PROJECT PLANNING &

MANAGEMENT: OVERVIEW,
CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS

By
Medard Muganzi
0772860894/0702839617

1 [email protected]
 Session objectives

 Participants to gainfully appreciate and

utilize:-
- The Concept of Project Management and
how it has evolved
- Various concept definitions
- Attributes
- Differences between projects and
programme

2 [email protected]
 Introduction
 PPM has gradually evolved. Started from the
historical (Biblical) era- The Tower of Babel.

 Egyptian Pyramids, Manufacture of 1st Atomic

Bomb
 1900s - Project tools – Ghant Chart, PERT,
CPM, etc
 Aftermath of WW2
 1965 – IPMA, 1969 – PMI, etc
 Early 1970s – PM was used in defense,
construction, and aerospace industries
 Throughout 70s applied widely in other areas
3 [email protected]
 Introduction cont’d
 1974, a body of knowledge (book) was
published:

 It was called The Project Management Body of

Knowledge.
 In 1984, it was changed and called a Guide to
Project Management Body of Knowledge.
 Dev’t of some tools considered important today
– like Work-Break-Down Structure (WBS),
conflict management, etc.
 1980s – Risk management, use of PM software,
PMI certification programs (1984)
4 [email protected]
 Introduction cont’d

 Modern age is defined by the internet. Role of

PM played by PMP, career professional
 Advancements in PM
 Agile methodologies
 Remote work
 Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)
 Project Management Degrees
 The future of PM – Digitization, Employment
and Better Data analysis
5 [email protected]
 Project Management

 Project Management is categorized into two

aspects:
(a) Core functions
(i) ) Project Time management
(ii) Project Cost management
(iii) Project Quality management
(iv) Project Scope management

6 [email protected]
 (b) Facilitating functions

 Project Human Resource Management

 Project Communication Mgt (M&E aspects)
 Project Procurement Mgt
 Project Risk Management.

7 [email protected]
 Note! The core and facilitating functions
form the General Project Management
Knowledge areas:

- Project Management Integration

- Project Scope Management
- Project Time Mgt
- Project Cost Mgt
- Project Quality Mgt
- Project Human Resource Mgt
- Project Communications Mgt
- Project Risk Mgt
- Project Procurement Mgt
8 - Project Stakeholder Mgt [email protected]
 Introductory Exercise (15 Minutes)

 Give a Self-Evaluation Exercise on Project

Mgt!
Why has project management emerged
strongly?

9 [email protected]
 Why has project management
emerged

 Project management has emerged because the

characteristics of our contemporary society demand
the development of new methods of development
– Exponential expansion of human knowledge
– The growing demand for a broad range of
complex, sophisticated, customized goods and
services
– The evolution of worldwide competitive markets for
the production and consumption of goods and
services
10 [email protected]
 Definitions

1. Association of project managers (1984): “A project

is a task of creating an outcome with
predetermined objectives. It involves the complex
interaction of resources, services and
organizations”
2. Einsiedel, A.A.(1984): “ A project is a solution to a
problem”
3. Project Management Institute (1987): “Any
undertaking with a defined starting point and
defined objectives, involves a variety of resources
and is unique.

11 [email protected]
 Definitions cont’d

4. Haynes (1991): “A project is any undertaking that

has a beginning and end, and is carried out to meet
established goals within cost, schedule and quality
objectives”
5. Turner, J.R. (1993): “An endeavor in which human,
material and financial resources are organised in a
novel way to undertake a unique scope of work, of
a given specification, with constraints of cost & time
so as to achieve beneficial change defined by
quantitative and qualitative objectives.

12 [email protected]
 Definitions cont’d

6. Duncan (1993): “ A temporary process undertaken to

create one or a few units of a unique product or
service whose attributes are progressively
elaborated”.
7. Project Management Institute (1996): “ A temporary
endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or
service”
Note: A project is a temporary, organized human
endeavor to provide a solution to an identified need.
- It is not an on-going operational organisational
activity.

13 [email protected]
 A Project as a Process

 A project is a process aimed at the

achievement of specified objectives. Thus, it
is vital to emphasize that a project refers to a
process and not the end product or result.
Process can be defined as a series of actions
or operations directed towards generating a
particular result.

