Project Management - Introduction
Project & Project Management - Introduction, Characterstics, Objectives, Need, Importance Limitations, Principles, Tools & Techniqes, Project life Cycle, Classification, Project Selection Methods, Identification, Idea Generation.
Project
·
A project is any undertaking, carried out individually or
collaboratively and possibly involving research or design, that is carefully
planned to achieve a particular aim.
·
A project is a sequence of events: a "set of
interrelated tasks to be executed over a fixed period and within certain cost
and other limitations".
·
A project may be a temporary (rather than permanent) social
system (work system), possibly staffed by teams (within or across
organizations) to accomplish particular tasks under time constraints.
·
A project may form a part of wider programme management or
function as an ad hoc system.
·
Based on the Project Management Institute, a project can be
defined as a "temporary endeavor" aimed to drive changes in teams,
organizations, or societies. The output of a project is normally a unique
product, service, or result.
|
All projects are a
temporary effort to create value through a unique product, service or result.
All projects have a beginning and an end. They have a team, a budget, a
schedule and a set of expectations the team needs to meet. Each project is
unique and differs from routine operations—the ongoing activities of an
organization—because projects reach a conclusion once the goal is achieved. |
More About Project
A
project consists of a concrete and organized effort motivated by a perceived
opportunity when facing a problem, a need, a desire or a source of discomfort
(e.g., lack of proper ventilation in a building). It seeks the realization of a
unique and innovative deliverable, such as a product, a service, a process, or
in some cases, a scientific research. Each project has a beginning and an end,
and as such is considered a closed dynamic system.
·
It is developed along the 4 Ps of project management: Plan, Processes, People, and Power (e.g.,
line of authority).
·
It is bound by the triple
constraints that are calendar, costs
and norms of quality, each of which can be determined and measured
objectively along the project lifecycle Some projects produce some level
of formal documentation, the deliverable(s), and some impacts, which can be
positive and/or negative.
|
What is Project Management? ·
Project
management is the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to
deliver something of value to people. ·
Project
management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all
project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually
described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the
development process. a.
The
primary constraints are scope, time, and budget. b.
The
secondary challenge is to optimize the allocation of necessary inputs and apply them to meet
pre-defined objectives. |
|
History: As a discipline, project
management developed from several fields of application including civil
construction, engineering, and heavy defense activity. Two forefathers of project
management are 1.
Henry
Gantt, called the father of planning and control techniques who is famous for
his use of the Gantt chart as a project management tool and 2.
Henri
Fayol for his creation of the five management functions that form the
foundation of the body of knowledge associated with project and program
management. Both Gantt and Fayol were students of
Frederick Winslow Taylor's theories of scientific management. |
|
Characteristics
of projects There are five important
characteristics of a project: (i) It should always have
specific start and end dates. (ii) They are performed and
completed by a group of people. (iii) The output is the
delivery of a unique product or service. (iv) They are temporary in
nature. (v) It is progressively
elaborated. |
|
What Are the Types of
Project Objectives? There are 6 types of
project management objectives, and each of them should be taken care of
properly for guaranteed project success. 1. Financial Objectives Financial objectives are
related to the company’s bottom line and are gauged for the sake of economic
benefits. Financial objectives play a key role during the project management
journey, as they help you stay away from budget overrun and uplift profit
levels. In addition, both financial
objectives and client relationships go hand in hand. How so? Well, if you don’t track
and measure project expenses, you may not be able to deliver expected deliverables due to uncontrolled money-flow.
Besides affecting client relationships negatively, this leads to low ROI,
which means less profit. In the worst scenarios, you
may end up asking more capital to clients for successful project delivery. This will definitely break the bond of
trust you’ve had established after a lot of hard work. 2. Quality Objectives You can keep clients’ trust
and loyalty as long as you deliver quality deliverables. It is imperative to
note that the negative aftereffects of compromised quality can make a big
dent in the brand image. Therefore, having quality objectives is
instrumental. Through such objectives,
you can meet certain internal and external quality standards. Plus, the odds
of leaving loopholes in a project will go down and the chances of achieving
client satisfaction will snowball. So, discuss quality
objectives with your team, which you want to accomplish during the project development process. 3. Technical Objectives The technical objectives
are all about technology-related activities and efforts, which must be done
for successful project closure. During the project life cycle, different equipment and technology get
used to attain the desired deliverables. Thus, having the required
hardware and software at disposal is fundamental because your project can go
off the track otherwise. Deploying reliable project
management software like ProProfs
Project should be part of your technical objective. It is so
because you can achieve project goals with the help of unrivaled PM software.
