The Most Critical Consequence, Research Paper Example

The most critical consequence is inability to properly assign responsibilities and explain the scope to project team members. It is imperative do to this correctly because this has impact on other aspects of the project, such as leading to inaccurate estimates of cost, time, and risk, and wasted resources. If members of the project team do not perform their jobs in an organized manner, the project will take more time and cost more money. Furthermore, failing to provide a detailed scope could result in unanticipated project outcomes, which results in wasted resources. While it is important to consider all three consequences, the inability to properly assign responsibilities and explain the scope of the project to team members leads to many additional problems, while the other consequences are more standalone issues.

Since work packages are project subsets that can be assigned for completion as a separate entity, it is important to ensure that they follow similar best practices to those that are expected for the completion of the project as a whole. Ultimately, work packages are defined by their activity description, activity resources of skill and expertise, activity estimates of effort and duration, activity schedule, activity risks, and activity budget. Therefore, as the work package is being completed, it is important to ensure that the project team sticks to this plan. Best practices revolve around ensuring that the team understands what needs to be done and that they are capable of doing it.

The statements of activity estimates of effort and duration and activity schedule define the duration of a work package. When writing these statements of activity, it is essential to ensure that the time guidelines being set are realistically achievable. Furthermore, it is useful to monitor the process of the project team to ensure that no unforeseeable roadblocks are encountered and if they are, to adjust the timeline of the project accordingly. It is ultimately idea to be able to adjust the statements of activity in the work package to consider a variety of possibilities.

In a WBS, the best practice in terms of the duration of a task is to ensure that padding, slack, and time reserve are included in all schedules. It is impossible to avoid encountering problems and more problematic issues can be avoided by accounting for these problems in the project’s schedule. If room for problems are not included in the schedule, it will be impossible to create a realistic schedule and the project will not be completed as planned. Avoiding this is preferable because it is unprofessional to deliver false promises.

The specific risks that could be identified in a work breakdown structure relate to project timing, cost, and the ability of each project team member to properly carry out their assignments. Providing a detailed and well-considered work break down structure alleviates the possibility of risk because it allows for the possibility that things can go wrong and it considers many scenarios in case the project needs to take a different direction in order to achieve its goal. If the work breakdown structure is not distinct within its scope details, cost may be under or overestimated, the workers may be unsure of what specifically needs to be done, and this may result in a project that takes too long. A work log is a useful tool in ensuring that various aspects of the project are adjusted as needed. The work log keeps track of progress in a way that allows the project manager to determine the success or failure of certain aspects. This is essentially a record of the project’s progress that allows the team to make informed decisions concerning its next steps.