14 [email protected]
 Example of a project as a Process

 In a construction project, the final constructed

building is not the project but the product of
the project. The project is a process by which
the building is constructed. Projects produce
deliverables referred to as end
items/Outputs. However, the product of the
process usually has a life beyond the
process.

15 [email protected]
 Project as a process: A snapshot

 The project goes through five standard

processes; called The Project Management
Process Groups:
(i) Initiation Process Group,
(ii) Planning Process Group,
(iii) Execution Process Group,
(iv) Monitoring & Controlling Process Group and
(v) Closing Process Group)
16 [email protected]
 Project Management!

 Project management is the application of

knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to
project activities to meet project
requirements.
 Project management is accomplished
through processes, using project mgt
knowledge, skills, tools and techniques that
receive inputs & generate outputs.

17 [email protected]
 Prerequisites to success

 Selection of appropriate project management processes

that are required to meet project objectives.
 Use a defined approach to adopt the product
specification/Strategy
 Comply with requirements to meet stakeholder needs
and expectations
 Balancing the triple constraints demands.

18 [email protected]
 Project Attributes

 A review of the various project definitions gives rise

to distinctive characteristics of projects:
1. Unique: A project is a unique, one-off discrete
undertaking. Every project results to some extent in
new, unique deliverable or set of deliverables.

19 [email protected]
 2. Finite

A project is a temporary process, i.e

finite/limited duration. A project has a
beginning and an end at which point one can
say its objectives have been accomplished.
Even the resources used on a project are
temporary, only needed for the project life
time.

20 [email protected]
 3. Multiple Resource, Discipline &
Organisations

 Mix of discrete skills, technologies, and resources

which are brought together to focus on the
attainment of project specific objectives. These
disciplines are frequently supplied by separate
organizations with different affiliations, goals and
values, but all involved in the achievement of the
same end result.
 This means that project work requires a team
approach that typically cuts across conventional
lines of structure and authority in organizations.

21 [email protected]
 4. Life Cycle

 Projects have a unique and distinctive life cycle that

passes through several distinct stages. The activities
and resources change as the project progresses
through the cycle. The cycle is characterized by a
slow start, through a progressive build-up and peak,
followed by a decline and final termination. At the
end, some projects may be incorporated into the
normal on-going operations of the parent
organisation.

22 [email protected]
 5. Dynamic

 A project operates in a dynamic operational

and managerial environment compared to
relatively stable environments of
conventional enterprises.
 Project goals are such that the project must
be constantly pushed (expedited) to achieve
its stated objectives. Also projects use a
variety of resources.

23 [email protected]
 Dynamic cont’d

 The dynamic nature of projects means that

the mixture of resources changes frequently
throughout the project life cycle, varying with
the needs of the project.
 The project work may also generate dynamic
reactions in the environment. E.g, Think
about food kiosks developing along a road
being constructed.

24 [email protected]
 6. Discrete end Objectives

 Projects are formed to meet identifiable

objectives or constraints, usually specified in
terms of scope, time, cost and quality
requirements. The end results must be
definable at the beginning.
 So a project is a goal directed with a single
set of objectives and when these objectives
have been achieved, the project is
completed.

25 [email protected]
 7. Progressive Elaboration of
Specifications

 A project emerges out of the awareness by someone

that a problem or opportunity exists. From this initial
recognition, an idea is conceived and developed.
The uniqueness of projects means that their
specifications are progressively elaborated through
their life cycle so that specifications will be broadly
described early in the project and developed in more
and more details as the project progresses.
 Modifications show a progressive elaboration of
specifications.

26 [email protected]
 8. Part-time use of resources

 Projects frequently use resources on a part-

time basis, whereas permanent
organizations try to use resources on a full-
time basis. The sharing of resources
frequently requires skillful negotiation to see
that projects get the necessary resources to
meet objectives throughout their project life.

27 [email protected]
 9. Conflict

 More than most managers, the project manager lives

in a world characterised by conflicts. Conflict can be
created by competition for the use of organisational
resources; conflict between the project and the
project team members’ objectives, etc.
 The need to meet tight project objectives while
dealing with the complexity and dynamic nature
typical of projects, or because of project team
members’ being often accountable to two superiors
at the same time, may generate some conflicts.

