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Project Management Overview

Project

Some characteristics that warrant classifying an activity as a project, centre on the purpose,
complexity, uniqueness, unfamiliarity, stake, impermanence, and life cycle of the activity.
These include;

1. A project involves a single, definable purpose, end-item, or result, usually specified in

terms of cost, schedule, and performance requirements.
2. Every project is unique in that it requires doing something different than was done
previously. Even in “routine” projects such as home construction, variables such as
terrain, access, zoning laws, labour market, public services, and local utilities make each
project different. A project is a one-time activity, never to be exactly repeated again.
3. Projects are temporary activities. An ad hoc organisation of personnel, material, and
facilities is assembled to accomplish a goal, usually within a scheduled time frame; once
the goal is achieved, the organisation is disbanded or reconfigured to begin work on a
new goal.
4. Projects cut across organisational lines because they need the skills and talents from
multiple professions and organisations. Project complexity often arises from the
complexity of advanced technology, which creates task interdependencies that may
introduce new and unique problems.
5. Given that a project differs from what was previously done, it also involves unfamiliarity.
It may encompass new technology and, for the organisation undertaking the project,
possess significant elements of uncertainty and risk.
6. The organisation usually has something at stake when doing a project. The activity may
call for special scrutiny or effort because failure would jeopardise the organisation or its
goals.
7. Finally, a project is the process of working to achieve a goal; during the process, projects
pass through several distinct phases, called the project life cycle. The tasks, people,
organisations, and other resources change as the project moves from one phase to the
next. The organisation structure and resource expenditures slowly build with each
succeeding phase; peak; and then decline as the project nears completion.

Project management

a. Project management is a set of principles, methods, and techniques that people use to
effectively plan and control project work.
b. It establishes a sound basis for effective planning, scheduling, resourcing, decision-
making, controlling, and re-planning.
c. Project management principles and techniques help complete projects on schedule, within
budget, and in full accordance with project specifications. At the same time, they help
achieve the other goals of the organisation, such as productivity, quality, and cost
effectiveness.

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d. If it is assumed that the project client is the one who defines project requirements, then
maybe project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques
to meet client requirements or client expectations
e. The objective of project management is to optimise project cost, time, and quality.

Functional Work versus Project Work

Functional work

Functional work is routine, on-going work. Each day, secretaries, financial analysts, and car
salesmen perform functional work that is routine, even if their activities vary somewhat from
day to day. A manager assigned to the specific function gives them training and supervision
and manages them according to standards of productivity in terms of typing speed or sales
quotas.

The following are distinguishing characteristics of functional work:

 Functional work is on-going, routine work.

 Managers manage the specific function and provide technical direction.

 People and other resources are assigned to the functional department.

 Functional departments are responsible for the approved objectives of the function, such
as technical competency, standards of performance and quality, and efficient use of
resources.

Functional work is typically structured as a hierarchical organisation with traditional formal

lines of authority.

Project Work

In contrast to on-going, functional work, a project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to

create a unique product or service. Projects are temporary because they have a definite
beginning and a definite end. They are unique because the product or service they create is
different in some distinguishing wayfrom similar products or services. The construction of a
headquarters building for ABC Industries is an example of a project. The unique work is
defined by the building plans and has a specific beginning and end. A project manager is
responsible for theproject, overseeing the contractors and managing the schedule and budget.

The following are distinguishing characteristics of project work:

 Project work is a unique, temporary endeavour.

 A project manager manages a specific project.

 People and other resources are not assigned to project managers on an on-going basis,
except for project management support.

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 A project manager is responsible for the approved objectives of a project - such as budget,
schedule, and specifications.

 Project teams are typically not organised in the same hierarchical structure as that of
typical functional groups.

Why Project Management is Necessary.

a. Speed, quality, and cost control are taking on increased significance in business,
government, and non-profit sectors.
b. Project management allows managers to plan and manage strategic initiatives that
generate new revenue in expanding sectors of the market.
c. Project management tools decrease time to market, control expenses, ensure quality
products, and enhance profitability.
d. Project management helps to sell products and services by positively differentiating them
from their competitors.
e. Project management is one of the most important management techniques for ensuring
the success of an organisation.

Project Management Standards and Methodologies.

Project methodology

A methodology is a set of methods, processes and practices that are repeatedly carried out to
deliver projects. It tells you what you have to do, to manage your projects from start to finish.
It describes every step in the project life cycle in depth, so you know exactly which tasks to
complete, when and how.

