Full details, requirements and grading criteria are provided in the attached document below.

Most of the project work so far has dealt with project planning.  The purpose of this Individual project is to consider project execution, monitoring and control, and changes.  During project execution, things may change from what was planned, either intentionally (scope change) or unintentionally (risks and problems).  In this project, your team will field and deal with various project changes, and will monitor and track what happens to the project when things change.

IPT-4 – Project Execution, Tracking, and Changes(Individual project)

(PMBOK 3.5-3.6, 4)
Addresses Course Outcomes #1d, 1d, and 6g

Concentrate especially on the ITP consolidated project plan.

before you do anything else, do these things:

1. Make all needed corrections or updates to the schedule and resources. It is important to start from a correct baseline.

2. Then, speaking of baselines, before you do anything else, save a baselined project schedule, or update the baseline if you had already saved one.

If you have not previously prepared a Change Management Plan (e.g., as part of the overall project plan), then develop and submit one now, and submit in MS Word format. Instructions for the Change Management Plan are below…A Sample Change Management Plan has been provided under Content, Week 8, Activities, IPT-4 – Project Execution, Tracking, and Changes.

1. Required Changes

Finally (the important part), make the following changes in your current project schedule (not the baselined schedule) and update your MS Project (.mpp). Use the Tracking Gantt Chart feature to compare the original, baselined schedule with the current, changed schedule. The changes to the project are as follows; make the appropriate changes to your current schedule:

1. The project is half way finished (by calendar time). Set the status date (“update” date) to reflect this. Update the actuals to reflect this. Assume that all tasks are on schedule and on budget except as noted here:

2. The equipment (hardware, servers, networking gear, etc.) delivery from the vendor was late and took (or will take) twice as long as expected. In most cases (depending on how you implemented the equipment delivery task), this means that its duration is doubled. Its cost is unchanged. If your project scenario does not include equipment purchase or delivery, then please contact the instructor immediately and we’ll work out an alternative.

3. The software (of all kinds) will cost twice as much as expected. It seems that in the time since the project was planned, the vendor(s) came out with a new release that cost significantly more than the previous version, and are no longer selling or supporting the previous version. It will be delivered on schedule, however.

4. The construction expansion effort has been impacted by a disastrous storm which has had the ripple effect of a one month delay in the construction start date. This will impact your ability to install the IT system on time. If your WBS includes construction tasks for cable installation or a server closet, for example, these tasks will be delayed.

Note: If your project scenario does not include construction-related tasks, then apply this change to installation tasks (i.e., all installation tasks delayed 1 month and installation costs doubled). If your project scenario includes neither construction nor installation tasks, then please contact the instructor immediately and we’ll work out an alternative.

5. Ripple effects: Besides the obvious, what else might need to be changed as a result of these events? Address these changes in a short Word document.

6. Make the appropriate changes to the project schedule and budget.

7. Important: If the above changes do not make sense within the scenario or nature of your project, then contact the professor immediately for further instructions.

8. Document your changes for submission below. For instance, if there was no software (item 3, above), then what did you change instead to simulate a similar change? What were the ripple effects (item 5, above) that the changes triggered? And so forth.

9. If the changes take you over budget or past the target completion date then in the narrative questions (see below), discuss what you would do to remediate this. However, do not make any changes to the .mpp to effect these remediations. (This is quite enough work already without adding that in also.)

2. Assignment for the IPT-4 Project Deliverable

This assignment has 3 parts:

Part 1: A Change Management Plan (CMP), in MS Word format. See textbook, PMI.org, the LEO classroom, and other professional PM Web sites for details; use an Internet search if necessary. Unlike the risk register, the CMP is not a list of changes and their status and handling. Rather, the change management plan is what it sounds like: a plan for how the project intends to manage any changes that may occur. The CMP should include at least the following:

· Methodology, strategy, and tools for handling changes

· Roles and responsibilities for change management

· Organization for change management (CCB, etc.)

