Annotated Bibliography: Project Scope Management

Reference 1:

Potter, R. A. (2003). Request for proposal. Consulting to Management, 14(1), 15-17.

Annotation:

Topic Relation: Request for Proposal

Author - a)

Robert Potter is a professional project management consultant. As an author of several project management articles for journals such as Consulting to Management, The CPA Journal and New York Construction, Mr. Potter has proven exemplary project management skills. Mr. Potter is also a managing member of R.A. Potter Advisors, a sales strategy and marketing consulting firm.

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Article Summary - b)

In the article for Consulting to Management, Potter discusses the importance of pricing models while developing a request for proposal (RFP). With three points, Potter offers the keys to success for successful consultants to outperform their competition when it comes to the RFP process.

Reflection of Topic - c)

The summary discusses the RFP process and the importance of how service and proactive action assists in reaching out to customers. The RFP process is dissected and discussed in separate phases, giving important insights on each part of the RFP process.

Analysis of Article - d)

As a successful project manager, understanding RFPs is a vital element of managing a project. Furthermore, proactively seeking and servicing customers as to avoid a lengthy RFP process is a key maneuver to ensure that customers know that you are the sole or preferred provider of a service.

Reference 2:

Potter, R. A. (2004). Winning an RFP. The CPA Journal, 74(4), 12.

Annotation:

Topic Relation: Request for Proposal

Author - a)

Robert Potter is a professional project management consultant. As an author of several project management articles for journals such as Consulting to Management, The CPA Journal and New York Construction, Mr. Potter has proven exemplary project management skills. Mr. Potter is also a managing member of R.A. Potter Advisors, a sales strategy and marketing consulting firm.

Article Summary - b)

The author discusses how to win a request for proposal (RFP) in this article for The CPA Journal. Potter affirms that the best way to an RFP is to “understand the motivation and process driving the selection decision”. Potter describes the RFP process and states that companies will begin searching for the right company, screening each company thoroughly and then selecting the company that meets or exceeds all of the requirements.

Reflection of Topic - c)

The article discusses critical elements in an RFP and the author informs the reader on specific elements of the RFP process and what each side is expecting during the RFP process. The author sheds light on the decision makers and how emotion plays on the choice for a vendor. In addition, decision makers require confidence, commitment and ultimately trust from the vendor when finalizing the decision to select certain vendors.

Analysis of Article - d)

Trusting a vendor is critical during an RFP. However, becoming too emotionally attached to the project as a decision-maker can cause damage on the organization. The author alludes to the fact that since emotion plays strongly on the decision maker, one needs to make an effort to be truly objective during the RFP. The danger in allowing emotion to overwhelm the RFP process is that decision makers can settle on a vendor that does not meet expectations or is unwilling, even unable, to work on meeting the organizations expectations in the future.

Reference 3:

Westfall, M. B. (2011). Using a Request for Proposal (RFP) to Select a Serials Vendor: The University of Tennessee Experience. Serials Review, 37(2).

Annotation:

Topic Relation: Request for Proposal

Author - a)

The author is the head of the E-Resources and Serials Management at the University of Tennessee in the Hodges Library at the University of Tennessee. In addition to undergraduate and graduate level resources, the library houses many permanent historical and contemporary exhibits.

Article Summary - b)

In 2009, the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) began establishing a request for proposal (RFP) for a single serials vendor to eliminate the use of multiple vendors. In addition UTK is looking to save costs by allowing students to access print materials through online portals. As the article explains, the antiquated process of accessing serials is done through three main vendors. By using the Big Deal Package (BPD) libraries access all of their resources from the single vendors and the university must then organize all of the resources in one central repository. This process became inefficient and UTK began the process of consolidating all of the resources. As the author describes, writing the RFP was the most time-consuming and arduous task. Ensuring that all needs, current and future, were explained created a significant amount of work for Westfall, who did the majority of the proposal writing. A grading scale was established and weight was given to each criteria to ensure each vendor received fair judgement. Ultimately, the RFP was a success and reduced costs and reorganized both budgetary and human capital to better establish UTK’s Hodges Library for the 21 century.

Reflection of Topic - c)

This practical application of an RFP is an excellent example of how to structure an RFP. The article lays the framework for how an RFP should be developed. In addition, the author makes note of the extensive process of actually writing the RFP. This process, although arduous, must be considered as the most important. Consequently, if the organization does not thoroughly describe the needs or fails to address future concerns, the organization will select a vendor that may not be the best fit for the organization.

