PROJECT PLANNING

I. Project Feasibility and Business Case Development

Before any organization undertakes a new project or initiative, it is essential to first assess the
feasibility of that venture. This is done through feasibility studies and business cases.

 A feasibility study looks at the technical feasibility, financial feasibility, and operational
viability of a proposed project.

 A business case looks at the financials of a new venture to determine if it is financially viable.

A business case brings together the benefits, disadvantages, costs and risks of the current situation
and future vision so that you can clearly decide if a project should go ahead or not.

Technical Feasibility Studies

The most common type of feasibility study is the technical feasibly study. Technical feasibility
looks at whether a proposed project is achievable from a technical standpoint. This includes
assessing the skills and knowledge required to execute the project, as well as the availability of
resources. Once all this data has been collected, it is analyzed to determine if the project is
technically feasible. If it is, then the next step is to develop a detailed plan and budget for how
it will be executed.

Financial Feasibility Studies

Financial feasibility studies assess whether a proposed project is financially viable. To create a
solid business case, organizations need to identify the problem or opportunity that the project
will address and gather data to understand potential impact. This data can come from surveys,
focus groups, interviews and other research methods. Once all the data has been collected, it is
analyzed to determine if the project is worth pursuing from a financial standpoint. If it is, then
the next step is to develop a detailed plan and budget for how it will be executed.

Operational Viability Studies

Operational viability studies assess whether a proposed project is operationally viable. This
includes assessing the skills and knowledge required to execute the project, as well as the
availability of resources. Once all this data has been collected, it is analyzed to determine if the
project is operationally viable. If it is, then the next step is to develop a detailed plan and budget
for how it will be executed.

Thomas (Person) MUNJAM | [email protected] Compiled for Higher National Diploma (HND)
https://www.personlinks.com | [email protected]
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 Business Case

The business case is a document that allows decision makers to determine whether the project
is worth the investment. It is essential to project selection, prioritization, and authorization as
part of a portfolio. The business case usually presents a current business problem and suggests
alternatives to solve it. The basic purpose of this document is to justify the initiation of a project.

Characteristics of Feasibility and Business Case

Feasibility Study

 Is it viable to intake this project?

 Analyzes whether a project is executable or not.

 Prevents undertaking projects that are unfeasible or extremely risky.

Business Case

 Why is the project worth the investment?

 Describes costs and benefits.

 Identifies the current situation (justification).

 Defines the desired future state (solution).

II. Project Scope Definition and Management

Scope is a core element of the project management triangle, alongside cost and time. It defines the
boundaries and objectives of a project, creating a framework for team members and setting
expectations for stakeholders — both of which are crucial for successful completion.

First off, scope can refer to either product scope or project scope. It's important to know the
difference:

 Product scope is defined as the functions and features that characterize a product or a
service.
 Project scope is the total amount of work that must be done to deliver a product according
to the product's scope (required functions and features).

Project scope is the common understanding among stakeholders about what goes into a project and
the factors that define its success. A project's scope is made up of the functionalities or
specifications outlined in its requirements.

Thomas (Person) MUNJAM | [email protected] Compiled for Higher National Diploma (HND)
https://www.personlinks.com | [email protected]
+237 678686249 | 659496501 | [email protected] SWE242: Management of Computer Projects
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What Is Project Scope Management?

Project scope management is the process of tracking and documenting the scope of a project once
it starts to ensure it doesn’t grow beyond control. It’s important that no extra work or extra costs
are added to the project scope without the supervision of a project manager; if the scope of a project
changes during the project execution phase, the project plan, schedule and budget that were initially
defined won’t match the scope, causing project delays and overspending. This is known as scope
creep and might cause projects to fail.

