NIT Standard Unit
Unit: 1STU203: Project Management
Topic: Construct a project plan
May 2024 Presentation By: Mr. MAthias
Learning Outcomes
• Deliverables
• Final deadline
• Key milestones/targets
• Plan activities Allocate tasks
Project Management
project is defined as a sequence of tasks that must be completed to
attain a certain outcome. Project Management is the discipline of
planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve
specific goals within defined constraints. These constraints typically
include time, cost, scope, and quality. The primary objective of project
management is to successfully complete a project within these
constraints while meeting the needs and expectations of stakeholders.
Key aspects of project management include:
1. Initiation: This involves defining the project, its objectives, scope,
and stakeholders. It's about understanding why the project is
necessary and what it aims to achieve.
2. Planning: Project planning involves creating a detailed roadmap
that outlines how the project will be executed, monitored, and
controlled. This includes defining tasks, estimating resources,
developing schedules, and identifying potential risks.
3. Execution: This is the phase where the project plan is put into
action. Project managers coordinate resources, communicate with
stakeholders, and oversee the work of the project team to ensure
that tasks are completed according to schedule and quality
standards.
4. Monitoring and Controlling: Throughout the project lifecycle,
project managers track progress, monitor performance, and
compare actual results against the project plan. They also identify
and address any deviations or issues that arise, making adjustments
as necessary to keep the project on track.
5. Closing: Once the project objectives have been achieved, the
project is formally closed out. This involves completing any
remaining activities, documenting lessons learned, and transitioning
deliverables to the stakeholders.
Project management practices can vary depending on the specific
methodology or approach used. Some common project management
methodologies include:
• Waterfall: A sequential approach where each phase of the project
(such as initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closing) is
completed before moving on to the next phase.
• Agile: An iterative and flexible approach that focuses on delivering
small increments of work (often called "sprints") and adapting to
change quickly based on feedback.
• Scrum: A specific framework within Agile that emphasizes
collaboration, self-organization, and cross-functional teams working in
short, time-boxed iterations.
• Kanban: A visual method for managing work that emphasizes
continuous delivery and limiting work in progress.
Effective project management requires a combination of technical skills,
such as scheduling and budgeting, as well as soft skills, such as
communication, leadership, and stakeholder management. It's a
multifaceted discipline that plays a crucial role in the success of projects
across various industries and sectors.
Management
In project management, "management" refers to the systematic
process of planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and
coordinating resources (such as people, time, budget, and materials)
to achieve specific project goals and objectives within defined
constraints.
Here's what each aspect of management means in the context of
project management:
1. Planning: This involves defining the project scope, objectives,
deliverables, schedule, budget, and resources required. Planning
also includes identifying potential risks and developing strategies to
mitigate them.
2. Organizing: This involves assembling a project team, assigning
roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication channels
and workflows. Organizing ensures that the project's resources are
allocated efficiently and effectively.
3. Directing: This aspect of management involves providing leadership,
guidance, and support to the project team. Project managers lead by
example, motivate team members, and ensure that everyone is aligned
with the project's goals and objectives.
4. Controlling: This involves monitoring project progress, tracking
performance against the plan, and identifying deviations or issues.
Controlling also includes taking corrective actions to address problems
and keep the project on track.
5. Coordinating: This involves synchronizing the efforts of
various team members and stakeholders to ensure smooth
execution of project activities. Effective coordination helps
prevent bottlenecks, minimize conflicts, and maximize
productivity.
6. Decision-Making: Project managers are responsible for making
timely and informed decisions throughout the project lifecycle. This
includes resolving conflicts, managing changes, and prioritizing tasks
to achieve project objectives.
7. Communication: Effective communication is essential for project
success. Project managers must ensure that information flows
smoothly between team members, stakeholders, and other relevant
parties. Clear and timely communication helps keep everyone
informed, aligned, and engaged.
8.Risk Management: This involves identifying potential risks,
assessing their impact and likelihood, and developing strategies to
mitigate or respond to them. Effective risk management helps
minimize the impact of uncertainties on project outcomes.
