SAGE UNIVERSITY INDORE

Institute of Architecture

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

TOPIC – PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:

Isha gupta Ar. Dhananjay Dave sir
WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
Project management is the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to
deliver something of value to people. The development of software for an improved
business process, the construction of a building, the relief effort after a natural
disaster, the expansion of sales into a new geographic market —these are all examples
of projects.

WHAT IS A PROJECT?

To understand project management we must look deeper into what constituents a project
essentially projects at temporary efforts to create value through unique products services and
processes some projects are engineer to quickly result problems others require extended
timelines to produce outcomes that will not need major improvements outside of projected
maintenance-like public highways-for example.

Of course, some projects will be a mixture of both these things. This applies to everything from
developing new software to planning disaster relief efforts. Still, this is all very general
information concerning what a project is. When we break them down more specifically, we see
that projects are amalgamations of tasks, activities, and deliverables that must be structured and
executed carefully to achieve a desired outcome.

Before an outcome is achieved, each aspect of a project must go through phases of initiation,
planning, and execution. This process is known as the project management lifecycle, and it is
the lifeblood of successful projects. Moreover, this cycle allows project managers to plan each
task and activity meticulously to ensure the highest chances of success. Overall, a project is a
well-planned endeavour that follows a lifecycle with a definite beginning and end.
WHO ARE PROJECT MANAGERS AND WHAT DO THEY DO?

Project managers are organized, goal-oriented professionals who use passion, creativity,
and collaboration to design projects that are destined for success.

The types of projects that project managers work on are as vast as their responsibilities and
skills. In fact, nearly everything we interact with was conceived by a project manager.

Picture this—you plan a trip to a foreign city with your friends. You use mobile apps to plan
rideshares. Then, you download travel guide software to create an itinerary and get the scoop
on local attractions. You even book tours of architectural sites and marvel at their grandeur.

It’s hard to imagine that digital apps, scheduling software, and grand architecture have anything
in common. But they share at least one similarity: project managers were involved in their
creation.
Project managers initiate, execute, and complete projects across various industries using their
project management expertise. From mobile apps to the grandiose architecture of international
cities, they are the innovators behind some of the most brilliant products, services, and
processes that exist today.
Project managers have diverse skill sets that allow them to approach each assignment in a
unique and strategic way. Most importantly, they understand how to leverage their Project
Management Skills to foster an organization’s ability to learn, succeed, and evolve with a
project.

SKILLS OF A PROJECT MANAGER

Qualified and experienced project managers are aptly skilled in the following areas:
1. Leadership and Effective Communication—project managers must effectively lead and
communicate with their teams as well as stakeholders throughout the entire lifecycle of a
project.
2. Organization and Time Management—project managers must handle the organization
and delegation of tasks. They must also ensure that all project materials and deliverables are
completed on time.
3. Creative Problem Solving and Adaptability—project managers must understand how to
resolve issues and adapt their projects creatively to avoid mishaps and losses.
4. Motivation and Team Management—project managers must ensure their stakeholders and
team members stay motivated throughout a project’s lifecycle. Moreover, they must be able to
manage their team to ensure top-quality results and on-time completion of project deliverables.

Cultivating expertise in these areas is a learning process that requires time, devotion, and
practice. But it’s necessary to build the skill set a career in project management requires.
Some Project Managers build out their skills with the completion of a four-year degree and
immediate pursuit of certifications like the Certified Associate in Project Management
(CAPM). Others may wet their toes with personal projects or take a beginner’s course to see if
they want to pursue project management full-time.
Either way, developing a foundational skillset and building upon it is part of the job description.
Thus, it’s an important aspect of who project managers are.

WHAT DOES A PROJECT MANAGER DO?

Essentially, project managers oversee projects from start to finish. They supervise tasks,
communicate effectively with stakeholders, and ensure that every aspect of the project is
completed on time. Project managers must also be able to foresee potential blockers and find
proper solutions to mitigate or eliminate them so that they don’t impede a project’s success.

THE ROLE OF A PROJECT MANAGER

If we break the role of a project manager down into core responsibilities, we get a better picture
of how much they oversee throughout a project’s timeline and how their supervision helps
ensure success.

