Topic Concepts of Project Management

01ination o1 Proj0ct Manag020nt

M0aning o1 Proj0ct Manag020nt
2portanc0 o1 Proj0ct Manag020nt
aract0ristics o1 a proj0ct
Su22ary

ro[ecL managemenL ls Lhe dlsclpllne of plannlng organlzlng securlng and managlng resources Lo
achleve speclflc goals A pro[ecL ls a Lemporary endeavor wlLh a deflned beglnnlng and end (usually
LlmeconsLralned and ofLen consLralned by fundlng or dellverables)1 underLaken Lo meeL unlque
goals and ob[ecLlves2 Lyplcally Lo brlng abouL beneflclal change or added value 1he Lemporary naLure
of pro[ecLs sLands ln conLrasL wlLh buslness as usual (or operaLlons)3 whlch are repeLlLlve permanenL
or semlpermanenL funcLlonal acLlvlLles Lo produce producLs or servlces ln pracLlce Lhe managemenL of
Lhese Lwo sysLems ls ofLen qulLe dlfferenL and as such requlres Lhe developmenL of dlsLlncL Lechnlcal
skllls and managemenL sLraLegles

1he prlmary challenge of pro[ecL managemenL ls Lo achleve all of Lhe pro[ecL goals4 and ob[ecLlves
whlle honorlng Lhe preconcelved consLralnLs3 1yplcal consLralnLs are scope Llme and budgeL1 1he
secondaryand more amblLlouschallenge ls Lo opLlmlze Lhe allocaLlon and lnLegraLe Lhe lnpuLs
necessary Lo meeL predeflned ob[ecLlves

ro[ecL managemenL ls Lhe sclence (and arL) of organlzlng Lhe componenLs of a pro[ecL wheLher Lhe
pro[ecL ls developmenL of a new producL Lhe launch of a new servlce a markeLlng campalgn or a
weddlng A pro[ecL lsnL someLhlng LhaLs parL of normal buslness operaLlons lLs Lyplcally creaLed once
lLs Lemporary and lLs speclflc As one experL noLes lL has a beglnnlng and an end A pro[ecL
consumes resources (wheLher people cash maLerlals or Llme) and lL has fundlng llmlLs
ro[ecL ManagemenL 8aslcs
no maLLer whaL Lhe Lype of pro[ecL pro[ecL managemenL Lyplcally follows Lhe same paLLern
1 ueflnlLlon
2 lannlng
3 LxecuLlon
4 ConLrol
3 Closure
ueflnlng Lhe ro[ecL
ln Lhls sLage Lhe pro[ecL manager deflnes whaL Lhe pro[ecL ls and whaL Lhe users hope Lo achleve by
underLaklng Lhe pro[ecL 1hls phase also lncludes a llsL of pro[ecL dellverables Lhe ouLcome of a speclflc
seL of acLlvlLles 1he pro[ecL manager works wlLh Lhe buslness sponsor or manager who wanLs Lo have
Lhe pro[ecL lmplemenLed and oLher sLakeholders Lhose who have a vesLed lnLeresL ln Lhe ouLcome of
Lhe pro[ecL
lannlng Lhe ro[ecL
ueflne all pro[ecL acLlvlLles ln Lhls sLage Lhe pro[ecL manager llsLs all acLlvlLles or Lasks how Lhe Lasks
are relaLed how long each Lask wlll Lake and how each Lasks ls Lled Lo a speclflc deadllne 1hls phase
also allows Lhe pro[ecL manager Lo deflne relaLlonshlps beLween Lasks so LhaL for example lf one Lask
ls x number of days laLe Lhe pro[ecL Lasks relaLed Lo lL wlll also reflecL a comparable delay Llkewlse Lhe
pro[ecL manager can seL mllesLones daLes by whlch lmporLanL aspecLs of Lhe pro[ecL need Lo be meL
ueflne requlremenLs for compleLlng Lhe pro[ecL ln Lhls sLage Lhe pro[ecL manager ldenLlfles how many
people (ofLen referred Lo as resources) and how much expense (cosL) ls lnvolved ln Lhe pro[ecL as
well as any oLher requlremenLs LhaL are necessary for compleLlng Lhe pro[ecL 1he pro[ecL manager wlll
also need Lo manage assumpLlons and rlsks relaLed Lo Lhe pro[ecL 1he pro[ecL manager wlll also wanL Lo
ldenLlfy pro[ecL consLralnLs ConsLralnLs Lyplcally relaLe Lo schedule resources budgeL and scope A
change ln one consLralnL wlll Lyplcally affecL Lhe oLher consLralnLs lor example a budgeL consLralnL may
affecL Lhe number of people who can work on Lhe pro[ecL Lhereby lmposlng a resource consLralnL
Llkewlse lf addlLlonal feaLures are added as parL of pro[ecL scope LhaL could affecL schedullng
resources and budgeL
LxecuLlng Lhe ro[ecL
8ulld Lhe pro[ecL Leam ln Lhls phase Lhe pro[ecL manager knows how many resources and how much
budgeL he or she has Lo work wlLh for Lhe pro[ecL 1he pro[ecL manager Lhen asslgns Lhose resources
and allocaLes budgeL Lo varlous Lasks ln Lhe pro[ecL now Lhe work of Lhe pro[ecL beglns
ConLrolllng Lhe ro[ecL
1he pro[ecL manager ls ln charge of updaLlng Lhe pro[ecL plans Lo reflecL acLual Llme elapsed for each
Lask 8y keeplng up wlLh Lhe deLalls of progress Lhe pro[ecL manager ls able Lo undersLand how well Lhe
pro[ecL ls progresslng overall A producL such as MlcrosofL ro[ecL faclllLaLes Lhe admlnlsLraLlve aspecLs
of pro[ecL managemenL
Closure of Lhe ro[ecL
ln Lhls sLage Lhe pro[ecL manager and buslness owner pull LogeLher Lhe pro[ecL Leam and Lhose who
have an lnLeresL ln Lhe ouLcome of Lhe pro[ecL (sLakeholders) Lo analyze Lhe flnal ouLcome of Lhe
pro[ecL
1lme Money Scope
lrequenLly people refer Lo pro[ecL managemenL as havlng Lhree componenLs Llme money and scope
8educlng or lncreaslng any one of Lhe Lhree wlll probably have an lmpacL on Lhe oLher Lwo lf a company
reduces Lhe amounL of Llme lL can spend on a pro[ecL LhaL wlll affecL Lhe scope (whaL can be lncluded ln
Lhe pro[ecL) as well as Lhe cosL (slnce addlLlonal people or resources may be requlred Lo meeL Lhe
abbrevlaLed schedule)
ro[ecL orLfollo ManagemenL
8ecenL Lrends ln pro[ecL managemenL lnclude pro[ecL porLfollo managemenL (M) M ls a move by
organlzaLlons Lo geL conLrol over numerous pro[ecLs by evaluaLlng how well each pro[ecL allgns wlLh
sLraLeglc goals and quanLlfylng lLs value An organlzaLlon wlll Lyplcally be worklng on mulLlple pro[ecLs
each resulLlng ln poLenLlally dlfferlng amounLs of reLurn or value 1he company or agency may declde Lo
ellmlnaLe Lhose pro[ecLs wlLh a lower reLurn ln order Lo dedlcaLe greaLer resources Lo Lhe remalnlng
pro[ecLs or ln order Lo preserve Lhe pro[ecLs wlLh Lhe hlghesL reLurn or value
Character|st|cs of a pro[ect

