Project Management from an

Islamic Perspective
Bro. Ahmad Shaheed, BS, EIT,
MBA
Project Management from an
Islamic perspective
 Using classical project management tools and philosophies
coupled with examples from the Quran, Sunnah of Prophet
Muhammad, Tafseer of Imam W.D. Mohammed and relevant
case studies to make you more efficient in your service to
humanity.
 Sessions 1
 1. Sponsorship and Leadership
 2. Defining the Objectives and Benefits - Painting the picture
 Session 2
 3. Planning the Project - 6 P’s
 4. Ensuring the Project is a Manageable Size
 5. Defining the Budget
 6. Managing the Risk
 7. Getting the Right Aamir (Project Manager)
Project Management from an
Islamic perspective
Session 3
 8. Getting the Ummah Involved - Publicity, Interest, and Awareness
 9. Defining Roles and Responsibilities
 10. Getting the Right Resources
 11. Monitoring and Reporting Progress
 12. Communicating Progress
 13. Shurra Bynahum – (Consultation and Leadership)
 14. Listening Sessions – Getting Realistic Community Requirements

Session 4
15. Defining Your Approach
16. Conducting Structured Testing
17. Creating an Implementation Plan
18. Conducting a Post Implementation Review
19. Realizing the Benefits
20. Learning the Lessons
21. Celebrating Success
Leader’s Serve

 Khalifah – Title given to Adam and all his

decendents
 Only leaders who serve earn commitment.
 Who are the people I am really serving? And Am
I ready to suffer?

And be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity:

And whatever good ye send forth for your souls
before you, ye shall find it with Allah: for Allah
sees Well all that ye do. – 2.110
A Legacy of Leadership

 "Leadership is not solely about producing

results. Success in leadership is not measured
only in numbers. Being a leader brings with it a
responsibility to do something of significance
that makes families, communities, work
organizations, nations, the environment and
the world better places than they are today.
Not all of these things can be quantified.
 "Loyal customers are won when the
customers, consciously or
unconsciously, judge the company to be
capable of solving their problems and
meeting their needs"
 Halal HEB
Our lenses color our perception
Perception
A Mission Statement
 A statement of purpose, describing who the company is and what it does.
communicates the organization’s reason for being, and how it aims to serve
its key stakeholders. Customers, employees, and investors are the
stakeholders most often emphasized, but other stakeholders like
government or communities (i.e., in the form of social or environmental
impact) can also be discussed. Mission statements are often longer than
vision statements. Sometimes mission statements also include a summation
of the firm’s values. ValuesShared principles, standards, and goals. are the
beliefs of an individual or group, and in this case the organization, in which
they are emotionally invested. The Starbucks mission statement describes
six guiding principles that, as you can see, also communicate the
organization’s values:
 Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity.
 Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business.
 Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh
delivery of our coffee.
 Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time.
 Contribute positively to our communities and our environment.
 Recognize that profitability is essential to our future success.[3]
A Vision Statement
 A future-oriented declaration of the organization’s purpose and
aspirations., in contrast, is a future-oriented declaration of the
organization’s purpose and aspirations. In many ways, you can say
that the mission statement lays out the organization’s “purpose for
being,” and the vision statement then says, “based on that purpose,
this is what we want to become.” The strategy should flow directly
from the vision, since the strategy is intended to achieve the vision
and thus satisfy the organization’s mission. Typically, vision
statements are relatively brief, as in the case of Starbuck’s vision
statement, which reads:
 “Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in
the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we
grow.”[5] Or ad firm Ogilvy & Mather, which states their vision as “an
agency defined by its devotion to brands.”[6] Sometimes the vision
statement is also captured in a short tag line, such as Toyota’s
“moving forward” statement that appears in most communications to
customers, suppliers, and employees.[7] Similarly, Wal-Mart’s tag-
line version of its vision statement is “Save money. Live better.”[8]
Quotes by Imam W.D. Mohammed

 How do you work on grooming leadership or

bringing about strength in you as a leader? By
showing in your own behavior, by showing in
your own determination, with your own
actions, that you would not tolerate weak
leaders who cannot bear the burden of
leadership. Bearing the burden of leadership is
faithfulness, loyalty to what they profess. They
must remain loyal and faithful to what they
profess. They must have your interest at heart
and work for your interest.
Roles Played by Mission and Vision

Mission and vision statements play three critical

roles: (1) communicate the purpose of the
organization to stakeholders, (2) inform
strategy development, and (3) develop the
measurable goals and objectives by which to
gauge the success of the organization’s
strategy. These interdependent, cascading
roles, and the relationships among them, are
summarized in the figure.
Roles Played by Mission and
Vision
Roles Played by Mission and
Vision
 What is a mission statement?
 What is a vision statement?
 How are values important to the content of
mission and vision statements?
 Where does the purpose of mission and
vision overlap?
 How do mission and vision relate to a firm’s
strategy?
 Why are mission and vision important for
organizational goals and objectives?
Quotes by Imam W.D. Mohammed

 Leaders must accept the responsibility for our

children today and generations to come. G-d,
didn’t give this to one certain race to shoulder
the responsibility for man’s existence now and
in the future. This responsibility must now be
accepted by the African Americans, because
now they have been called again to accept G-
d and to accept the life that G-d has planned
for them.
Brainstorming Exercise

 As Masjid Shurra board members, it is your

responsibility to plan for the future of the
masjid and the community. In 2013 of the 8
Imam’s who regularly teach, and lead
activities, 5 are expecting new children. IN
addition, of the 100 regular masjid attendees,
10% are expecting children or have children
under the age of 2.
 Develop a plan for addressing this community need
6 P’s of Project Management

 Proper
 Prior
 Planning
 Prevents
 Poor
 Performance
Quotes by Imam W.D. Mohammed

 The role of leader is to care for the

Muslim life, to give advice and to help
people in matters of religion. If we
respect the charge of authority in the
local people, we will be successful. This
is the obligation of the Shurra. Our most
urgent instrument is Muslim democracy.
Case Study 1 – Masjid Building
Shurra
 Masjid Adam is on year 5 of its 15 year loan for construction. In
preparation for the month of Ramadan, The Masjid Shurra board decided
to purchase new kitchen equipment. This purchase took up most of the
available funds.
 Hurricane Sandy moves into Houston on the night the new moon is
sighted. Hurricane Sandy stall in the gulf and dumps enough rain and
wind on to Masjid Adam that the roof of the mussullah caves in. The
carpet is ruined, water continues to pour due to the storm and the power
is out in the area for an unknown length of time.
 The masjid shurra board has been given the task of organizing all
aspects of the community response. Just like putting on a major event, a
plan must be developed to address the following areas:
 Publicity / Communications
 Volunteer Coordination
 Fundraising
 Hospitality
 Security
 Strategic Planning / Logistics
Exercise 1

 What should be the first steps the Masjid

Shurra Board Takes? Teams should
select a lead for all of the areas of
responsibility. develop a plan for each
area of responsibility to address the
issues and challenges that will possibly
be faced. Think about Hurricane Ike and
the challenges we faced as a
community.
Team Leaders
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