Project Definition

Project in general refers to a new endeavor with specific objective and varies so
widely that it is very difficult to precisely define it.

 The term project has a wider meaning. A project is accomplished by performing a

set of activities.
 For example, construction of a house is a project. The construction of a house
consists of many activities like digging of foundation pits, construction of
foundation, construction of walls, construction of roof, fixing of doors and
windows, fixing of sanitary fitting, wiring etc.
 Another aspect of project is the non-routine nature of activities. Each project is
unique in the sense that the activities of a project are unique and non-routine.
 A project consumes resources. The resources required for completing a project
are men, material, money and time.
 Thus, we can define a project as an organized programme of pre-determined
group of activities that are non-routine in nature and that must be completed
using the available resources within the given time limit.

Let us now consider some definitions of ‘project’.

 Newman define that “a project typically has a distinct mission that it is designed
to achieve and a clear termination point the achievement of the mission”.

 Gillinger defines “project” as the whole complex of activities involved in using

resources to gain benefits.

 Project management institute, USA defined project as “a system involving the co-
ordination of a number of separate department entities throughout organization,
in a way it must be completed with prescribed schedules and time constraints”.

 According to the encyclopedia of management, “project is an organized unit

dedicated to the attainment of goal, the successful completion of a development
project on time, within budget, in conformance with predetermined programme
specification.”

CHARACTERISTICS OF PROJECT
a) Objectives: A project has a set of objectives or a mission. Once the objectives are
achieved the project is treated as completed.

b) Life cycle: A project has a life cycle. The life cycle consists of five stages i.e.
conception stage, definition stage, planning & organising stage, implementation
stage and commissioning stage.
c) Uniqueness: Every project is unique and no two projects are similar. Setting up a
cement plant and construction of a highway are two different projects having
unique features.

d) Team Work: Project is a team work and it normally consists of diverse areas.
There will be personnel specialized in their respective areas and co-ordination
among the diverse areas calls for team work.

e) Complexity: A project is a complex set of activities relating to diverse areas.

f) Risk and uncertainty: Risk and uncertainty go hand in hand with project. A risk-
free, it only means that the element is not apparently visible on the surface and it
will be hidden underneath.

g) Customer specific nature: A project is always customer specific. It is the customer

who decides upon the product to be produced or services to be offered and hence it
is the responsibility of any organization to go for projects/services that are suited to
customer needs.

h) Change: Changes occur throughout the life span of a project as a natural outcome
of many environmental factors. The changes may very from minor changes, which
may have very little impact on the project, to major changes which may have a big
impact or even may change the very nature of the project.

i) Optimality: A project is always aimed at optimum utilization of resources for the

overall development of the economy.

j) Sub-contracting: A high level of work in a project is done through contractors. The

more the complexity of the project, the more will be the extent of contracting.

k) Unity in diversity: A project is a complex set of thousands of varieties. The

varieties are in terms of technology, equipment and materials, machinery and
people, work, culture and others.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO PROJECT SUCCESS
 Developing or identification of success factors has dominated the field of project
management from 1980s to 2000. Many researchers have tried to a certain
extent to identify success factor for project management.
 These includes Kerzner (1987), Pinto and Slevin (1987), Pinto, Slevin and Dennis
(1989), Clarke (1999), Cooke Davis (2002) and Muller (2003). The following
paragraphs are dedicated in reviewing the main contributors in setting the
success factors.

Pinto’s Model of Ten Critical Success Factors of the Project Management

Profile
Pinto and others have published a number of articles between 1987-1990 on critical
success factors and has established a widely known accepted 10 critical success
factors are listed as follows.

1. Project mission – Initial clarity of goals and general direction.

2. Top management support – Willingness of top management to provide the
necessary resources and authority of power for project success.
3. Project schedule/plans – Detailed specification of the individual action steps
required for project management.
4. Client consultation – Communication and consultation with, and active
listening to all affected parties.
5. Personnel – Recruitment, selection and training of the necessary personnel
for the project team.
6. Technical tasks – Availability of the required technology and expertise to
accomplish the specific technical action steps.
7. Client acceptance – The act of “selling” the final project to its intended users.
8. Monitoring and feedback – Timely provision of comprehensive control
information at each stage in the implementation process.
9. Communication – Provision of an appropriate network and necessary data to
all key actors in the project management.
10.Trouble shooting – Ability to handle unexpected crises and deviations from
plan.
The first seven factors can be laid out on a sequential critical path while the balance
three factors which are monitoring and feedback, communication and
troubleshooting must be necessarily present at each point in the implementation
process.
Kerzner’s Critical Success Factors
Kerzner (1987) in his study define critical success factors are elements which must
exist within the organization in order to create an environment where projects may
be managed with excellence on a consistent basis. They are the few key areas where
“things must go right” for a particular business to flourish.

1. 1st critical factor: Corporate understanding of project management in order

for a successful project management and management, corporate
understanding of the project management at the employee/functional level,
project management level and executive level. A good corporate
understanding will create a corporate culture where project management is
no longer viewed as either a threat to established authority or a cause for
unwanted change.
2. 2nd critical factor: Executive commitment project management is unlikely to
succeed unless there is any visible support and commitment by executive
management. This support and commitment can be described in two
subtopics; project sponsorship and life-cycle management. The role of the
sponsor is to manage interference that exist for the project manager besides
continuously remind project team that only performance at the highest
standards of excellence are acceptable. It is important that company goals, the
project. Ongoing and positive executive involvement, in a leadership capacity
will reflect executive management’s commitment to project management.
3. 3rd critical factor: Organizational adaptability refers to the organization’s
ability to respond quickly and effectively to changes in the marketplace. Two
critical factors involving organizational adaptability were found in
organizations committed to excellence; informal project management and a
simple but lean structure. The decision to go for either formal or informal
project management and implementation depends on the scope and size of
the project, the cost of the project, the availability of experienced personnel
for the project and also the maturity of the concept of utilizing project in an
organization.
4. 4th critical factor: Project Manager Selection Criteria that are normally used
to select project managers are whether they were results-oriented, possessed
strong interpersonal skills, their depth of understanding of the organization
and lastly their commitment to corporate values.
5. 5th critical factors: Leadership style by the project manager is necessary for
the successful implementation of projects. Normally the project manager has
a great deal of responsibility but does not have the commensurate authority
as a line manager whereas the line manager has a great deal of authority but
only limited project responsibility. Considering this fact, it is therefore
important for a project manager to maintain a leadership style that adapts to
 each employee assigned to the project. This is further complicated by the fact
that the project’s life cycle may be so short that the project manager does not
have sufficient time to get to know the people.
6. 6th critical factors: Commitment to planning and control well-managed
projects are committed to planning. For example if the output of a project is
to contain quality, then this quality must be properly planned for in the early
states of a project. When detailed planning is being done, it must be tracked
or follow-up and re-planning must be done if the initial plan does not work
before it is too late to do so. It is shown that personnel factor especially the
project manager competence and leadership style is one of the crucial factor
in project success implementation. This is true as project in itself has no
essence unless it is managed by a group of people with the necessary skills,
experience and qualification.