SOME OF THE CORE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A PROJECT MANAGER

INCLUDE:

• Identifying project goals, needs, and scope

• Planning, monitoring, and documenting tasks throughout a project

• Ensuring all tasks, deliverables, and project materials are delivered promptly
 • Managing all resources necessary for project execution

• Fostering effective communication with stakeholders concerning project status

• Foreseeing and strategically eliminating blockers and potential risks

• Documenting each step of the process using various project management tools

• Ensuring top-quality results and success for a project

These core responsibilities are pillars of project management. They empower project managers
to supervise an assignment adequately. Moreover, they allow project managers to create
timelines, delegate tasks and shape a project perfectly to the needs of everyone who stands to
benefit from its completion.

WHAT IS AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT?

Agile project management is a management style that allows leaders to supervise
projects with flexibility and ensure all deliverables—large and small—are completed,
assessed, and adjusted to align with a project’s highest desired outcome.

WHAT IS AN AGILE PROJECT?

Now that we understand the definition of Agile Project Management, it’s crucial to get
acquainted with agile projects themselves. Like their traditional counterparts, agile projects
follow a lifecycle structure that ensures project managers, and their teams can build successful
projects. However, where traditional project structures typically don’t offer much flexible agile
projects managers do.

Agile projects are divided into bite-sized goals that produce a stand-alone deliverable. At the
same time, each “mini-deliverable” contributes to the larger goal of the project. This approach
allows agile teams the wiggle room they need to work through milestones efficiently and
respond to issues that may arise once customers engage with project deliverables.

THE LIFECYCLE STRUCTURE OF AN AGILE PROJECT

Like their traditional counterparts, agile projects follow a lifecycle structure from start to finish.
However, the lifecycle of an agile project is distinctly built to allow room for flexibility and
iteration. When we break the structure of an agile project down into phases, these distinctions
become even more evident. Below are the phases of an agile project:

1. Project Conception – In this phase, the project scope, desired outcomes, team
responsibilities, and tasks—or the bones of the project—are conceived.

2. Speculate and Solidify – In this phase, the project’s initial requirements, such as the budget,
timelines, resource allocation, and milestones are created in alignment with the project’s
desired outcome.

3. Execute and Explore – In this phase, teams begin working within the pre-determined
project requirements and focus their attention on the completion of smaller goals. This is also
a time when teams explore alternative methods for accomplishing project objectives.

4. Feedback and Adapt – in this phase, completed objectives are delivered and assessed
continuously, and necessary adjustments are made. This empowers agile teams to improve the
project and increase success with each iteration they produce.

5. Closure – The final iterations of project objectives are completed and handed over to the
proper parties. New iterations are assessed, and adjustments are made. The final product is then
measured against adapted project requirements, and final improvements are made and recorded
for future reference.

AGILE VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

Understanding the structure of agile projects is a great start! But being able to wrap your head
around the values and principles that inform these flexible projects is also important.

After all, they guide agile managers and their teams in determining the most successful path
for each project they work through. There are various agile values and principles, but the
following are among the most important:

• Customer satisfaction and continuous delivery of high-quality deliverables

• Regular reflection and adjustments in ways of working and project execution
• Open-mindedness and welcoming project changes, even in late-stage development
• Clear communication, preferably in “face-to-face" environments like in-person, video
calls, etc.
• Creating a sustainable work pace and project agility through simplicity and excellence
WHY DO WE NEED AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT?

Our world and the ways we work are becoming increasingly agile. As we explore new and
exciting frontiers in the digital, software, and technological realms, project teams need a
framework that allows them to flex and develop at the same pace as these rapidly evolving
industries.

Moreover, agile project techniques offer many unique benefits ,

including:

Freedom for teams to play to their strengths as they work through milestone iterations

Empowered teams that can work within flexible project requirements to achieve their goals

More efficiency in resource, money, and time usage, which leads to quicker project completion

Increased collaboration among teams, target customers, and stakeholders, which leads to more
successful and engaging projects.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT LIFECYCLE

The project management lifecycle drives success and is imperative to the initiation,
construction, and execution of incredible projects. It provides project managers with
the structure they need to carry out each phase of their endeavours with precision and
care.

WHAT IS THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT LIFECYCLE?

