence Diagramming Method
What It Is
How to Use It
6.7 Prompt Lists
What It Is
How to Use It
6.8 Prototypes
What It Is
How to Use It
6.9 Resource Optimization
What It Is
How to Use It
6.10 Rolling-Wave Planning
What It Is
How to Use It
6.11 Schedule Compression
What It Is
How to Use It
Appendix: Case Study Scenarios
Index
EULA
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Introduction
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Acknowledgments
It was a wonderful experience working on this book. I have worked in project management a long time and there are still tools and techniques I needed to research. It is so great to always have new things to learn!
I was fortunate to have Richard Avery as my technical editor. His input helped make this book more approachable. His technical and interpersonal skills are among the best. Richard, I appreciate your feedback and more importantly, your friendship.
My passion for project management was only heightened by working with my team members on the PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition. My vice chair, David Hillson, helped me with many of the quantitative risk techniques in this book. I have brought my perspective to them, so for any risk gurus out there, any errors are on me, not David.
Larkland Brown and Guy Schleffer helped me with the Agile forms. They are masters at working in both the traditional and Agile worlds. Lovely Lynda Bourne is the go-to person for anything having to do with Stakeholder Engagement. I always appreciate her generous input and support.
Mercedes, Alejandro, Pan, Gwen, Mike, Kristin, and Roberta—your voices are always in the back of my mind when I write. Thank you for a wonderful experience in developing the Sixth Edition.
I so appreciate the support, friendship, and love from my husband, Dexter Dionisio. You make every day a joy.
The wonderful folks at Wiley are always a delight to work with. I feel so fortunate to have Margaret Cummins as an editor and a friend. Kalli Schultea, Lauren Freestone, Lauren Olesky, and Kerstin Nasdeo are wonderfully supportive. I am grateful for all you do.
I appreciate Donn Greenburg, Barbara Walsh, Amy Goretzky, and Roberta Storer for the work you all do to support this book and the other publications we work on together.
Thank you to all who purchase this book. I hope it brings clarity and understanding to the multiple tools and techniques we use to manage projects. May all your projects have a CPI of 1.0!
Introduction
Audience
This book is written for practicing project managers, project management students, and for those studying for the Project Management Professional certification (PMP®). The book is meant to help clarify and explain some of the more common techniques we employ in project management. It also describes some of the more specialized techniques that are not used as often, but that can be very useful in certain situations.
If you are a practicing project manager you may find it useful to read up on specific techniques to get a deeper understanding of how to apply them. You may want to find out more about a whole category of techniques, such as data representation or estimating.
If you are a student of project management you can use this book to help you understand techniques presented in class and how to apply them.
Professionals studying for the PMP will benefit by gaining an in-depth understanding of many of the techniques you will find on the exam.
What’s in This Book
There are more than 125 tools and techniques mentioned in the PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition. Many of them are in one of these six groups:
Data gathering
Data analysis
Data representation
Communication skills
Decision-making skills
Interpersonal and team skills
This book uses some of the same categories, but not all. This book also adds a group of techniques we call Estimating. Techniques that are not in any category are put into a section called “Other.” You will see the following categories in this book:
Data gathering
Data analysis
Data representation
Estimating
Interpersonal and team skills
Other techniques
You will not see all the 125+ techniques that are in the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) described in this book. Some of the techniques are just too vague to describe, such as expert judgment, quality improvement methods, or meetings. Some techniques are so descriptive that you don’t really need anyone to explain them, such as ground rules, financing, or feedback. Some techniques are not included because they are general management techniques, for which volumes have already been written, for example, leadership, negotiation, and team building.
What you will find in this book is a description of 57 techniques that are used in managing projects. Some of them are used on almost every project, such as analogous estimating and rolling-wave planning. Others are more specialized, such as what-if analysis and the to-complete performance index. The techniques in this book are focused on predictive life cycles; in other words, we did not include Agile or adaptive techniques. This decision was made based on surveying potential users who rated the Agile techniques as low value, because Agile techniques are best described in a book that is dedicated to the topic of Agile.
Structure
Each section starts out with an introduction. The techniques are then presented in alphabetical order. They are not shown in the order you would build on to learn about them. For example, to learn about scheduling you would probably read in this sequence:
Precedence diagramming method (Section 6.6)
Leads and lags (Section 6.5)
Some, or all, of the duration estimating methods (Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.5, and 4.7)
Critical path method (Section 6.2)
Resource optimization (Section 6.9)
Schedule compression (Section 6.11)
However, we needed to have a consistent way to present information, and alphabetically seemed like the best option, given the different people who will buy this book.
