When you hear the word “expert”, what comes first in your mind? When I hear that word, I think of those people who are in the highest rank of the career they have chosen to go. For me, an expert could answer all the questions you will ask related to the course where he/she is involved in. Experts are those individuals or group who possess specialized knowledge or training in particular area. As what I have learned through my readings, they said that experts are the best asset to any activity especially projects.
During all stages of the project, there should be widespread consultation with many experts. This is what we call the Expert Judgment. What is it all about? Expert Judgment is tool or technique used in Developing Project Charter, Defining Scope, Estimating Costs, Developing Project Management Plan, Determining the budget, Identifying Risks, Closing the Project etc. By these we can say that Expert Judgment is a widely used Tools & Techniques in almost all major processes in PMBOK from Initiating till Closing of project/phase. In some of the processes it is the one and only technique mentioned (PMBOK 4th edition). Expert Judgment is often used to asses the inputs needed to develop the project charter. Such judgment and expertise is applied to any technical and management details during this process. Such expertise is provided by any group or individual with specialized knowledge or training, and is available from many resources. In project management, experts are either part of the project (project manager) or involved (stakeholders) in project processes. Project teams with project manager and team members with relevant experience in the project related subject can perform the project with more success probability than those are not. Other than project team, generally available experts are project consultants, user groups, subject matter experts or senior management people.
People with this kind of expertise can provide ideas and the probability of occurrence based on their experiences. I have read a blog about this written by Iman Budi Setiawanthere and according to him there are four sources of expert judgment available to help you on your project. First is, other units or departments within the performing organization. Ideally, this is the best place to obtain expert judgment. It can be obtained at no cost to you. Second are the consultants. They can be hired from outside the company to serve as experts for a certain project. This option is somewhat expensive but I believe that it is worth the cost. The third is Professional and technical associations. They can provide expert judgment when the information needed is very detailed or technical. And last but definitely not the least is the Industry groups. These groups can provide the project team general information. We know that expert judgment is a tool but there are also some tools and techniques under this that we can use to obtain the expert judgment we need since we already knew those people who could help us. Iman Budi Setiawanthere wrote three of those techniques. Interviews, Brainstorming and Historical Data. Interviews are conducted by asking a series of questions that will increase your knowledge of the project or a particular project activity. It can be on a one-to-one or a many-to-one basis. Interviews are best used when knowledgeable, experienced people are available at an affordable cost and specific information is needed .Brainstorming works by getting a group to focus on a problem and then coming up with as many solutions as possible. Once the session has resulted in a number of solutions, the results can be analyzed. Brainstorming is best used when input from multiple experts is needed or when experienced people aren't available. Historical data uses the knowledge gained on a similar past project activity to obtain duration estimates for each activity associated with a current project. Historical data is best used when records are accurate and both projects are similar.
Expert Judgment is an asset for the project team but using these techniques gives the team some burden. Like so many things, expert judgment also has its disadvantages. It can be time consuming because you have to undergo all those procedures in order for you to obtain the expert judgment you needed for your project. It can also tie up experienced staff for many hours, to the failure of other projects. It can also be costly because in some cases, for the benefit of your project, you need to hire some high personnel outside your company. You have no choice but to go away from the premises of your company because we can’t deny the fact that ideas beyond the box are sometimes better that what we can find inside. In addition, another disadvantage is that experts may tend to downplay the verity that an activity took longer than expected on past projects. Your project will definitely took longer because of the process that you need to apply to make your project at its best. I am not saying that people should not use this technique because of its disadvantages, I am just reminding the people especially the project team that Expert Judgment must be properly handled. If used wisely, expert judgment can be a powerful and invaluable tool. It allows for different perspectives, makes valuable use of prior knowledge and experience, helps you find creative solutions and helps you avoid re-inventing the wheel. There are many techniques which you are provided to choose from all you need to do is to match the right approach appropriate for your necessities. What is the best tool use in expert judgment? I can’t say what is the best tool or technique among those 3 given above because I believe that each of those techniques has its own purpose. A certain technique might be appropriate in some situations, but in others the same technique wouldn't give you the information you need. It only depends on the situation where you are in.
