A.            Project management basics

                                                       1.            Project charter and problem statement
Define and describe elements of a project charter and develop a problem statement, including baseline and improvement goals. (Apply)

                                                       2.            Project scope
Assist with the development of project definition/scope using Pareto charts, process maps, etc. (Apply)

                                                       3.            Project metrics
Assist with the development of primary and consequential metrics (e.g., quality, cycle time, cost) and establish key project metrics that relate to the voice of the customer. (Apply)

                                                       4.            Project planning tools
Use project tools such as Gantt charts, critical path method (CPM), and program evaluation and review technique (PERT) charts, etc. (Apply)

                                                       5.            Project documentation
Provide input and select the proper vehicle for presenting project documentation (e.g., spreadsheet output, storyboards, etc.) at phase reviews, management reviews and other presentations. (Apply)

                                                       6.            Project risk analysis
Describe the purpose and benefit of project risk analysis, including resources, financials, impact on customers and other stakeholders, etc. (Understand)

                                                       7.            Project closure
Describe the objectives achieved and apply the lessons learned to identify additional opportunities. (Apply)

Project Charter – a document that defines the team’s mission, scope, objectives, time frames, and consequences.

·          Business case – summary of strategic reasons.

·          Problem statement – the issue that needs improving; should include baseline metric and the anticipated improvement

·          Scope – boundaries of project.

·          Goal

·          Roles

·          Milestones and deliverables – keeps project on track

·          Resources

Project Scope - boundaries

Project Metrics – Voice of Customer (VOC), Kano Model, Critical to Quality Tree (CTQ), Affinity Diagrams.

Project Planning Tools

Project Management – planning scheduling, controlling

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) -  a detailed plan that expands the project statement of work into a detailed listing of activities.

Pareto Diagrams – specialized forms of column graphs that are used to prioritize problems. Pareto’s principle suggests that that a few problem categories (20%) will present the most opportunity for improvement (80%). First applied to quality applications by Joseph Juran.

Kano Model – three categories of customer needs: dissatisfies (basic requirements), satisfiers (variable requirements), delighters (latent requirements)

Critical to Quality (CTQ) – focuses on key metrics of customer satisfaction.

Process Maps – flowcharts

Gantt Charts – bar charts

Critical Path Method (CPM) – is very similar to PERT except PERT is event oriented and CPM is activity oriented.

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) – event oriented, critical path, slack time.

Project Documentation – proposal, milestone reporting

Project Risk Analysis

Risk Management – Identify, analyze, plan, track, control, mitigate, communicate.

·          Planning

·          Assessment

·          Analysis

·          Handling

Project Closure – lessons learned (postmortem)