Project Management 403: Initiating the Project and Planning Scope and Schedule

1
LEHIGH U N I V E R S I T Y
College of Education College of Business and
Economics

• Project Management 403 Initiating the Project
  and Planning Scope and Schedule
• Module 8 Typical Problems when Defining Outcomes

2
Module Contents

• Audiences
• Clarity
• Lack of sufficient thought or information
• Threat to personal power
• Talking rather than listening
• Scope creep

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Audiences

• Not identifying and/or involving all key
  audiences
• Initial requester
• Ultimate end user
• Not clarifying audience roles (driver, supporter,
  observer)
• Relying on the information of intermediaries
• Not getting written approval from all project
  drivers

4
Clarity of Language

• Lack of sufficient detail
• Lack of quantitative descriptors
• Peoples desire to avoid accountability

5
Insufficient Thought or Information

• Not identifying the true problem
• Not identifying the causes of problems
• Relying on unsubstantiated data sources
• Not verifying data
• Different types of sources personal observation,
  written records, interviews
• Different sources of the same type
• More than one person examining the same source

6
Threat to Personal Power

• Perceived or real
• Sharing information with you reduces your
  dependency on the person who had it information

7
Talking Rather than Listening

• Coming in with preconceptions (leads to
  self-fulfilling prophesy)
• Asking leading questions
• Assuming facts not in evidence
• Interpreting rather than clarifying or confirming

8
Scope Creep

• Gradual expansion of project scope in small steps
• Occurs due to
• Tools - inadequate initial definition of
  objectives
• Process
• No need for approval of small changes
• Changes approved by people other than those who
  will be doing the work
• Failure to assess impact of changes
• Attitude
• Reluctance to say no
• Our personal pride its not that big a deal