The below-listed features will help you understand why I am in favor of using
a project management tool:
4. Performance
Objectives Performance objectives are
pretty much self-explanatory. It means you have to set some objectives
revolving around the performance aspect because clients shower their wrath on
you if the delivered project doesn’t function in an expected manner. So, always look for
improvement areas so that performance objectives are met without any trouble. Tip: Track performance-related metrics during the project development
cycle to avert potential functioning-related complaints. 5. Compliance Objectives Every project complies with
something, no matter whether it concerns a particular rule, procedure, or
policy. Therefore, having
compliance objectives in project management is fundamental. However, meeting
them could be some sort of challenge, let’s say, you need to comply with
local regulations while working on a project. Never take compliance
objectives lightly, because it can put your business in legal trouble if you
dare to do so. 6. Business Objectives Last but not least,
business objectives are directly related to success and profit. It shouldn’t
be surprising because you develop a project by keeping clients’ business
requirements in mind, right? And those requirements are simply your
objectives to meet. Business objectives
comprise strategies to save time, avoid rework, etc. And they should be
defined clearly so that the end result matches your expectations. I hope this info has
addressed your question: ‘What are the objectives of project management?’
Let’s take our discussion one step further: How to Set Effective
Project Management Objectives Well, we have defined
project management objectives and brought a spotlight on their types, but the
question that could possibly be making rounds in your mind is, ‘How can I set
effective project management objectives?’ Honestly, you don’t have to
break a sweat while setting project management objectives if you have taken
SMART criteria into consideration. Let’s elaborate it for better
understanding:
You have to be specific if
you want to attain the objectives of project management. It is extremely
important, as vague goals only result in delays and affect your project
management journey negatively. So, define your project
objectives clearly and get one step closer to success, consequently. Also,
ensure who will work on what and by when, so no problems take place during
the project development process.
Your objectives must be
measurable, as that’s the only way to know when you have to switch to other
project activities. Don’t take the importance of quantifying project
objectives for granted, because your project progress is likely to hamper if
you do so. Besides using project
management software to keep a tab on set objectives, you can also track PM
metrics like cost performance, ROI, etc.
Mapping out achievable
project objectives is crucial for a smooth development process. Generally,
business owners struggle during their project management journey because they
accept clients’ change requests without considering the impact on the current
workflow. Due to this, their achievable
objectives get turned into infeasible ones, and that takes their projects off
the track one by one. So, talk freely to clients
and explain how change requests in project activities can affect the
development process. This will definitely get you an extension in the preset
timelines and empower you to deliver expected deliverables later
on.
Both project failure and
unrealistic objectives go well with each other because hypothetical targets
put employees under the pump. This leads to mistakes, which further results
in rework. In short, the project triangle gets affected badly, and you bite
the dust. So, set objectives by keeping the triple constraints of the project
in mind.
The factor that decides
whether you will get immersive or exasperating experience during your project
management journey is how well you have set start and end dates for each
objective. Sometimes, business owners
give a tight time window and want their project executives to complete a
horde of objectives to satiate their desire of exceeding clients’
expectations. However, this brings opposite results, as their project team
falls on its face in the process. So, set your team’s mind at
ease by giving proper time and enjoy the perks of quality deliverables,
consequently. |
|
https://blog.planview.com/objectives-of-project-management/ https://edukedar.com/what-is-project-management/ OBJECTIVES OF Project Mngt project management
objectives are the successful development of the project’s procedures of
initiation, planning, execution, regulation and closure as well as the
guidance of the project team’s operations towards achieving all the agreed
upon goals within the set scope, time, quality and budget standards. · The
successful development and implementation of all project’s procedures. A
project, regardless of its size, generally involves five distinctive project life cycle phases of
equal importance: Initiation, Planning and Design, Construction and
Execution, Monitoring and Control, Completion. The smooth and uninterrupted
development and execution of all the above phases ensures the success of a
project. · Productive
guidance, efficient communication and apt supervision of the project’s
team.
