NIGERIAN SOCIETY OF ENGINEER

MANDATORY CONTINUING
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

COURSE MATERIAL ON

PROJECT
SUPERVISION AND
ADMINISTRATION
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Learning Outcomes :
3

1.0 Introduction
4
1.1 The Traditional Project Management Approach
5
1.2 Project Development Stages
6
2.0 Initiation
6
2.1 Planning and Design
7
2.2 Executing
7
2.3 Monitoring and Controlling
7
2.4 Closing
8
2.5 Project Control Systems
8
3.0 Project Management Triple Constraints
8
4.0 Project Management Knowledge Areas
9
4.1 Project Integration Management
9
4.2 Project Scope Management
10
4.3 Project Time Management
10
4.4 Project Cost Management
10
4.5 Project Quality Management
11
4.6 Project Human Resource Management
11
4.7 Project Communication Management
12
4.8 Project Risk Management
12
4.9 Project Procurement Management
12
5.0 The Project Manager
13
5.1 Be Agile
14
5.2 Do not Micromanage
14
5.3 Keep Improving your Project Management Practice
14
5.4. Ongoing Planning
14
5.5 Work with a Sense of Urgency
14
5.6 Visualise and Communicate all Project Deliverables and Activities
14
5.7 Complete Deliverables Step–By–Step
15
5.8 Healthy Risk Management
15
5.9 Report Concerns or Challenges
15
5.10 Open Communication
15
5.11 Never Lose Sight of the 3-Factors: Time, Budget, and Quality
15
6.0 Causes of Project Failure
15
7.0 Steps to Successful Project Delivery
15
8.0 Software Applications in Project Management
17
8.1 Collaborate on Projects
17

8.2 Delegate Tasks

17
8.3 Stay on Schedule
18
8.4 Track Projects
18
8.5 Provide a Snapshot
18
8.6 Communicate with Clients and Vendors
18
9.0 For Further Reading
18

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the training the participant would be able to

• Organize and schedule projects effectively and efficiently

• Assess risks, manage changes, and live up to expectations
• Plan for resources and stay within a budget
• Embrace social media to drive efficiency and improve connectivity
• Execute projects on time, on budget, and with maximum efficiency

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing and managing

resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and
objectives.
The definition of project Management varies as it depends on the practice. The
following definitions will be correct in some other discipline.
Project management is what any consulting engineering firm does to produce
its services on the client's schedule and budget.
It is also what an engineering firm does when it produces and delivers plans,
specifications and reports.
Project management is also required when the firm provides support services
in the field during construction.  These services might include inspection,
construction administration and testing.
Project management is any system for planning, organizing and managing
human and technical resources to bring about the successful completion of a
project.
A project is a finite endeavour (having specific start and completion dates)
undertaken to create a unique product or service, which brings about beneficial
change or added value. This finite characteristic of projects stands in sharp contrast
to processes, or operations, which are permanent or semi-permanent functional
work to repetitively produce the same product or service. In practice, the
management of these two systems is often found to be quite different, and as
such requires the development of distinct technical skills and the adoption of
separate management.

The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project

goals and objectives while honouring the project constraints. Typical
constraints are scope, time and budget. The secondary—and more ambitious—
challenge is to optimise the allocation and integration of inputs necessary to meet
pre-defined objectives.

As a discipline, Project Management developed from different fields of

application including construction, engineering and defense. In the United
States, the two forefathers of project management are Henry Gantt, called the
father of planning and control techniques, who is famously known for his use
of the Gantt chart as a project management tool, and Henry Fayol for his
creation of the 6 management functions, which form the basis for the body of
knowledge associated with project and program management.

