Project Management

BUSN BE305 – Winter 2019

Week One
Introduction to Project Management

Chris Spraakman
 Week 1

Tesla and Project Management

Closer to home – Niko Apparel Systems

(Hamilton) and Mizzuno USA
 Week 1

Why Project Management is

Important!
• Personal Marketability
• Increased Abilities
• Personal Challenge
 Week 1

One Definition
• A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken
to create a unique product or service.
- PMBOK
 Week 1

Which are projects?

 Week 1

Other Definitions
• A project is a unique venture with a beginning and
an end, conducted by people to meet established
goals within parameters of cost, schedule and
scope. Buchanan & Boddy 1992

• Projects are goal-oriented, involve the coordinated

undertaking of interrelated activities, are of finite
duration, and are all, to a degree unique.
- Davidson Frame, 1995
 Week 1

Today’s Agenda

• Course Outline & Learning Plan

• Modern Project Management
• Project Management Career Paths
 Chris Spraakman - My
Education
Background
• Undergrad in Information Tech and Philosophy
• MBA in Strategy and Finance
• Worked as a Business Systems Analyst consultant for banks for 6
yrs (2006-2012). I managed several projects.
• Worked as a Business Analyst for the University of Guelph for 4 yrs
(2012-2016). I ran one major project.
• I earned two relevant professional designations: Project
Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Business Analyst
Professional (CBAP)
• I am happy to speak with any student about work that I have
done, tips on looking for jobs, reviewing your resume, what jobs
are out there, how I was able to get my first job when I left school,
etc.
 Week 1

Course Materials

Fissure Project Management

http://elearn.mohawkcollege.ca Simulation – Free – Available
through eLearn.
Cost: FREE
Modern Project Management
textbook

Cost: FREE through eLearn

MS Project 2016

Cost: FREE in Computer Labs

 Week 1

Other Materials

Price varies by
edition -
Approx: $60
 Week 1

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
BACKGROUND
 Week 1

Major Characteristics of Projects

• Established objective
• Defined life-span
• Complex
• Unique
• Specific time, cost, and performance
requirements
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Project Management Triangle

Cost

Customer
Satisfaction
Quality

Time Scope

AKA Triple Constraints of Project Management

 Week 1

What a Project is NOT!

Process
• Repeat process or product
• Several objectives
• Ongoing
• Homogeneous personnel
• Systems in place for
integration
Project
• New process or product
• One objective
• One time
• Heterogeneous personnel
• Systems to be created for
integration
 Week 1

Quasi-Projects/Fuzzy Goals
• Tasks without Specific Targets
– No Who, What, When, Where, How Much
• Implied Performance, Cost, Time Constraints
• Often you first need a project to determine the
actual scope

• Warning: If these Become Projects, Expect Delays,

Cost Overruns, Dissatisfied Customers
 Week 1

Project Life Cycle

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Effect of Project Lifecycle

Client Interest

Project Stake

Resources
Intensity Level

Creativity

Uncertainty

Conceptualization Planning Execution Termination

 Week 1

Why Project Management

• $2.5 trillion spent on projects in US alone in
2016
• $10 trillion of $40.7 trillion gross product
spent on projects of all kinds
• $150 billion wasted on failed projects and
overruns
 Week 1

Why Project Management?

• Companies have experienced:
– Better customer relations
– Shorter overall delivery times
– Lower costs and higher profit margins
– Higher quality and reliability
– Higher worker morale
 Week 1

What are some problems with

Project Management?
• Companies have also experienced some
negatives:
– Greater organizational complexity
– Increased likelihood of organizational policy
violations
– Higher costs
– More management difficulties
– Low personnel utilization
 Week 1

Examples of Project Failures

• Canadian Firearms Registry, estimate $2
million, actual cost > $1 billion
• Chunnel, budget $7 billion, $13 billion
• Canary Wharf budget $3 billion, actual cost $5
billion – bankrupted Reichman Brothers
• EuroDisney budget $2.25 billion actual cost $4
billion
 Week 1

Why be a Project Manager?

• More than 16 million people regard PM as
their profession
• It is a growing field
• Good salaries are possible for project
managers in Canada. Experienced consultant
project managers can expect $100,000 and
up.
 Week 1

Why be a Project Manager?

