Ray - Project Management Professional (Apprenticeship) - PCP-July

Assignment: Applying Lean Project Management Principles (Optional Assignment) 

Task Overview:
After reading the section on Lean Project Management, complete the following activities to reinforce your understanding, apply the principles practically, and document your learning and improvements effectively.

Activities:

1. Summarise the Section
   Provide a clear and concise summary of the Lean Project Management section. Focus on key points, core principles (value, value stream, flow, pull, perfection), and essential tools such as Value Stream Mapping and Kanban.

2. Create a Mind Map
   Develop a visual mind map that highlights key concepts, principles, examples, and techniques learned from the Lean Project Management topic. Ensure clarity, visual appeal, and completeness.

3. Identify Relevant KSBs
   Reflect on the Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviours (KSBs) covered in this section. Specifically, consider:

   • K1: Management (leadership, governance, efficiency, waste reduction, continuous improvement)

   • K4: Time Management

   • K22: Continuous Improvement Techniques

   • S1: Management Procedures and Continuous Improvement

   • S2: Data Analysis

   • S4: Time Management and Scheduling

   • K27: Data Analysis and Assurance

   • B4: Teamwork and Collaboration

   • B5: Innovation and Continuous Improvement

   Clearly outline how you believe these KSBs can be enhanced through learning and applying Lean principles.

4. Practical Application and Team Discussion

   • Arrange a meeting with your project team to discuss Lean principles.

   • Conduct a brainstorming session to identify ways to make your current projects leaner by removing waste and increasing efficiency.

   • Document your current project performance metrics clearly. Include specific examples (e.g., lead time, cycle time, delays, waste areas).

   • Agree as a team on actions for improvement, applying Lean tools such as Kanban or Value Stream Mapping.

5. Document Improvement and Reflection
   After applying these Lean improvements, track and document any changes in efficiency, effectiveness, or quality in your project.

Submission and Reporting:

• Upload your summary, mind map, KSB analysis, and reflection on practical application to APTEM under the LMS section.

• Clearly label your activities and reflect specifically on your learning journey and team discussions.

• Log 2 to 4 hours for this assignment, ensuring your submission is detailed and reflective of the time committed.

Completing this assignment will consolidate your understanding, enable practical application of Lean Project Management principles, and help you measure and enhance project performance effectively.

Assignment: Implementing Kanban in Your Workplace (Optional Assignement)

Objective: Apply Kanban principles and methods to improve workflow management in your current workplace or a specific project you are involved with.

Instructions:

1. Assess Current Workflow:

   • Clearly identify and document the current workflow process within your workplace or project area. This can be any process you engage with regularly, such as task management, customer support, product development, or administrative processes.

2. Create a Kanban Board:

   • Set up a physical or digital Kanban board to visualise the stages of your identified workflow.

   • Clearly label the columns (e.g., "To Do", "In Progress", "Review", "Done").

3. Define Work Items:

   • Identify tasks or activities as "work items" and place them appropriately on your Kanban board.

4. Set Work-in-Progress (WIP) Limits:

   • Determine and implement suitable WIP limits for each column to control task overload and promote efficient workflow.

5. Implement and Monitor:

   • Run your Kanban board for a minimum of two weeks, ensuring regular updates.

   • Monitor how effectively the WIP limits manage flow and identify any bottlenecks.

6. Analyse and Reflect:

   • After two weeks, review the effectiveness of your Kanban implementation.

   • Document any improvements in workflow, such as reduced task completion time, better visibility of workload, or enhanced team collaboration.

   • Reflect on challenges you encountered and propose adjustments or improvements for continued use.

Submission to APTEM:

• Upload a detailed report including:

  • Initial workflow description

  • Screenshot or photograph of your Kanban board

  • Reflection on the implementation process and outcomes

  • Suggested future improvements

Time Allocation: You can allocate and report 2-4 hours in APTEM for completing this assignment.

Here are some excellent YouTube videos to support users completing the Kanban assignment:

A clear and concise introduction to the essential principles of Kanban—ideal for apprentices getting started.

An accessible walkthrough of setting up a board, including WIP limits and swimlanes—great for practical implementation.

Apprentice Assignment: Applying Value Stream Mapping (VSM) in Your Project

Assignment Objective:

You will apply the principles of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to a process within your workplace. This assignment aims to help you identify and reduce waste, enhance efficiency, and improve overall project delivery.

Task Instructions:

Step 1: Choose a Process

Select a clearly defined process from your current workplace project. Examples include:

• Manufacturing line processes

• Software development workflows

• Patient journeys in healthcare

• Construction project phases

Step 2: Create a Current State Value Stream Map

• Clearly document each step of the current process.

• Identify and note value-added and non-value-added steps.

• Record key metrics such as cycle times, wait times, bottlenecks, inventory, or backlog.

