Analyzing Scope Creep

The project which I am currently working on at work has experienced a major amount of scope creep over the months, and it seems to be continuing. It seems as though once one change is allowed, then the changes, or “scope creep” continues to happen over and over again. This has affected both the schedule and the budget. While the end delivery date has remained the same, the intermediate timelines of individual portions of the projects have been moved and juggled around. In terms of the budget it seems as though we (the company I work for) is making the changes requested by the client at our expense. Although I am sure there were funds held aside for this very reason. I cannot say for sure, but only speculate from what I hear and see.

I am actually part of the team that is in charge of implementing these changes. While they are value adds to the web-based courses, these changes come a great expense across the board. To make it even more frustrating these changes in scope would have quite easy to do early in the process, these changes were even suggested by IDs and team leads early on; however since they were over-and-above in terms of interactivity level, we were told to incorporate our ideas. In some cases, we were told they were not possible to do on our system. However, now that the client wants the changes and our company wants to try and secure future business, they are willing to implement what the customer wants at great costs.

Scope creep is something that should be expected to occur in any project. As a project gets involved new things come up, and a PM should know this and have a change in scope ready (Stolovitvh, Video). The PM needs to be prepared, and have his or her team prepared for what might arise. This can be eased through good communication and building a solid relationship with those working on the project. "Avoiding scope creep is not possible." However, monitoring it, controlling it, and thereby reducing some of the pain is possible" (Portney, et al., p. 347). This is why it is imperative to create a sound Statement of Work, project scope, schedule (with wiggle room), budget, communication plan, and close-out checklist. In other words, have a plan in place follow it and communicate it to your team.

References

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Stolovitch. Monitoring Projects. Video Retrieved February 9, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4744643&Survey=1&47=6447409&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Communicating Effectively

I did not find Jane to carry a positive tone in any of the forms: email, voicemail, or face-to-face. As I viewed each of the modalities I interpreted a similar meaning. In the email I got the message of, if you can't do it, then I will do it myself. In the voicemail her tone came off as somewhat condescending, as did her tone in the face-to-face meeting; however in the face-to-face meeting there was the addition of non-verbal communication that sent the additional message that Jane was not happy, even though she showed a big-fake smile at the end. In each of the modalities I noticed right away the use of "I", "your", and "my own." There was no indication of teamwork. One difference I noticed was in the email the message seemed authoritative, while in the voicemail and face-to-face to meeting Jane seemed somewhat passive.

I think the same message could have been conveyed in a more positive manner. I understand what as a project manager it is Jane's responsibility to make her team accountable and to create a sense of urgency, but there are proper ways to approach the situation. "Merely assigning people to perform selected tasks on a project does not create a project team" (Portney, etal., p. 301). Good communication throughout a project will help to create a team atmosphere.

References

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The Art of Effective Communication [Multimedia Program]

http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html

Worm Dissection

All of us have taken a high school biology class, and I am sure that all of us had to dissect a worm. When I taught 10th grade biology, my class had to dissect a worm and many other specimens as well. I have no problem dissecting or teaching students how to dissect, so that is not where this project went astray. The problem was in the communication between me and the more seasoned biology teachers.

For all other dissections throughout this course the specimens where stored in a tub filled with formaldehyde. However, I did not know that the other teachers did not use these worms; instead they used "Walt's Crawlers" i.e. night crawlers used for fishing. It seems the formaldehyde worms were not of great quality... I did not know this, but now I do.

This problem could have been resolved on my end by talking with the other biology teachers, completing the lab in advance, or even reading online that in most classes the live version is preferred. While I would not call this project a complete failure, it was not a success either. The worms were not of the greatest quality because they were old, since no one ever used them. Also, once the students caught wind that all the other classes got to dissect live worms, I heard from that end. It is not nearly as fun to dissect a stinky preserved worm as it is to dissect a fresh one.

My lack of pre-planning and communication caused the lab project to be less successful than I, and the students, would have liked.

Project Management in ISD

I look forward to working with each of you as we explore our way through the ins and outs of project management.