Tutorial Exercise: Scope—Week Three

Question 1: The Great Escape.

The case study, supporting presentation and instructions are contained in ‘The Great Escape Case

Study’ available within Learning Resources/Week 3/Tutorial folder. This case study will begin in class

and finish in the tutorial.

Question 2: Organizational Project Maturity—Knowledge Area Processes

Background: As part of the Tutorial Exercise for Weeks One and Two, you used a project

management maturity model developed by Ken Robertson from KLR to broadly assess your

organization’s project management capability. Ken’s model is a microcosm of more complex

maturity models which you will study later in this unit. In this and the following eight units, you will

have the opportunity to assess your organization’s capability in each of the nine knowledge areas

(described in the PMBoK) using the “SMCI Best Practices” scale derived from the Organizational

Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) developed by the Project Management Institute

(PMI). The full OPM3 standard (Project Management Institute, 2008b) can be accessed in the QUT

library database ‘books24x7’. We will examine the OPM3 model in detail in a later class.

Standardize, Measure, Control and Continuously Improve: SMCI is the abbreviation for

“standardize, measure, control and continuously improve” (Project Management Institute, 2008b, p.

3). These represent four sequential stages in process improvement. The OPM3 standard outlines

the following defining characteristics of each ‘best practice’ (Project Management Institute, 2008b,

pp. 29-30):

  Standardise

o 

Active process governing body

o 

Documented

o  Communicated

o  Standardised (consistently implemented and repeatable)

  Measure

o  Customer requirements incorporated in measurements

o 

Identified critical characteristics

o  Measured critical characteristics

o  Inputs related to results

o 

Measured critical inputs

  Control

o 

Control plan developed

o  Control plan implemented

o 

Stability achieved

o 

Stability achieved

  Improve

o  Problems identified

o  Improvements implemented (indicated by widespread participation)

o 

Sustainable improvements

 

Spreadsheet: Download the Excel (2007 or later) spreadsheet ‘Project Maturity-SMCI.xlsx’

spreadsheet from BEN610 Blackboard. The spreadsheet consists of four sheets:

  Process-Group-Knowledge Area Assessment Matrix which replicates the Process Group—

Knowledge Area matrix in the PMBoK (Project Management Institute, 2008a, p. 43) and

provides a drop-down assessment menu for each process. The SMCI scale is augmented

with another level ‘Maturity’. ‘Maturity’ is the default setting and the lowest maturity level

representing largely ad hoc process management.

  Consolidated Knowledge Area Scores which summarises and consolidates the maturity

assessments by Knowledge Area.

  Consolidated Process Group Scores which summarises and consolidates the maturity

assessments by Process Group.

  Maturity Radar Charts which profiles the assessed maturity by Knowledge Area and Process

Group.

  Comments which allows you to recording your assessment reasons and logic.

In quantifying the qualitative assessment the following scoring scheme has been applied: Maturity —

0, Standardise—1, Measure—2, Control—3, Improve—4.

Task: Each week you should assess the maturity of the processes in the Knowledge Area studied in

class using the SMCI scale. You should carefully review the description each Knowledge Area process

in the PMBoK (Project Management Institute, 2008a) and then assess the level of maturity which

your organization has currently achieved. Over the nine classes which study each of the nine

Knowledge Areas, you will construct a detailed picture of your organization’s strengths and

weaknesses. This will be of substantial benefit in later assessment.

Scope Management:  In particular, this week assess the maturity of your organization’s Scope

Management processes in PMBoK Chapter 5, namely: Collect Requirements, Define Scope, and

Create WBS.

 

Bibliography

Project Management Institute. (2008a). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (4th

ed.). Newtown Square, Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute.

Project Management Institute. (2008b). Organizational project management maturity model

(OPM3). Newtown Square, Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute.