Module 2 - Project Planning

4/28/2019 Laureate International Universities
MODULE 2 - PROJECT PLANNING
Learning Resources
Scope Creep
Be afraid. Be very afraid…of project scope creep.
It begins innocuously enough. You may not even think it is worth worrying about but slowly it insidiously
eats away at the very core of your project management plan, the scope statement, until it no longer has
any resemblance to the once pristine and manageable document it was. Scope creep hurtles you
uncontrollably toward total project failure while it snowballs through all areas of your management plan,
destroying it piece by piece until there is nothing left to destroy.
OK. Maybe that was a bit melodramatic but if you allow scope creep to take hold in your project, your
dreams at night may resemble that scenario. Scope creep is also known as focus creep, feature creep,
function creep or requirement creep. It happens when uncontrolled changes or added goals are snuck
into a project.
If you have ever been involved in house renovations you may well be aware of scope creep, that is,
variations to the original project scope once the project is underway, e.g. Your partner wanted a new sink
and you budgeted for a basic but e ective double sink with silver taps, but after seeing a neighbours new
rainbow coloured eco-friendly sink with inbuilt waterfall sound system, nothing will stop family
arguments until you change from your original basic to the same deluxe sink as the neighbour. Ouch,
that hurts the budget, the team cohesion, the schedule and it diminishes the value of the scope
statement. Did you think that rainbow coloured eco-friendly sink installations need specialist plumbers,
changed planning permissions and press releases? No, and if you had, your entire project scope and
resource requirements would have been completely di erent.
Establishing the scope of a project and sticking to it is what makes project management easier to control;
but that is in an ideal project management world. In reality there are many in uences during the project
implementation that cannot be foreseen and it is those in uences that can initiate scope creep. The
project sponsor may suddenly think of an added extra that he feels will enhance the project deliverable
and wants it built in to the project scope. That poses a considerable risk to the project because it can
cause a project to run over budget or over time.
Documenting the changes, estimating the a ect the changes will have on time, cost and quality and
having those changes authorised by delegated authorities takes some of the danger away from the
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scope creep threats.

A project manager should never be afraid to say 'no'. It is much better to refuse to expand a project
beyond its original scope and disappoint some people than to end up with a project that runs badly over
time, badly over budget and makes a lot of people stressed, frustrated and angry.
There are a series of steps you can take to manage project scope.
1. Firmly e.g. The project sponsor wants a new website built for her home business.
establish the WHY? Without questioning you will not understand that she is an author and
reasoning wants it to increase book sales. Without that knowledge you may build a
behind the
website that may not suit that purpose at all. When the client views the
desired
progress and demands changes made because it wasn’t what she wanted, your
project
scope has crept.
deliverable.
2. Be dynamic Collaborate with the client to rmly establish project scope. A client has an
in helping idea, a dream, a goal but does not have project management knowledge. You
your client have the PM knowledge but don’t understand the ideals of the client, so
establish
collaboration is a must. Don’t be afraid to be assertive when discussing speci c
their ideas
outcomes. Ensure the client reads and understands the project scope before
signing it. Never allow them to come back and say “but I thought you meant….”
3. Get
Scope creep a ects time and cost. Establishing accurate estimations prior to
thorough
estimations authorisations will lead to a project being successful. Failing to estimate

of time and correctly is going to ruin your credibility as a competent project manager. The
cost.
Work Breakdown Structure is crucial here, as are your abilities in costing and
scheduling estimations.
4. Get it Get the Project Initiation Documents authorized and then, in instances where
authorised!!!! you decide to accept changes to a project's scope, get the changes properly
documented and authorised along with any ow-on changes to other aspects
of the project. Again, make sure the client completely understands what they
are signing.
Let’s go back to your nightmares. To be honest, you can rest easy if you view scope creep as not
something to be feared, but something to be removed from the project altogether. If you and your client
both understand the project scope, pre-empt conditions that may cause changes during project
implementation, make accurate estimations on time, cost and quality boundaries and work together to
achieve the project deliverables, scope creep will not be an issue.
Triple Constraint Triangle
The most basic features of a project are:
Projects must be delivered within cost
Projects must be delivered on time
Projects must meet the agreed scope – no more, no less
Projects must also meet customer quality requirements
These are known as the project constraints.
The three constraints that a ect a project scope are time, cost and quality requirements and can be
illustrated graphically in a triangle known as the triple constraint or iron triangle of project management.
The entire triangle is the perfect project with equality between all four quadrants. Take away one sub-
triangle and the triangle is no longer a perfect shape: the project su ers.
The triangle can be represented in many ways. Often it is only the sides of the triangle that are used to
represent time, cost and scope. Regardless of how the illustrated triangle is drawn, the fact remains that
the concept of each constraint a ecting the others holds true.
Imagine this scenario:

