Project Management

Lecturer:

Haris Jaswal
Program: BA (Hons) in Business Studies (BABS)
Lecture: 01

Introduction to Project Management

 What is an Organization?
 Module Aims
 Project Management
 Project Definition
 Project Management
 Strategy
 Strategies and Projects
 What is an organisation?

A group of people

An accumulation of
SZABIST A bundle of resources
knowledge + learning

An economic actor

No analysis is complete unless it takes account of a ll these aspects at

once!
 Module Aims
 The module addresses wider business and project management issues which affect the
technological and business environment.

Regional/International context

National context

Business environment

Principles of strategic
Organisation
management
Global markets &
Organisation structure
supplies

Resource management Project management & planning

Forecasting Auditing & control

Business legislation
Project Management

The Context of Projects

Project
Management
Skills

General Technical
Management Management
Skills Skills
 Project definition

“A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a

unique product, service or result” (PMBoK, 2013, p.2).
 Temporary means a definite beginning and a definite end
 Has a unique outcome, product, service, improvement,
innovation
 Has a purpose/goal. Ceases when objectives have been
attained.
 Team disbanded upon completion.
 A project can end when:
 The project’s objectives have been achieved
 The project is terminated because its objectives will not or
cannot be met
 The need for the project no longer exists.
 Questions

 Why do we do projects?

 To address the organization’s strategic plan:

a) A market demand;
b) A strategic opportunity / business need;
c) A customer request;
d) A technological advancement; and
e) A legal requirement.
 Questions

 Examples of projects include, but are not limited to:

 Identify the example that would not usually be

considered a project.
a) Developing a new product or service,
b) Effecting a change in the structure, staffing, or style of an
organization,
c) Developing or acquiring a new or modified information system,
d) Constructing a building or infrastructure, or
e) Implementing a new business process or procedure.
Project Management
 Application of skills, knowledge, tools and techniques to project activities
in order to meet project objectives/requirements
 Involves applying and integrating processes:
 Initiating
 Planning
 Executing
 Monitoring
 Controlling
 Closing

 A project often covers the following elements

 Scope, time & cost
 Human resource, communication, stakeholders
 Risk, quality & procurement
Project Management
Project Planning
 Definition of work requirements
 Definition of quantity and quality of work
 Definition of resources needed

Project Monitoring
 Tracking progress
 Comparing actual outcome to predicted outcome
 Analysing impact
 Making adjustments
Strategy
 What is strategy?
“Strategy is the framework that guides those choices that
determine the nature and direction of an organization”
(Benjamin Tregoe and John Zimmerman, Top Management Strategy)

“Strategy answers the questions: What should the organization

be doing? What are the ends we seek and how should we
achieve them?”
(George Steiner, Strategic Planning)

“Competitive strategy is a combination of the ends (goals) for

which the firm is striving and the means (policies) by
which it is seeking to get there”
(Michael Porter, Competitive Strategy)
Strategy
When you have each of the following, consider that you
have a set of strategies:
 A position or mission comprising of a set of products,
services, markets, geographies, channels, technologies (ends)
 A set of measureable goals (ends)

 Approaches by which you will achieve the ends (means)

 Specific plans to apply those means and resources to achieve

the ends (project portfolio management)
 Strategies and Projects
 Many organisations are involved in implementing more
than one project, and are considering future projects, at the
same time
 Organisations usually have stated objectives and strategies
 At project level, we have project management
 Strategy is usually at the executive level
 Is there a “gap”?
Strategies and Projects
 An executive might ask:
 What mix of potential projects will provide the best utilization of
human and cash resources to maximize long-range growth and return
on investment for the firm?
 How do the projects support strategic initiatives?
 How will the projects affect the value of corporate shares?
(Levine 2005, p.16)

 These questions will not necessarily trouble those

managing single projects
 They have to meet scope, time, cost and quality objectives particular
to their project
 Strategies and Projects
There are two levels of management:
 Operations Management => enterprise-level goals
 Projects Management => project-level goals

Source: Clevland and Ireland (2006, p.8)

2
 Strategies and Projects
Operations Management
• Strategies
• Objectives/goals
• Business performance
• Stockholder satisfaction
• Project selection/mix
• Resource availability
• Cash flow, income
(Levine 2005, p.18)
Projects Management
• Schedule/time
• Project cost
• Project performance
• Stakeholder satisfaction
• Scope/change management
• Resource utilization
• Cash usage
Strategies and Projects
 Project implementation is often at arms-length from the
executive level
 But, during implementation…
 Projects change
 Business environments change
 Markets change
 Technologies change
 Policies change
 Economies change
 Anything else?
Thank You