WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT

WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.” The effectiveness of project management is critical in assuring the success of any substantial activity. Areas of responsibility for the person handling the project 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 determined. 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 in this process.

Knowledge, skills, goals and personalities are the 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 a prerequisite for its success. Control requires adequate monitoring and feedback mechanisms by which senior management 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 and therefore take preemptive and corrective measures for the benefit of the project.

Projects normally involve the introduction of a new system of some kind and, in almost all cases, new methods and ways of doing things. This impacts the work of others: the "users". User interaction 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. A project manager is the one who is responsible for establishing a communication in between the project team and the user. Thus one of the most 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 world as well.

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 organisation. In some cases project teams may consist of people from different organisations.

Project teams may be inter-disciplinary groups and are likely to lie outside the normal organisation hierarchies.

The project team will be responsible for delivery of the project end product to some sponsor within or outside the organisation. The full benefit of any project will not become available until the project as been completed.

Project Classification:

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 organisations. 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

b) Introduction of new systems

These projects would include computerization 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 and services.

Project Management Tools and techniques:

Project planning is at the heart of project management. One can't manage and control project activities if there is no plan. Without a plan, it is impossible to know if the correct activities are underway, if the available resources are adequate or of the project can be completed within the desired time. The plan becomes the roadmap that the project team members use to guide them through the project activities. Project management tools and techniques assist project managers and their teams in carrying out work in all nine knowledge areas. For example, some popular time management tools and techniques include Gantt charts, project network diagrams, and critical path analysis. Table 1.1 lists some commonly used tools and techniques by knowledge area.

Knowledge Area	Tools & Techniques
Integration management	Project selection methods, project management methodologies, stakeholder analyses, project charters, project management plans, project management software, change requests, change control boards, project review meetings, lessons-learned reports
Scope management	Scope statements, work breakdown structures, mind maps, statements of work, requirements analyses, scope management plans, scope verification techniques, and scope change controls
Cost Management	Net present value, return on investment, payback analyses, earned value management, project portfolio management, cost estimates, cost management plans, cost baselines
Time management	Gantt charts, project network diagrams, critical-path analyses, crashing, fast tracking, schedule performance measurements
Human resource management	Motivation techniques, empathic listening, responsibility assignment matrices, project organizational charts, resource histograms, team building exercises
Quality management	Quality metrics, checklists, quality control charts, Pareto diagrams, fishbone diagrams, maturity models, statistical methods
Risk management	Risk management plans, risk registers, probability/impact matrices, risk rankings
Communication management	Communications management plans, kickoff meetings, conflict management, communications media selection, status and progress reports, virtual communications, templates, project Web sites
Procurement management	Make-or-buy analyses, contracts, requests for proposals or quotes, source selections, supplier evaluation matrices

Table 1.1 Project Management Tools and Techniques

Project Success Factors:

The successful design, development, and implementation of information technology (IT) projects is a very difficult and complex process. However, although developing IT projects can be difficult, the reality is that a relatively small number of factors control the success or failure of every IT project, regardless of its size or complexity. The problem is not that the factors are unknown; it is that they seldom form an integral part of the IT development process.

Some of the factors that influence projects and may help them succeed are

- Executive Support

- User involvement

- Experienced project managers

- Limited scope

- Clear basic requirements

- Formal methodology

- Reliable estimates