Free Custom «Project Management » Essay Paper

Scope management

This refers to all the processes that ensure that all tasks required are included to ensure that the project is completed successfully. Scope management can either be product scope or project scope. Product scope refers to all the functions and characteristics that are to be included in a service or a product; this is to ensure that the product is completed in the desired features. Project scope on the other hand refers to the work and tasks required to complete a particular service or product. This ensures that the all preparation is done so that no crucial activity is left out.

Items a project manager is to look out for closely for scope creep

a. Time-This refers to the scheduling of the whole project and estimating how much time  will be used to complete the project. It is very important to a project manager as any changes to time will affect the whole project. The manager should always allow for any delays that might come up which might affect the whole project and prepare for them accordingly, This is referred to as the float.

b. Cost- the manager should constantly check the cost to date against the budget. Cost is very important in any project and thus the project manger should ensure that the costs incurred to date match with the projected costs. The manager should also be keen as other costs not relevant to the project may come up and this may affect the funding of the project.The manager should also pay close attention to the cost centers in the project to ensure that each cost is allocated to its cost centre.

c. Scope- the manager should check closely whether the activities being undertaken are in line with the expectations of the project. This will help the manager to notice any deviations from the expected outcome or product and thus corrective measures taken in time.

d. Quality- the project manager should keep reviewing the quality of the work produced as the project progresses. If quality of work is not checked during the processing, then the quality of the whole project may be compromised. The manager should set up ways to check the quality of the work done at different stages of the project, this could be by observation, walk through and testing. It is therefore very important to ensure that quality is checked at every stage of the project.

e. Actions- It is important for the project manager to keep a close watch to the activities being undertaken to ensure that no action is outstanding. Action are the main activities that lead the project into completion, the manager should, thus, be very keen as any delay in the actions would delay the whole project and might have catastrophic consequences

f. Human resource- This refers to the human capital used in the project. The manager should be concerned with this item to ensure that there is no labor wastage, It is also important as the manager is able to know which activities need more work force and those that require reduction in the work force. It also ensures that there is no idle labour that is being paid to workers. It is also necessary to ensure that the workers in the project are fully qualified for the duties they are carrying out Workers should also be held responsible for the duty they have been allocated.

Monitoring the above items

Time-the most important tool to manage a project is a time schedule; it helps the manager to know if the project is on time. At some point in a project, some activities may be ahead of the schedule and some activities behind schedule, the time schedule therefore helps the manger to know the activities that are behind schedule and those that are ahead. Time schedules are also crucial as they help the manager to know which activities to slow down and which ones to speed up.

Cost- The project manger should always have the budget to be able to monitor the cost of the project, On top of the budget, the manager should draw a project cash flow which shows the actual costs incurred the comparison between the cash flow and the budget helps the manager to detect any changes. The manager should also be able to allocate costs to different cost centers as to know which costs centre are taking up more costs than others. The cash flow also helps to identify which actions are having higher costs than others.

Human resource- the manager should draw a projection for the human resource at the beginning of the project; this will help him know how many people will be required to work for the project and how many hours each person has to work. As the project goes on daily time sheets of the workers should be filled and compared to the projection to know if the project is consuming more or less labor. This way, the manager is able to monitor the human resource.

Scope-Every project will always have several scope changes. These scope changes should always be allowed for in the planning stages. The manger should set a tracking system of the changes and they should be recorded as soon as they are detected.

Quality- The project manger should set up a quality assurance project plan which should have activities to monitor the quality of the work done. These activities should be undertaken as the project goes on and compared to the plan. Examples of these activities are inspection, testing and walkthroughs. Any deviations detected from the plan should be rectified immediately. This way the manager is able to monitor the quality of the products.

Actions- The project manager should ensure that he assigns every action to a particular person who will be held responsible, This way, when the action is left behind schedule, the person responsible is held to accountable, This will ensure that all actions are carried out according to plan.

Assignment two

a. Select a complex Work Packages from your project's WBS

Human capital management

Activity	Time required
Identify the number of workers required	2
Identify the skills required	2
identify the number of hours required  for the completion	6
determine the amount of remuneration	1
advertise for the positions	1
Recruit	2
Train the staff	3
Allocate duties and resposibilities	2
Appoint team leaders	1

The resource here is the managing of human capital. It entails identifying and developing a work force that will help in the process of construction of the field.

Work effort in this resource involves the process of identifying the number of people required in the construction of the soccer field from the preparation of the land to the end of the construction. The efforts basically starts with the identification of the number of workers required, the skills required and the remunerations to be paid to the workers. The project manager in conjunction with the manager in charge of human resources places advertisements on the vacancies for people to apply for the jobs. After applications are received, the process of recruitment that entails the selection of successful candidates starts and training follows. The manager then allocates duties and responsibilities to the workers who are now ready to start the work. Finally, the manager gives out the tools and machinery need to work.