During all stages of the project, there should be widespread consultation with many experts. This is what we call the Expert Judgment. What is it all about? Expert Judgment is tool or technique used in Developing Project Charter, Defining Scope, Estimating Costs, Developing Project Management Plan, Determining the budget, Identifying Risks, Closing the Project etc. By these we can say that Expert Judgment is a widely used Tools & Techniques in almost all major processes in PMBOK from Initiating till Closing of project/phase. In some of the processes it is the one and only technique mentioned (PMBOK 4th edition). Expert Judgment is often used to asses the inputs needed to develop the project charter. Such judgment and expertise is applied to any technical and management details during this process. Such expertise is provided by any group or individual with specialized knowledge or training, and is available from many resources. In project management, experts are either part of the project (project manager) or involved (stakeholders) in project processes. Project teams with project manager and team members with relevant experience in the project related subject can perform the project with more success probability than those are not. Other than project team, generally available experts are project consultants, user groups, subject matter experts or senior management people.
People with this kind of expertise can provide ideas and the probability of occurrence based on their experiences. I have read a blog about this written by Iman Budi Setiawanthere and according to him there are four sources of expert judgment available to help you on your project. First is, other units or departments within the performing organization. Ideally, this is the best place to obtain expert judgment. It can be obtained at no cost to you. Second are the consultants. They can be hired from outside the company to serve as experts for a certain project. This option is somewhat expensive but I believe that it is worth the cost. The third is Professional and technical associations. They can provide expert judgment when the information needed is very detailed or technical. And last but definitely not the least is the Industry groups. These groups can provide the project team general information. We know that expert judgment is a tool but there are also some tools and techniques under this that we can use to obtain the expert judgment we need since we already knew those people who could help us. Iman Budi Setiawanthere wrote three of those techniques. Interviews, Brainstorming and Historical Data. Interviews are conducted by asking a series of questions that will increase your knowledge of the project or a particular project activity. It can be on a one-to-one or a many-to-one basis. Interviews are best used when knowledgeable, experienced people are available at an affordable cost and specific information is needed .Brainstorming works by getting a group to focus on a problem and then coming up with as many solutions as possible. Once the session has resulted in a number of solutions, the results can be analyzed. Brainstorming is best used when input from multiple experts is needed or when experienced people aren't available. Historical data uses the knowledge gained on a similar past project activity to obtain duration estimates for each activity associated with a current project. Historical data is best used when records are accurate and both projects are similar.
Expert Judgment is an asset for the project team but using these techniques gives the team some burden. Like so many things, expert judgment also has its disadvantages. It can be time consuming because you have to undergo all those procedures in order for you to obtain the expert judgment you needed for your project. It can also tie up experienced staff for many hours, to the failure of other projects. It can also be costly because in some cases, for the benefit of your project, you need to hire some high personnel outside your company. You have no choice but to go away from the premises of your company because we can’t deny the fact that ideas beyond the box are sometimes better that what we can find inside. In addition, another disadvantage is that experts may tend to downplay the verity that an activity took longer than expected on past projects. Your project will definitely took longer because of the process that you need to apply to make your project at its best. I am not saying that people should not use this technique because of its disadvantages, I am just reminding the people especially the project team that Expert Judgment must be properly handled. If used wisely, expert judgment can be a powerful and invaluable tool. It allows for different perspectives, makes valuable use of prior knowledge and experience, helps you find creative solutions and helps you avoid re-inventing the wheel. There are many techniques which you are provided to choose from all you need to do is to match the right approach appropriate for your necessities. What is the best tool use in expert judgment? I can’t say what is the best tool or technique among those 3 given above because I believe that each of those techniques has its own purpose. A certain technique might be appropriate in some situations, but in others the same technique wouldn't give you the information you need. It only depends on the situation where you are in.
Whatever technique, if used wisely, can give the expert judgment your project deserves.
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