· Change process (flowchart and/or description)

· Budget for change handling process. This is not the cost of implementing the changes listed in the “1. Required Changes” section above, but rather is the cost of the CCB and running the change process. The costs of implementing the individual, specified changes, is a separate item that can be tracked via Earned Value calculations and other methods, below.

· (Normally the change process budget would be part of the project budget from the beginning, but we neither mentioned nor required that in this class. So for this class only, your change management budget will be over and above the project budget (i.e., in addition to the project budget) instead of coming out of your project budget as part of the project budget.)

· Important note: Use of outlines, examples, and templates that you may find (including those in the textbook) is acceptable for the structure and outline of this document. However, the substance must be your own original work and must include proper quotation, citation, attribution, and bibliography of sources and works used.

Part 2: Updated project schedule in MS Project (.mpp) reflecting the specified changes listed in the “1. Required Changes” section above, including a tracking Gantt chart comparing the new schedule to the baselined schedule, in MS Project (.mpp) format. Suggested fields to include should include those listed in the document titled: “MSP Fields to Include in ITPDeliverables” located in your Course Content area.

Part 3:

(a) A brief narrative description of how you effected or applied the changes listed in the “1. Required Changes” section above. For instance, if there was no software (item 3, above), then what did you change instead to simulate a similar change? What were the ripple effects (item 5, above) that the changes triggered? And so forth.

(b) A Word document describing what project documentation needs to be changed (and what the needed changes are) in order to implement the specified changes listed in the “1. Required Changes” section above. You need not update the documents, just describe, in general terms, what would need to be updated.

· (Note: Ordinarily in a real-world project, we would also update and submit the consolidated project management plan (PMP) document (TTP-4) reflecting all changes and updates. However, for this class, we will omit this step.)

(c) Overall earned value analysis. (That is, “overall” indicates do it once for the project as a whole, not for each individual task. Though doing it for each task would be acceptable if MSP does it for you, only the overall whole-project earned value calculations are indicated for this assignment. Do not do individual task calculations of EV by hand.)  You may use MS Project to do so, if you can, or you can do it yourself with a pocket calculator or (probably better yet) do it yourself in Excel; you can use the formulas on the Gold Card or the formulas in my weekly Commentary, or the formulas in the textbook.  Any way, you do it, you will get most of the data from your MSP .mpp, then plug it into the formulas.

The goal is to come up with EAC and Estimated Cost to Complete (ECTC), but you’ll need to calculate the rest in order to get there, therefore please calculate and submit the following figures. They need not be in a MS Word attachment, but may be answered directly in your Assignments Folder posting, as you wish.

As in a math class, show your work, i.e., show your formulas, input data, and calculations as well as your results.

Include at least the following EV figures (you may include more if you wish):

· Original Budget at Completion (BAC) (baselined)

· New Estimate at Completion (EAC) (changed)

· New Estimated Cost to Complete (ECTC) (changed)

· Original Planned Value (PV, BCWS) (baselined)

· Actual Cost so far (AC, ACWP) (changed)

· Earned Value so far (EV, BCWP)

· Schedule Variance (SV)

· Cost Variance (CV)

· Schedule Performance Index (SPI)

· Cost Performance Index (CPI)

(d) Finally, answer the following questions in the previously discussed Word document and submit them along with your other files in your Assignments Folder.

1. What was the effect of the changes on your project cost? How much did it increase? Are you still on budget or are you over budget now?

2 What was the effect on your project schedule? How much did it increase? Are you still on schedule or are you late now?

3. What would you recommend doing to handle these changes and risks, assuming that the client cannot get any more money (it’s a fixed grant) and that it still has to be installed by the original deadline (before? Do not make changes in your project schedule .mpp or budget or documents to reflect this recommendation. Simply state what things you would recommend doing to handle the situation.