The 1950s marked the beginning of the modern Project Management era.
Again, in the United States, prior to the 1950s, projects were managed on an
adhoc basis using mostly Gantt Charts, and informal techniques and tools. At
that time, two mathematical project scheduling models were developed. The
"Critical Path Method" (CPM) developed in a joint venture by both DuPont
Corporation and Remington Rand Corporation for managing plant maintenance
projects; and the "Program Evaluation and Review Technique" or PERT,
developed by Booz-Allen & Hamilton as part of the United States Navy's (in
conjunction with the Lockheed Corporation)
At the same time, technology for project cost estimating, cost management, and
engineering economics was evolving, with pioneering work by Hans Lang and
others. In 1956, the American Association of Cost Engineers (nowAACE
International; the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering) was
formed byearly practitioners of project management and the associated
specialties of planning and scheduling, cost estimating, and cost/schedule
control (project control). AACE has continued its pioneering work and in 2006
released the first ever integrated process for portfolio, program and project
management (Total Cost Management Framework).

In 1969, the Project Management Institute (PMI) was formed to serve the
interests of the project management industry. The premise of PMI is that the
tools and techniques of project management are common even among the
widespread application of projects from the software industry to the
construction industry. In 1981, the PMI Board of Directors authorized the
development of what has become A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), containing the standards and guidelines of
practice that are widely used throughout the profession.

The International Project Management Association (IPMA), founded in Europe

in 1967, has undergone a similar development and instituted the IPMA Competence
Baseline (ICB). The focus of the ICB also begins with knowledge as a
foundation, and adds considerations about relevant experience, interpersonal
skills, and competence. Both organizations are now participating in the
development of an ISO project management standard.

1.1 The Traditional Project Management Approach

There are several approaches that can be taken to managing project activities
including agile, interactive, incremental, and phased approaches. Regardless of the
approach employed, careful consideration needs to be given to clarify surrounding
project objectives, goals, and importantly, the roles and responsibilities of all
participants and stakeholders. A traditional phased approach identifies a
sequence of steps to be completed. In the "traditional approach", we can
distinguish 5 components of a project (4 stages plus control) in the
development of a project:
 • Project initiation stage;
• Project planning or design stage;
• Project execution or production stage;
• Project monitoring and controlling systems;
• Project completion stage.

Not all the projects will visit every stage, as projects can be terminated before
they reach completion. Some projects probably don't have the planning and/or the
monitoring. Some projects will go through steps 2, 3 and 4 multiple times.

Many industries utilize variations on these stages. For example, in bricks and mortar
architectural design, projects typically progress through stages like Pre-Planning,
Conceptual Design, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction
Drawings (or Contract Documents), and Construction Administration. In
software development, this approach is often known as "waterfall
development", i.e., one series of tasks after another in linear sequence. In
software development many organizations have adapted the Rational Unified
Process (RUP) to fit this methodology, although RUP does not require or explicitly
recommend this practice. Waterfall development can work for small tightly
defined projects, but for larger projects of undefined or unknowable scope, it
is less suited. The Cone of Uncertainty explains some of this as the planning
made on the initial phase of the project suffers from a high degree of
uncertainty. This becomes specially true as software development is often the
realization of a new or novel product, this method has been widely accepted
as ineffective for software projects where requirements are largely
unknowable up front and susceptible to change. While the names may differ from
industry to industry, the actual stages typically follow common steps to problem
solving — "defining the problem, weighing options, choosing a path,
implementation and evaluation."

1.2 Project Development Stages

Traditionally, project development includes a number of elements: four to five stages,
and a control system. Regardless of the methodology used, the project
development process will have the same major stages:
• Initiation,
• Planning or development,
• Production or execution,
• Monitoring and controlling, and
 • Closing

Fig 1: Project Development Stages

2.0 INITIATION
The initiation stage determines the nature and scope of the development. If this stage
is not performed well, it is unlikely that the project will be successful in
meeting the business’ needs. The key project controls needed here are an
understanding of the business environment and making sure that all necessary
controls are incorporated into the project. Any deficiencies should be reported
and a recommendation should be made to fix them.

