Having completed chapter 3 try the homework questions and post your questions below and we give you feedback?
- List and describe five key benefits of using a programme management?
- List and describe five benefits of running projects as part of a programme instead of unconnected activities?
- Describe the term project context and explain four contextual factors affecting a project giving examples?
- List and describe five ways in which the project manager would make sure health, safety and environment was covered on the project?
Remember each of the five paragraphs in a answer needs to include 2-3 sentences. According the the APM guidance notes this should include a a statement of fact about the list item that indicates why it has been selected and also a statement(s) clarifying, supporting, demonstrating further comprehension or application thereof.
I recommend three sentence describing the what, why it is important and then giving an example. So for instance
1) One benefit of using programme management is that changes between each project in the programme can be co-ordinated in a controlled way by the programme manager. This is very important in multi-disciplinary programmes where change in one project might have a significant effect on the requirements for another. For example changing the layout of a sports stadium will have an impact on the number and locations of seating in the ticketing software. These changes can be controlled by configuration management operated at a programme level.
Five more like this and your done…
@patrick A very good answer, 10 like that and you should pass..well done. Only one minor tip is to number each point to make it easy for the examiner to mark the question
The context in which a project is operating describes the external factors that that will impact on the way the project is managed and that must be taken into account in planning for successful delivery of objectives. The project context can be described in terms of a range of political, social, economic, technological, legal and environmental.
1.Political factors can be both external and internal for example in a large publicly funded capital project is likely to have a number of politically motivated stakeholders who will take decisions on the strategic direction of the project that might be difficult to predict.
2.Social factors may place constraints on projects both in terms of understanding the needs of society when designing new products and in terms of the impacts that new projects might have on society. For example large infrastructure projects will need to make careful consideration of the social context in which they are working through stakeholder engagement to ensure the support of local communities.
3.Economic factors are key in developing the business case and showing benefits of implementing the project. In long term capital intensive projects for example there will be uncertainties around interest rates and currency exchange rates which could have a significant impact on the overall cost of the project.
4.Technological factors come into play where, for example, safety is a major concern such as the building or decommissioning of a nuclear power station where a detailed understanding of the technological specifications associated with each work package and how these will impact on timescales and costs is essential.
Hi Paul,
Latest attempt at project context.
Thanks
Jenny
Hi Paul,
I would appreciate your feedback on my answer below for Q3. Describe the term project context and explain four contextual factors affecting a project giving examples?
(1)When discussing the context of a project what you are indeed referring to is the environment in which the project is operating and how certain factors within that environment will influence the project to varying degrees dependent on the project itself. A simple tool which can be used to define these influencing factors is P-E-S-T-L-E, which refers to the Political, Economical, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors which all have a bearing on projects, but to varying degrees and in different ways dependent on the type of project.
(2)Political factors influencing projects need to be carefully managed. For instance, a large construction project funded with public funds will be affected by and influenced heavily by stakeholders with political ties who will subsequently be influenced by their own political motives and the motives of their political party. They would want to be seen as using the public funds wisely and in a way to benefit the community. On the other hand, the implementation of a new IT system in a company may not be subject to these external political factors but rather be influenced by the needs and requirements of the different departments internally existing in the organisation.
(3) Sociological factors deal with the human impact of the project, which may include society or the end users. For example the construction of a new railway track will affect those living in homes close to where the new rail will pass by and as such the stakeholder identification process is crucial to engage with the affected groups and attending to their concerns/needs/requirements. Alternatively, a project which is seeing a new automatic check-in service implemented at a doctors surgery needs to pay close attention to the users needs and the ease of use and accessibility of the new system for all. Projects will be affected in differing ways sociologically but in both cases key stakeholder groups need to be engaged to ensure the project realises the benefits and avoids failure/delay due to resistance to the change brought about by the project.
(4) Legal factors concerning projects must be adhered to and dependent on which industry the project operates in there may well be specific regulations and framework by which the project needs to comply. A construction project must follow Health and Safety legislation as set by the Health and Safety Commission and enforced by the executive arm of the organisation to ensure the project is undertaken in safe and controlled manner. Whilst an IT system being integrated into a company accounts department must follow certain software protocols and processes especially relating to aspects like the storing and sending of personal data.
(5) When running projects, the effect on the environment should be given the appropriate level of attention. IT projects must carefully assess the impact of IT hardware power usage and energy consumption on the environment. In the case of a large construction project, the removal of waste products is highly regulated, with materials to be recycled wherever possible by way of specific material skips i.e. woods/metals/cardboard. Important advances in design software has meant the ‘over engineering’ tendencies of the past, especially in the construction industry, have been able to be minimised due to the more accurate and efficient design now achievable.
Thanks,
Hi Paul would appreciated your feedback on the below. cheers.
Patrick,
Good answer, it is a bit too long though (this is not a bad thing) but you may struggle tow actually write this much in 15 mins on the day. It would score highly.