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78 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is a system?
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It is an organized or complex whole; a group of parts interacting in a coordinated way.
1. The parts of the system affect the system and are affected by it. 2. The group of parts does something 3. The group is of particular interest |
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What are the four types of systems?
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Natural and Human Made systems, Open and Closed systems
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What is the smallest part of a system?
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an Element
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What is a sub system?
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A system that functions as a component or part of a larger system
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What is an attribute?
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A distinguishing characteristic that describes or expresses the condition of a system, subsystem, or element in qualitative or quantitative terms.
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What is the Environment (when referring to a system)?
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Anything that influences the behavior or outcome of the system yet lies beyond the decisions maker's or stakeholder's ability to control (e.g weather for a shuttle launch)
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What is a boundary (when referring to a system)?
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The piece that separates the environment from the system.
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What is System Structure?
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The relationship between all the elements and subsystems.
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What are constraints (when referring to a system)?
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Limitation that inhibit the ability of a system to reach goals and objectives. Time and money are the two universal constraints.
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What is integration (when referring to a system)?
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Removing conflict between the objectives of subsystems that to enable the overall system to meet its objectives.
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What is the Systems Approach to Project Management?
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A methodology for solving problems and managing systems that accounts for
1. Objects and performance criteria of the system 2. the environment and constarints 3. elements of the system 4. the resources of the system 5. the interaction among the elements. 6. the management of the system. |
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What is a model? What are two types of models?
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a simplified representation of the world.
1. physical model 2. Conceptual model |
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What is a system life cycle?
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The pattern of change or evolution that similar kinds of systems follow.
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What is a systems development cycle?
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the cycle of the phases of conception, definition, design, development, fabrication, testing, installation or launch, production, operation and maintenance, and enhancement, replacement, or termination.
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What is systems engineering?
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The science of designing complex systems in their totality to insure that components and subsystems marking up the system are designed, fitted together, checked, and operated in the most efficient way.
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What are the 3 dimensions of Systems Engineering?
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1. Systems Engineering is a multi-functional, interdisciplinary, concurrent effort.
2. It addresses the system's structure and elemetns - its functional and physical design 3. It takes into account the way the system will be produced, operated, maintained, and finally disposed of-- the entire system life cycle. |
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What are the three ways of creating a system concept (in systems engineering)?
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1. Top down analysis (Decomposing the system into smaller parts)
2. bottom up synthesis ( building up and integrating the parts into successively larger parts) 3. evaluation (checking to see that results meet requirement) |
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What is the life cycle of all living organisms?
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conception -> birth -> growth -> maturity -> decline -> death
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What is the life cycle of all human made systems?
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1. Development/installation
2. Operation 3. Loop to 1 or Termination |
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Who determines what the systems development cycle will do?
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Customer/Client
User Developmenet Organization |
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What are the 4 phases of the Systems Development Cycle?
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Conception
Definition Execution Operation |
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What is Fast-tracking or Concurrency?
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Phases (and stages within phases) that overlap so work in successive phases (or stages) simultaneously.
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What are the pros and cons of fast-tracking?
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Pro: shorten project life span
Con: Increase risk of mistakes, changes, or rework |
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What does Project Conception (Phase A) include?
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Initiation
RFPs (Request for Proposals) Feasibility Needs Analysis Proposal preparation Proposal evaluation/Project selection Contracting |
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To determine if the project is worth creating, an initial investigation is started. What is covered in this investigation?
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Symptoms, problems, needs
Objectives Preliminary alternatives; estimated costs, benefits, strengths, weaknesses People and groups effected. |
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What is the purpose for an RFP?
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Describe customer's needs, problems, or ideas
Solicit suggestions/solutions from SDO Inform SDO how to respond to RFP (Where to send proposal, to whom, and what to include in proposal) |
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What is included in an RFP?
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Statement of Work
Proposal Requirements Contractual provisions Additional information or data |
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What does the Statement of Work (SOW) include?