Step 3: Analyse the Current State Map

• Identify waste and inefficiencies (delays, unnecessary movement, excessive inventory, waiting times).

• Clearly document these findings.

Step 4: Design a Future State Value Stream Map

• Suggest improvements to eliminate waste and streamline the process.

• Illustrate how these changes will improve the flow of value.

• Provide estimated improvements in cycle time, efficiency, or resource utilisation.

Step 5: Prepare an Implementation Plan

• Outline the steps necessary to move from the current state to the future state.

• Include roles, responsibilities, and timelines.

Step 6: Reflect and Report

• Write a short reflective summary detailing your learnings from applying VSM.

• Discuss how this technique improved your understanding of project efficiency.

• Suggest how VSM could support ongoing improvements in your project.

Submission Guidelines:

• Submit your Value Stream Maps (Current and Future State).

• Include your implementation plan and reflective summary.

• Upload all documents clearly labelled to your APTEM portfolio.

KSB Mapping:

By completing this assignment, you will address the following Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviours:

Knowledge:

• K3: Technical Procedures and Methods (applying structured process improvement methods)

• K23: Data Management and Analysis (using process data to identify areas for improvement)

• K25: Risk, Commercial, and Financial Controls (evaluating efficiency and cost implications)

Skills:

• S2: Data (collecting and interpreting process data to enhance project delivery)

• S4: Time (identifying and addressing inefficiencies and delays)

• S6: Risk (analysing risks associated with inefficiencies and proposing mitigations)

Behaviours:

• B4: Teamwork and Collaboration (engaging colleagues in mapping and implementing improvements)

• B5: Innovation and Continuous Improvement (demonstrating proactive improvement initiatives and creative problem-solving)

Estimated Completion Time:

• Total: 6–8 hours (including mapping, analysis, implementation planning, and reflection)

Complete this assignment thoughtfully and use it as an opportunity to significantly enhance your project’s effectiveness and your professional skills.

Welcome to this essential chapter on Agile Project Management, focusing specifically on three powerful methods: Lean, Kanban, and Value Stream Mapping. These techniques provide invaluable tools to manage projects effectively, enhance team collaboration, and drive continuous improvement—key elements of successful project management practices.

Please note: It may be too overwhelming to complete all three assignments. You only need to choose one of the three topics. There’s no need to study each in detail—simply review the three briefly, and focus on the final section, which highlights the key points most relevant to the PMP exam.

This is what you need for PMP exam 

Please note: It may be too overwhelming to complete all three assignments. You only need to choose one of the three topics. There’s no need to study each in detail—simply review the three briefly, and focus on this section, which highlights the key points most relevant to the PMP exam.

Workbook: Exercises for Practicing User Story Concepts

To solidify your understanding of user stories and their application, here are some workbook-style exercises. These exercises are designed for you to apply the concepts in professional or project scenarios relevant to you. They can be done individually or in study groups. Remember to think in terms of Agile and PMP principles as you work through them.

1. Identify Users and Write User Stories
Think of a project (past, present, or an imagined one) in your domain. Identify at least two distinct user personas or roles who have requirements from that project. For each persona, write 2-3 user stories that capture something that user needs from the project deliverable. Use the "As a ..., I want ..., so that ..." format.
For example: If you work in marketing and the project is launching a new website, one persona could be a visitor to the site: “As a site visitor, I want to filter the product catalog by category so that I can find products relevant to my interests quickly.” Another persona might be an admin: “As a content manager, I want to schedule blog posts in advance so that the site updates can happen on weekends without my manual intervention.”
After writing the stories, check: do they clearly convey who, what, and why? Would they be understandable to both a business stakeholder and a technical team member? If possible, share with a colleague to see if the value is clear.

2. Apply the INVEST Criteria
Take the user stories you wrote in Exercise 1 (or you can use the examples provided). Evaluate each story against the INVEST criteria (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable). For each criterion, ask:

• Is the story independent of others, or is it entangled with another? If entangled, how could you restructure it?

• Is the wording of the story negotiable, or does it prematurely specify a solution? If it’s too rigid (e.g., it says “implement X using Y technology”), rewrite it to be more open.

• Is the story clearly delivering value? Identify the benefit; if it’s not obvious, maybe the “so that” needs improvement.

• Is the story estimable? What unknowns might prevent estimation? (For instance, “I want the system to be intuitive” – not estimable because it’s vague. How to fix? Make it concrete or split it.)

• Is the story small enough? Could it be done in a few days? If it seems too large, practice story splitting: break it into smaller stories. Common ways to split include by workflow steps, business rules, happy path vs. edge cases, data types, etc. Write down the new smaller stories if any.

