ARCHIVED - Project Management Core Competencies

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4. Project Management

Objective: To ensure that the project is managed correctly.

Introduction

Project Management skills are organized around the nine knowledge areas described in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) published by the Project Management Institute (reference 3). The core competencies in the Project Human Resources Management area are covered in Section 3 - General Management. The PMBOK area called Project Communications Management has been renamed Project Reporting Management to avoid confusion with Section 2 - General Management: Communications.

The following table summarizes the nine knowledge areas and their objectives.

KNOWLEDGE AREA	OBJECTIVE
Project Integration Management	To co-ordinate the diverse components of the project by quality project planning, execution and change control to achieve required balance of time, cost and quality.
Project Scope Management	To create quality product by including only the required work, and to control scope changes.
Project Time Management	To ensure timely completion of the project.
Project Cost Management	To ensure that the project is completed within allotted budgets.
Project Quality Management	To ensure that the product will satisfy the requirements.
Project Human Resource Management	To employ quality leadership to achieve quality teamwork.
Project Reporting Management (PMBOK Project Communications Management)	To distribute quality project information.
Project Risk Management	To identify and control risk.
Project Procurement Management	To ensure quality service or product acquisition.

4.1 Project Integration Management

Objective: To co-ordinate the diverse components of the project by quality project planning, execution and change control to achieve required balance of time, cost and quality.

Project integration management ensures the effective integration of a project into the organization's total business and co-ordination of the diverse components of the project. This includes setting up the planning and control systems for project selection, planning the total project and co-ordinating the activities in the other eight knowledge areas. It also includes working with everyone in the organization who is involved in the project, not only the immediate stakeholders.

PM Levels Core Competencies	Project Sponsor	Project Leader	PM Master	PM Profes- sional	PM Intern
Select the appropriate mix of projects for the time period to fit in with business and organizational needs.	4	4	5	3	0
Create a coherent, consistent project plan that takes into account all aspects of the project.	2	2	5	5	2
Execute the activities in the project plan.	1	2	5	5	3
Co-ordinate and manage business, organizational, technological and resource changes that affect the entire project.	1	2	5	4	3
Define a baseline plan for the project's scope, time and cost plan. Devise monitoring systems that compare progress against the baseline plan. Recognize when the project is seriously deviating from the baseline.	1	2	5	4	3
Redefine the scope, time and cost plan for the project when one factor must be traded off against the other - when, for example, one must spend additional money to speed up the project.	1	2	5	4	3
Shut down the project at appropriate review points if it seems headed for disaster.	5	5	5	4	1
Determine the usefulness of project management software tools to the project, and acquire those deemed suitable.	0	0	5	4	3
Use project management software tools to help plan and control the project.	0	0	5	5	3

4.2 Project Scope Management

Objective: To create quality product by including only the required work, and to control scope changes.

PM Levels Core Competencies	Project Sponsor	Project Leader	PM Master	PM Profes- sional	PM Intern
Develop a business case for the project that identifies and analyzes costs, benefits and risks of possible alternative solutions and that fits in with departmental, branch and group objectives.	2	5	5	4	1
Investigate the availability of similar products in the government or in private industry. Include build/buy/enhance alternatives in the business case. Make the build/buy decisions as appropriate.	1	1	5	4	2
Develop an opportunity analysis based on the client's business drivers, future orientation requirements and technology enablers.	2	2	5	4	1
Define client needs and, from this, the scope of the project, in order to correctly and effectively determine specifications and allocate resources.	1	2	5	4	3
Identify project objectives, desired benefits, and results and risks to be managed.	2	5	5	4	1
Determine whether the scope is too large, and subdivide major deliverables into smaller, more manageable projects.	1	2	5	4	3
Use tools such as work breakdown structures to subdivide the project into components and tasks, and to define all the project work.	0	0	5	5	4
Scope out and define project roles and responsibilities, deliverables, time estimates and resources (including personnel, technology and equipment).	0	2	5	4	3
Ensure that all project activities are aligned with client, departmental and government plans.	3	3	5	4	1
Develop a written scope statement outlining the extents and limits of the project.	1	1	5	4	3
Develop a project charter that brings together the business need, the proposed solution, and the preliminary plan for scope, time and cost. The project charter will serve as a proposal or contract document, which is used to get project approval.	2	5	5	4	3
Identify and manage changes to project requirements as they affect scope, and ensure congruence with and relevance to the established or revised business case.	1	2	5	4	3
Control scope changes that affect the project schedule. React to changes as appropriate.	1	2	5	4	3
Monitor project scope progress against the plan. Recognize problems.	1	2	5	5	3
Conclude the project when all requirements have been met.	1	1	5	4	3

4.3 Project Time Management

Objective: To ensure timely completion of the project.