Always keep in mind that the success or failure of a project is highly
dependent on teamwork, thus, the key to success is always in project collaboration. To
this end, the establishment of good communication is of major importance. On
one hand, information needs to be articulated in a clear, unambiguous and
complete way, so everything is comprehended fully by everyone and on the
other hand, is the ability to be able listen and receive constructive
feedback. · The
achievement of the project’s main goal within the given constraints. The
most important project constraints are, Scope in that
the main goal of the project is completed within the estimated Time, while
being of the expected Quality and within the estimated Budget. Staying
within the agreed limitations always feeds back into the measurement of a
project’s performance and success. · Optimization
of the allocated necessary inputs and their application to
meeting the project’s pre-defined objectives, is a matter where is always
space for improvement. All processes and procedures can be reformed and
upgraded to enhance the sustainability of a project and to lead the team
through the strategic change process. · Production
of a complete project which follows the client’s exclusive needs and
objectives. This might mean that you need to shape and reform the client’s
vision or to negotiate with them as regards the project’s objectives, to
modify them into feasible goals. Once the client’s aims are clearly defined
they usually impact on all decisions made by the project’s stakeholders. Meeting
the client’s expectations and keeping them happy not only leads to a
successful collaboration which might help to eliminate surprises during
project execution, but also ensures the sustainability of your professional
status in the future. The following are the objective of the project mgmt: To develop and implement the procedures. To have collaboration, effective communication, and productive
guidance. To achieve the goal of the project within the estimated time with high
quality. To optimize and allocate the necessary resources to meet project
goals. To meet the exclusive needs and requirements of the clients. |
|
Need /
Importance of Project Management The following are the need and importance of the
project mgmt: 1.
It creates a focus. 2.
It controls quality. 3.
It minimizes risks. 4.
It reduces project costs. 5.
It encourages teamwork. 6.
It maximizes resources. 7.
It encourages learning. 1. Create a Focus ·
Projects can be challenging for
companies to manage especially ones that last months or years. ·
Project management depends on
defining a scope for projects that follow specific deadlines for each task. ·
With a clear scope, guidelines, and
strict deadlines, companies can stay focused on the objective and complete
goals successfully. 2. Controls Quality ·
Most importantly, project
management must deliver a quality project on time and in full. ·
A project manager closely monitors
the progress and quality of work of their teams so they can deliver a
satisfactory project. ·
By monitoring and controlling, A
project manager identifies any obstacles that could affect the quality, and
take corrective actions and solutions. 3. Minimizes Risks ·
The first phase of project
management involves evaluating the risks and benefits of the project, and
whether the risks of a project outweigh the benefits. ·
If a company chooses to continue
with a project, project managers will continually assess potential risks and
formulate plans to minimize them. ·
Fewer risks increase the chances of
completion of the project timely and make it a successful project. 4. Reduces Project Costs ·
Project managers and stakeholders need
to define a budget for the project during the planning phase. ·
The project managers reduce costs
by knowing exactly how much they can spend on resources with the help of a
budget. ·
Further, once a company completed a
project successfully, it can reuse the processes in future projects. 5. Encourages teamwork ·
Collaboration of teams is crucial
to completing tasks on time during a project. ·
Effective teamwork allows groups to
utilize the skills and strengths of each individual, making workflows more efficient. 6. Maximizes resources ·
It is essential for a company to
make the best use of its resources to reduce project time and cost so they
can stay within a budget. ·
Resources can be time or costs
spent on such as travel, tools, and materials. ·
In Project management, the
resources are necessary to complete a project and the project manager forms
an effective plan to use them correctly. ·
Team members can start work on
other projects quickly by completing a project on time, which maximizes the
use of resources of the company. 7. Encourages learning ·
During the closing phase, project
management teams evaluate and reflect on the project. ·
They take post-project meetings
called retrospectives where they discuss the learnings, processes, successes,
and setbacks. ·
Retrospectives are an ideal time
for team members to document their strengths and weaknesses in areas where
they can improve. |
|
Advantages of
Project Management (Benefits) The following are the benefits or advantages of
the project mgmt: ·
Better control of financial,
physical, and human resources. ·
Improved customer relations. ·
Shorter development times. ·
Lower costs ·
Higher quality and increased
reliability. ·
Higher profit margin. ·
Improved productivity. ·
Better internal coordination. ·
Higher worker morale (less stress). |
|
Limitations of
Project Management (Disadvantages) The following are the limitation or disadvantages
of the project mgmt: ·
No customers focus point. ·
The project is slow. ·
The central authority is absent. ·
No proper time management. ·
Lack of coordination. ·
Lack of intuitiveness. ·
Local optimizations. ·
There are no easy changes. ·
Risks are involved in challenging
development. |
|
Principles in
Project Management 1.