You are hungry and go to a café for a meal. The café serves meals which take a little time to prepare
(time) but they are proud that (scope) all their meals are of high quality (quality). Do you expect to pay
the price of a bag of chips (cost) from the local take-away shop? No, of course not. You expect to pay a bit
more (expectation) to get the quality and you don’t mind waiting the extra time it takes to make that.
But let’s say you wanted a meal in a hurry. You pop into the local take-away who pride their outlet (scope)
on fast, (time) cheap (cost) meals, for a bag of chips. You get them quickly and cheaply but…well; the
quality leaves a little to be desired (quality). You expect that (expectations) because you sacri ced quality
for fast and cheap.
It is what matters most to you that dictates the outcome of your quest to satisfy your hunger.
Recently, the triple constraint triangle has been reinvented as a diamond shape where customer
expectations are a ected by cost, time, scope and quality.
Think of the project sponsor as the customer in this scenario. As project manager you need to ask what
the expectation is for the outcome of the project.
There will be xed constraints; budget, schedule or quality, and they will a ect the scope of the project.
Firm decisions must be made and documented as to which constraints are xed and which are variable.
Will the project allow for more time in the schedule to ensure quality control measures are carried
out at an extra initial cost, but to produce a more satisfying long term outcome?
Will the tight project budget determine the ultimate quality and resource schedule?
Will the project deadline determine the quality output and budgetary constraints?
By cutting the project scope will the timeline, costs and quality be a ected?
What does the customer expect?
It is a project manager’s responsibility to juggle the con icting constraints by using e ective management
measures which give the desired project outcomes. The most e ective measure is to educate your client
on the a ects each of the constraints has on project outcomes. Give examples so they will understand
the way each constraint a ects the other.
There is an old project management adage which says “Fast, Cheap, Good. Pick any two” and it does have
more than a grain of truth in it. Show your client that weighing each constraint against the other will
ultimately lead to the success of their project.
Stakeholder Pro les
In Module 1 we brie y looked at who project stakeholders could be and de ned a stakeholder as any
person or group that has contact with, or is a ected by the organisation’s operations. Stakeholders may
or may not bene t from the project but may a ect its outcome. There are basically two types of
stakeholders:
those who contribute to the project
those who are impacted by the project
Stakeholder analysis is about identifying everyone who may have in uence or interest in your project
and taking steps to manage them so that the project runs smoothly. It won’t always be easy to identify a
stakeholder’s interest. Some are obvious, some are not. An interest could also be in contradiction to the
interest of the project. Some interests could be multiple. So the analysis of stakeholders is far from just
identifying who will be involved in the project. Now remember, all of this is done during the initiation
phase in the project life cycle.
It is basically a four step process.
By de nition,
in uence is the level of involvement a person has

and
impact is the ability of the stakeholder to bring out a desired change.
Stakeholders have been pro led by Stephen Hartley in his book Project management : principles,
processes and practice published by Pearson Education Australia, c2009. Hartley lists primary
stakeholders who may be involved in a project and examines the main functions for each one.
Sponsor Identi es with and con rms the business need. Initiates the project. Often
(client, owner) provide funding, resource allocations and change approvals.
Project All projects are performed within an organisational unit. This organisation
organisation must align with and support the project.
Project The central repository for all matters concerning the project.
Management
O ce
Project Members come from a wide range of a ected departments/organisations

steering and provide governance to ensure objectives align with corporate and
committee strategic direction. They can also approve, prioritise and stop projects.
Portfolio Oversee all project tasks within their functional areas. Interested in strategic
managers alignment, client liaison, performance outcomes and bene ts, measurement
and reporting.
Program Manage a number of interdependent projects.