PM Levels Core Competencies	Project Sponsor	Project Leader	PM Master	PM Profes- sional	PM Intern
Prepare a project schedule baseline plan that accurately reflects tasks, time estimates and resources (including personnel, technology and equipment) associated with each task.	1	1	5	4	3
Estimate the effort, resources and time required to complete individual activities.	0	0	5	5	3
Identify internal and external dependencies, as well as lead times and lag times, in order to calculate the shortest realistic schedule.	0	1	5	4	3
Identify resource skills and availability and apply them to the non-resource- levelled schedule.	0	0	5	4	3
Use manual and automated tools, such as PERT and Gantt charts, to schedule the work.	0	2	5	4	3
Use statistical tools to calculate the probabilities of meeting the project dates.	0	0	5	4	3
From the schedule, determine key dates, such as milestones and gates, and devise project control methods around them.	1	2	5	4	3
From the schedule, determine the critical path tasks and their resources and devise project control methods around them.	0	2	5	5	3
Control project schedule progress using schedule performance reporting tools, such as earned value and cost/schedule project monitoring systems (C/SPMS). Determine which tasks are on or off the baseline schedule at the moment, and which future tasks are affected.	1	1	5	4	3
Control scope changes that affect the project schedule; revise the schedule as necessary. React to changes as appropriate.	0	1	5	5	3
Control the amount of time spent on individual activities. Control resource usage. Revise the schedule and reassign activities as appropriate.	0	0	5	5	3

4.4 Project Cost Management

Objective: To ensure that the project is completed within allotted budgets.

PM Levels Core Competencies	Project Sponsor	Project Leader	PM Master	PM Profes- sional	PM Intern
Prepare an annual baseline plan budget, broken down by time period, task and cost account, as appropriate, to reflect business practices and achieve business objectives.	1	2	5	4	3
Determine what type and quantity of resources - such as people and equipment - are needed to complete the project activities.	0	2	5	4	3
Use the quantity and cost of each resource needed to complete the project activities to develop an estimate of the cost of each task.	0	0	5	5	3
Use the schedule to prepare a cash flow forecast for the project.	1	2	5	4	3
Use tools such as project management systems, spreadsheets and other manual and automated financial systems to control the budget and expenses.	1	2	5	5	3
Use statistical tools to calculate the probabilities of meeting the project costs and devise risk management methods to handle variances.	0	1	5	4	3
Control changes to the project budget. React to changes as appropriate.	1	5	5	4	3
Control scope changes that affect the project cost; revise the budget as necessary.	2	5	5	4	3
Control project expenditures by item and cost account as appropriate, using cost performance reporting tools such as earned value and C/SPMS. Determine which tasks are on or off the baseline budget at the moment, and whether future cash flows are affected.	0	2	5	4	3

4.5 Project Quality Management

Objective: To ensure that the product will satisfy the requirements.

PM Levels Core Competencies	Project Sponsor	Project Leader	PM Master	PM Profes- sional	PM Intern
Identify which quality control standards - for example, ISO 9000 and ISO 10000 - are relevant to the project, and determine how to satisfy them.	0	1	5	4	3
Produce a quality management plan that quantifies and co-ordinates the activities that will accurately assess the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of the system.	1	2	5	4	3
Conduct quality assurance activities regularly to ensure that the project will satisfy the relevant quality standards.	0	0	5	5	3
Prevent defects by monitoring specific project results to determine whether they comply with relevant quality control standards. Manage the technical quality of the system by using walkthroughs, reviews, testing, defect removal, and independent validation and verification.	0	1	5	5	3
Make progress towards quality goals by acting on negative results detected during quality control activities.	0	0	5	4	3

4.6 Project Human Resource Management

See Section 2 - General Management
Sections 3.5 Leadership, 3.6 Interpersonal Relations and 3.7 Communications

4.7 Project Reporting Management

Objective: To Distribute quality project information.

Project reporting management ensures timely and appropriate generation, dissemination, storage and ultimate disposal of project information.