Setting
Goals & Objectives 2.
Formalized
Structure 3.
Get
a strong Sponsor 4.
Organizational
Alignment 5.
Roles
and Responsibilities 6.
Initiation
and Execution Strategy 7.
Budgeting
and Scheduling 8.
Set
your priorities and milestones 9.
Sense
of Responsibility & Accountability 10.
No-Gap
in Communication 11.
Transparency 12.
Risk
Assessment 13.
Monitoring
& Measuring of Progress 1. Setting Goals &
Objectives:
2. Formalized Structure:
3. Get a strong Sponsor:
4. Organizational
Alignment:
1.
Organizational
Focused View: Here we
ensure that all the various major components of the organization assist each
other. For example, an organization’s purpose, strategy, systems, and
structures all should work simultaneously. 2.
Employee
Focused View: In this
method, employees are evaluated on how good they are at achieving individual
goals or professional goals. However, to bring change, a project manager
should support more organizational alignment techniques for a successful
project. 5. Roles and
Responsibilities:
6. Initiation and Execution
Strategy:
7. Budgeting and
Scheduling:
8. Set your priorities and
milestones:
9. Sense of Responsibility
& Accountability:
10. No-Gap in
Communication:
11. Transparency:
12. Risk Assessment:
13. Monitoring &
Measuring of Progress:
|
► Tools & Techniques of
Project Management
|
First, we have discussed techniques of Project
Management and then we have shared tools of project management in Process
Modeling. Techniques of
Project Management Here are the popular techniques used in project
management; 1.
Project Selection techniques 2.
Project Execution planning
techniques 3.
Project Scheduling and coordinating
techniques 4.
Project Monitoring and production
control techniques 5.
Project Cost productivity control techniques 6.
Project Communication and clean-up
techniques 1. Project Selection techniques ·
Cost-benefit analysis ·
Risk and sensitivity analysis 2. Project Execution planning techniques ·
Work breakdown structure (WBS) ·
Project Execution Plan (PEP) ·
Project responsibility matrix ·
Project Mgmt. manual 3. Project Scheduling and coordinating techniques ·
Bar charts ·
Life cycle curves ·
Line of balance (LOB) ·
Networking techniques (PERT/CPM) 4. Project Monitoring and production control techniques ·
Progress measurement technique
(PROMPT) ·
Performance monitoring technique
(PERMIT) ·
Updating, reviewing, and reporting
technique (URT) 5. Project Cost productivity control techniques ·
Productivity budgeting techniques ·
Value engineering (VE) ·
COST/WBS 6. Project Communication and clean-up techniques ·
Control room ·
Computerized information systems ► Process
Modeling ·
Process modeling simply means
modeling software processes for project management. ·
At first, developers need to fully
understand the process and work of software, then only they can be able to
model the process. ·
This tool represents key elements
of the process that are important. So, it makes it easier to perform work
tasks in an efficient and proper manner. Project
Management Tools There are various tools that are used in Project
Management and these tools are specifically designed to facilitate tasks of
the Project. Some of them are as follows; ·
Project Planning tools ·
Risk Analysis tools ·
Project Management tools ·
Quality Assurance tools Project Planning Tools: Project planning simply means planning and
setting up a project for successful development within the timeframe. It includes defined stages or steps to define the
objectives of the project with designated resources. It clarifies the scope
of what should be done, and then develop a checklist of tasks that need to be
done to complete it. ·
The most popular project planning
tools are CPM (Critical Path Method) and PERT (Program Evaluation and Review
Technique). ·
Both of them are used for finding parallelism,
eliminating bottlenecks in projects, and scheduling activities of projects. Risk Analysis Tools: Risk analysis simply means to identify and
analyze errors or defects or any issue that can cause a negative impact and
result in the changed outcome and objectives of the project. The analysis is done so that organization can fix
issues or remove errors to avoid effects caused by them. These tools help in
identifying risks and are useful for binding risk tables. ·
These provide proper guidance for
the identification and analysis of risks. These risks can be categorized into