Each technique starts with a description of what it is. Following this are step-by-step instructions on how to use the technique. After the instructions you will see an example of how it can be used. There is some additional information, and then a listing of where you will see the technique used in the PMBOK® Guide.
The examples are all based around one of eight scenarios. There is an appendix in the back of the book that provides a brief overview of each scenario. The scenarios are:
Constructing a childcare center
Meeting company growth needs
Developing an exam preparation video
Developing an intranet website
Improving the process for an IT Help Desk
Putting in a new backyard
Expanding a PMO information system
Constructing a community medical center
Some of the scenarios reference previous techniques, especially those that explain earned value techniques. You don’t have to read them in order, but if you are new to the technique, the previous sections are useful to help you understand the background information.
Every technique presented in this book can and should be tailored to your specific project, in your specific environment, and your specific organization. No two projects are alike. Use your experience to help you tailor the approach and the techniques to meet your needs.
For Lecture Slides of the Tools and Techniques, go to http://www.wiley.com/go/pmtools.
Good luck and may all your variances be positive!
Part 1Data Gathering
1.0 DATA GATHERING TECHNIQUES
Data gathering is often the first technique we employ in a process. Before we can transform process inputs into outputs we often need to gather additional information. In this context, an input is any document, information, or other item that is needed to conduct a process. An output is any document, information, product, or other item that is the result of a process.
Some of the data gathering techniques entail collecting data from individuals or groups, such as focus groups and brainstorming. Some techniques entail collecting information by using tools such as checklists and check sheets. Benchmarking and statistical sampling collect data from procedures that have been performed many, many times by multiple people or even machines.
The techniques described in this section include:
Benchmarking
Brainstorming
Check sheets
Checklists
Focus groups
Statistical sampling
There are other data gathering techniques that are not described in this book because they are either not project specific, or they are in common use. For example, interviewing people, reviewing lessons learned and information from previous projects, and developing questionnaires and surveys are common techniques that are not applied in projects any differently than they would be in any other field. They are common enough that they don’t require further explanation or examples to clarify how they are employed.
As with all techniques, you can use multiple methods to gather data. Use the methods that are easiest to gather the most complete and accurate information you need for your project.
1.2 BRAINSTORMING
WHAT IT IS
Brainstorming is used as a technique for generating ideas and options and solving problems. It is generally a group activity that has a facilitator to manage the process. Brainstorming focuses on generating quantity, with the assumption that having a good quantity of ideas will lead to having a good-quality outcome. In the brainstorming session there is no criticism, all ideas are equal, and all are welcome, including those that seem like they are wild ideas. Various techniques can then be used to evaluate ideas gathered in order to help identify viable alternatives. Often during the process ideas will build on each other and the synergy of the group will produce better results than one person, alone, could come up with.
HOW TO USE IT
Use the steps below as a guideline. Tailor the steps as necessary to work within your environment or to work with the brainstorming variation you choose.
Identify the problem, goal, or outcome for the brainstorming session.
All members of the group state their ideas.
Record all ideas.
If time allows, the ideas can be elaborated, analyzed, or prioritized.
Scenario: You are managing a project to develop a new company intranet site.
As the project manager you want to get some ideas for content, design, and requirements. You bring in people from various departments to help brainstorm some ideas that you will later prioritize and send out for the rest of the organization to comment on.
You decide to use some variations on the traditional brainstorming technique by using a group passing technique, some electronic brainstorming, and individual brainstorming.
Group passing technique. To gather high-level requirements, you give each person a category of requirements to work on. You ask each person to write down his or her requirements and then pass it to the next person, who adds his or her requirements. This continues until everyone has commented on each category.
Individual brainstorming. Rather than being done in a group, individual brainstorming is done as an individual. This can take the form of free-writing, free-speaking, or drawing a mind map (Section 3.6). You ask your brainstorming group to come up with some ideas for the design and graphical user interface (GUI) for the website. You tell them they can use free-writing, picture creation, mind mapping, or any other form of communication for their ideas.
Electronic brainstorming. In this brainstorming technique you ask the group to contribute in an online environment. You post the content topic in an online bulletin board or chat room and people respond. Electronic brainstorming can permit a large number of ideas to be gathered very quickly because there is no turn-taking. People can respond as soon as they see other ideas, and the energy can build on itself. Electronic brainstorming has been found to generate more ideas and be of greater quality than in-person brainstorming. However, it requires a moderator to ensure anonymity does not lead to disrespectful interactions. Electronic brainstorming can also take place over a longer period of time, allowing for more reflection. You choose how long to allow the bulletin board to be posted, allowing people to log in and contribute as they are able.