managers

Project Have single point authority, accountability and visibility to manage project
manager from start to nish.
Project team
Reports to project manager, provide technical expertise to perform all
project tasks
project tasks.
End users Will use the delivered project, product or service and should be involved in
project development.
It is important for a project manager to identify the stakeholders and to also gain full understanding of
the e ect each of the stakeholders may have on the project itself. This e ect could be positive or it could
be destructive.
Dr Lynda Bourne is an international authority on stakeholder engagement and she highlights the
di erent stakes a person or organisation may have in a project by using the acronym IRONIC. This stands
for:
I Interest A person or group of people believe they are indirectly or directly a ected by the
work or its outcomes
R Rights To be treated in a certain way or to have a particular right protected, including

legal rights and moral rights
O Ownership A circumstance when a person or group of people has a legal title to an asset or a
property a ected by, or needed for, the work
N kNowledge This is where she has taken a little poetic license with the spelling but the N
stands for Specialist knowledge or organisational knowledge needed for the work
I Impact or Impacted by the work or its outcomes, or can impact (or in uence) the execution
In uence of work or its outcomes
C Contribution Of support or assets including the supply of resources, the allocation of funding,
or providing advocacy for the objectives of the project
Stakeholders can also be categorised by their interests in a project:
Stakeholder Interest
Output - responsible for delivery of project outputs

delivery
Product -directly or indirectly use the output

usage
Product -ensure product is available for application and technical support

support
Funding -grants approval and releases funds and provides resources

authority
Contributor -provides inputs and services to project
Review / -ensures proper processes are followed

audit
Outcome -are those such as public or media and competitors to name a few
a ected
Related -may impact on ability to meet objectives

project
Stakeholder in uence and impact on project
To help you identify stakeholder’s interests you need to focus on the fact that each stakeholder is related
to the proposed objectives and activities of the project in some way. Answering the following questions
will help you identify the interests of the stakeholders.
What does the stakeholder expect from the project?
What bene ts are likely to eventuate from the project for the stakeholder?
What stakeholder interests con ict with project goals?
What resources might the stakeholder be able to contribute or withhold?
In some cases, the questions can be answered by your knowledge of the industry. More often, though,
consultation with the stakeholder will be necessary to determine the answers.
A project manager should analyse the stakeholders and examine each stakeholder’s in uence and
probable impact on the project.
Is the in uence:
High – has the capacity to make project success or failure?
Medium – can gain support for or against project ?
Low – little or no in uence on project?
Is their probable impact:
High – key player directly impacted by the project?
Medium – in uenced by higher level of leadership?
Low – impacted by change, follower of high and medium stakeholder?
When you have developed your list of stakeholders and have thought about the in uence and impact
they may have on the project depending on their interests, you can now assign certain priorities to each
of them in terms of how critical they are in helping deliver the outcomes of the project.
This will help prioritise communication and engagement activities with the people most likely to a ect
the project’s success, that is, the stakeholders. For example, a stakeholder who has the ability to set
deadlines and obviously a ect the project schedule would be classi ed as having a high impact.
Di erent methodologies suggest di erent ways of analysing stakeholders. Some are complex and some
are very simple. A common approach is to translate the interest and in uence of each stakeholder group
into a table or a picture known as an In uence/Impact Matrix.
A large proportion of the risks in project management are people based. The only way to identify,
manage and/or remove these risks is by the understanding of and management of your stakeholders.
Understanding a stakeholder involves knowing their likely attitudes to the project, the project team and
the risks associated with the project.
After performing an In uence/Impact study you must next develop a strategy to manage those identi ed
stakeholder attitudes and this will be based around how you engage with the stakeholder. Your goal is
to minimise any risks that the stakeholder poses to the project and to increase their commitment to, and
indeed their appreciation of the projects goals.
Stakeholders who have both high interest and high impact are the key players in the project. This is the
group that should be managed most closely and must be involved in all levels of project planning and
change management. As key players you should focus e orts on this group, involve them in decision
making, meet face to face with them to get their views - engage and consult with them regularly.
The stakeholders who t into the low in uence and low interest box are the least powerful and require
minimum e ort in management. These stakeholders should be participatory members in all project
status meetings and ad hoc meetings as required. You could possibly communicate with them via
mailings, newsletters or perhaps a website. Your goal is to spend the least time on this group, but you
should aim to increase their interest.
Stakeholders who have high in uence but low impact are powerful enough to cause problems with the
project if they are not satis ed with what is happening…or should I say their perception of what is
happening. These stakeholders must be kept satis ed by ensuring concerns and questions are
addressed adequately. Meet their needs - engage and consult with them on their interest area, try to
increase level of interest and aim to move them into right-hand box on your matrix.
The nal group of stakeholders are those who have high interest but low in uence and they must be
kept informed through frequent communication on project status and progress. These stakeholders can
be useful supporters so involve them in low risk areas and consult them on their interest areas. These
stakeholders are potential ambassadors of your project.
Responsibilities and roles need to be designated to the project team to undertake the areas of
management necessary such as communications and setting of timelines for stakeholders.
Stakeholder management
It is all very well to say that you know WHAT you have to do to manage the stakeholders but HOW you
achieve that is the key to success.
Every stakeholder presents the project manager with an opportunity or a challenge. The trick is to nd
the strategy or action to take to manage that opportunity or challenge.
As a project manager, ask yourself these questions:
Should I deal directly or indirectly with stakeholders?
Should I take the o ense or the defense in dealing with stakeholders?
Should I accommodate, negotiate, manipulate or resist stakeholder overtures?
Should I employ a combination of the above strategies or pursue a singular course of action?
There are seven basic principles of stakeholder management which are known as the Clarkson Principles.
Acknowledge and monitor– Managers should acknowledge and actively monitor the concerns of all
legitimate stakeholders, and should take their interests appropriately into account in decision
making and operations.
Communicate - managers should listen to and openly communicate with stakeholders about their
respective concerns and contributions, and about the risks that they assume because of their
involvement with the corporation.
Adopt – managers should adopt processes and modes of behaviour that are sensitive to the
concerns and capabilities of each stakeholder group.
Recognize – managers should recognise the interdependence of e orts and rewards among
stakeholders, and should attempt to achieve a fair distribution of the bene ts and burdens of
corporate activity among them, taking into account their respective risks and vulnerabilities.
Work – managers should work co-operatively with other entities, both public and private, to insure
that risks and harms arising from corporate activities are minimised and, where they cannot be
avoided, appropriately compensated.
Avoid – managers should avoid altogether activities that might jeopardize inalienable human rights
(e.g. the right to life) or give rise to risks which, if clearly understood, would be patently
unacceptable to relevant stakeholders.
Acknowledge con ict – managers should acknowledge the potential con icts between (a) their own
role as corporate stakeholders, and (b) their legal and moral responsibilities for the interests of
stakeholders, and should address such con icts through open communication, appropriate
reporting, and incentive systems and, where necessary, third party review.
Take a moment to think about where you are in your current understanding of the project initiation and
planning phases. So far you have:
determined what the project manager’s roles and responsibilities will be
identi ed all the phases of the project life cycle
understood that managing quality is going to be a major factor
prepared initial project documentation including a scope statement with full knowledge of
avoiding scope creep
conducted a stakeholder analysis and determined stakeholder’s in uence and impact on the
project including who has authority for authorisations throughout the project life
Bene ts Review Planning
One more item to take care of is planning for the nal review of the bene ts of the project.
There will come a time when this project nishes and at that time will come the nal justi cations. Part of
a project manager’s role is to keep that in mind and prepare in advance for the review.
A bene ts review plan is used to de ne how and when a measurement of how well the project
deliverables achieved the bene ts expected by the users can be made. The plan needs to list the
activities to undertake to nd out whether expectations of project bene ts have been met. It also needs
to nd out how the deliverables perform when in operational use.
A bene ts review plan creates a baseline for measurement of post-project bene ts and is presented for
approval during the project initiation phase. It is reviewed regularly and updated at given milestone
dates. It is also used during the closure of a project to de ne any post-project reviews that are required.
It is created by examining the initial project business case and identifying how the achievement of each
bene t is to be measured. It looks at the skills or individuals required to carry out the measurements and
ensures e ort and cost to undertake the bene ts are realistic when compared against the anticipated
bene ts.
Scope Accountability Measurement Resources Baseline Performance
The scope Who is How to What Baseline How the