Analysis of Article - d)

The article explains several important facets of an RFP. As a project leader, an RFP is a critical element of technical or service based projects. From construction to software, RFPs will be used frequently by project managers. In addition, managing the RFP, like Westfall, requires patience and endurance to ensure that each stakeholder is represented in an RFP. Westfall indicates that the right mix of members must be represented. Lastly, education is a key element of an RFP. Educating stakeholders and business leaders in the need as well as solution offers project leaders clear avenues to executing a successful RFP.

Reference 4:

Westfall, M., & Clarke, J. (2013). Selecting a Vendor: The Request for Proposal (RFP) from Library and Vendor Perspectives. The Serials Librarian, 188-195.

Annotation:

Topic Relation: Request for Proposal

Author - a)

Westfall is the head of the E-Resources and Serials Management at the University of Tennessee in the Hodges Library at the University of Tennessee. Conversely, Justin Clarke is a Regional Sales Manager for Otto Harrassowitz Booksellers & Subscription Agents, a vendor who Westfall and The University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) are pursuing during the UTK request for proposal (RFP) process.

Article Summary - b)

The article discusses Westfall’s experience developing an RFP for the UTK library. The article explains the need for UTK in developing the RFP. In short, UTK is looking to reduce costs, and turn their paper resources into electronic resources for students and faculty. During the RFP process, UTK was very surprised at the low service costs and several options that were available. From the vendor’s perspective, Clarke, from Otto Harrassowitz Booksellers & Subscription Agents, responds to UTK with several questions before formally responding to the RFP. The two, Westfall and Clarke, then have several discussions to clarify key points of the RFP. In addition, Westfall discusses what can be expected after an RFP is issued and shortfalls in the UTK RFP process as well as certain aspects of the RFP that deserve specific attention.

Reflection of Topic - c)

The topic of the RFP is a key element that deserves specific attention. Understanding what an RFP is and how it is used is essential for a project manager. For vendors, the RFP is the baseline of expectations for a product. For the decision makers, the RFP is an invaluable tool to access multiple vendors with one document. For both parties, critiquing the document is an essential first part of the step. For the decision makers, if the document is not fully developed, the organization risks choosing the wrong vendor and ultimately wasting time and resources. Conversely, the vendor must critique the document to ensure that its product will align with the needs of the organization.

Analysis of Article - d)

Decision makers and vendors will have different perspectives on each project proposal. Therefore, as the decision maker, it is important to analyze what the vendor will consider before responding to an RFP. As a proposal writer and more specifically a project manager, writing a holistic RFP will afford the vendor an opportunity to analyze an RFP without focusing on trivial questions.

Reference 5:

Rivinus, C. (2013). IT project prioritization: A practical application of knowledge management principles. Business Information Review, 30(4), 196-203.

Annotation:

Topic Relation: Project Priorities

Author - a)

Chris Rivinus is a recognized IT management expert with more than 20 years of IT management experience. A published author, Rivinus writes about many IT subjects. As the Head of Project Delivery for Tullow Oil, Rivinus uses his experience to lead coordinated efforts in the IT department.

Article Summary - b)

Tullow Oil is a leading oil and gas exploration group based in London. Tullow Oil consistently looks for technological advancements in their field, and with revenues reaching more than £2 billion. Specifically with its strong IT employees, Tullow is a leader in the oil industry in implementing several processes and systems that frees much of Tullow’s human capital to be focused on more important aspects of the oil industry. However, with the continual implementations and advancements of IT projects, Rivinus explains that project prioritization is continual frustration at Tullow Oil. Rivinus suggests a prioritization system to select the most important projects and prioritize those above others to coordinate its IT workforce. By focusing on strategic fit and ease of implementation, Rivinus is able to coordinate and score each project.

Reflection of Topic - c)

Project priorities are present in every project. Without understanding the importance or the timeline of each piece of a project, the project will inevitably fail or be significantly delayed. A project manager must query the stakeholders to determine which projects are “needs” and which are “wants”.

Analysis of Article - d)

Project managers are entrusted to coordinate several parts of a project. However, one critical piece of a project manager’s job is to define each project and place a priority on it. Without project prioritization, certain elements of a project may not receive sufficient attention or take significantly longer because resources are unavailable. Therefore, during the planning phase, a project manager must collect requirements and conjunctively work with stakeholders to define prioritization as to ensure successful and timely completion of projects.

Reference 6:

Shollo, A., Constantiou, I., & Kreiner, K. (2015). The interplay between evidence and judgment in the IT project prioritization process. The Journal of Strategic Information, 24(3).