Projects follow a structure called the project lifecycle. This lifecycle is somewhat like our
own. It has a well-defined beginning, middle, and end with all sorts of formative events
occurring in each major phase. This is true whether you’re developing innovative design
software, pioneering eco-friendly vehicle construction, or anything in between.
In its most basic terms, the project management lifecycle is an organizational structure that
breaks entire projects down into five primary phases. From the birth of an idea to its
planning, execution, monitoring, and closure, each phase is integral to ensuring that a project
is destined to succeed.
PHASE 1: INITIATION

The first phase of the project management lifecycle is called initiation. In this phase, the
vision for a project is conceived and developed into something that could exist. This is where
key stakeholders with potential interest in the project are identified.
In this stage, project managers will also identify core aspects of their project, such as:
• The problem the project aims to solve
• The resources required to achieve the project goals
• The method for securing buy-in from stakeholders
Once these components are identified, engagement with them begins. For instance, you and
your team may start creating a business case and formalizing a project pitch. You may also
reach out to secure buy-in from desired stakeholders and research how to obtain the resources
needed to achieve project goals.

PHASE 2: THE GAME PLAN

Once you identify and engage with the fundamental components of your idea, the second phase
of the lifecycle—the game plan—begins. As the name suggests, this stage is all about
formulating a detailed plan for how you will execute, monitor, and ultimately close your
project.
Think of your game plan as a road map that outlines specific instructions on how to execute
your project from start to finish. Everything from your tasks, timelines, budgets, and risk
assessments needs to be accounted for and effectively structured in this phase.

PHASE 3: EXECUTION

Eventually, projects must move into the third—and longest—phase of the project management
lifecycle: the execution. This part of the process puts that game plan you spent so much time
on into action.
The specific objectives of your team in this phase should look something like this:

• Planned activities and tasks are executed

• Deliverables and products are constructed
• Deliverables and products are presented to key stakeholders
Your duties as a project manager in this phase should look something like this:

• Primary focus pivots from performing and supervising to creating project

deliverables
• Continual tracking of the project’s progress to ensure everything stays on schedule
 • Taking on a more passive role so that your team has space to reach goals on their
own
During your project’s execution, it’s essential to give teams the autonomy to do things in ways
they feel are most effective. Equally important is your ability to ensure your project stays on
track through excellent management of:

• People
• Processes
• Communication
Striking a balance in these things generates projects that are completed on time and within
budget. It also ensures that teams and stakeholders stay motivated and satisfied throughout the
process.

PHASE 4: MONITORING AND CONTROLLING

Once a project has been executed, the monitoring and controlling phase of the project
management lifecycle begins. Not all projects will require a monitoring stage. But for
some—like those with results that won’t show until much later—this phase is crucial to
measuring the success of a project.

The purpose of the monitoring and controlling phase is to track, control, and maintain:

• Results
• Processes
• Lessons Learned
Tracking these things is imperative to understanding your project’s success long-term.

It also allows you to set new standards, such as:

1. Tangible Standards (schedules, budgets, production rates, overtime and waste)

2. Intangible Standards (Team morale, manager and leadership performance, customer

satisfaction)

3. Key Takeaways (Overall team performance, performance vs. standard comparisons,

deviation analysis, corrective actions taken)

Once all this information is documented, it can be used to build more successful projects in
the future.

PHASE 5: CLOSURE AND TRANSITION

Finally, the last phase of the project management lifecycle—closure and transition—begins.
This is where deliverables, products, and documentation are organized and handed over to the
proper parties. Additionally, any teams that contributed to the project attend a final gathering
to discuss important insights and celebrate the project’s completion.
The closure phase also enables you and your team to:

• Tie up any loose ends

• Take stock of project insights
• Move on with a clearly defined sense of accomplishment
• Archive lessons learned for the benefit of your team/organization

PROJECT MANAGEMENT IMPACT

Project management is a critical competence that has a positive influence on organization

results and society

PROFESSIONALISM

Accountability and ethical behaviour ensure our commitment to PMI stakeholders.

VOLUNTEERISM

Volunteers and effective volunteer partnerships with staff are the best way to accomplish the
Institute's goals and objectives.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

Through our global reach, we aim to put diversity, equity, and inclusion in the centre of what
we do. Project management is a broad industry and we pledge to always strive for inclusion
and honour the diversity that enriches our global community.

COMMUNITY

Bringing members of the global project management community together is the best way to
advance the project management profession and facilitate their growth.

ENGAGEMENT

Encouraging diverse viewpoints and enabling individuals to contribute to the project

management profession and to the Institute.
Through times of growth and change, our core values provide continuity and a moral
compass, communicating our beliefs and guiding our behaviour.