Project management (A Level) flashcards

Topic 15: Project management

Name the four stages of the project life cycle

Initiation, planning, execution and monitoring, and close.

Initiation vs planning

Initiation decides what the project is and whether to do it. Planning decides how and when, task by task.

Objective vs success criterion

An objective is what the project must achieve, e.g. "launch online booking". A success criterion measures whether it was met, e.g. "60% of bookings online within two months".

What is scope, and what is scope creep?

Scope is the boundary of the project: what is in and what is out. Scope creep is uncontrolled growth of that boundary.

What three constraints are monitored during a project?

Time (against the schedule), cost (against the budget) and quality (against agreed standards, e.g. by testing).

Name the six uses of project management software

Planning, scheduling of tasks, allocation of resources, costings, communication, and collaborative working and decisions.

What is the critical path?

The longest sequence of dependent activities through a project. It sets the shortest possible project time; any delay to a critical activity delays the whole project. Critical activities have zero float.

What is float in critical path analysis?

The time an activity can be delayed without delaying the whole project. Staff can be moved from activities with float to critical ones.

Why are projects reviewed at close?

To check objectives and success criteria were met, compare actual time and cost with the plan, find what went well and badly, record lessons for future projects and confirm stakeholders are satisfied.