Annotation:

Topic Relation: Project Priorities

Author - a)

Arissa Shollo is a distinguished professor at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). Shollo writes articles for several journals on topics relating to business operations. Ionna Constantiou, an associate professor is also a professor at CBS and writes on several topics specifically in IT Management. Lastly, Kristian Kreiner is Professor Emeritus at CBS. In the Department of Organization, Kreiner researches organization theory, project management, decision-making and architecture and construction.

Article Summary - b)

As the authors explain, IT project prioritization is a complex and laborious task that requires details to be clearly defined. Strategic decisions concerning IT investments are based on project prioritization, therefore, project managers must work to define project prioritization with stakeholders of the organization. The authors investigate how managers use evidence in IT projects. Furthermore, the authors identified a process-oriented array of tools to judge projects and defined four tactics that project manager can use to judge each project during IT-oriented project planning.

Reflection of Topic - c)

The authors allude to several aspects of project prioritization that is not always commonly understood. Although rational thought must be used during the project prioritization process, systematic approaches, such as those offered by the authors, should be implemented. Using the process-oriented toolbox, project managers can make better informed decisions and focus on objective characteristics of the projects.

Analysis of Article - d)

More than rationalizing the importance of certain projects, it is valuable for project managers to define projects with a systematic approach as to not offer prejudices and emotion. As the authors affirm, there are many practical implications to developing a process-oriented toolbox. Several decision-making models should be researched to discover which works best during project management prioritization.

Reference 7:

Wojcik, J. (2010). Collaborative communication key to success for IBM plans; Design change, objectives discussed in projects' early stages. Business Insurance, 44(26), 14.

Annotation:

Topic Relation: Project Communication

Author - a)

Joanne Wojcik covers risk and benefits management for more than 25 years. Writing articles for many popular business journalls, Wojcik has experience working for a diverse group of firms in several different environments.

Article Summary - b)

Wojcik describes how IBM Corp. a multi-national computer giant shares information through its organization. Using communication teams, IBM discusses issues around the organization through strategic communication channels. Done primarily through digital channels, IBMs health benefit communication are published online because most employees are tech savvy. However, some members of the organization are elderly and struggle to access technologically advanced communication channels. Therefore, IBM publishes some of it communication via print to those members that cannot access certain communication tools. The author specifically notes that certain touches of human interaction assist in facilitating effective communication across the organization.

Reflection of Topic - c)

Communication is an essential tool across any organization. In organizing projects or changing procedures, communication plans are essential and therefore organizations must plan to develop effective channels in which to disseminate information. Projects are perfect practices of communication and as a project manager, communication must be practiced.

Analysis of Article - d)

As a project manager and business professional, effective communication is key. Without effective communication project managers will be unable to coordinate projects effectively and will therefore be unable to translate the needs of the project to each member of the project. Furthermore, every business professional must learn communication skills as to effectively cast vision, motivate employees and coordinate members of the organization to common goals.

Reference 8:

Cervone, F. H. (2014). Effective communication for project success. OCLC Systems and Services, 30(2), 74-77.

Annotation:

Topic Relation: Project Communication Plan

Author - a)

H. Frank Cervone is the Director of Information Technology and College Information Security at the University of Illinois Chicago. Cervone has experience in many facets of business specifically in developing systems and services that advance teaching and learning in higher education.

Article Summary - b)

The article by Cervone discusses common themes of project management communication techniques. The author also addresses common mistakes of communication within projects and the project management discipline. Unfortunately, as Cervone confirms, project managers fail to follow basic communication models. Ultimately, the project team is responsible for these failures, but the author notes it is his aim to clear communication channels and to facilitate the flow of information across the organization.

Reflection of Topic - c)

The article connects well with the topic in consideration. As the author notes, clear communication may not be given equal importance during stressful times. Furthermore, miscommunication will inevitably cause failures across the project and reflect poorly on the project manager. Therefore, as professional project managers, understanding keys to communication is a principle consideration.

Analysis of Article - d)

Communication is an essential part of any role. As a business professional communication allows a leader to disseminate information to his team. As a project management leader, communication must be a key element in his repertoire. Therefore, analyzing articles like Cervone’s provides a project manager with exceptional opportunity to learn robust communication strategies while managing a project.

Reference 9:

Hans, R. T. (2013). WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE: A TOOL FOR SOFTWARE PROJECT SCOPE VERIFICATION. International Journal of Software Engineering & Applications, 4(4).