1 A poslLlve relaLlonshlp wlLh an acLlve lnLelllgenL cllenL
2 SLrong pro[ecL managemenL
3 Clear requlremenLs well managed
4 8uLhless change managemenL
3 ervaslve process focus
6 LffecLlve conLrols and communlcaLlon
7 1echnlcal leadershlp and excellence

SUMMAk
T0 Proj0ct Manag0r is r0sponsibl0 1or 0;0ryting tat is r06uir0/ to 2ak0 t0 proj0ct a succ0ss -
w0t0r /ir0ctly or in/ir0ctly. t is not lik0 a typical i0rarcical lin0 2anag020nt rol0. T0
Proj0ct Manag0r is at t0 c0ntr0 o1 0;0ryting r0lating to t0 proj0ct. ontrolling t0
contributions o1 s0niors an/ p00rs is just as i2portant as 2anaging t0 work o1 t0 t0a2.
T0 Proj0ct Manag0r n00/s to 2anag0 upwar/s - 0nsuring tat t0 in;0rt0/ i0rarcy
co2prising t0 organisation's l0a/0rsip an/ t0 proj0ct sponsors ar0 /oing all tat is
r06uir0/ to guarant00 t0 succ0ss o1 t0 proj0ct.
T0 Proj0ct Manag0r is also t0 2ain 1ocal point 1or liaison wit ot0r /0part20nts,
proj0cts an/ initiati;0s witin t0 organisation, taking into account t0 n00/s an/
contributions o1 ot0r int0rnal groups.
T0 Proj0ct Manag0r is 06ually t0 2ain point o1 contact 1or asp0cts r06uiring co-
op0ration an/ co-or/ination wit 0t0rnal parti0s suc as t0 proj0ct's suppli0rs an/
contractors, custo20rs, suppli0rs, r0gulatory bo/i0s, an/ ot0r tir/ parti0s - 2aking sur0
0;0ryting is in plac0 to guarant00 succ0ss.
T0 Proj0ct Manag0r as /ir0ct r0sponsibility 1or t0 acti;iti0s o1 all proj0ct participants,
all proj0ct tasks an/ all /0li;0rabl0s.
0ar in 2in/ tat t0 Proj0ct Manag0r n00/s to aci0;0 tis witout /ir0ct control o;0r t0
participants. T0 Proj0ct Manag0r will not a;0 pow0r o;0r t0 l0a/0rsip, nor t0 int0rnal an/
0t0rnal contributors. E;0n in t0 proj0ct t0a2 t0r0 2ay b0 loan0/ sta11, part-ti20rs an/ sub-
contractors wo will a;0 t0ir pri20 loyalti0s 0ls0w0r0.