Please respond to the both POST1 and POST2 in at least 200 words

POST1:

Module 3: Discussion

Project Management Institute (2017) defines the planning phase of a project as processes that establish the effort of a project by defining and refining the objective for the actions needed to reach the destination of our project. The project cannot be started without a proper plan in place to ensure a smooth transaction. The plan will define all aspects of the project, as well as how each element will be performed. Common steps are a series of management steps such as Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, HR, Communication, Risk and Procurement. Project deliverables are outcomes that can be measured. By completing the planning process, we can help to ensure a more favorable deliverable or outcome.

Where I work, we do not have a project management team. Most projects are based on departments. In my department, it is my responsibility to do this. Unfortunately, our project management is a bit unconventional because we do not get the luxury of time to plan something. Instructions are delivered from upper management on the fly, so a general and basic planning process is completed. We usually have a tiny window of time to get tasks completed and delivered.

My department is the training department in a mortgage due diligence firm. Generally, I start out planning a project by having a meeting with upper management to obtain the project details and the reasons why the project is needed. We then identify our audience to determine the depth of training required. We will then define our timeline and what tasks can be completed within the deadline based on availability and technology. A schedule is created, and duties are assigned to each specific co-worker. We meet with all people assigned to the project to go over the details then we kick it off. We coordinate along the way our progress, and each person picks up any pieces that fall behind. For the most part, we generally meet our deadlines. It may not sometimes be perfect but given our timeline we will usually get the job done.

References

Project Management Institute [PMI]. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (PMBOK ® Guide) (6th ed.). Newton Square, PA: PMI Publications.

POST2:

According to the Project Management Institute (2017) , the planning process group consist of processes that establish the total scope of the effort, define and refine objectives, and develop the course of action to obtain those objectives. The common steps associated with the processes include scope management, schedule management, cost management, quality management, resource management, communications management, procurement management, risk management, and stakeholder management. Deliverable outcomes that are associated from the project planning process involve project schedule development such as work breakdown structures (WBS) and project schedules.

In the construction/architecture industry, mostly all projects are dependent on maintaining project schedules. There are many software to develop project schedules and one that I have been able to recently utilize is Microsoft Projects. Developing a baseline schedule using a Gantt Chart offers the team a visualization to the entire project from start to finish. To develop a Gantt Chart, we first have to establish a WBS, which gives us a overall view of the schedule by breaking down the components of the project. This mitigates any issues that may arise that involve uncertainty throughout the project by being aware of the decomposition of the scope of work. Krzemiński (2016) describes that uncertainty is a major factor that affects project execution so by defining the methods of the construction tasks can help determine if schedule adjustments need to take place to accommodate any unanticipated events.

References

Krzemiński M. (2016). Construction Scheduling and Stability of the Resulting Schedules. Archives of Civil Engineering, 62(2), 89–100. https://doi.org/10.1515/ace-2015-0067

Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) — Sixth Edition and Agile Practice Guide (ENGLISH). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.