• Is the story testable? Try to imagine at least one acceptance test for it. If you struggle (e.g., “intuitive system” has no test), refine the story until it’s testable (perhaps redefine “intuitive” into specific criteria like “user can complete key task in <2 minutes without help”).
  For each story, jot down notes on any criteria it fails and how you addressed it. This will train you to critique and improve user stories, a valuable skill both for Agile projects and for PMP exam scenarios.

3. Draft Acceptance Criteria
Using one of your user stories (preferably one that’s now INVEST-worthy), write a set of acceptance criteria for it. Aim for 3-5 criteria that cover the main conditions of satisfaction. Use bullet points or given/when/then format. The criteria should cover normal success conditions and maybe one negative case (if applicable).
Example scenario: For the story “As a customer, I want to track my package so that I know when it will arrive,” acceptance criteria might include:

• “Given a valid tracking number, when I enter it, then I see the current status and expected delivery date of my package.”

• “If I enter an invalid tracking number, I receive an error message instructing me to check the number.”

• “The tracking status updates at least every 6 hours (so information is reasonably current).”
  Now it’s your turn: pick a story relevant to your project and write criteria. Afterward, ask yourself: Are these criteria testable and unambiguous? If you gave them to a tester or a developer, would they understand exactly what to build/check? Refine as necessary. This exercise helps you practice specifying requirements in a clear, testable manner, which is valuable for both Agile and traditional projects.

4. Prioritise a Backlog of User Stories
Imagine you have a list of 8 user stories for a new feature rollout (they can be from exercises above or a new set you dream up). Assume due to time constraints, you can only implement 5 of them in the next release. Prioritise the stories using one of the techniques discussed:

• Try using MoSCoW: Label each story as Must, Should, Could, or Won’t for the upcoming release. Explain briefly why you assigned each label (e.g., “Story A is Must because without it the product won’t function for its main use case,” “Story B is Could – nice enhancement but not critical”). After categorising, decide which ones make the cut (all Musts and maybe some Shoulds until you fill 5 slots).

• Alternatively, use a Value vs Effort matrix: Assign a relative business value (e.g., 1 to 10) to each story and an effort estimate (say in points or t-shirt sizes S/M/L). Plot them conceptually or just list High/Low categories. Choose the 5 that give highest value for least effort (quick wins and important ones).
  List out your ordered backlog from 1 (highest priority) to 8 (lowest). Compare the outcome of your prioritisation exercise to what your intuition might have chosen without a method – did the structured approach make you reconsider any story’s importance? This exercise teaches prioritisation thinking, aligning with the PMP concept of delivering the highest value features first and being able to justify the rationale.

5. From User Story to Task (Bonus exercise)
This exercise blends into project execution planning. Take a user story (perhaps one you already wrote criteria for in Exercise 3). Break it down into sub-tasks or activities that a developer or team member would need to do to implement it. This is akin to going from a story (deliverable) to a mini work breakdown. For example, for “add credit card to wallet” story, tasks might be: design input form UI, implement frontend validation, implement backend API call to card processor, implement token storage in database, write unit tests, etc. Why do this? It helps see how user stories relate to traditional WBS tasks – the story is like a work package, and these are the activities under it. It also prepares you for questions where you might need to connect agile artifacts to project planning (i.e., in agile, detailed planning is often done at the task level during sprint planning, not up front).
After listing tasks, consider: these tasks would typically all be done within one iteration for that story, by the cross-functional team. There’s no need to treat them as separate deliverables – they are just a means to get the story “Done”. This reinforces the idea that completion is measured at the story level (the user-visible functionality), not task level.

By working through these exercises, you’ll deepen your grasp of how user stories function as a tool for requirements, planning, and stakeholder engagement in Agile projects. You’ll also see how these map to the project management processes you know. Remember, practice in crafting user stories and thinking in an Agile mindset will not only help in exam questions (particularly scenario-based ones where you must choose the agile-friendly approach) but also in real project situations as Agile practices become more prevalent in various industries. Good luck, and enjoy “storytelling” in your project management journey!

Workbook Exercise: Creating Your Impact Map 

Apprentices are encouraged to apply these steps through a structured workbook exercise:

Exercise Instructions:

1. Select a real project from your professional environment.

2. Clearly state the goal of your project.

3. Identify key actors (at least three).

4. Determine the impacts required from each actor.

5. Define specific deliverables that lead to these impacts.

Example Workbook Structure:

• Goal:

• Actors and Their Roles:

  • Actor 1:

    • Impact:

    • Deliverables:

  • Actor 2:

    • Impact:

    • Deliverables:

  • Actor 3:

    • Impact:

    • Deliverables:

• Reflection:

  • How does your map enhance clarity?

  • What challenges do you anticipate in achieving these impacts?

Apprentices should complete this exercise individually and then collaboratively review in peer groups to enhance understanding and refine their impact maps.