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• Introduction
• Purpose
• This is the program notebook. The notebook is designed for use with the course itself and
as a reminder after the participant completes the course and is on the job. The purpose of
this seminar is to explore the process of managing projects and to provide concepts and
techniques which can be used to improve project definition, planning and control.
• There are increasing numbers of people from various disciplines being called upon to
manage projects. This seminar addresses their needs for a comprehensive model of what
project management is, how to do it, and how it adds value.

• Program
• The program is an interactive forum in which participants learn by sharing their
knowledge, experience and opinions. The more you ask specific questions, bring up
issues particular to your environment, and take part in discussions and exercises, the
more you will get out of the seminar. We intend to facilitate a dialogue among the
participants and the seminar leader, not simply present a slide show and lecture.

• Goal
• The goal of the seminar is: to achieve quality performance through effective planning and
control, process orientation, and an analytical, systems-oriented approach to problem
solving and decision making that acknowledges the need for collaboration and clear
communications among people, often in multiple organizations.

• Project Management
• The Project Management Institute (PMI®) defines project management as, "The
application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the
project requirements.“1 Project management is a discipline, which when followed and
adapted to the situation at hand, improves performance. Disciplined project management
adds value.
• Project management can be applied to any kind of project. It is distinct from the project
activity, which is specific to the project and results in the project's deliverables. Project
management is performed to ensure the project activities are optimally performed and
stakeholders get the information they need to manage their time and resources.

• The Project Context

• Project management can be applied to any type of project from construction to party
planning. Each application must be scaled to the size and scope of the project and
differences in content and environment.
•
• 1 PMBOK® Guide
•

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Project Management Fundamentals Foundation Concepts

• The seminar presents project principles and techniques. You must adapt these to your
specific types of projects and organization settings. Bring up questions and issues
specific to your situation and we will help in applying project management.

• Project Management Process

• Project management consists of a set of activities to ensure that right projects are
performed in the right way. The major process groups in PMI®’s project management
process model are:
• Initiating (PMA – Project Definition)
• Planning (PMA – Project Planning)
• Executing (PMA – Project Realization)
• Monitoring & Controlling (PMA – Project Realization)
• Closing (PMA – Project Completion)
• We add Ongoing Cross Project Improvement to highlight the need for a continuous
improvement process that uses the results of multiple projects, evaluates trends, and
makes appropriate changes.

• Process Orientation
• There are two major aspects of work effort: performance and process. Performance is
doing what must be done; it is task-related. Process refers to the way performance is
being carried out. Typically, we spend the most time on performance. Our greatest
opportunity for improving performance, however, lies in the analysis of the process and
changing it when change is desired.
• Process orientation is the underlying message of this seminar. The process is the way
we do whatever it is that we are doing. It consists of a set of procedural steps woven
together in a sequence (which may be changing dynamically over time) and includes
communication and relationships between people performing the process.
• Process orientation implies both continuously and periodically remaining aware of the
process. Often we fall into a mode of performance that focuses exclusively on doing,
and we lose track of how we are doing what we are doing. This may be acceptable in
the short term. However, if we don’t review our process and evaluate it with respect to
the outcome of the doing, we run the risk of repeating errors and omissions and not
repeating best practices.
• In the context of project management, process review is included in the subject of quality
assurance and accomplished through post project reviews and process reviews that are
held throughout the project to address process related issues in “real time.”

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Project Management Fundamentals Foundation Concepts

• Learning from Experience

• Organizations learn in much the same way people do. Project management includes a
learning process. Each project performed becomes a fertile experience for learning how
to perform the next project more effectively. Performance evaluation is performed
periodically throughout the project and upon the completion of the project. The results
are published and used to inform others of pitfalls and best practices. Over time, an
effective methodology can be developed that permits best practices to be carried
forward and repeated, poor practices to be discarded, and estimates to become
increasingly accurate. (PMA – Project Evaluation and Transfer)

• Managing
• This seminar focuses on managing. To manage is to direct or control use of resources
and to administer activities.
• The project manager ensures that:
• Goals and objectives are properly set and accepted
• Resources are available
• Work is performed according to the plan
• Intermediate results move towards the original goal
• Stakeholders are kept informed of project progress and expected completion
• The original goal is still desired
• The plan is adjusted to provide a guideline for achieving the desired goal.

• Core Processes – Planning and Controlling

• The core processes of project management are project planning and controlling. These
are performed throughout the project, with project planning given the initial emphasis
and controlling given the emphasis once a plan is created and performance work begins.
Project planning, however, does not end until the project is completed. The plan is
repeatedly refined throughout the life of the project, based on actual performance as
captured by the controlling process.

• Planning and Control

• Experience has shown that only through planning can we ensure that results are in
keeping with expectations, and work efforts are efficiently and effectively performed.
Planning enables us to model how the project will be performed and to predict when the
project will be completed, how many of what kinds of resources are needed, and how
much it will cost.
• Control is intrinsically tied to planning. It monitors the performance against the plan to
evaluate progress and predict the project outcome. Planning is performed throughout
the life of a project in an iterative refinement process. The refinement uses the
information that results from project control to assess assumptions made earlier and
used in the planning. As assumptions are proven by actual experience, confidence in the

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plan increases. As assumptions are proven to be erroneous, need for re-planning is
identified.