Overall, management in project management encompasses a
comprehensive set of activities and responsibilities aimed at guiding
and controlling the project's execution to deliver the desired outcomes
on time, within budget, and according to specifications.
Project
project is defined as a sequence of tasks that must be completed to
attain a certain outcome.
Management in project management encompasses a wide range of
activities aimed at planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling
resources to achieve specific project goals within constraints such as
time, budget, and scope. Here's a breakdown:
1. Planning: This involves defining project objectives, scope,
deliverables, schedule, budget, and resources required. Planning also
includes identifying risks and developing strategies to mitigate them.
2. Organizing: This involves assembling a project team, assigning
responsibilities, and establishing communication channels.
Organizing also includes setting up the project's infrastructure and
processes.
3. Coordinating: This involves ensuring that all project activities are
executed according to the plan. It includes monitoring progress,
resolving conflicts, and facilitating collaboration among team
members.
4. Controlling: This involves measuring project performance against
the plan, identifying deviations, and taking corrective actions as
necessary to keep the project on track. Controlling also involves
managing changes to the project scope, schedule, and budget.
5. Leadership: Effective project management requires strong
leadership skills to inspire and motivate team members, foster a
collaborative environment, and keep everyone focused on achieving
the project's objectives.
6. Communication: Clear and timely communication is essential for
successful project management. Project managers need to
communicate expectations, progress, changes, and decisions to all
stakeholders effectively.
7. Risk Management: Identifying potential risks, assessing their
impact and likelihood, and developing strategies to mitigate or
respond to them is crucial for managing project uncertainties and
ensuring project success.
8. Quality Management: Ensuring that project deliverables meet
quality standards is vital for satisfying project stakeholders and
achieving long-term success. This involves establishing quality
objectives, implementing quality control processes, and continuously
improving project processes.
Significance in Organizational Contexts:
• Projects are fundamental to achieving organizational goals and
objectives.
• They allow organizations to innovate, grow, adapt to change,
and remain competitive in dynamic environments.
• Effective project management helps organizations deliver value
to stakeholders, optimize resource utilization, and mitigate risks.
Key Characteristics of Projects:
Temporary: Projects have a finite duration, with a clear start and
end date.
Unique: Each project is distinct, with its own set of objectives,
requirements, and deliverables.
Cross-functional: Projects typically involve multiple stakeholders
and disciplines working together toward a common goal.
Goal-oriented: Projects are undertaken to achieve specific
outcomes or results that contribute to organizational success.
Examples of Different Types of Projects:
1. Scale:
Small-Scale Project:
Example: Organizing a one-day workshop for staff training.
Characteristics: Limited scope, resources, and duration, typically
managed by a small team.
Large-Scale Project:
Example: Building a new corporate headquarters.
Characteristics: Extensive scope, resources, and duration, involving
multiple stakeholders and complex coordination.
2. Formality:
Formal Project:
Example: Implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP)
system.
Characteristics: Well-defined objectives, detailed planning,
documented processes, and formal project governance.
Informal Project:
Example: Organizing a company-wide social event.
Characteristics: Loosely defined objectives, flexible planning,
minimal documentation, and informal coordination among team
members.
Large-scale formal project: e.g., Office building construction
Extensive scope and resources
Formal methodologies, comprehensive planning
Projects are essential for organizations to achieve their
strategic objectives and respond to changes in the business
environment.
Understanding the concept of a project and its significance
helps organizations effectively manage resources, prioritize
initiatives, and deliver value to stakeholders.
Examples of different types of projects demonstrate the
diverse nature of project work in terms of scale, formality, and
complexity.
Identifying and Analyzing Stakeholder Needs and
Expectations:
1. Customers:
• Needs: Expect high-quality deliverables that meet their
requirements and specifications.
• Expectations: Timely delivery, clear communication, and
value for money.
• Example: A software development project's customers may
need user-friendly features and regular updates.
2. Suppliers:
• Needs: Clear requirements and specifications for the goods
or services they provide.
• Expectations: Timely payment, fair treatment, and
transparent communication.