• Not boring
• Tangible rewards
• Organizational stars
• In demand
 Week 1

Role of Project Manager

• Plan, schedule, motivate and control – realize
the strategic goal – the reason why the project
was kicked off!
• Manage temporary, non-repetitive tasks with
fixed life
• Create new teams
• Decide what and how things should be done
• Work with diverse personnel
 Week 1

Role of Project Manager

Vendors Supplier Sub-Contractor

Customer Project Manager

Project Team
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Role of Project Manager

• Responsible for project performance
• Balance tradeoffs (cost/time/performance)
• Minimal technical knowledge
• Get right people/time/place for right
issues/decisions
 Week 1

Stakeholders
• Stakeholders are the people involved in or
affected by project activities
• Stakeholders include:
– The project sponsor
– The project manager
– The project team
– Support staff
– Customers
– Users
– Suppliers
– Opponents to the project
 Week 1

Importance of Project
Management
• Compression of product lifecycle
• Knowledge explosion
• Triple bottom line (PPP)
• Corporate downsizing
• Increased customer focus
• Small projects represent big problems
 Week 1

Project Management Knowledge

Areas
• Key competencies according to PMI
• Project Manager needs knowledge and skills
– Project integration, scope, time, cost, quality,
human resources, communications, risk,
procurement, and stakeholder management
 Week 1

Tools and Techniques

• PM tools and techniques assist managers and
teams in various aspects
• Examples include:
– Project charter, scope statement
– Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path
analysis, critical chain scheduling (time)
– Cost estimates
 Week 1

What Helps Projects Succeed?

• Clear business • Standard software
objectives infrastructure
• Minimized scope • Firm basic requirements
• Executive support • Formal methodology
• Reliable estimates
• User involvement
• Other criteria such as
• Experience project small milestones,
manager proper planning,
competent staff, and
ownership.
 Week 1

What is a Portfolio / Program?

• A group of related projects designed to
accomplish a common goal over an extended
period of time.
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What is a Program Manager?

• A person responsible for overseeing programs;
often a project manager’s boss.

• A program is a group of related projects

managed in a coordinated way to obtain
benefits and control available from managing
them individually. (PMBOK)
 Week 1

Project Management vs
Portfolio Management
TACTICAL GOALS STRATEGIC GOALS

Portfolio Management
Project Management
• Are we working on right
• Are we executing well? projects?
• Are we on time/budget? • Are we investing in right
• Do stakeholders know areas?
what they should be • Do we have right
doing? resources to be
competitive?
 Week 1

After this course…

• Once this course is completed, I would like you to
leave with:
– Ability to start a project out properly
– Ability to schedule and manage the resources that you
are given. Have some tools/techniques to manage
scope, cost, and time in a project you are given.
– A toolkit of 3-6 tools that you would find helpful in any
sized project that you are assigned.
 Week 1

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
CAREER PATHS
 Week 1

Suggested Project Manager Skills

• Be comfortable with change
• Understand organizations they work in and
with
• Be able to lead teams to accomplish project
goals
 Week 1

Ten Most Important Skills and

Competencies
• People Skills • Communication skills
• Leadership • Strong at building
• Listening teams
• Integrity, ethical • Conflict resolution,
behavior, consistent management
• Strong at building trust • Critical thinking and
problem solving
• Understand/balance
priorities
 Week 1

About a Career as a Project

Manager
• No Defined Path
• Assignments May Be Temporary
 Week 1

Pursuing a Career
• Investigate Opportunities
• Gain Visibility
• Seek Mentors
• Track Success
• Understand the Big Picture
• Balance Soft and Hard Issues
• Professional Training and Certification
 Week 1

Certifications
• Project Management Institute (PMI)

• Certified Associate in Project Management

(CAPM)
– $225 to $300 for exam
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
– $405 to $555 for exam
 Week 1

Exercise
• Get in groups of 3 or 4 and come up with an
example of a project that you have witnessed
(size of the project is irrelevant). Write your
names, student numbers, and the project it on
the top of your sheet.
• List what characteristics make it a project
• Come up with a list of stakeholders for your
project based on the list below:
– The project sponsor
– The project manager
– The project team
– Support staff
– Customers
– Users
– Suppliers
– Opponents to the project
 Week 1

What we covered today

• Why Study project management
• The outline of our course
 Week 1

Reminder… After this course…

• Once this course is completed, I would like you to
leave with:
– Ability to start a project out properly
– Ability to schedule and manage the resources that you
are given. Have some tools/techniques to manage
scope, cost, and time in a project you are given.
– A toolkit of 3-6 tools that you would find helpful in any
sized project that you are assigned.
 Week 1

The Big Dig

The “Big Dig” in Boston – 1985 to 2007

Objective: Reroute the Central Artery that ran through Boston into a 3.5 mile tunnel.
Included: Ted Williams Tunnel, Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, Rose Kennedy Parkway
Changes to the North Station Conversion, the bridge over the Charles River, the I-90/I-93
interchange and several sections of the tunnel that ran under the city.
 Week 1

YouTube Video on Big Dig

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f95n9ot
A0g