of the accountable for measure resources measures from performance
Bene ts the expected achievement of are needed which the of the project
Review Plan bene ts expected to carry out improvements product will be
covering bene ts, and the review will be reviewed
what when they can work calculated
bene ts are be measured
to be
measured
As a project evolves through its various life-cycle phases, some deliverables may pass into operation at
various stages rather than at project closure. It is at those milestones that bene ts should begin being
reviewed. If changes are needed to realise the expected bene ts it should be done via the authorised
change process outlined in the original project documentation.
Section Summary
You are now rmly in the project planning phase of project management but it is not over yet. There are
still more crucial tasks that need to be done before you are ready to implement your project. Always
remember the words of Stephen Covey - American educator, businessman, and author of The Seven
Habits of Highly E ective People. Covey said:
“All things are created twice: rst mentally; then physically.

The key to creativity is to begin with the end in mind, with a vision
and a blue print of the desired result.”
Topic Resources
Project Planning, A step by step guide by Duncan Haughey:

https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-planning-step-by-step.php
Project Management Foundations: Managing the Creep: http://www.pmhut.com/project-

management-foundations-managing-the-creep
Scope, Time and Cost: Managing the Triple Constraint:

https://programsuccess.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/scope-time-and-cost-managing-the-triple-
constraint/
Bene ts Review Plan: http://www.prince2primer.com/bene ts-review-plan
Further Reading and Useful Websites
The Theory of Triple Constraint: A conceptual review by C. J. Van Wyngaard , J. H. C. Pretorius , L.