• Example: Construction project suppliers require accurate
material specifications and payment on agreed terms.
3. Managers:
• Needs: Regular updates on project progress, adherence to
budget and timelines, and alignment with organizational goals.
• Expectations: Effective leadership, risk management, and
strategic decision-making.
• Example: Senior management expects project managers to
deliver results that contribute to overall business objectives.
4. Team Members:
• Needs: Clear roles and responsibilities, resources required to
perform their tasks, and opportunities for skill development.
• Expectations: Supportive work environment, recognition of
contributions, and opportunities for career growth.
• Example: Team members in a marketing campaign project
expect clear guidance from the project manager and collaboration
with other team members.
Role of the Project Manager in Managing Stakeholder
Relationships:
1. Identifying Stakeholders:
• Project managers identify all stakeholders, including their needs,
expectations, and level of influence on the project.
2. Stakeholder Analysis:
• Assess the interests, expectations, and potential impact of each
stakeholder on the project.
• Prioritize stakeholders based on their influence and importance to
project success.
3. Communication:
• Establish clear communication channels to keep stakeholders
informed about project progress, risks, and decisions.
• Tailor communication strategies to the needs and preferences of
different stakeholders.
4. Managing Expectations:
• Set realistic expectations with stakeholders regarding project scope,
timelines, and deliverables.
• Proactively address any discrepancies between stakeholders'
expectations and project realities.
5. Conflict Resolution:
• Address conflicts and disagreements among stakeholders in a timely
and constructive manner.
• Mediate discussions and negotiate solutions that balance
stakeholders' interests and project objectives.
6. Relationship Building:
• Cultivate positive relationships with stakeholders through trust,
respect, and effective collaboration.
• Seek feedback from stakeholders to continuously improve project
processes and outcomes.
Six Significances of Research in Project Management:
Certainly! Here's an outline outlining the significance of research in
project management:
1. Informing Decision-Making:
• Research provides valuable data and insights that inform decision-
making throughout the project lifecycle.
• It helps project managers make informed choices regarding project
scope, objectives, strategies, and resource allocation.
2. Identifying Risks and Opportunities:
• Research helps identify potential risks and opportunities associated
with the project.
• By conducting thorough research, project managers can anticipate
challenges, mitigate risks, and capitalize on opportunities to enhance
project outcomes.
3. Validating Assumptions:
• Research allows project managers to validate assumptions and
hypotheses underlying the project plan.
• It ensures that project decisions are based on factual evidence
rather than speculation, reducing the likelihood of costly errors or
misjudgments.
4. Enhancing Stakeholder Engagement:
• Research enables project managers to understand the needs,
expectations, and preferences of stakeholders.
• By incorporating stakeholder feedback into the research process,
project managers can foster greater stakeholder engagement and
support for the project.
5 .Improving Project Performance:
• Research helps identify best practices, lessons learned, and
benchmarks from similar projects or industries.
• By leveraging research findings, project managers can implement
strategies and methodologies that improve project performance
and efficiency.
6. Facilitating Innovation and Continuous Improvement:
• Research fosters innovation by exploring new ideas,
technologies, and approaches relevant to the project.
• It encourages a culture of continuous improvement, where
project teams actively seek to enhance processes, products,
and services based on research insights.
• Research plays a crucial role in project management by
informing decision-making, identifying risks and opportunities,
validating assumptions, enhancing stakeholder engagement,
improving project performance, and facilitating innovation.
• Project managers must prioritize research as an integral part of
project planning and execution to maximize project success
and deliver value to stakeholders.
Phase 1: Project initiation
The project initiation phase is the first stage of turning an abstract idea into a
meaningful goal. In this stage, you need to develop a business case and
define the project on a broad level. In order to do that, you have to determine
the need for the project and create a project charter.
The project charter is an important document consisting of details like
the project constraints, goals, appointment of the project manager, budget,
expected timeline, etc.
Once you have the project goals and project scope, identify key project
stakeholders–the people who are to be involved in the project. Create a
stakeholder register with the roles, designation, communication
requirements, and influence.