Additional Information
Brainstorming can be used with focus groups (Section 1.5). Combining brainstorming with the nominal group technique (Section 5.3) allows the ideas to be prioritized for further elaboration or to reach a decision.
PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition References
4.1 Develop Project Charter
4.2 Develop Project Management Plan
5.2 Collect Requirements
8.1 Plan Quality Management
11.2 Identify Risks
13.1 Identify Stakeholders
1.3 CHECK SHEETS
WHAT IT IS
A check sheet is a tally sheet that is used to collect data. It can be used to collect data about defects or to keep track of completing steps in a process.
HOW TO USE IT
Use the steps below as a guideline. Tailor the steps as necessary to work within your environment.
Identify the types of defects (or other variables) you are looking to tally and enter these in Column 1 of a spreadsheet. You would start this in cell A2 and continue with A3, A4, and so on.
The top row can indicate either frequency (enter “Frequency” in cell B1) or, if you are tracking locations or days of the week, hours of the day, or some other variable, enter each of these in the top row starting with cell B2. Follow with B3, B4, and so on.
Observe the process, outputs, or deliverables.
Indicate the source of the defect and put a mark in the appropriate cell.
Tally the rows and columns.
Scenario: Your project is to help improve customer satisfaction with the phone support from the IT Help Desk.
To understand the reason behind the IT Help Desk complaints you create a check sheet to tally the number of complaints, by reason and by department. The number of complaints by reason are totaled, as are the number of complaints by department.
IT Help Desk
Security Hotline
Legal Info Line
Maintenance Trouble Line
Total
Call was dropped
IIIIIII
I
III
0
11
Tech did not listen to me
IIII
0
IIIII
II
11
On hold too long
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
III
IIIIII
IIIIIIII
39
Couldn’t understand technician
IIIIII
II
IIII
III
15
Could not help with my issue
IIIIIIIIII
III
IIIIIIII
III
24
Did not return my call in a timely manner
IIIIIIIIIIIII
0
II
IIIII
20
Total
62
9
28
21
120
Additional Information
Check sheets can be used to show the distribution of defects, and can then be arranged in a histogram (Section 3.4) or Pareto chart showing the frequency of defects by cause, location, or other variable.
PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition References
8.3 Control Quality
1.4 CHECKLISTS
WHAT IT IS
A checklist is a list of activities, steps, or procedures that need to be done. It is often used as a reminder.
HOW TO USE IT
In projects, checklists are used to reduce or eliminate risks or defects. They contain a series of steps that must be taken, or processes that must be completed.
Scenario: You are managing a project to develop a new company intranet site.
This example shows some of the items that must be completed in updating an intranet website. This is only an example; all checklists should be tailored to your specific environment.
☑ Collect stakeholder requirements
☑ Map inbound links
☑ Create new content as necessary
☑ Upload content to new site
☑ Develop tags and metadata
☑ Check all links
☑ Create XML/HTML sitemaps
☑ Test speed
☑ Check for mobile access
☑ User acceptance testing
Additional Information
A few of the downfalls associated with using checklists are:
People can rely on the checklist and fail to look outside the items on the checklist for other risks or causes of failure. Use the checklist as a starting place, not an ending place.
Over-reliance on checklists can replace common sense or critical thinking. A checklist can act as a prompt, but should not take the place of looking at a situation and taking appropriate actions.
Therefore, checklists should only be used as a starting point in many project situations. Team members should continue to identify sources of risks and defects.
PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition References
4.2 Develop Project Management Plan
8.2 Manage Quality
8.3 Control Quality
11.2 Identify Risks
1.5 FOCUS GROUPS
WHAT IT IS
A focus group is a group of prequalified people who are brought together to provide information about a product, service, or result. A professional moderator uses a question guide to focus the direction of the questions. The moderator also observes behaviors and nonverbal cues and records them in her observations.
HOW TO USE IT
Focus groups are most commonly used for new product or new service development. They may be part of a market research campaign to gather requirements or to provide insight into customer opinions, expectations, desired benefits, underlying assumptions, common views, and so forth.
Establish your goals or desired outcomes for the focus group.
Develop a discussion guide that provides a focus for the group, but also allows some open conversations that are not driven by the moderator.
Find a qualified moderator. You may want to hire a professional moderator to lead the group. Your moderator should have at least these qualifications:
The ability to be friendly, nonjudgmental, flexible, and open. He or she needs to stay on topic, ask open-ended questions, and manage the conversation so it is productive and not combative.
He or she should have some understanding of the new product or service, but not have a vested interest in the outcomes.