Pretorius is available for download at
https://www.academia.edu/8294762/Theory_of_the_Triple_Constraint_a_Conceptual_Review
(Accessed 12th November 2015) If you are not a member of Academia.com you will be required to
do a short registration process before you can download the document. This is a free site, you will
not be charged to download anything.
Project Stakeholder Management eBook is available for free from: http://www.free-management-

ebooks.com/dldebk-pdf/fme-project-stakeholder.pdf (Accessed 12th November 2015)
A comprehensive study co-authored by Lynda Bourne and Derek H.T. Walker is available at
https://mosaicprojects.com.au/PDF_Papers/P044_Visualising_mapping.pdf (Accessed 12th
November 2015) by Mosaic Project Services Pty Ltd: Visualising and Mapping Stakeholder
In uence. https://mosaicprojects.com.au/PDF_Papers/P044_Visualising_mapping.pdf
Department of Primary Industries: Who really matters? A stakeholder analysis tool. Available:
http://www.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_ le/0018/109602/EFS_Journal_vol_5_no_2_02_Kennon_et_al.pdf
(Accessed 12th November 2015)
Principles of Stakeholder Management: The Clarkson Principles. Available:

http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_clarkson_principles.html (Accessed 12th
November 2015)
An ebook written by Simon Buehring is available for download at:

http://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/prince2-processes-ebook.php (Accessed 12th November 2015)
This book illustrates PRINCE2 processes and includes references to bene ts review planning.
Take a little time out and watch this 8:08 minute video The WASA – A true story of scope creep by
RiskDoctorVideo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmJ59yyYza4 (Accessed 12th November
2015) Seeing a theoretical concept visualised in simpli ed true stories often helps with
understanding

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4/28/2019 Laureate International Universities

MODULE 2 - PROJECT PLANNING

Be afraid. Be very afraid…of project scope creep.

scope creep threats.

estimations authorisations will lead to a project being successful. Failing to estimate

Triple Constraint Triangle

The most basic features of a project are:

Projects must be delivered within cost

Projects must be delivered on time

Projects must meet the agreed scope – no more, no less

Projects must also meet customer quality requirements

These are known as the project constraints.

Imagine this scenario:

What does the customer expect?

Stakeholder Pro les

those who contribute to the project

those who are impacted by the project

in uence is the level of involvement a person has

Project Members come from a wide range of a ected departments/organisations

Program Manage a number of interdependent projects.

R Rights To be treated in a certain way or to have a particular right protected, including

Stakeholders can also be categorised by their interests in a project:

Output - responsible for delivery of project outputs

Product -directly or indirectly use the output

Product -ensure product is available for application and technical support

Funding -grants approval and releases funds and provides resources

Contributor -provides inputs and services to project

Review / -ensures proper processes are followed

Related -may impact on ability to meet objectives

Stakeholder in uence and impact on project

What does the stakeholder expect from the project?

What stakeholder interests con ict with project goals?

What resources might the stakeholder be able to contribute or withhold?

High – has the capacity to make project success or failure?

Medium – can gain support for or against project ?

Low – little or no in uence on project?

Is their probable impact:

High – key player directly impacted by the project?

Medium – in uenced by higher level of leadership?

Low – impacted by change, follower of high and medium stakeholder?

Should I deal directly or indirectly with stakeholders?

Should I take the o ense or the defense in dealing with stakeholders?

Should I accommodate, negotiate, manipulate or resist stakeholder overtures?

determined what the project manager’s roles and responsibilities will be

identi ed all the phases of the project life cycle

understood that managing quality is going to be a major factor

Bene ts Review Planning

Scope Accountability Measurement Resources Baseline Performance

The scope Who is How to What Baseline How the

“All things are created twice: rst mentally; then physically.

Project Planning, A step by step guide by Duncan Haughey:

Project Management Foundations: Managing the Creep: http://www.pmhut.com/project-

Scope, Time and Cost: Managing the Triple Constraint:

Bene ts Review Plan: http://www.prince2primer.com/bene ts-review-plan

Further Reading and Useful Websites

The Theory of Triple Constraint: A conceptual review by C. J. Van Wyngaard , J. H. C. Pretorius , L.

Project Stakeholder Management eBook is available for free from: http://www.free-management-

Principles of Stakeholder Management: The Clarkson Principles. Available:

An ebook written by Simon Buehring is available for download at:

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