PM Levels Core Competencies	Project Sponsor	Project Leader	PM Master	PM Profes- sional	PM Intern
Determine the information and communication needs of stakeholders: who needs what information, when they need it and how it should be provided.	2	3	5	4	2
Develop a communications plan detailing who will receive information, what information they will receive, and when and in what format they will receive it. Also, decide how the information will be gathered and stored.	1	2	5	4	3
Implement methods to monitor project progress, such as status meetings and reports.	2	2	5	5	3
Make necessary information available to project stakeholders in a concise and timely fashion, using verbal, textual and graphical reporting tools.	2	2	5	5	3
Set and, if necessary, reset stakeholder expectations.	5	5	5	4	3
Manage client and stakeholder relationships to ensure commitment and involvement, and to encourage effective collaboration.	2	5	5	3	2
Report on the progress of project schedule, cost and scope. Compare present status to the baseline and forecast future trends using earned value analysis. Warn stakeholders if changes will affect them.	1	3	5	4	3
Manage business process changes as necessary.	2	5	5	4	3
Generate, gather and disseminate information to formalize phase and project completion.	0	2	5	4	3
Do a post-project audit and ensure that the actuals, risks, general findings and 'lessons learned' are documented and disseminated to support a continuous learning culture.	1	2	5	4	3

4.8 Project Risk Management

Objective: To identify and control risk.

The core competencies in this section are based on the processes documented in the Continuous Risk Management Guidebook, published by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) (reference 5). Although the activities described are very similar to those documented in the PMBOK, the SEI processes are used because they are tailored to IT projects.

PM Levels Core Competencies	Project Sponsor	Project Leader	PM Master	PM Profes- sional	PM Intern
Use standard risk management techniques to write a risk management plan to document the process, activities, milestones and responsibilities.	1	1	5	4	3
Assign resources for managing risk.	0	2	5	4	3
Use personal history, or a risk database along with the project plan, to identify internal risks (those under the control of the project, such as technology used and staff hired) and external risks (those not under the control of the project, such as the economy and the political climate).	0	1	5	4	3
Integrate risks from different sources. Evaluate risk interactions to assess the range of possible project outcomes.	0	2	5	4	3
Use risk management charts, spreadsheets and other tools to evaluate and prioritize risks. Determine which ones are most likely to affect the project.	1	2	5	4	3
Plan how to eliminate or mitigate risks by assigning responsibility to develop contingency plans.	1	1	5	5	3
Use statistical methods to develop a project cost and time estimate range quantified by risk probability and confidence level.	0	2	5	4	3
Communicate risks and their possible results to stakeholders.	3	5	5	4	3
Monitor risk warnings and events; respond as early as possible.	0	2	5	5	3
Track risks and change the risk items over the course of the project according to the risk management plan.	1	2	5	5	3
Document all actual risk events. Feed this information back into the risk database and subsequent risk management processes.	0	0	5	4	3

4.9 Project Procurement Management

Objective: To ensure quality service or product acquisition.

Project procurement management ensures effective acquisition of goods and services from outside the organization. (Note: 'outside the organization' does not necessarily mean outside the federal government; in the same vein, the contract may be a memorandum of understanding, a specific service agreement or other type of agreement.)

The core competencies in this section are based on the processes documented by the SEI (reference 4) and in ISO 12207, Information Technology Life-cycle Processes (reference 6). Although the activities described are very similar to those documented in the PMBOK, the SEI and ISO processes are used since they are tailored to IT projects.

PM Levels Core Competencies	Project Sponsor	Project Leader	PM Master	PM Profes- sional	PM Intern
Use the project plan and input from the procurement authorities to develop a procurement strategy that details what to procure, how to procure it (type of contract), when to prevent it and at what cost, as well as the procurement strategy.	2	2	5	4	3
Develop and manage, through early liaison with the procurement authorities, agreements with external vendors and contractors.	1	1	5	4	3
Identify and use the internal and external organizational processes needed to acquire goods and services through contracts.	0	0	5	4	3
In liaison with the procurement authorities, prepare procurement support documentation such as specifications, statement of work, request for information, request for proposal, evaluation criteria and vendor lists.	0	2	5	5	3
Obtain proposals as appropriate.	0	0	5	4	3
Select a proposal by systematically applying evaluation criteria and researching supplier background information.	1	2	5	4	3
In concert with the procurement authorities, establish the contract and ensure that all contractual parties satisfy the terms and conditions of the contract.	0	2	5	4	3
Be aware of and approve any subcontracts entered into by the contractor; however, the prime contractor manages the subcontractors.	0	2	5	4	1
Systematically control changes to the contract; amend the contract as necessary if the requirements change.	1	1	5	4	2
Manage the vendor relationship to ensure open lines of communication and to make it easier to resolve problems.	1	2	5	4	3
Monitor the contractor's performance in relation to cost, schedule, scope and quality by applying appropriate project quality management processes, such as validation, verification and acceptance. As a corollary, terminate the contract if non-performance warrants it.	1	1	5	4	3
Integrate the outputs of the contract into the overall management of the project.	0	0	5	4	3
Ensure prompt payments based on factors such as deliverables, milestones, time or other accomplishments, as per the agreement.	0	2	5	4	2
When finished, close out the contract; resolve open items and ensure payment.	1	2	5	4	2

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