Annotation:

Topic Relation: Project Scope

Author - a)

Robert Hans is a lecturer and professor at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). Hans is in the Software Engineering department and teaches project management. He works with many firms in South Africa and writes for many journals on subjects relating to software engineering and systems management.

Article Summary - b)

Narrowing the scope of projects for software engineers is critical. As Hans explains, a well-defined software scope contributes to projects success by creating efficiencies in the planning and evaluation phases of project management. Specifically for software, each product is designed with certain specifications and the product fills a specific need. If the project scope is broad, it will surely not meet each of the expectations defined in the project. Therefore, the author demands that a deliverable-oriented work breakdown structure (WBS) provides project managers with a scope verification tool to ease the challenge of scope verification.

Reflection of Topic - c)

This topic is an essential part of project management. For a project manager, understanding prioritization, communicating the project specifics, and ultimately defining the scope of the project are critical elements to get right within a project. Without defining the scope of the project, project leaders will not follow-through on project specifics or will exceed budgetary allotments. Therefore, project managers must plan for current actions as well as future actions to ensure that project members understand the expectations of the project.

Analysis of Article - d)

The scope differs from other topics in that it measures the extent to which requirements will be met. Much like prioritization, scope analyzes how much of the project will be completed and in what order to provide a holistic deliverable to the customer. By defining the scope or a project, the project leader will ensure that the project meets all of the expectations of the customer.

Reference 10:

Khan, A. (2006). Project Scope Management. Cost Engineering, 48(6), 12-16.

Annotation:

Topic Relation: Project Scope

Author - a)

Asadullah Khan is a senior project manager with a Saudi-based contractor. Holding a graduate degree in manufacturing systems engineering and am undergraduate in mechanical engineering, Khan has 13 years of experience in project engineering in the petrochemical industry.

Article Summary - b)

Managing the scope of a project can be an extremely complex responsibility. Since project specifications can be broad, it is the responsibility of the project management to define the project and effectively manage the project scope to ensure that the key project management areas are regularly considered. Khan also describes the key project scope components: project initiation, planning, scope definition, scope verification and scope change control. Lastly, the author urges that successful scope management defines the success of a project because much of a projects success is conducted in the initial planning phase. Therefore, as project managers begin to plan, careful consideration must be given to the project scope.

Reflection of Topic - c)

The project scope is a critical element of a project. As the author affirms, the scope can be difficult to focus on because stakeholders will have high expectations for the project. Therefore, it is the project manager’s responsibility to work with the stakeholders to establish timelines, priorities and ultimately the scope of a project. Moreover, a project manager must discuss discretionary (non-essential) and non-discretionary (essential) elements of the project to ensure that key elements stakeholders expect to be completed are completed.

Analysis of Article - d)

As the project manager defines the scope, so does the project management team work specifically on certain tasks that make up the specifics listed in the scope. With those specifics, along with project prioritization and communication, a project manager is able to ensure successful implementation of a certain project. As a foundational element of a project, change in scope has a domino effect across the entire project effecting schedule, cost and quality of the deliverables.

References

• Cervone, F. H. (2014). Effective communication for project success. OCLC Systems and Services, 30(2), 74-77.
• Hans, R. T. (2013). WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE: A TOOL FOR SOFTWARE PROJECT SCOPE VERIFICATION. International Journal of Software Engineering & Applications, 4(4).
• Khan, A. (2006). Project Scope Management. Cost Engineering, 48(6), 12-16.
• Potter, R. A. (2003). Request for proposal. Consulting to Management, 14(1), 15-17.
• Potter, R. A. (2004). Winning an RFP. The CPA Journal, 74(4), 12.
• Rivinus, C. (2013). IT project prioritization: A practical application of knowledge management principles. Business Information Review, 30(4), 196-203.
• Roider, A. (2009). Delegation, Risk, and Project Scope. Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), 165(2), 193-209.
• Shollo, A., Constantiou, I., & Kreiner, K. (2015). The interplay between evidence and judgment in the IT project prioritization process. The Journal of Strategic Information, 24(3).
• Westfall, M. B. (2011). Using a Request for Proposal (RFP) to Select a Serials Vendor: The University of Tennessee Experience. Serials Review, 37(2).
• Westfall, M., & Clarke, J. (2013). Selecting a Vendor: The Request for Proposal (RFP) from Library and Vendor Perspectives. The Serials Librarian, 188-195.
• Wojcik, J. (2010). Collaborative communication key to success for IBM plans; Design change, objectives discussed in projects' early stages. Business Insurance, 44(26), 14.