The initiation stage should include a cohesive plan that encompasses the
following areas :
• Study analyzing the business needs in measurable goals.
• Review of the current operations.
• Conceptual design of the operation of the final product.
• Equipment and contracting requirements including an assessment of
'long-lead' items.
• Financial analysis of the costs and benefits including a budget.
• Stakeholder analysis, including users, and support personnel for the project.
• Project charter including costs, tasks, deliverables, and schedule.

• 2.1 Planning and Design

After the initiation stage, the system is designed. Occasionally, a small prototype of
the final product is built and tested. Testing is generally performed bya combination
of testers and end users, and can occur after the prototype is built or concurrently.
Controls should be in place, which ensure that the final product will meet the
specifications of the project charter. The results of the design stage should include
a product design that:
• Satisfies the project sponsor, end user, and business requirements.
• Functions as it was intended.
• Can be produced within quality standards.
• Can be produced within time and budget constraints.
2.2 Executing
Executing consists of the processes used to complete the work defined in the
project management plan to accomplish the project's requirements. Execution
process involves coordinating people and resources, as well as integrating and
performing the activities of the project in accordance with the project
management plan. The deliverables are produced as outputs from the
processes performed as defined in the project management plan.

2.3 Monitoring and Controlling

Monitoring and Controlling consists of those processes performed to observe project
execution so that potential problems can be identified in a timely manner and
corrective action can be taken, when necessary, to control the execution of the
project. The key benefit is that project performance is observed and measured
regularly to identify variances from the project management plan. Monitoring
and Controlling includes:
• Measuring the ongoing project activities;
• Monitoring the project variables against the project management
plan and the project performance baseline;
• Identify corrective actions to properly address issues and risks;
• Influencing the factors that could circumvent integrated change
control so only approved changes are implemented

Over the course of any project, the work scope changes. Change is a normal
and expected part of the project development process. Changes can be the result of
necessary design modifications, differing site conditions, material availability,
contractor-requested changes, value engineering and impacts from third parties,
to name a few. Beyond executing the change in the field, the change normally
needs to be documented to show what was actually constructed. This is
referred to as Change Management. Hence, the owner usually requires a final
record to show all changes or, more specifically, any change that modifies the
tangible portions of the finished work. The record is made on the contract
documents – usually, but not necessarily limited to, the design drawings. The
end product of this effort is what the industry terms as-built drawings, or
more simply, “as-builts.” The requirement for providing them is a norm in
fabrication/construction contracts.
When changes are introduced to the project the viability of the project has to be
assessed again. It is important not to lose sight of the initial goals and targets of the
projects. When the changes accumulate, the forecasted end result may not justify the
proposed investment.

2.4 Closing
Closing includes the formal acceptance of the project and the ending thereof.
Administrative activities include the archiving of the files and documenting lessons
learned. Close out phase consist of two parts:
• Close project: to finalize all activities across all of the process
groups to formally close the project or a project phase
• Contract closure: necessary for completing and settling
each contract, including the resolution of any open items,
and closing each contract applicable to the project or a
project phase.

2.5 Project Control Systems

Project control is that element of a project that keeps it on-track, on-time and
within budget. Project control begins early in the project with planning and
ends late in the project with post-implementation review, having a thorough
involvement of each step in the process.
Each project should be assessed for the appropriate level of control needed:
Excessive control is too time consuming while too little control is very risky. If
project control is not implemented correctly, the cost to the business should be
clarified in terms of errors, fixes, and additional audit fees.

Control systems are needed for cost, risk, quality, communication, time, change,
procurement, and human resources. In addition, auditors should consider how
important the projects are to the financial statements, how reliant the
stakeholders are on controls, and how many controls exist. Auditors should
review the development process and procedures for how they are
implemented. The process of development and the quality of the final product
may also be assessed if needed or requested. A business may want the auditing
firm to be involved throughout the process to catch problems earlier on so that
they can be fixed more easily. An auditor can serve as a control consultant, as part
of the development team or as an independent auditor as part of an audit.

