INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT

TERMINOLOGY AND GENERAL DEFINITIONS

 A project
Is an interrelated set of activities that has a definite starting and ending point
and results in the accomplishment of a unique, often major outcome.
OR
A project is any sort of planned undertaking which has a definite beginning
and ending time
OR
Sequence of activities that has a definite start and finish, an identifiable goal
and an
Integrated system of complex but interdependent relationships.

According to PMBOK® Guide 2000, p. 4

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to accomplish a unique product
or service”
NOTE
PMBOK is Project Management Body of Knowledge according to PMI.
And
PMI?
This is a Project Management Institute (PMI) an international professional
society. Their web site is www.pmi.org.
  An activity or task
Is the smallest unit of work effort within the project which consumes both
time and resources, which are under the control of the project manager.

 A schedule
Allocates resources to accomplish the activities within a timeframe.
It sets
 sets priorities
 start times
 and finish times
Project management
Project management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and
techniques to project activities in order to meet project requirements” (PMI*,
Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), 2004)

Is The adept (Proficient, Skilled, Clever) use of techniques and skills both (hard
and soft) in planning and controlling tasks and resources needed for the
project, from both inside and outside of organization, to achieve the results.

 Project management
Is the planning and control of events that together/comprise the project.
Project management aims to ensure the effective use of resources and
delivery of the project objectives on time and within cost constraints
The purpose of project management is to achieve successful project completion
with the resources available.

A successful project is one which:

 Has been finished on time
 Is within its cost budget
 Performs to a technical/performance standard which satisfies the end
user.

The main definition of what project management is:

 Project management is no small task.
 Project management has a definite beginning and end. It is not a
continuous process.
 Project management uses various measurement tools to accomplish and
track project tasks. These include Gantt and Pert charts

 4. Projects frequently need resources on an add-on basis as opposed to

organizations that have full-time positions
.
Project Management Knowledge Areas according to the PMI
Knowledge areas describe the key competencies that project managers
must develop
1. Four core knowledge areas lead to specific project objectives
 Scope (project’s scope is the work to be completed by the project
team).
 time
 cost
 and quality)

2. four facilitating knowledge areas are the means through

which the project objectives are achieved
o Human resources

People are the most important resource on a

project. Human resource management focuses on
creating and developing the project team as well
as understanding and responding appropriately to
the behavioral side of project management.
o Communication

communication management entails

communicating timely and accurate information
about the project to the project's stakeholders.
o Risk Managment

All projects face a

certain amount of risk. Project risk management is
concerned with identifying and responding
appropriately to risks that can impact the project.
 o Procurement management

Projects often require resources (people, hardware,

software, etc.) that are outside the organization.
Procurement management makes certain that these resources are
acquired properly.

3. One knowledge area

Project integration management.Integration

Focuses on coordinating the project plan's
development, execution, and control of changes. which affects and is affected by
all of the other knowledge areas

There are three main points that are most important to a successful project:

1. A Project must meet customer requirements.

2. A Project must be under budget.
3. A Project must be on time.

The role of the project manager in project management

1. Project manager's job to direct and supervise the project from beginning to
end.
2. Set a clear Goal
3. Determine the Objectives
4. Establish Checkpoints, Activities, Relationships, and Time estimates
5. Create a Schedule
 6. Develop people individually and as a team
7. Reinforce the commitment and excitement of people
8. Inform everyone connected with the project
9. Vitalise people by building agreements
10.Empower yourself and others
11.Risk approaching problems creatively

12. The project manager must define the project, reduce the project to a set of
manageable tasks, obtain appropriate and necessary resources, and build a team
or
teams to perform the project work
13. The project manager must set the final goal for the project and must motivate
his
Workers to complete the project on time.

There are many things that can go wrong with project management. These are
commonly referred as the barriers to a project

Here are some possible barriers:

1. Poor Communication
2. Many times a project may fail because the project team does not know exactly
what to
get done or what's already been done.
3. Disagreement
4. Project must meet all elements in a contract.
5. Customer and project manager must agree on numerous elements.
6. Failure to comply with standards and regulations.
7. Inclement weather.
8. Union strikes.
9. Personality conflicts.
10. Poor management
11. Poorly defined project goals

A PROJECT IS ANY SORT OF PLANNED UNDERTAKING

The followings are the attributes of projects
 unique purpose
 temporary
 require resources, often from various areas
 should have a primary sponsor and/or customer
 involve uncertainty