While a clear goal of the project is established in this phase, a project charter
does not contain any technical details that happen in the planning stage.
Consider the example of an automobile manufacturer assigned to develop
an electric vehicle. The selection of the design, capacity, and battery power
of the vehicle will not be a part of the initiation phase. The only certainty
would be that an electric vehicle will be developed within the given timeframe
and budget.
Phase 2: Project planning
The project planning stage requires complete diligence as it lays out
the project’s roadmap. Unless you are using a modern project
management methodology like agile project management, the second
phase of project management is expected to take almost half of the
entire project’s timespan.
In this phase, the primary tasks are identifying technical requirements,
developing a detailed project schedule, creating a communication
plan, and setting up goals/deliverables. Some examples of web
applications include shopping carts, online forms, spreadsheets, word
processors, PDF file conversion programs, video and photo editing
software, file scanning tools, and email programs such as Gmail and
Yahoo.
There are several methods of setting up the project’s goals but
S.M.A.R.T. and C.L.E.A.R. are the most popular.
S.M.A.R.T Goals:
The ‘SMART’ criteria ensure that the goals you set for your project are
critically analyzed. It is an established method that reduces risk and
allows project managers to make clearly defined and achievable goals.
The acronym SMART stands for
Why Are SMART Goals Important to Project Management?
SMART goals are important to project management because they
provide clarity, focus, accountability, measurability, alignment, and time
management. Most importantly, they increase the likelihood of project
success.
“SMART goals are a great tool to help project teams stay focused
and provide a clear roadmap for project success. SMART goals
clearly communicate project expectations to stakeholders, which
helps to align their efforts and ensure that everyone is working toward
the same goal,” says Usanmaz.
These are some key reasons that SMART goals are important in
project management:
Clarity: SMART goals can help teams understand goals and how
they are measured, making them easier to work toward.
Scope Management:
C.L.E.A.R. Goals:
The ‘CLEAR’ method of setting up goals is designed to cater to the
dynamic nature of a modern workplace. Today’s fast-paced
businesses require flexibility and immediate results and CLEAR can
help citizen developers with that.
The acronym for CLEAR stands for
During the planning stage, the scope of the project is defined. There is
a possibility of changing the scope of the project demands it but the
project manager must approve the change. Project managers also
develop a work breakdown structure (WBS), which clearly visualizes
the entire project in different sections for the team management.
A detailed project timeline with each deliverable is another important
element of the planning stage. Using that timeline, project managers
can develop a project communication plan and a schedule of
communication with the relevant stakeholders.
Risk mitigation is another important aspect of project management that
is a part of the planning stage. The project manager is responsible for
extrapolating past data to identify potential project management
risks and develop a strategy to minimize them.
An important element that professionals often overlook is an effective
change management plan. As a project manager, you must be ready
to incorporate a few changes in the project to avoid bottlenecks
and project delays.
Phase 3: Project execution
The project execution stage is where your team does the actual work. As
a project manager, your job is to establish efficient workflows and
carefully monitor the progress of your team.
Another responsibility of the project manager during this phase is to
consistently maintain effective collaboration between project
stakeholders. This ensures that everyone stays on the same page and
the project runs smoothly without any issues.
You can take help from the best project collaboration tools that are
available in the market. They’ll not only make your life easier but also
improve efficiency and increase the productivity of your team.
Utilizing a brainstorming tool can be transformative in enhancing team
collaboration and brainstorming. This app allows team members to
visualize ideas, share feedback in real time, and collectively refine
concepts, seamlessly integrating with the project execution phase. It's an
essential asset for teams looking to elevate their creative process and
ensure all voices are heard during project development.
Phase 4: Project monitoring and controlling
In the project management process, the third and fourth phases are not
sequential in nature. The project monitoring and controlling phase run
simultaneously with project execution, thereby ensuring that objectives
and project deliverables are met.
As a project manager, you can make sure that no one deviates from the
original plan by establishing Critical Success Factors (CSF) and Key
Performance Indicators (KPI).