3.0 Project Management Triple Constraints

Like any human undertaking, projects need to be performed and delivered
under certain constraints. Traditionally, these constraints have been listed as
“scope,” “time,” and “cost.” These are also referred to as the “Project
Management Triple Constraints,” where each side of the triangle represents a
constraint. One side of the triangle cannot be changed without affecting the
others. A further refinement of the constraints is a hexagon, which separates
product “quality” as a distinct constraint, and also includes “risk” and “customer
satisfaction”.

The time constraint refers to the amount of time available to complete a project. The
cost constraint refers to the budgeted amount available for the project. The scope
constraint refers to what must be done to produce the project's end result.
These three constraints are often competing constraints: increased scope typically
means increased time and increased cost, a tight time constraint could mean
increased costs and reduced scope, and a tight budget could mean increased time
and reduced scope.
The discipline of Project Management is about providing the tools and
techniques that enable the project team (not just the project manager) to
organize their work to meet these constraints.

Fig 2: Project Management Triangle & Hexagon

4.0 Project Management Knowledge Areas

The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines the five traditional project
development phases as Process Groups. PMI also defines nine Project
Management Knowledge Areas as follows:
4.1 Project Integration Management
4.2 Project Scope Management
4.3 Project Time Management
4.4 Project Cost Management
4.5 Project Quality Management
4.6 Project Human Resource Management
4.7 Project Communications Management
 4.8 Project Risk Management
4.9 Project Procurement Management

4.1 Project Integration Management

Project Integration Management includes the processes and activities needed to
identify, define, combine, unify and coordinate the various processes and
project management activities within the Project Management Process
Groups. In the project management context, integration includes characteristics of
unification, consolidation, articulation and integrative actions that are crucial to
project completion, successfully meeting customer and stakeholder requirements
and managing expectations. The Project Integration Management processes
include:
• Develop Project Charter – developing the project charter that formally
authorizes a project
• Develop Preliminary Project Scope Statement – developing the preliminary
project scope statement that provides a high-level scope narrative
• Develop Project Management Plan – documenting the actions necessary
to define, prepare, integrate, and coordinate all subsidiary plans into a
project management plan
• Direct and Manage Project Execution – executing the work defined in
the project management plan to achieve the project’s requirements
defined in the project scope statement.
• Monitor and Control Project Work – monitoring and controlling the
processes required to initiate, plan, execute, and close a project to meet the
performance objectives defined in the project management plan
• Integrated Change Control – reviewing all change requests, approving
changes, and controlling changes to the deliverables and organizational
process assets
• Close Project – finalizing all activities across all of the Project Process Groups
to formally close the project.

4.2 Project Scope Management

Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that the
project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to
complete the project successfully. Project Scope Management is primarily
concerned with defining and controlling what is and is not included in the
project. The Project Scope Management processes include:
• Scope Planning – creating a project scope management plan that
documents how the project scope will be defined, verified, and
controlled, and how the work breakdown structure (WBS) will be
created and defined
• Scope Definition – developing a detailed project scope statement as the basis
for future project decisions
• Create WBS – subdividing the major project deliverables and project
work into smaller, more manageable components
• Scope Verification – formalizing acceptance of the completed project
deliverables
• Scope Control – controlling changes to the project scope.

4.3 Project Time Management

Project Time Management includes the processes required to accomplish
timely completion of the project. The Project Time Management
processes include:
• Activity Definition – identifying the specific schedule activities that need to be
performed to produce the various project deliverables
• Activity Sequencing – identifying and documenting dependencies among
schedule activities
• Activity Resource Estimating – estimating the type and quantities of
resources required to perform each schedule activity
• Activity Duration Estimating – estimating the number of work periods
that will be needed to complete individual schedule activities
• Schedule Development – analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource
requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule
• Schedule Control – controlling changes to the project schedule.