The Triple Constraint

The triple constraint is about balancing each constraint to reach a successful
conclusion

All projects are carried out under certain constraints – traditionally, they are cost,
time and scope. These three factors (commonly called 'the triple constraint') are
represented as a triangle (see Figure 1). Each constraint forms the vertices, with
quality as the central theme:

 Projects must be delivered within cost

 Projects must be delivered on time
 Projects must meet the agreed scope – no more, no less
  Projects must also meet customer quality requirements

Th
e Triple Constraint

1. Cost: This is the estimation of the amount of money that will be required to
complete the project. Cost itself encompasses various things, such as: resources,
labor rates for contractors, risk estimates, bills of materials, et cetera. All aspects
of the project that have a monetary component are made part of the overall cost
structure.

All projects have a finite budget; the customer is willing to spend a certain
amount of money for delivery of a new product or service. If you reduce the
project's cost, you will either have to reduce its scope or increase its time.

2. Time (Schedule): This refers to the actual time required to produce a

deliverable. Which in this case, would be the end result of the project. Naturally,
the amount of time required to produce the deliverable will be directly related to
the amount of requirements that are part of the end result (scope) along with the
amount of resources allocated to the project (cost).As the saying goes, 'time is
money', a commodity that slips away too easily. Projects have a deadline date for
delivery. When you reduce the project's time, you will either have to increase its
cost or reduce its scope.

3. Scope: Many projects fail on this constraint because the scope of the project is
either not fully defined or understood from the start. When you increase a
project's scope, you will either have to increase its cost or time.

 Scope goals/Quality: What is the project trying to accomplish?

 Time goals: How long should it take to complete?
 Cost goals: What should it cost?

The triple constraint is about balancing each constraint to reach a successful

conclusion. As the project progresses, the project manager may find that any
changes impact one or more of the constraints. What might happen?

It is the project manager’s duty to balance these three often competing goals

Examples of typical projects are for example:

Personal projects:
_ Obtain an MBA
_ Write a report
_ Plan a wedding
_ Plant a garden
_ Build a house extension
Industrial projects:
_ Construct a building
_ Provide a gas supply to an industrial estate
_ Build a motorway
_ Design a new car
Business projects:
_ Develop a new course
_ Develop a new course
_ Develop a computer system
_ Introduce a new product
_ Prepare an annual report
_ set up a new office

Projects can be of any size and duration. They can be simple, like planning a party,
or
Complex like launching a space shuttle.

Generally projects are made up of:

 A defined beginning,
 Multiple activities which are performed to a plan,
 A defined end.
Therefore a project may be defined as a means of moving from a problem to a
solution via a series of planned activities
.
A project is a means of moving from a problem to a solution via a series of
planned
Activities.

Projects consist of several activities.

Two essential features are present in every project no matter how simple or
complicated they are. In the first place, all projects must be planned out in
advance if they are to be
Successfully executed. Secondly, the execution of the project must be controlled
to ensure
that the desired results are achieved
.
On most projects it is possible to carry out multiple activities simultaneously.
Usually it is
Possible to perform several activities at the same time; however there will be
activities, which
Cannot begin until a preceding activity has been completed. Such relationships
are referred
to as dependencies or presidencies, and when planning a project it is important to
establish
The order of precedence of dependent activities, and to establish those activities,
which can
Be performed in parallel with other activities.
Regardless of the nature or size of your project a successful outcome can only be
achieved
By using sound project management techniques. The most widely used and
popular methods
Of project management are Gantt Charts, Critical Path Method (CPM) and
Programme
Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). However, it is important to remember
that people
Carry out projects, and the human aspects of project management are critical for
the project success.

THE ATTRIBUTES OF SUCCESSFUL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The effectiveness of project management is critical in assuring the success of any
substantial
Undertaking. Areas of responsibility for the project manager include planning,
control and
Implementation. A project should be initiated with a feasibility study, where a
clear definition of the goals and ultimate benefits need to be established. Senior
managers' support for projects
Is important so as to ensure authority and direction throughout the project's
progress and, also to ensure that the goals of the organization are effectively
achieved within this process. The
particular form of support given can influence the degree of resistance the project
encounters.