The PMBOK recognizes six major scope management processes involved in managing and defining
a project's parameters. These are:

1. Planning scope management: A scope management plan is created based on input from
the project plan, the project charter, and consultation with stakeholders.
2. Collecting requirements: A requirements management plan is created based on the scope
management plan plus stakeholder input. Interviews, focus group discussions, surveys, and
more will be used to understand requirements. This will all be documented.
3. Defining scope: A project scope statement is produced based on all the requirements
documentation plus the project charter and the scope management plan. This definition will
be the basis for all project activity.
4. Creating the Work Breakdown Structure: A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is built
after analyzing the project scope statement and the requirements documentation. The WBS

Thomas (Person) MUNJAM | [email protected] Compiled for Higher National Diploma (HND)
https://www.personlinks.com | [email protected]
+237 678686249 | 659496501 | [email protected] SWE242: Management of Computer Projects
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 is basically the entire project broken down into individual tasks, and deliverables are clearly
defined.
5. Validating scope: Here, deliverables are inspected and reviewed. Either they're accepted as
complete or further revisions are requested.
6. Controlling scope: As the project is executed, scope must be controlled. Performance
reports are compared against project requirements to see where gaps exist, which may result
in changes to the project plan.

Project Scope Statement

A project scope statement is a written document that includes all the required information for
producing the project deliverables. It is more detailed than a statement of work; it helps the project
team remain focused and on tasks. The scope statement also provides the project team leader or
facilitator with guidelines for making decisions about change requests during the project.

The project scope statement establishes what is not included in its initiatives, either implicitly or
explicitly. Objectives and tasks not listed in the scope statement should be considered out of scope.
Project managers can also list specific work that will not be part of the project.

III. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Management

The Project Management Institute’s PMBOK® Guide defines WBS as “a hierarchical

decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish
the project objectives and create the required deliverables.”

Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work and the
WBS is decomposed into work packages. By breaking down the project into smaller components,
a WBS can integrate scope, cost, and deliverables into a single tool. Most WBSs are deliverable-
based but can also be phase-based.

Thomas (Person) MUNJAM | [email protected] Compiled for Higher National Diploma (HND)
https://www.personlinks.com | [email protected]
+237 678686249 | 659496501 | [email protected] SWE242: Management of Computer Projects
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Some commonly used terms used with WBS project management include:

 Acceptance Criteria: Standards to be met to achieve customer or other stakeholder

requirements.
 Budget: Expenses associated with the project, which can be broken down by deliverables
or phases.
 Deliverables: The product, service or results created at various stages of the project. For
instance, in a website design project, a deliverable based WBS would be structured around
deliverables such as URL, layout and written content.
 Milestones: Critical stages of the project identified in the WBS
 Phases: The various stages of a project. For instance, in a website design project, a phase
based WBS would be structured around things like discovery, design and launch, rather
than specific deliverables.

How To Create and Use a WBS Effectively

To use a work breakdown structure effectively, it is important to include all components of a

project and consider the 100% Rule which states that “WBS encompasses all aspects of the
project, as well as the person or team responsible for that component”. To create a WBS:

1. Define the project. The first step in creating a work breakdown structure is to clearly
establish the project. For some projects, this might be straightforward. For other projects,
it might require refining the actual scope of the project so that the WBS is scaled
appropriately and doesn’t become unwieldy.
2. Set project boundaries. Once the project is defined and described, you can set boundaries
on what is and isn’t included in the WBS.
3. Identify project deliverables. This will include high-level deliverables associated with
the project, such as a Project Scope Statement or Mission Statement.
4. Define Level 1 elements. Remember the 100% rule while creating the Level 1
deliverables.
5. Break down each of the Level 1 elements. The process of breaking down Level 1
elements is called decomposition. It consists of breaking down a task into smaller and
smaller pieces, applying the 100% rule at each level. At each subsequent level, ask yourself
whether further decomposition would improve project management. Continue breaking
down the elements until the answer to that question is “no.” When you’ve completed the
decomposition process for each element in Level 1, the WBS is complete.

Thomas (Person) MUNJAM | [email protected] Compiled for Higher National Diploma (HND)
https://www.personlinks.com | [email protected]
+237 678686249 | 659496501 | [email protected] SWE242: Management of Computer Projects
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 6. Identify team members. Identify an individual or team who is responsible for each
element.
7. Create a Gantt chart to accompany the WBS. A Gantt chart shows activities over time
so that you can visually see information related to the schedule of the project and its various
activities.

Example of a Work Breakdown Structure

A WBS can be applied to just about any kind of project. Here is a basic example of what a finished
WBS looks like in practice.

Thomas (Person) MUNJAM | [email protected] Compiled for Higher National Diploma (HND)
https://www.personlinks.com | [email protected]
+237 678686249 | 659496501 | [email protected] SWE242: Management of Computer Projects
19