4.4 Project Cost Management

Project Cost Management includes the processes involved in planning,
estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs so that the project can be
completed within the approved budget. The Project Cost Management
processes include:
 • Cost Estimating – developing an approximation of the costs of the
resources needed to complete project activities
• Cost Budgeting – aggregating the estimated costs of individual activities
or work packages to establish a cost baseline
• Cost Control – influencing the factors that create cost variances and
controlling changes to the project budget.

4.5 Project Quality Management

Project Quality Management includes the processes and activities of the
performing organization that determine quality policies, objectives, and
responsibilities so that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was
undertaken. It implements the quality management system through policy
and procedures, with continuous process improvement activities conducted
throughout, as appropriate. The Project Quality Management processes
include:
• Quality Planning – identifying which quality standards are relevant to
the project and determining how to satisfy them
• Perform Quality Assurance – applying the planned, systematic quality activities
to ensure that the project employs all processes needed to meet
requirements
• Perform Quality Control – monitoring specific project results to
determine whether they comply with relevant quality standards and
identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance.

4.6 Project Human Resource Management

Project Human Resource Management includes the processes that organize and
manage the project team. The project team is comprised of the people who
have assigned roles and responsibilities for completing the project. While it is
common to speak of roles and responsibilities being assigned, team members should
be involved in much of the project’s planning and decision-making. Early involvement
of team members adds expertise during the planning process and strengthens
commitment to the project. The type and number of project team members can
often change as the project progresses. Project team members can be referred to
as the project’s staff. Project Human Resource management processes include:
• Human Resource Planning – Identifying and documenting project roles,
responsibilities, and reporting relationships, as well as creating the
staffing management plan
 • Acquire Project Team – Obtaining the human resources needed to
complete the project
• Develop Project Team – Improving the competencies and interaction of team
members to enhance project performance
• Manage Project Team – Tracking team member performance, providing
feedback, resolving issues, and coordinating changes to enhance project
performance.

6.7. Project Communication Management

Project Communication Management includes the processes required to
ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage, retrieval,
and ultimate disposition of project information. The Project Communications
Management processes provide the critical links among people and information
that are necessary for successful communications. Project managers can spend an
inordinate amount of time communicating with the project team, stakeholders,
customer, and sponsor. Everyone involved in the project should understand
how communications affect the project as a whole. Project Communications
Management processes include:
• Communications Planning – determining the information and communication
needs of the project stakeholders
• Information Distribution – making needed information available
to project stakeholders in a timely manner
• Performance Reporting – collecting and distributing performance
information, including status reporting, progress measurement, and
forecasting
• Management Stakeholders – managing communications to satisfy
the requirements of, and resolve issues with, project stakeholders.

6.8. Project Risk Management

Project Risk Management includes the processes concerned with conducting
risk management planning, identification, analysis, responses, and monitoring
and control on a project. The objectives of Project Risk Management are to
increase the probability and impact of positive events and decrease the probability
and impact of events adverse to project objectives. Project Risk Management
processes include:
 • Risk Management Planning – deciding how to approach, plan, and
execute the risk management activities for a project
• Risk Identification – determining which risks might affect the project
and documenting their characteristics
• Qualitative Risk Analysis – prioritizing risks for subsequent further analysis or
action by assessing and combining their probability of occurrence and
impact
• Quantitative Risk Analysis – numerically analyzing the effect on overall project
objectives of identified risks
• Risk Response Planning – developing options and actions to enhance
opportunities and to reduce threats to project objectives
• Risk Monitoring and Control – tracking identified risks, monitoring residual
risks, identifying new risks, executing risk response plans, and
evaluating their effectiveness throughout the project life cycle.

4.9 Project Procurement Management

Project Procurement Management includes the processes to purchase or
acquire the products, services, or results needed from outside the project team
to perform the work. This chapter presents two perspective of procurement.
The organization can be either the buyer or seller of the product, service, or
results under a contract.