Knowledge, skills, goals and personalities are all factors that need to be
considered within
project management. The project manager and his/her team should collectively
possess the
necessary and requisite interpersonal and technical skills to facilitate control over
the various
activities within the project. The stages of implementation must be articulated at
the project
planning phase. Disaggregating the stages at its early point assists in the
successful
development of the project by providing a number of milestones that need to be
accomplished
for completion. In addition to planning, the control of the evolving project is also
prerequisite
to success. Control requires adequate monitoring and feedback mechanisms by
which senior and project managers can compare progress against initial
projections at each stage of the project.
Monitoring and feedback also enables the project manager to anticipate
problems
(e.g.: the knock-on effects of late start or finish times) and therefore take pre-
emptive
corrective measures for the benefit of the project overall. Projects normally
involve the
introduction of a new system of some kind and, in almost all cases, new methods
and ways of doing things. These impacts upon the work of others: the "users".
User consultation is an
important factor in the success of projects and, indeed, the degree of user
involvement can
influence the extent of support for the project or its implementation plan. An
essential quality of the project manager is that of being a good communicator,
not just within the project team itself, but with the rest of the organization and
outside bodies as well (the users May be internal or external).

1.6 REVIEW QUESTIONS

Define the following terms
a) Project management
b) Project
c) Scheduling

MODULE TWO: PROJECT GOAL

GOAL
Project goal are the statements that describe what the project will accomplish, or
the business value the project will achieve.
According to the New Comprehensive International Dictionary of the English
Language a
Goal is a point toward which effort or movement is directed.
OR
The objective point that one is striving to reach

All goals should be SMART Goals

Specific
Well defined
They are clear to anyone that has a basic knowledge of the project
Measurable
Have some means to be able to know if the goal is obtainable or how far away
Completion is.
Agreed upon
Have agreement between the users and the project team on what goals should be
Realistic
Looking at the resources, knowledge, and time available can the goal be
accomplished
Times-Framed
How much time is needed to accomplish the goal
Having too much time can affect the project performance
Project Life Cycle
In Contemporary Systems Analysis, 5th Edition published by Business and
Educational
Technologies, Marvin Gore and John Stubbe wrote that the Project Life Cycle
includes the
Following Phases and activities:
A. Study Phase
User Need
Initial Investigation
User Review
System Performance Design
Candidate Review
Study Phase Report
B. Design Phase

General System Review

Processing Requirements Identification
Data Base Design
Control Requirements
Output Design
Input Design
Software Selection
Equipment Selection/Acquisition
People
Reference Manual Identification
Plans
Design Specifications Preparation
Design Phase Report Preparation
C. Development Phase
Implementation Planning
Computer Program Design
User Review
Equipment Acquisition and Installation
Coding and Debugging
Computer Program Testing
System Testing
Reference Manual Preparation
Personnel Training
Changeover Plan Preparation
Development Phase Report Preparation
User Acceptance Review
Operation Phase
1. System Changeover
2. Routine Operation
3. System Performance Evaluation
4. System Changes/Enhancements
Initiating Process
Planning Process
Executing Process
Controlling Process
Closing Process
Features of projects
Projects are often carried out by a team of people who have been assembled for
that
specific purpose. The activities of this team may be co-ordinated by a project
manager.
Project teams may consist of people from different backgrounds and different
parts of the
organization. In some cases project teams may consist of people from different
organizations.
Project teams may be inter-disciplinary groups and are likely to lie outside the
normal
organization hierarchies.
9
The project team will be responsible for delivery of the project end product to
some
sponsor within or outside the organization. The full benefit of any project will not
become
available until the project as been completed.
In recent years more and more activities have been tackled on a project basis.
Project teams
and a project management approach have become common in most
organizations. The
basic approaches to project management remain the same regardless of the type
of project
being considered. You may find it useful to consider projects in relation to a
number of major
classifications:
a) Engineering and construction
The projects are concerned with producing a clear physical output, such as roads,
bridges or buildings. The requirements of a project team are well defined in terms
of
skills and background, as are the main procedures that have to be undergone.
Most of
the problems which may confront the project team are likely to have occurred
before and
therefore their solution may be based upon past experiences.
b) Introduction of new systems
These projects would include computerisation projects and the introduction of
new
systems and procedures including financial systems. The nature and constitution
of a
project team may vary with the subject of the project, as different skills may be
required
and different end-users may be involved. Major projects involving a systems
analysis
approach may incorporate clearly defined procedures within an organisation.
c) Responding to deadlines and change
An example of responding to a deadline is the preparation of an annual report by
a
specified date. An increasing number of projects are concerned with designing
organisational or environmental changes, involving developing new products