Skip to content
English
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Project Planning

Defining, elaborating, and prioritizing objectives, activities, and milestones. Securing resources (people, material, information, budget, and time). Monitoring, reporting, evaluating, and adjusting plans as necessary.
Level 1 Introductory: Demonstrates introductory understanding and ability and, with guidance, applies the competency in a few, simple situations. Can direct people to the appropriate source for further information.

BEHAVIORS

  • Describes the project scope in detail.
  • Identifies project objectives.
  • Assists in the identification of project requirements for the project charter.
  • Assists in identifying and itemizing budget requirements.
  • Uses a variety of tools to track project status, scope and activities.
  • Updates components of the project plan, as required.
  • Archives and maintains a library of project planning artifacts, such as project charter and stakeholder communications.
  • Records project details, such as project schedule, budget, milestones & baselines, into project management software.

QUESTIONS

  • Describe the skills you used in the planning of your most recent team project.

Probing Questions

* What aspects of the project did you plan?

* How did you break down the planning tasks?

* What skills did you employ?

* How well did the plan work out?

* What are you doing to improve those skills?

  • Describe a project in which you were tasked with prioritizing tasks and deliverables.

Probing Questions

* What were your responsibilities?

* What were the tasks and deliverables?

* What criteria did you use to prioritize the tasks?

* What things have you found to be a low priority when planning a project?

* What was the success of the plan?

Level 2 Basic: Demonstrates basic knowledge and ability and, with guidance, can apply the competency in common situations that present limited difficulties.

BEHAVIORS

  • Identifies a high-level project strategy.
  • Defines the project deliverables using a work breakdown structure for a small project or component of a large project.
  • Identifies project dependencies.
  • Establishes key milestones and deliverables.
  • Estimates the time of completion for each task.
  • Establishes the project's high-level assumptions and constraints.
  • Develops budget including schedule, cash flow, contingency reserves and value analysis.
  • Plans purchases and acquisitions including external labor procurement and contract administration.
  • Develops a schedule with dependencies.
  • Manages activities against resource commitments.
  • Documents project baselines.
  • Incorporates lessons learned from other projects into project planning activities.

QUESTIONS

  • During a recent team project, describe the steps you took in assembling your team.

Probing Questions

* What were the circumstances surrounding this project?

* What criteria were you looking for when selecting team members?

* What did you do to optimize your team member?

* How did you deal with skill or knowledge gaps?

* What was the outcome?

  • Describe a project where you were tasked with establishing the project's baselines, milestones and schedule.

Probing Questions

* How complex was the project?

* How did you approach the planning for the project?

* What challenges did you encounter?

* Did the project adjust the baselines over the life of the project?

Level 3 Intermediate: Demonstrates solid knowledge and ability, and can apply the competency, with minimal or no guidance, in the full range of typical situations. Would require guidance to handle novel or more complex situations.

BEHAVIORS

  • Develops a preliminary scope statement or equivalent.
  • Develops the complete project plan based on a project charter and integrates planning activities.
  • Selects a suitable project management methodology or process.
  • Develops a cost management plan which may include means of lowering budget costs through acquisition of new organizational assets.
  • Identify internal and external dependencies.
  • Evaluates projects to determine feasibility.
  • Develops contingency plans to minimize the impact of anticipated and potential changes to the project plan.
  • Develops quality standards and success criteria for the project.

QUESTIONS

  • Describe a project where you were responsible for the project's budget.

Probing Questions

* What was the size of the budget?

* How did you forecast cash flows?

* How were contracts negotiated? Were you responsible for negotiating contracts?

* How did you handle disbursements?

* What were the results?

  • Describe a time when you had to implement major changes to an established plan, such as crashing the schedule.

Probing Questions

* What was the project?

* What was the cause of the change?

* What was the desired outcome of the change?

* What was the change you implemented?

* What was the outcome?

Level 4 Advanced: Demonstrates advanced knowledge and ability and can apply the competency in new or complex situations. Guides other professionals.

BEHAVIORS

  • Forms high-level project scope ensuring alignment with organization and customer needs and expectations.
  • Develops high-level project strategy plans.
  • Coordinates schedules of multiple projects within a portfolio to align with organizational obligations and constraints.
  • Proactively engages the team in discussions on milestones to identify efficiency and acceleration opportunities.
  • Evaluates how changes to projects impact the program.
  • Monitor projects within a program.
  • Develops standards for project planning.
  • Defines organizational quality standards.

QUESTIONS

  • Give an example of when you had to coordinate the schedule and delivery of two or more projects.

Probing Questions

* What was the scope and importance of the projects?

* What were the relationships and linkages among the projects?

* What challenges did this present?

* What did you do to ensure the success of all projects?

* What were the results?

  • Describe a time when you created a project scope statement and project charter.

Probing Questions

* What was the project?

* How did you obtain sign off for the project?

* What were the steps you took in defining the project charter?

* How did you approach the high level or rough order of magnitude work breakdown structure?

* Was the project implemented as defined?

Level 5 Expert: Demonstrates expert knowledge and ability, and can apply the competency in the most complex situations. Develops new approaches, methods or policies in the area. Is recognized as an expert, internally and/or externally.

BEHAVIORS

  • Secures sponsorship and stakeholder support with challenging or complex organizations or individuals.
  • Leads priority setting in the most complex and high-risk environments.
  • Develops a portfolio roadmap.
  • Establishes methods to assess the performance of the portfolio.
  • Evaluates the effectiveness of the portfolio against established performance metrics.
  • Optimizes the portfolio to align with organizational objectives.
  • Develops or acquires new organizational assets to aid in the execution of upcoming projects within the portfolio or program.