Project Procurement Management includes the contract management and

change control processes required to administer contracts or purchase orders
issued by authorised project team members. Project Procurement Management
also includes administering any contract issued by an outside organization (the
buyer) that is acquiring the project from the performing organization (the seller)
and administering contractual obligations placed on the project team by the
contract.
Project Procurement management processes include:
• Plan Purchases and Acquisitions – determining what to purchase or
acquire, and determining when and how
• Plan Contracting – documenting products, services, and results requirements and
identifying potential sellers
• Request Seller Responses – obtaining information, quotations, bids, offers, or
proposals, as appropriate
 • Select Sellers – reviewing offers, choosing from among potential sellers, and
negotiating a written contract with a seller
• Contract Administration – managing the contract and the relationship
between the buyer and seller, reviewing and documenting how a seller is
performing or has performed to establish required corrective actions and
provide a basis for further relationships with the seller, managing contract
related changes and, when appropriate, managing the Contract Closure –
completing and settling each contract, including the resolution of any open
items, and closing each contract.

Table 3 : Mapping of the Project Management Processes to

the Project Management Process Groups and the Knowledge
Areas

5.0 The Project Manager

A project manager is the person accountable for accomplishing the stated
project objectives. He is a generalist as he can be of any professional
discipline. Key project management responsibilities include creating clear
and attainable project objectives, building the project requirements, and
managing the triple constraint for projects.
A project manager is often a client representative and has to determine and
implement the exact needs of the client, based on knowledge of the firm they
are representing. The ability to adapt to the various internal procedures of the
contracting party, and to form close links with the nominated representatives, is
essential in ensuring that the key issues of cost, time, quality and above all, client
satisfaction, can be realized.

Project management is all about making the project happen. It is a discipline of

initiating, planning, executing, and managing resources with the goal of
completing specific deliverables within budget and time. A successful project
manager is one who can envision the entire project from start to finish, and
have the prowess to realise this vision. To keep pace with business and IT,
project managers need to make their management practices more flexible.
Some tips for successful project management include:
 5.1 Be Agile
Traditional project management methodologies are proving to be too rigid,
bureaucratic, and time consuming for today's dynamic business environment.
In fact, these methodologies can work against IT departments. Today, project
managers need to respond with agility to rising issues and changes. The formal
documentation and processes involved in traditional project management can
weigh you down.

5.2 Do Not Micromanage

The ideal project managers are leaders, not control freaks. Some project managers
can be overly analytical and invest too much time in perfecting details, when
they should really focus on achieving milestones and the completion of the project.
Flexible project management requires a balance of both the left and right brain,
hard and soft skills.

5.3 Keep Improving Your Project Management Practice

Technology is always evolving to meet the changing needs of users. In the
same way, your approach to project management should evolve alongside
business and IT processes.
Communicate with your team, client, and business partners, as to how you can
improve your project management practices.

5.4 Ongoing Planning

The single most important activity of project managers is planning. Planning must be
detailed, organised, and require team participation. And like the real world,
plans always change and reprioritise with situations. For this, plan, re-plan,
and plan.

5.5 Work with a Sense of Urgency

Considering the fact that there ever present limits and constraints on timeline,
budget, and resources, it is of utmost importance that the project process is
constantly and aggressively being driven towards completion. Regular updates,
meetings, and follow-ups are essential.

5.6 Visualise and Communicate all Project Deliverables and Activities

In short, the project manager and team must have a picture of the finished
deliverables in the minds of everyone involved. This guides everyone in the
same direction. Avoid vague descriptions at all costs, be specific,
drawdiagrams and pictures, and make certain everyone agrees with it.

5.7 Complete Deliverables Step-by-Step

The thought of climbing a mountain in one go can be crippling. But to see it as a
succession of steps and peaks is less intimidating and more achievable. In the
same way, project managers should not jump into a project with the intent of
building all project deliverables at once. Work on each item step-by-step, get
process reviews and approvals, and always maintain a sense of direction.

5.8 Healthy Risk Management

Every project requires a dedicated risk officer who will be responsible for
detecting potential project issues, who has a healthy dose of scepticism.

