Organizing Project Work

Learn to identify the work to be done in your project.

Preview the first lesson free — get full access to all 6 lessons.

Course: On-Demand

(upbeat music) In these lessons, we'll examine how to identify the work to be done, organize information about the work to support schedule development, and estimate the resources and time required to complete it. The project charter, contract, or other agreement is a document used to initiate projects. The document usually includes a statement regarding the project's objective. For example, a small project may prepare a 50 person team breakfast within a month with a maximum budget of $500. The planning process may include preparing a scope statement that elaborates on the work activities required for this breakfast. The project charter and scope statement don't contain sufficient information to prepare a schedule, so more work details are needed. These details are known as requirements, requirements specify the necessary attributes, functions and behaviors the project work needs to have. Requirements aren't something you collect or have someone hand to you. They have to be found. This is called elicitation because you have to draw the requirements out from the stakeholders. The process begins by asking key questions to find out the information needed to complete the project. Some people know they need something but they can't clearly articulate what. Smart, to-the-point questions help trigger their thought process to provide relevant information. These questions need to consider technical and non-technical needs like training and organizational relationships while looking at all aspects of the organization as a framework. As the team gathers information, they can start small and build on it through progressive elaboration. A little initial information could provide clues for more information needs. Set aside time to determine what information you need, then gather it. It's helpful to know these three techniques for acquiring information. Interviews, observation, and document reviews. Take some time to consider which is best for each piece of information. During interviews, a team member can meet with one or more people who have the knowledge and information necessary to complete the project. These meetings must be efficient and effective to make the best use of everyone's time. After the interview, the results are documented for use as requirements. Observation is another way to gather information about how people will use a product or service. Observation can be passive like examining people's behavior without interacting with them, or it can be more active, like working side by side or having a discussion while work is in progress. Computer simulations and job shadowing are also a form of observation. With passive observation, you can see and hear everything firsthand. The process operates in its normal environment and the observation doesn't influence the outcomes or participants. Passive observation will give you essential insights into operations and issues that otherwise might be difficult to describe. You may also observe the results of product gaps to help formulate the future of the process. If active participation is involved, you can ask questions of the people participating in the process. You can also suggest new things they could try, then record the results. Both forms of observation work well with other methods, since you can confirm the requirements from interviews by observation or vice versa. You could also read and analyze documents to gather information related to an elicitation, such as policies and procedures, memos, user guides, books, and internet documents. When reviewing documentation, be aware of the target audience and other contextual information about the document, when it was written, and the document's reliability and accuracy. This information will help you assess the credibility and accuracy of the provided information. For example, an old document may have a newer version, or it may just be outdated. As you conduct the analysis, it's important to understand the context behind it to properly assess and interpret the information. Try to write an accurate summary of the information in your notes. Identify the review documents, locations within the documents where you found the information and the sources of any quotes. One solicitation is complete, document the findings. The project team will analyze the requirements to determine what work is necessary to complete the project.

Intermediate Provider : Ray Frohnhoefer 6 Lessons · 22m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

Once project planning is complete, you are ready to start creating the schedule. At this point, there are only high-level ideas about the work to complete the project. These expectations are in the project charter and the project scope statement, which is completed as part of the planning process. For the next step in the scheduling process, this module examines how to identify the work to be done, organize information about the work to support schedule development, and estimate the resources and time required to complete it.

What You'll Learn

Identify the project requirements and the work needed to complete the project
Break down and define the project work to avoid unnecessary change
Organize information about the work to support schedule development
Identify the resources needed for the project
Estimate work packages, including project resources and costs

Key Takeaways

Scheduling begins after project planning is complete, when only high-level ideas about the work exist in the project charter and project scope statement.
Identifying and organizing the work to be done is a step that supports schedule development.
Defining and breaking down the work helps avoid unnecessary change to the project.
Estimating the resources, costs, and time required is part of preparing to develop the schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this course cover?

It examines how to identify the work to be done, organize information about the work to support schedule development, and estimate the resources and time required to complete it.

When in the project process does this module apply?

It applies once project planning is complete and you are ready to start creating the schedule, when only high-level ideas about the work exist in the project charter and project scope statement.

What will I learn to do in this course?

You will learn how to identify the work needed for a project and organize it to avoid unnecessary change, and how to estimate project resources and costs.

What topics are included in the lessons?

Lessons cover identifying project requirements, breaking down the work, continuing to define the work, identifying resources, and estimating work packages, followed by a Test Your Knowledge section.

Professional Certifications and Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

Project Management Institute (PMI®)

Professional Development Units (PDUs): 0.5

Certification Program Categories:

Ways of WorkingPower SkillsBusiness Acumen

KnowledgeCity has been reviewed and approved by the PMI® Authorized Training Partner Program. Users can maintain your PMI credentials by earning PDUs from KnowledgeCity qualified courses in Project Management, Business Management, Leadership and many others.