categories such as catastrophic, critical, marginal, or negligible. ·
A cost is always associated with
each risk that can be calculated at each stage of development. There are
tools and techniques to cater to these risks i.e Delphi technique,
Information gathering technique, Checklist analysis, etc. Project Management Tools: Project management simply means tracking or
controlling the progress and tasks of the project. These tools are extensions
of project planning tools. ·
These tools are generally used to
update pans if require and schedule projects. ·
These tools make Project Management
more effective and efficient. ·
Some tools are the Gantt chart,
mind map, WBS chart (Work Breakdown Structure), etc. Quality Assurance Tools: Quality assurance means maintaining a level of
quality of the product by focusing on each step of the process of development
or production and delivery. ·
It prevents mistakes and any
defects or errors in manufactured products. ·
Some tools that are used for both
Quality management plans and to control quality processes are Pareto
Diagrams, control charts, histograms and scatter diagrams, etc. |
What is meant by a project team?
|
What is
a project team? The project team is the group of people responsible for
executing the tasks and producing deliverables outlined in the project plan
and schedule, as directed by the project manager, at whatever level of effort
or participation defined for them. In a project, a project team or team is defined
as "an interdependent collection
of individuals who work together towards a common goal and who share
responsibility for specific outcomes of their organizations". Most project teams require involvement from more than one department, therefore most project
teams can be classified as cross-functional teams. The project team usually
consists of a variety of members often working under the direction of a
project manager or of a senior member of the organization. The central characteristic of project teams in
modern organizations is the autonomy
and flexibility availed in the process. Their time commitment can change throughout the
project depending on the project development stage. Project teams need to have the right combination
of skills, abilities and personality types to achieve collaborative tension. Each member is responsible to give constructive
feedback, recognize, value and utilize unique strengths of each other. |
Project
Manager
|
What Are
the Responsibilities of a Project Manager?
Alternate Answer Activity &
resource planning Organising and
motivating a project team. Controlling by
Time Management 1.
Define activity 2.
Sequence Activity 3.
Estimate the duration of Activities 4.
Develop Schedule 5.
Maintain Schedule Cost
Estimating and Budgeting Ensure
Customer Satisfaction Analysing
& managing project risk Monitoring
Progress Managing
reports and necessary documentation Skill Set of
Project Manager 1.
Strategic Vision 2.
Communication and interpersonal Skills 3.
Spoting and retaining talent 4.
Delegation of responsibility 5.
Leading by example 6.
Asking advice from experts 7.
Negotiating and solve conflict 8.
Building commitment 9.
Time management |
|
|
Determinants
of Project Success
|
1.
Experienced
PM & Professional Team Player 2.
Methodical
approach 3.
Proper
Planning 4.
Adherence
to best Practices a.
Ensure
all stakeholders b.
Create
Risk response team c.
Detailed
work plan d.
Effective
communication e.
Develop
Competencies 5.
Monitoring
and control 6.
Use
a professional software 7.
Effective
communication 8.
Work
with committed people 9.
Participation
of all members 10.
Ensure
: Cost Performance, Quality Performance, Time Performance, Quantity
Performance 11.
IRON
TRIANGLE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT Scope
Success depends on the
management of the three a.
Scope
– Total amount of planned work b.
Schedule
– Management of Time c.
Cost
– Sum of all resources |
Phases of
Project Life Cycle
|
1. Initiating 2. Planning 3. Executing 4. Monitoring / Controlling 5. Closing |
For details of Project Management Process
( It is
same as Phases of Project Life Cycle, according to most writers)
https://www.ntaskmanager.com/blog/project-management-process/
Classification
of Projects
Project
Selection Methods
Project
selection Criteria
Idea
Generation







Comments
Post a Comment