5.9 Report Concerns or Challenges.

The project manager should maintain a live project risk database that tracks all
issues and resolutions and ensure that the project has a healthy dose of risk
management, not a crippling, obsessive one. Risk assessment, though key to
successful project delivery, should not be the project’s main focus and priority.

5.10 Open Communication

Communication is vital in all aspects of project management. It is essential to adhere
to a policy of open communication, encouraging all members to voice opinions and
concerns. This cuts through waiting games and significantly reduces the risk of
mistakes, saving time and money.

5.11 Never Lose Sight of the 3-Factors: Time, Budget, and Quality
While project management practices have changed to be more flexible and
open, the foundation remains the same. Project success occurs when it is
delivered on time, within budget, with a level of deliverables that are
satisfactory to the client. The Project Manager's main role is to keep all team
members aware of these big 3 - Time, Budget, and Quality.

6.0 CAUSES OF PROJECT FAILURE

Researchers regularly conduct studies to find out the leading causes of project failure.
These studies reveal a recurring theme. Some of the common underlying causes
identified are:
 • Poorly defined organisational objectives.
• Loose project sponsorship and executive leadership.
• Project manager untrained.
• Loose scope containment and project change control.
• Poorly defined requirements.
• Lack of consultation with key project stakeholders.
• No risk management plan.
• Unrealistic project estimates.

7.0 STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL PROJECT DELIVERY

Notwithstanding the ever-present risks inherent in project management and
project delivery, experienced project managers have advanced the following
key steps to successful project delivery:
• Before you start your project, find a committed project sponsor who
has sufficient clout in your organisation. Your project sponsor will
prove invaluable in helping you overcome organisational roadblocks as they
arise.
• Analyse who are your project's key stakeholders and communicate with
them throughout the project. Your stakeholders can make or break your
project. Compile a stakeholder communication plan with the help of
your project team and sponsor.
• Get your sponsor and key stakeholders together to thrash out the measures
of success of your project. How will you know if your project has
succeeded? What are the key indicators of success? Get everyone on the
same page from the outset.
• Decide upfront the methodology you will use on your project. What
project phases will the project proceed through? What will be the key
go/no go decision points? What are the expected project outputs for each
phase?
• Draw up a project schedule that clearly allocates project tasks to team
members. Identify which tasks depend on others for their successful
completion. Communicate schedule progress regularly to all team members
and to the project's sponsor.
 • Make sure that project changes don't get out of hand by reviewing and
authorising all proposed changes. Evaluate each proposed change for
the impact on project cost, quality and schedule.
• Do not let an unforeseen event sink your project. Find out what risks
can threaten your project and build a risk mitigation strategy into your
project plan. Issues will also arise from time to time, so you will need to
keep track of these and communicate their impact to all concerned.
• Decide at the start which documents your project will generate and
when. For medium and small sized projects, keep documentation
requirements to a manageable level without significantly increasing the
risk to the project.
• Once your project finishes, use the measures of success that you agreed at
the start to evaluate project performance. Was it within budget? Was it
on schedule? Did it produce what it was meant to produce, and at the
required quality? What can you learn from this? Now report your
project's performance to your sponsor and the key stakeholders.
• Follow up with the key stakeholders and your project team members
and find out how they felt about the project. Was the project a success
from their perspective? How did the project impact them personally?
From this you will discover what went well and what did not go so well.
Apply these lessons to your next project.

Successful projects do not just happen. They require structured planning, the
right tools, insightful management and good interpersonal skills.
Unfortunately, many new project managers receive little training in how to do
the job. Anyone can learn to draw a Gantt chart, but effective project managers
also rely on the savvy that comes from painful experience. Coaching and survival
tips from people who have already done their tour of duty in the project
management trenches can save project managers from learning such lessons
the hard way.

