Work Breakdown Structure and Quality Standards for Project Management

Overview of work breakdown structure

Work breakdown structure 
Overview of work breakdown structure 
It requires an extensive planning and involves various activities at different phases of the project which require effective control and implementation strategies (Kerzner, 2017). However to ensure proper control on project execution, it is important to organize project activities properly to lead the project to success. To organize the project activities, a work breakdown structure has been designed where the overall project has been divided into smaller work packages to estimate schedule and cost and assign resources accordingly. Each of these work packages consist of several activities that are to be completed for completing the project as per requirements and scope of the project (Burghate, 2018). The main purpose of dividing the overall project into smaller work packages with each work package is being divided into lower level activities is to complete the project successfully without compromising on project performance and overall quality of the project.

Quality Standards

The PMO can enhance a firm’s Project Management Maturity by utilizing one of the following 3
models to assess a firm’s project performance over time.
• Organizational Project Management Maturity Model or OPM3®
• Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
• Kerzner’s Maturity Model

All 3 Models have 5 stages that are used to:
• Perform a gap analysis based on a firm’s current state of project management maturity
• Develop a path for improvement
• Provide guidance on how to prioritize projects

Quality Objectives

Metric or Specification 

1. Delivery Speed 
2. # of Projects Managed by PMO
3. Return on Investment 
4. Knowledge Area Rating 

Measure

1. Projects completed ahead of schedule by more than 10% should be rated “high” in delivery speed while those completed behind schedule by more than 10% should be rated “low.” Projects that fall in between should be rated “average”.

2.  Project Managed by PMO should increase by 20% every 6 months.

3. Every day invested in a project should result in an increase of 10% to a firm’s goals every year.

4. A rating of “high,” “average” or “low” should be assigned for each of the 10 knowledge areas per project. For example, if cost management was rated “average” for 5 out of 10 projects, then the rating for the 10 projects in cost management should be “average.

Quality Roles and Responsibilities

Roles

1. PMO Manager
2. Help Desk Specialists 
3. PMO Analyst 

Responsibilities
1. Develops PMO Value Proposition and Project Charter
2. Provide Customer Service and respond to help desk calls.

3. Conducts monthly forecast; creates ad hoc reports; generates project portfolio reports Deliverables and Processes Subject to Quality Review

Deliverables

Monthly Reports on:
1. Delivery Speed
2. # of Projects Managed by PMO
3. Return on Investment
4. Knowledge Area Rating

Processes
The following processes require verification:
• Ensuring firm is following the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK)
• Common methodologies are being followed

• Firm has developed a single methodology  Quality Management Approach

• Conduct an organizational audit/review every 6 months over a 2-year period
• Obtain feedback from key staff on how PMO is (or is not) assisting them
• The PMO maturity model supports for-profit and not-for-profit entities alike

Quality Control Approach

Review each stage of maturity to see if there is:
• More value
• More alignment between functional areas
• More executive awareness and support
• Greater synchronization between projects, project managers, and project teams
• A road map that Senior Executives can use to evaluate their progress

Applicable Quality Procedures

Procedures that will be used once the PMO is implemented include:
• Random selection of projects to assess conformance (or non-conformance) to Pmbok
• Taking corrective actions (e.g. additional staff training) to ensure compliance
• Conducting a Quality Audit every 6 months
• Having the PMO Manager emphasize continuous improvement throughout the firm for managing projects and is committed
• Firm is benchmarking themselves against competitors to determine best practice