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The description/background of the problem, need, or general type of solution to be investigates. The scope of the work to be performed and the requirements for results.
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What are the Proposal requirements (In an RFP)?
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Conditions placed on the propsal such as the contents and format, data requirements, sample forms to include, and submission location and deadline
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What are the Contractual Provisions (in an RFP)?
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The type of contract to be awarded and contractual provisions such as fixed price, cost plus, incentives, special considerations.
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Why is an RFP important?
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It clarifies the user requirements, selects the best contracts, and determines market price for the project, and sets the tone for the project.
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What is a Feasibility Study?
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A study that considered the feasibility of idea or proposed work given proposed benefits and constrained resources.
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What is a major part of the Feasibility study?
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Having the user articulate their needs in as much detail as possible to be sure you research the correct problems.
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What are some pitfalls in defining and addressing needs for a feasibility study?
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Needs are ever changing
Some needs are only vaguely perceived Solutions are identified to early in research Needs are identified for the wrong users Multiple users exist with different needs |
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What are the steps in a Feasibility study?
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1. gain full understanding of users problem, need and current situation
2. document current system 3. devise alternative solutions 4. analyze the alternatives 5. include solution in proposal, technical section |
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What is a Project Charter?
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An way for an internal project to be described to the stakeholders
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What are standard contents of a reply to a RPF?
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Executive Summary
Technical Section (SOW) Cost and Payment Section Legal Section Management/Qualifications Section |
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What are the basic kinds of contractual agreements?
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Fixed-Price contract : price paid by the customer is fixed.
Cost-Plus contract : price paid by the customer is based on the costs incurred in the project plus the contractors fee. Incentitive Contract : Price paid by the customer depends on the contractor's performance in comparison the the target price, schedule, or technical specification. |
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What are the principle tasks during Phase B?
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Organize project team: hold kickoff
Claify in detail user requirements Prepare detailed system requirements Prepare project master plan Review requirements and plan with customer |
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What is the Project Kickoff meeting? What is it's purpose?
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The first formal meeting of the project team members and key stakeholders.
It's purpose is to announce the project |
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What does the Project Kickoff Meeting cover?
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Who the project manager is.
project Sow, goals, and deliverables proposed project plan constraints and risks customers and other key stakeholders, their needs nad requirements project organization structure and key team members |
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What the primary definition tasks for Phase B?
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User/customer needs
Define User/ customer Requirements Create Project Master Plan Define System Requirements and Specifications |
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What does the Project Master Plan address?
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All matters about project in sufficient detail for managers to organize and direct work to meet performance, cost, and time targets for team to begin work
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How is Phased Project Planned done?
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Because of the numerous unknowns in the project at the start, the initla plan is rough but adequate to estimate project resources, time and cost. However as the project progress a more detail plan is created for the next most immediate phase of the project
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What does project failure often stem from?
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Ambiguous or incomplete requirements.
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Since most customers are unclear as to what their requirements are, what is the role of a project manager in this regard?
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The Role of the PM is to work with customer/users to clearly define the requirements.
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What are project requirements?
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The whats that the project seeks to provide.
The basis for project plann. the basis for determining project completion define the contractors obligation to the customer |
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Where do imprecise or ambiguous requirements come from?
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Human Language
Deliberate imprecision for flexibility nebulous projects User's Lack of expertise Project Planner's Oversghit |
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What are the guidelines for defining user requiements?
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1. stat each requirement clearly
2. assume if a requirement can be misinterprted, it will be 3. accept that changes will not go precisely as planned 4. include pictures, graphs, models, and other non-verbal exhibits in requirements formulation. 5. Carefully monitor and document changes to requirements once project has begun 6. Educate both user and project staff about problems associated with specifying requirements |
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What is a System requirement?
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Technical requirements of the system (What the end item must do)
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What are the common elements of a Project Plan?