The project manager must balance competing stakeholder interests against the
constraints of limited resources and time, ever-changing technologies, and
unachievable demands from unreasonable people. Project management is
people management, technology management, business management, risk
management, and expectation management. It's a juggling act, with too many balls
in the air at once. However, a project successfully completed, handed over and
closed out to the satisfaction of all stakeholders is one of the most exhilarating and
gratifying experiences in project management.
8.0 SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project management software provides small to large businesses, who
undoubtedly juggle a number of tasks, with a solution that helps keep them
organized. There are a wide variety of project management software packages
available, including web-based applications accessible from any location. Each
software boasts its own set of features, but they all share common benefits
businesses can appreciate.

One of such software is Microsoft Project which is a project management

software program, developed and sold by Microsoft that is designed to assist a
project manager in developing a plan, assigning resources to tasks, tracking
progress, managing the budget, and analyzing workloads. Microsoft Project
provides agile project management, budgeting, collaboration, customization,
issue tracking, learning and support, notifications, reporting, resource
management, task management, and traditional project management
functionality for businesses of all sizes, from small businesses to large
enterprises.

Another popular project management software is Primavera. Primavera is an

enterprise project portfolio management software. It includes project
management, product management, collaboration and control capabilities,
and integrates with other enterprise software such
as Oracle and SAP’s ERP systems. Primavera was launched in 1983
by Primavera Systems Inc., which was acquired by Oracle Corporation in
2008.

Other project management software on the market includes but not limited to
the followings: Dapulse, Teamwork Project, Jira, Wrike, Workfront, Slack,
Trello, and Smartsheet.

These project management software have the following benefits.

8.1 Collaborate on Projects

Employees are often assigned individual tasks that are a part of a larger
project an entire team is working to complete. Project management software
gives employees a way to collaborate on projects by sharing documents,
timelines and status updates.

8.2 Delegate Tasks

As a business owner, you likely weigh the knowledge, skills and abilities of
employees before delegating tasks to them. Use project management software
to easily delegate tasks to the appropriate employees. By assigning roles in the
system, each employee has access to necessary information and knows who
they should contact if they have questions or concerns, or need information
about a particular topic.

8.3 Stay on Schedule

Project management software lets project managers add a start and expected
completion date to projects and tasks they include in the system. This
information alerts employees to upcoming deadlines, allowing them to
manage their time appropriately to complete tasks before or on the listed due
date.

8.4 Track Projects

Keep track of the progress of projects with project management software. The
software will let you know what's been completed, as well as by whom, and
what still needs to be done. Employees can provide updates as to what they're
working on and share their updates with the project manager and team
members. The software eliminates the need for status update meetings and
emails.

8.5 Provide a Snapshot

When training new staff members and introducing them to projects your
company works on, project management software offers a snapshot of the
project you can share to get new staff up-to-speed. The snapshot allows you to
show employees the project from start to finish, give them background
information and let them know how the project will move forward.

8.6 Communicate with Clients and Vendors

Project management software enables businesses to share and collaborate
with clients and vendors in addition to employees. Companies using project
management software can provide their clients with usernames and
passwords giving them access to project files. Clients can give feedback, make
edits and review progress. CNN Money asserts that, because businesses need
to be connected to vendors and clients, project management technology is
essential.

9.0 FOR FURTHER READING

• Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager: A

FranklinCovey Title Paperback – April 7, 2015 by Kory
Kogon  (Author), Suzette Blakemore (Author), James Wood  ISBN-
10: 194163110X; ISBN-13: 978-1941631102

• Project Management For Dummies Paperback – April 22, 2013

by Stanley E. Portny ISBN-10: 1118497236; ISBN-13: 978-1118497234

• Project Management: A Quick Start Beginner's Guide For The Serious

Project Manager To Managing Any Project Easily Paperback – June 4,
2016 by Donald J. Scott  ISBN-10: 1533582335; ISBN-13: 978-
1533582331
• Agile Project Management: A Quick Start Beginner’s Guide To Mastering
Agile Project Management Paperback – September 23, 2015 by Henry
O'Brien  ISBN-10: 1517481856; ISBN-13: 978-1517481858