Item 1 (the Change Management Plan) should be a separate MS Word document of its own. Item 2 (the updated .mpp file), of course, is a separate file of its own. Items 3-6 (description of how you implemented the changes, description of needed updates to other documentation, earned value analysis, and answers to the questions) can be submitted in a single, consolidated MS Word document. So your submission for grading should include three files.

Approximate breakdown by areas include:

· General: Structure, Format, Mechanics, Style (~5%)

· Changed .MPP Schedule (~33%)

· Change Management Plan (~40%)

· Documentation Update (~7%)

· Questions (~15%)

· EV Calculations (Up to ~7%)

Rubrics and Grading for the IPT-4 Project Deliverable

To earn 90-100% of the points available for this assignment –

Meet all requirements, including an updated MS Project schedule; project baselined prior to changes; tracking Gantt comparing original baselined plan with updated changed plan; all specified required changes implemented correctly; consideration of ripple effects; comments and updates from previous MPPs and ITPs incorporated; all Earned Value figures calculated correctly; all questions answered; Change Management Plan including change handling methodology, roles and responsibilities, organization, process (flowchart and/or description), and budget; and explanation of needed documentation changes. Approximate breakdown by areas is as specified above. Include reference sources are used in the text and included in a Reference page.

To earn 80-89% of the points available for this assignment –

Meet all requirements, including an updated MS Project schedule; project baselined prior to changes; tracking Gantt comparing original baselined plan with updated changed plan; at least 4 specified required changes implemented; at least 8 Earned Value figures calculated correctly; at least 3 questions answered; Change Management Plan including change handling methodology, roles and responsibilities, organization, and process; and identification of documents needing changes. Include reference sources are used in the text and included in a Reference page.

To earn 70-79% of the points available for this assignment –

Meet the majority of requirements, including an updated MS Project schedule; project baselined prior to changes; tracking Gantt comparing original baselined plan with updated changed plan; at least 3 specified required changes implemented; at least 7 Earned Value figures calculated correctly; at least 2 questions answered; Change Management Plan including change handling methodology, organization, and process; and identification of documents needing changes. Include reference sources are used in the text and included in a Reference page.

To earn 60-69% of the points available for this assignment –

Include an updated MS Project schedule; tracking Gantt comparing original baselined plan with updated changed plan; at least 3 specified required changes implemented; at least 5 Earned Value figures calculated correctly; at least 1 questions answered; Change Management Plan including change handling methodology, organization, and process.

Less than 60% –

Efforts that do not meet the requirements will earn a zero. Efforts that are not original work will earn a zero. Efforts that do not have proper APA references and citations to any included or quoted work will earn at most 50%.

Submit your assignment in the Assignments Folder as specified under “Submission of theProject Deliverables for Grading”, above.

Change Management Plan

Project Name:

TEMPLATE

Prepared By:

Title:

Version No:

Document Change Control

The following is the document control for revisions to this document.

Definition

The following are definitions of terms, abbreviations and acronyms used in this document.

Table Of Contents

1. Project constraints
1

2. Change management guidelines and purview.
1

3. Estimate of change volume
1

4. Roles and responsibilities
1

5. The change management process
2

6. Tools
3

7. Appendices
3

1. Change management guidelines and purview.

The following items will be subject to change management.

[Specific list of primary deliverables and the documents that describe them, and secondary deliverables that will fall under change management. Examples:]

Primary deliverables

· Software application as described in these specifications documents

· Hardware deployment as described in these bill of materials and configuration plan documents and machine room blueprint

Secondary deliverables

· Project WBS

· Project budgetary and scheduling documents

· Project quality control planning document

· Project reporting requirements

You have latitude [is strictly bound] to interpret requirements in the following areas:

[Specific list of areas in the product specification or requirements where the project team is either strictly bound by the documents or has the prerogative to interpret the requirements more loosely.]

