Project Scope, Cost, and Time Management Planning Techniques

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes:

1.  Evaluate and apply a range of project scope, cost and time management planning techniques and practices to address the needs of complex project briefs, including global, paying particular attention to issues impacting project outcomes.

2.  Present and justify budgetary and planning outcomes to a globally diverse range of stakeholders who represent competing interests in order to obtain agreement and commitment to action

The backbone of a project manager’s work is the Project Management Plan. This plan is the document which describes how the project will be executed, monitored and controlled. It integrates and consolidates all of the subsidiary plans and baselines from the planning processes. In this subject, you will be creating components of a Project Management Plan for your selected Case Study.

Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully. Managing the project scope is primarily concerned with defining and controlling what is and is not included in the project.

Project Time Management includes the processes required to manage the timely completion of the project. Plan Time Management is the process of establishing the policies, procedures, and documentation for planning, developing, managing, executing, and controlling the project schedule.

Effective scope management is one of the key factors determining project success. Failure to accurately interpret a client's needs or problems will produce a misleading definition (scope of work). If this causes rework and additional effort, there may be project cost and time implications. Therefore project success will be self-limiting if the scope of work is not adequately defined.

This assessment has two parts: Module 2 Discussion Activity (Part A) and Scope and Time Management documentation (Part B).

Schedule Management.

How might changes to project scope affect the project's schedule, and how would a project manager formally communicate such variances to project stakeholders? Illustrate some examples from the given case study to support your discussion.

In this subject, you will be creating subsidiary management plans of a Project Management Plan using the information found in the case study provided by your learning facilitator at the commencement of the subject.

The plans must contain, but not limited to, the following plan components:

• Project goals and objectives
• Project scope statement
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Project schedule

For the project scope statement and WBS, you can use the templates found in this module’s Learning Resources or a format of your own. For the project schedule, you are responsible for submitting a schedule and a network diagram using the critical path method (CPM). Your schedule can be created using scheduling software e.g. ProjectLibre or Microsoft Project. Your network diagram can be hand-drawn and scanned or created using drawing tools e.g. in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint.

Context

Vehicle Maintenance Facility project is a hypothetical corporate vehicle maintenance facility, and is designed to contain features that are typical in small?scale commercial buildings.  he contract itself is assumed to be a fixed?price, fixed?scope arrangement between an owner and a general contractor. All code and zoning approvals have been obtained, and construction can begin immediately upon receipt of the notice to proceed.

The site is located on a city street in an industrial park. The existing slope of the site is minimal, and bringing the site to finish grade does not require large amounts of excavation. The site plan contains a large parking lot to allow for vehicle parking and movement during servicing. The paving is asphalt over graded aggregate base with concrete curb and gutter, and runoff is handled by catch basins and 18?inch corrugated metal pipe storm drains.

The building itself contains two main areas, which are a high bay space for actual vehicle servicing, and an attached office and training area. The structure of both spaces consists of CMU walls with steel joist roof structures, with concrete floors.

The vehicle servicing area is designed for handling pickup trucks and light vans. It has four service bays with roll?up doors at both ends, and a service pit under two of the bays which allows easier access to the underside of vehicles. Also, the servicing area contains vehicle lifts, oil and lube, coolant and air conditioning service equipment, as well electrical and pneumatic power outlets. Heating of this space is done with suspended gas?fired heating units. Compressed air is provided by an air compressor located in an adjacent room.

The office and training area is finished space, with steel studs and gypsum wall partitions, suspended ceilings, and varied floor finishes. In addition to finished office and classroom space, this area contains restrooms, a locker room, and an employee break room. All doors are hollow metal with standard commercial hardware, with the exception of the front entrance, which is commercial storefront.

The heating and cooling of the office areas is done using two systems, each consisting of exterior condenser unit, plus air handling units in a dedicated room, and ductwork mounted above the suspended ceiling. In addition to standard power and lighting, the building has modern voice and data systems, as well as a wired fire alarm system.

As the new project manager, you are pondering what to do next. After discussion with your project administrator you realise that you need to do some work in relation to the Project Management Plan that you are busy developing.