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Project Management Fundamentals Foundation Concepts

• Risk and Uncertainty

• Project management planning is never expected to be 100% accurate. The longer and
more complex the project and the more uncertain project clients (project owner) and
sponsors (steering committee) are of the nature of the desired project outcomes, the
greater the potential variance between the actual outcome and the original project
management plan. Project managers must accept the fact that plans are projections of
the future and very few people can predict the future with 100% accuracy.
• Project planning includes an assessment of the risk and uncertainty associated with
each project. Based on the risk assessment, risk planning identifies appropriate
contingency plans and reserves to protect the sponsors and clients from unacceptable
losses and damages. Risk management results in reasonable expectations.

• No Cookbook
• Project management principles are applicable to projects of any type in any
environment. As with any complex activity, tailoring is required to fit the principles to the
specifics of a particular type of project in a particular environment.
• There is no cookbook approach to project management. This course provides
techniques and concepts adaptable to specific settings resulting in improved
management quality, higher productivity of project performers, and higher quality results.
• One of your objectives may be to find one or two techniques or concepts to take back to
your work environment and put to practical use. You may also have the objective of
creating an approach applicable to all your projects. In either case, the seminar will
provide valuable information.

• Project Success
• A successful project meets its objectives within the allotted time and budget while
fulfilling the needs of project performers and sponsors (steering committee) and
maintaining harmony among the stakeholders. Project sponsors, users, and product
caretakers (e.g., customer support and maintenance) should be satisfied that the project
results are meaningful and add value. The organization should learn from each project
to improve performance and estimating.
• Sometimes a project is canceled prior to its completion. It is sometimes discovered
during the life of a project that the project outcome is no longer desired. Should this
occur, it is far better to end the project than to complete the project. A project that ends
as soon as it is deemed to be no longer desirable is successful.

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Project Management Fundamentals Foundation Concepts

• Product Success
• Successful projects may or may not result in successful products.
• A product is the result of a project. It might be, for example, software, a new process or
procedure, or a service. Product success depends on the usefulness and marketability
of the product. Product success factors are often difficult to measure and define
objectively and must be understood by project sponsors (steering committee) and
project performers. These factors are typically related to some change in the product's
environment such as reducing operating costs, improving customer service, making a
profit, etc. The product success factors are the social and business or economic reasons
for doing the project.

• Service – Client Orientation

• Projects are typically performed for the benefit of others. The project performers rarely
use the outcome. It is necessary, therefore, to keep in mind the ultimate objective of the
project is to serve the needs of the organization or people sponsoring the project and the
users of the product. Given this objective, it is necessary to engage the client (owner),
user, or people who represent them (when it is infeasible to get actual clients and users
directly involved). The client (owner)/ user should be an integral part of product
planning—“scope definition” in project management terminology—and must accept the
product based on an assessment of how well it met stated requirements.

• Multiple Perspectives and Dialogue

• Multiple perspectives must be taken to obtain an objective view of any complex activity.
• A single individual can, with training, take multiple perspectives by consciously changing
his/her orientation on a subject. For example, in a software development project, a
manager can look at a situation as a software development manager, as a technical
person, as a businessperson, and as a human being.
• It is more natural that several different individuals view the activity from their own
perspectives. Communication between them about what they perceive, particularly their
differences, permits each to become more objective. Effective communication—
dialogue—is essential to effective project performance
• Communication is the foundation for conflict resolution, negotiation, requirements
definition, planning, and reporting.

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 • “Identify” means to provide a general overview as
opposed to an exhaustive description.
• “Generally recognized” means that the knowledge
and practices described are applicable to most
projects most of the time, and that there is a
widespread consensus about their value and
usefulness.
• “Good practice” means that there is general
agreement that the correct application of these skills,
tools, and techniques can enhance the chances of
success over a wide range of different projects.
• The project management team is responsible for
determining what is appropriate for any given
project.

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 • Project management is extremely iterative and requires a high degree of involvement with
stakeholders. Tradeoffs are constantly made between competing constraints, which must be
managed to ensure project success. Success should also include ensuring that the project is fit for
the purpose intended and that relationships are built and maintained throughout.
• In order for a project to be successful, the project team must:
• Select appropriate processes
• Use a defined approach
• Communicate and engage with stakeholders
• Comply with requirements
• Balance the competing constraints
• Adapted from PMBOK® Guide – Fifth Edition, p. 47
• Dr. Harold Kerzner narrows the competing demands to the “triple constraints” that include:
• Time
• Cost
• Performance/Technology
• If the project is to be accomplished by an outside company, Dr. Kerzner describes a fourth
constraint: Good Customer Relations.
• Adapted from Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and
Controlling,
11th Edition, by Harold Kerzner, Ph.D., pp. 6 and 7

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• Do you know any other reasons why projects fail?

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