Project Management

Project management is a methodical approach to planning and guiding project processes from start to finish. According to the Project Management Institute, the processes are guided through five stages: initiation, planning, executing, controlling, and closing. Project management can be applied to almost any type of project and is widely used to control the complex processes of software development projects. Three established definitions of project management from Association for Project Management, Project Management Institute and Imperial College London were compared with three other definitions searched from the web and the result is provided below Association for Project Management defined project management as: Project management is the process by which projects are defined, planned, monitored, controlled and delivered such that the agreed benefits are realised. Projects are unique, transient endeavours undertaken to achieve a desired outcome. Projects bring about change and project management is recognised as the most efficient way of managing such change. According to Dr Martin Barnes, APM President: Project management At its most fundamental, project management is about people getting things done. Project management focuses on controlling the introduction of the desired change. This involves:

Understanding the needs of stakeholders. Planning what needs to be done, when, by whom, and to what standards. Building and motivating the team. Coordinating the work of different people. Monitoring work being done. Managing any changes to the plan. Delivering successful results.

In a way, project management is the way of managing change. Project Management Institute, Inc. defined project management as: Project management is the application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently. Its a strategic competency for organizations, enabling them to tie project results to business goals and thus, better compete in their markets. Before defining project management, PMI defined project as a temporary group activity designed to produce a unique product, service or result. A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources. And a project is unique in that it is not a routine operation, but a specific set of operations designed to accomplish a singular goal. So a project team often includes people who dont usually work together sometimes from different organizations and across multiple geographies.

It has always been practiced informally, but began to emerge as a distinct profession in the mid20th century. PMIs A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) identifies its recurring elements: Project management processes fall into five groups:

Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring and Controlling Closing

Project management knowledge draws on nine areas: Integration Cost Scope Quality Time Procurement

Human resources Communications Risk management

All management is concerned with these, of course. But project management brings a unique focus shaped by the goals, resources and schedule of each project. The value of that focus is proved by the rapid, worldwide growth of project management: Imperial College London defined project management as: Project Management provides a framework for those involved in projects to use, it should be flexible enough for those projects of lower risk and complexity, yet provide enough structure to ensure consistency and guidelines are available for all. Effective Project Management allows:

Better outcomes (benefit & risk); Better decision-making; Better management of expectations; More efficient use of resource; and Avoidance of disconnects in processes.

The Happy Manager (http://www.the-happy-manager.com/define-projectmanagement.html) defined project management as: The bringing together of people with the right skills to develop something different, or new, using effective management processes: doing it on time, to the agreed budget and to meet expectations. In doing so inspiring the project team and producing something special for those who will benefit from the project.

The implications of such a definition are that if you manage a project it is likely that: You will be managing something which is less predictable than a normal operation to manage. Your skills in managing and motivating people will be in demand as you may well be leading people who report to others in the organization. You may also have to work around or outside of the normal organization structure to achieve the project outcomes. Finally projects should result in things being better, and valuable improvements made. There are numerous ways to define a project: make sure that you don't miss out defining it as an opportunity. Businessdictionary.com (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/projectmanagement.html) defined project management as: The body of knowledge concerned with principles, techniques, and tools used in planning, control, monitoring, and review of projects. In this definition, one of the five groups of project management processes, i.e, initiating seems to be missing although planning itself has a part of initiating. Wideman Comparative Glossary of Project Management Terms (http://maxwideman.com/pmglossary/PMG_P12.htm#Project%20Management) defined project management as: The art and science of managing a project from inception to closure as evidenced by successful product delivery and transfer. This definition ensured a complete process to stay on track with what one need to do: successful product delivery and transfer.