Step 1: Update the Project Plan
You now have an optimized project plan and the baseline is set. Execution can begin! In order to track progress (plan vs. actuals) you need to pick a regular update period and be consistent in making status updates to the plan. Best practices for updating the project plan as well as the mechanics of making updates can be found in the Ambriz book, Chapter 10, Updating. Additionally, for the assignment you may also refer to the step by step instruction guide document.
Step-by-Step Microsoft Project Updates Document.pdf
The project manager is responsible for making status updates to the plan and using these updates to construct a story to relay the progress of the project to senior leadership via regular status update reports. Make the following updates to your plan to prepare for your quarterly status report.
a) You have started your project and one week has passed. You receive a status report from everyone and all tasks are on schedule. You need to update the project schedule to reflect this status update.
b) At the conclusion of the second week, one of the early project tasks is 90% complete. Another task is started but is going to require an additional 5 days of duration (or 40 hours of work). A third task was completed. You need to update the project schedule to reflect these updates.
c) A Hurricane went through your area and the office was closed for 3 days. You need to update the project schedule to reflect this work stoppage.
d) After these changes, continue to update the plan for 3 more weeks as on schedule.
Step 2: Perform Change Management
During week 6, after a customer demo or update meeting, the customer notifies you that they have an additional requirement that is outside of the scope of the approved requirements document.
As discussed in class, an essential element of every Project Management Plan (PMP) is the Change Management Plan. The Change Control Process needs to be documented and communicated to all stakeholders at the outset of the project. Its purpose is to maintain transparency throughout the Project Management Life Cycle (PMLC) and to assess the value of any proposed change request as it relates to the project’s scope, cost, resources, quality and risk. According to PMI’s 2018 Pulse of the Profession survey, 52% of projects experienced scope creep.
You are now challenged with evaluating a Change Request (CR). You will use the CR template to describe the request, to prioritize the request, to analyze the request as it relates to impacts on your project’s scope, budget, resources, quality and risk. You will also need to consider what consequences there would be to non-implementation of the change. As an additional challenge, the you must consider how the current, baselined schedule and budget can be optimized to accommodate the change (refer to goals outlined in the rubric).
Change Request Template.docx