The key concept is that you repeat the same steps for every project you undertake, and by
doing that, you will gain efficiencies in your approach.

Why use a methodology

A Project Methodology gives a clear process for managing projects. After it has been
customised to fit the environment, the methodology should tell the project team what has to
be completed to deliver on the project, how it should be done, in which order and by when.

Project methodology should include:

 A core set of processes to follow for delivering projects

 A set of templates to help you build deliverables quickly

 A suite of case studies to help you learn from past projects

 An option for customising the methodology provided

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 The ability to import your existing processes into it

What a project management methodology will not do

a. A Methodology will not fix projects by itself or guarantee success and an efficient,
effective experienced project manager is still required to deliver projects successfully.
b. No methodology will be 100% applicable to every type of project. So it will need to be
customised to ensure that it perfectly fits the project management environment.

Benefits of using a methodology

By using a methodology you can:

 Create a project roadmap

 Monitor time, cost and quality (project triple constraint)

 Control change and scope

 Minimise risks and issues

 Manage staff and suppliers

You will need to use the methodology that is most suitable to each project you undertake. For
smaller projects, you will only want to apply lightweight processes and when managing large
projects, you should apply the heavyweight processes to monitor and control every element
of your project in depth.

But if you can manage every project you undertake in the same way, then you will gain
efficiencies with your approach, work smarter and reduce your stress. You will also give your
team a clear understanding of what you expect from them and boost your chances of success.

Some project management methodologies:

 PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE) is a project management method. It

covers the management, control and organisation of a project.

 Method 123 Project Management methodology, also called MPMM (Project

Management Methodology Manager) is based on the worldwide project management
standards PMBOK and Prince2 and contains all of the project management templates,
forms and checklists needed.

 Ten Step Project Management Process is a methodology for managing work as a

project and it’s designed to be as flexible as you need to manage your project.

 UPMM Unified Project Management methodology based on suite of knowledge

management tools.

 AdPM – a best practices project methodology.

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 MBP- Managing by Project from X-Pert Group. Programme and Project Management
methodology and services.

 MITP – Managing Information Technology Projects. IBM’s established project

management delivery method.

 Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) is a set of principles, models, disciplines,

concepts, and guidelines for delivering information technology solutions.

What is a standard?

A standard is “a collection of knowledge areas that are generally accepted as best practice in
the industry”.

What is the difference between a methodology and a standard?

Standards give you industry guidance, whereas methodologies give you practical processes
for managing projects. Standards are not methodologies, and vice versa. The two most
popular standards are PMBOK and Prince2.

The PMBOK - by the Project Management Institute

The PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) is a world standard in Project

Management, developed by the internationally recognised Project Management Institute
(PMI) based in the USA, and which establishes best practices and principles for project
management. PMI (Project Management Institute) was established in 1969 and is
headquartered in Pennsylvania, USA. Itis the world’s leading not-for-profit professional
association serving project management with over 150,000 members worldwide. The
PMBOK Guide is approved as an American National Standard (ANS) by the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI).

PRINCE (PRojectsIN Controlled Environments) is a structured method for effective project

management. It is a de facto standard used extensively by the UK Government and is widely
recognized and used in the private sector, both in the UK andinternationally. PRINCE,
the method, is in the public domain, offering non-proprietarily best-practice guidance on
project management.

Why Use Project Management Standards

The need for such project management standards;

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 Once a business goes online, it is open to the global market so there is a lot of cross
transfer of information from one system to the other across the globe, which emphasises
the need for global project management standards.
 If a system needs to be recognised and accepted internationally, then we must use some
kind of project management standards.
 When international project management standards are followed, it ispossible to take over
a project at any stage and complete it successfully without being dependent on the
original development team. Organisations are moving towards such independence in
terms of project management. Once this is achieved, they will no more be limited to a
single service provider, besides that this will also ensure uniformity, which is essential for
increasing the compatibility of systems.
 By following global project management standards, we can also ensure a high level of
quality standards not only in project management but also with the entire project. This
will remove all the elements of uncertainty and increase overall efficiency.
 By following universal project management standards, we will be able to create stable
systems that are capable of functioning across a wide range of platforms. The systems we
create will no more be limited to a single platform or single technology environment.
 The quality and the strength of the system can be judged only by judging its stability
while working with different platforms. Today the need for such stable systems is on the
increase because we do not have to develop new applications and systems from scratch.
We can save a considerable amount of time, money and energy by following global
project management standards. When we follow global project management standards,
we will have solutions to all types of problems and the systems’ down time will be
reduced considerably.

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