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1. Scope Statement, Charter, SOW
2. Detailed requirements 3. Project Organization and responsibility for tasks 4. Detailed work definition (WBS or PBS and work package/work task details) 5. Detailed schedules with milestones 6. Project Budget and cost accounts 7. Quality Plan 8. Risk Plan 9. Work review plan 10. Testing plan 11. Change control plan 12. Documentation plan 13. Procurement Plan 14. Implementation plan |
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What is the purpose of a scope statement, charter, or SOW in a Project Plan?
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To provide broad description of mater plan/project to stakeholders. It is directed at the core project ream, project organization, and the primary stakeholders
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What is scope?
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Scope describes the breadth of the project, the areas to be covered by the project and deliverables and areas not covered. This includes
Objectives from perspective of contractor Requirements Deliverables Milestones Limits and exclusions |
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What is the scope document for contracted projects?
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SOW
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What is the SOW for contracted project work?
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A document where the contractor and customer agree on definition of work required, work propsed, and basis for costs schedules, and related matters.
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What is the scope document for internal projects?
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Charter.
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What does a charter include?
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Everything in the Scope Statement, plus risk limits customer needs spending limits, key players on project team.
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How do you create A WBS?
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Start with the SOW and requirements, then subdivide the project into smaller packers, and then again, until each package is about 80 hours to complete. It be well defined.
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What does a well defined work package include?
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SOW and requiremt
Clear definition of work and all subtasks Time estimates or deadlines Cost estimates Responsibility Immediate predecessors, Preconditions, inputs Deliverables Resources Risk assessment |
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What is a Responsilibity Matrix?
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A matrix that shows who is responsiblie for each work package. It includes every task and all kind of responsibilities
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What provides the information necessary to create a schedule?
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A Work Breakdown Schedule
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What are the pros and cons of a Gantt chart?
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Pros: Easy to construct and undersatnd
Cons: does not show relationships between tasks |
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What is the Line of balance used to for?
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It is used in a Gantt Chart to track the progress of a project.
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What is Procurement Management?
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The planning, budgeting, scheduling, and control of procured goods, work, or services
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What does Procurement Management include?
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Equipement, materials, components
Off the shelf equipmenet and components bulk materials consumables equipment not already owned administrative equipment not already owned |
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What is another scheduling technique that is more useful than a Gantt Chart?
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Network methods (Activity on Node or Activity on Arrow)
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What network uses Dummy Activities, and what are they?
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Activity on Arrow uses Dummy activities. They are used to show predecessor relations. They are known as dummies because they are not real activities and have no duration.
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What are the types of Dependencies for AON?
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Mandatory - impossible to reverse
Discretionary - can delete to fast track project External - dependent on some exgernal |
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What is Forward Pass for AON?
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the calculation of early start and early finish dates for the uncompleted portions of all network activities.
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What is Backward Pass for AON?
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The calculation of the late finish dates and late start dates for the uncompleted poritons of all schedule activities. Determined by working backwards through the schedule network logic from the projects end date.
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How do you reduce project duration?
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Reduce amount of work
Use appropriate technology Pay attention to motivation of project team Get support rom executives and other stakeholders use more resources use more sophisticated/expensive resources |
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What is the Critical Path Method?
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The method to trade off time and cost.
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What is Normal time?
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Whatever work effort is considered normal - basis for the contractors's bid or minium cost
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What is Crash Time?
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the maximum resources applied to obtain the shortest time
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In a project where do you reduce work or add resources?
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The critical path
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How far can an activity be reduced?
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Either to its crash time or by the amount of slack time on parallel non-critical paths
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Cost Trade off Principles:
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Focus on the critical path
Chose least costly (lowest cost slope) alternative to shorten project duration first If project duraction has not been reduced sufficiently choose next cheapter alternative Keep an eye on all non-critical paths If a non-critical path becomes critical reduce, activity duraction on this path as well. |
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What are alternative methods for Time-Cost Tradeoffs?
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1. Crash step by step as illustrated
2. For the shortest duration a. initially crash all activities b. relax activities c. relax activiy with highest cost slope first d. continue with the next slope. |