2. Estimate of change volume

The budgetary impact of change in this project is expected to fall within the range of [lower] to [higher] dollars. We assume the number of change requests will be roughly ____. We estimate change evaluation and management to require _____ hours. We estimate the total cost to the change will be $__________.

3. Roles and responsibilities

The change manager is responsible to

· receive and log change requests

· monitor project and recognize changes that result from realized risks and issues

· track and facilitate the timely evaluation of change requests

· track and facilitate timely decisions on changes

· incorporate changes into the appropriate project documents

· communicate changes to the project team and others as the communication plan below dictates

· report change management activity as outlined in the reporting section below

· analyze patterns in change requests to identify underlying systemic causes

· ensure that the evaluation team is appropriately staffed to meet the volume and expertise requirements of the change queue

The change requestor, who is any key stakeholder, may submit project change requests following the submittal process indicated below.

The lead change evaluator is charged to

· organize and perform the timely and adequate evaluation of changes in terms of their impacts on project deliverables and constraints

· outline options and recommend courses of action and priorities for changes

· ensure that appropriate expertise is brought to bear in the evaluation of all changes

Change evaluators work under the direction of the lead evaluator to

· apply their particular expertise and judgment to the evaluation of changes assigned to them

· develop options and recommend courses of action for these changes

The change decision maker is responsible to

· approve, reject, or park changes

· request further evaluation if insufficient information is available to support the decision

4. The change management process

For each change the following process will be followed. Note that logging occurs at various points in the process, e.g. after evaluation and after the decision, not shown in this diagram.

4.1 Submittal and Logging: Change requests will be submitted using the change request form referenced below. A change resulting from a realized risk or issue will be documented through a change request form. The change manager will scan risks and issues for likely changes every ____ [days, weeks]. The change manager will identify checkpoints in the WBS critical path at which to survey the project team, customer, sponsor, and stakeholders for changes. These checkpoints will be chosen with the aim of minimizing the impact of changes on the project constraints.

4.2 Evaluation: The lead change evaluator will note any special expertise required to effectively evaluate a change request.

[Note any likely areas of expertise required and identify the resources you will use to secure the expertise. It would be prudent before the onset of the execute and control stage to have verified the availability of these resources. Example: your project involves the development of licenses for which legal advice is required. You will obtain that advice from whom?]

Unless otherwise noted, change requests will be evaluated within ____ days of submission to the evaluators.

4.3 Decision: Unless otherwise noted, changes will be approved, rejected, or parked within _____ days of submission to the change decision maker. The decision maker may also request further evaluation.

4.4 Integration: The change manager will update project documentation as changes are approved. All changes will be recorded in the document change control block. Project drawings, diagrams, and specifications will be reissued when accumulated change notations render the documents confusing, ambiguous, or otherwise unclear. Project documentation will be posted to this site [http://myproject.doit.wisc.edu]. A running summary of changes will be posted to this page [http://myproject.doit.wisc.edu/approved_changes/].

4.5 Communication: The project team and sponsor will be notified of changes as they are approved through email. A summary of recent changes will be reviewed in weekly team meetings. A change summary will be published to stakeholders and customers with the [note reporting period, e.g. monthly] project status report.

5. Appendices

[Add additional information as needed.]

D R A F T

3.3.4 Template –Change Management Plan
v2.0
Page 2

2

>Sheet

1

5000 –

2

Internal 25% $500,000 $125,000 Accept

Project Manager

000

– 3000 –

2

Project Manager

– 1000 –

1

15%

Mitigate

10% – –

2

technical IT risks 15%

0

Mitigate

Chief engineer

10% – –

2

technical IT risks

Mitigate

Chief engineer

– –

1

20%

Mitigate

Project Manager 1500 10% – 1500 –

2

project management risk 25%

Mitigate

Project Manager 2500 15% – 2500 –

2

20%

15,000 Mitigate

Project Manager 1500 10% – 1500 –

2

project management control 15%

Accept

Project Manager 900 9% – 900 –