During the monitoring phase of project management, the manager is
also responsible for quantitatively tracking the effort and cost during the
process. This tracking not only ensures that the project remains within
the budget but also is important for future projects.
The project life cycle comprises five distinct stages:
1. Initiation: At this outset phase, the project's purpose, scope, and
objectives are defined. Stakeholders are identified, and a project
charter is created to formalize the project's initiation.
2. Planning: During this stage, a comprehensive project plan is
developed, detailing tasks, resources, timelines, and budgets. Project
scope is defined, and a work breakdown structure (WBS) is established
to organize project activities.
3. Execution: The project plan is put into action during this phase. Tasks
are assigned, progress is monitored, resources are managed, and
communication with stakeholders is maintained to ensure the project's
objectives are met.
4. Monitoring and Controlling: Throughout the project's execution, its
performance is closely monitored to identify any deviations from the plan.
Contingency measures are implemented to address issues, and changes
are managed to keep the project on track.
5. Closure: Once all project objectives have been achieved, the project is
formally closed. Deliverables are handed over to stakeholders, and a
project review is conducted to document lessons learned and evaluate
the project's success. Resources are transitioned, and the project is
officially concluded.
Phase 5: Project closing
This is the final phase of the project management process.
The project closure stage indicates the end of the project after the
final delivery. There are times when external talent is hired
specifically for the project on contract. Terminating these contracts
and completing the necessary paperwork is also the responsibility
of the project manager.
Most teams hold a reflection meeting after the completion of the
project in order to contemplate their successes and failures during
the project. This is an effective method to ensure continuous
improvement within the company to enhance the overall
productivity of the team in the future.
The final task of this phase is to review the entire project complete
a detailed report that covers every aspect. All of the necessary data
is stored in a secure place that can be accessed by project
managers of that organization.
While spreadsheets and post-it notes sufficed in the past, the
requirement of digital project management is completely different.
Preparing and delivering an outstanding presentation involves
several key steps to ensure that your message resonates well
with your audience and is comprehended effectively. Here's a
systematic method:
1. Understand Your Audience: Begin by understanding the
demographics, interests, and knowledge level of your audience.
Tailor your presentation style, language, and content to match their
needs and expectations.
2. Define Your Objective: Clearly define the purpose of your
presentation. Are you seeking to inform, persuade, or inspire your
audience? Understanding your objective will guide the structure and
content of your presentation.
3. Structure Your Presentation: Organize your content into a logical
structure with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Within the
body, consider using a framework such as Problem-Solution, Cause-
Effect, or Chronological order to present your information coherently.
4. Craft Compelling Content: Develop engaging and informative content
that supports your objective. Use visuals, data, stories, and examples to
illustrate key points and keep your audience engaged. Ensure that your
content is well-researched, relevant, and easy to understand.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice: Rehearse your presentation multiple times
to familiarize yourself with the content and flow. Practice speaking
confidently and naturally, paying attention to your tone, pace, and body
language. Time your presentation to ensure that it fits within the allocated
timeframe.
6. Anticipate Questions and Objections: Anticipate potential questions or
objections that your audience may have and prepare thoughtful responses.
Addressing concerns proactively demonstrates your expertise and
enhances credibility.
7. Engage Your Audience: Encourage audience participation through
interactive elements such as polls, questions, or discussions. Engaging
your audience fosters active participation and enhances retention of key
information.
7. Engage Your Audience: Encourage audience participation through
interactive elements such as polls, questions, or discussions. Engaging
your audience fosters active participation and enhances retention of
key information.
8. Use Visual Aids Effectively: Utilize visual aids such as slides, videos,
or props to enhance understanding and retention. Keep visual
elements simple, clear, and relevant, avoiding clutter or excessive text.
9. Deliver with Confidence: Project confidence and enthusiasm while
delivering your presentation. Maintain eye contact, speak clearly and
audibly, and exude passion for your topic. Engage with your audience
by acknowledging their reactions and adjusting your delivery
accordingly.
10. Seek Feedback: After delivering your presentation, solicit feedback
from your colleagues or audience members. Use their input to identify
areas for improvement and refine your presentation skills for future
engagements.