28 [email protected]
 10. Change

 Projects are created to create change-

Projects are the change efforts of society.
The turbulence and dynamic nature of the
world, necessitates project managers to be
effective at managing change. All managers
must manage change through projects. We
undertake projects because we cannot
produce or achieve the benefit by doing
routine things.

29 [email protected]
 Programmes and Projects

(a) Differences
(i) Time: A programme is a long term intervention with
different aspects, all tailored towards the attainment
of the targeted programme deliverables. A project on
the other hand is a temporary endeavor aimed at
generating unique outputs to the community. Thus,
whereas the programme can be long-term, a project
can be a short term intervention.

30 [email protected]
 Differences cont’d

(ii) Content scope: In terms of the content

scope, a programme takes a wider coverage.
A single programme can have different
projects. For example, a community
development programme can have a project
in health, income security, sanitation and
hygiene, agricultural production and even
income security.

31 [email protected]
 Differences cont’d

(iii) Taking the orgnaisational structure, a programme is

a concern of the organizational goal while a project
addresses a mere purpose. It is thus, a sum of
different purposes (projects) that will lead to the
attainment of the goal (at a programmatic level).
(iv) Programmes are evaluated by their impact while
projects are evaluated by considering the outputs.
However, several project outputs, overtime, can
constitute to an impact.

32 [email protected]
 Differences cont’d

(v) In terms of planning, a programme takes the

strategic plans (made by top managers)
while a project takes the operational plans
(made by middle and low level managers).

33 [email protected]
 (b) Similarities

 Note that projects that are complex and spread over

a long period can also be called programmes.
 Projects and programmes may use the same
resources, whether human or materials resources. In
terms of the human resources, the same persons
that design the programme can be the same to
design a project. It is more advisable that those who
design a programme go ahead to design the various
projects so as not to lose the original concern of the
programme.

34 [email protected]
 Similarities

 Projects refine the programme aspects and

make them specific for the purposes of
practical implementation. But the overall
outcome may never take cognizance of the
differences between the programme and
project.

35 [email protected]
 Revision Questions

 Revision Questions
1. With clear examples, distinguish between a
project and a programme
2. List and explain the major attributes of a
project.

36 [email protected]
 Types of projects

1. Civil or chemical engineering and

construction projects
 Building and construction, land reclamation,
earthmoving, tunnels and bridges, mining and
quarrying
2. Manufacturing projects
 New product (R&D), equipment manufacture, ship
building, automotive, aircraft & aerospace, heavy
engineering, food and drink
37 [email protected]
 Types of projects

3. Management projects (often internal for the

company’s own benefit)
 IT systems, re-organization, recruiting drive,
regulatory change
4. Projects for pure scientific research
 High risk, often high investment, may be no
precise objective, outcome unpredictable

38 [email protected]
 Interactive Discussion!

Sources of reading
 Cable D.P and Adams, J.R. (1989). Organizing for Project
Management, Drexil Hill: PA. Project Management Institute.
 Cuthworth,J.W and Franks, T. (1993). Managing Projects in
Developing Countries, London: Prentice Hall.
 Gray, C.F and Larson, E.W. (1999). Project Management-The
Managerial Process, Oregon State University: Irwin McGraw-
Hill.
 Kerzner, H. (1992). Project Management: A systems
approach to planning, scheduling and controlling, New York:
Van Nostrand Reinhold.

39 [email protected]
  Meredith, J. and Mantel, S.J. (1995). Project Management: A
managerial Approach, New York: Wiley and Sons.
 Project Management Institute. (2000). A Guide to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), Project
Management Institute, Upper Darby, P.A.
 Struckenbruck, L.C. (1981). The implementation of Project
Management: The Professionals’ Handbook, Reading, MA.
Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
 Turner, J.R. (1993). The Handbook of Project-based
Management-Improving the Process for Achieving Strategic
Objectives, London: McGraw-Hill.
 Young, E.J. (1994). Project Organisation in Lock, D. Gower
Handbook of Project Management, England: Gower Aldershot.
40 [email protected]
41 [email protected]