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Project Management |
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project management includes the separate phases of project planning and project execution, anticipating and solving project problems, and making intelligent use of project management tools |
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Tags: |
project management, IT project management, project management training, project management tools, construction project management, project risk management, online project management, enterprise project management, project management plan
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• Project Management
(definition)
Business organizations now define much of their work in terms of projects. Here is Wikipedia's
definition of a project (4/26/07):
"A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service."
A project has a definite beginning in time, and an identifiable ending
in terms of the specific modification, or product, or service.
The goal of project management is to make the project successful. And project
management has become a major industry/discipline, with the increase in
number of identifiable projects.
The project life cycle consists of two phases, that of project definition
and project planning in the first phase, and of project execution
(executing the project management plan) in the second phase. Project
management (typically a single person) incompetence in either of
these phases can mean disaster for the project.
In contrast, a person who is skilled in project management ensures the best
chance of success for the project. Fortunately,
project management training,
and project management tools
are available to provide and enhance the project management resources needed. Today,
important resources exist online
(online project management), where they can be accessed with a
browser from any location that has an internet connection.
Experienced and competent project management recognizes the importance of critically
thinking about a project before beginning the work of the project. This thinking
means project planning; incisive and thorough project planning.
• Project Planning
Many projects fail because of a lack of adequate project planning (go to our related page on
project planning). A competent project manager ensures that the project planning
phase examines possible constraints on the project, ensures that the project
will have other needed resources, and solicits agreement as to what specifically
is to be accomplished in the project.
These important items are implicit or explicit in the project management plan. This
document ends the project planning phase, and prepares the way for
the second phase of project management; project execution.
• Project Execution
Project execution simply means executing the project management plan such that the
project objectives and the project deliverables are accomplished.
A variety of project management software packages exist to help the project manager
accomplish his/her goals. What we now call project management software has in the
past been known as scheduling software, because one of its principal functions is
to formalize the network of tasks and milestones that comprise the schedule for
execution of the project management plan.
The network of tasks and milestones is commonly presented graphically in a Gantt
Chart, which can serve both the management needs of the project manager,
and the oversight needs of senior management, or Board of Directors.
By using the Gantt Chart to track progress of tasks and milestones, a project manager
ensures that all requirements for the project can be accomplished in the correct
order. This implies satisfaction of both the project objectives and
the project deliverables, which constitutes completion of the project.
For a separate treatment of the relationships between planning, scheduling,
and strategy relative to project management, see our related
information page.
• Project Management Training
Project management has become so important to companies, it is now recognized
as a discipline by many universities. Project management classes are now offered
through university extension services, as well as on the home campus.
Because of the extensive identification of construction work as projects,
project management training is commonly offered as construction project management
(see below).
The Project Management Institute maintains extensive facilities for project
management training, and for earning credentials as a competent project
manager. Additionally, PMI recommends books on different aspects of project
management, and of otherwise becoming recognized as a competent project manager.
• Project Management Tools
The primary project management tool of assistance to project managers is project
management software. These software programs that now run on personal
computers (including laptops) have become very powerful, enabling the
storage of much detail related to the project. Detail or overviews of the data can
then be presented in tabular or graphical format. For additional
information, see our page specifically covering
project management software.
Probably the next important project management tool (perhaps more important)
is the category of tools for communications between the project manager, his/her
home office, employees, and sub-contractors. These communication
tools have included the landline telephone, 'walki-talkies', and now
the cell phone. The successful project manager has always been a communicator and
a problem-solver, and today this person lives with the cell phone.
Another modern project management tool worthy of mention is the digital camera,
which can record a current situation in digital format (inspected for clarity
immediately), so pictures helping to explain a problem situation can be
conveyed electronically to interested parties. This particular project
management tool is of significant value in construction project management.
• Online Project Management
With the explosion of use of the internet, online project management has gained
significant ground, with Microsoft and others now offering access to dedicated servers
supporting their enterprise project management software. Also, with the
increase in globalization, and the outsourcing to other countries of information
technology work, online project management has become a necessity. See below
for further coverage of IT project management.
• Project Risk Management
What is known as project risk management should principally be considered in the project
planning phase of project management. During this phase, risks inherent to the
success of the project need to be thought through. Is there enough money? Will
we have the other needed resources? What serious problems could arise to drag the
project down? What contingencies might be imagined in the event of such problems?
Construction companies like to talk about being 'on-time' and
'on-budget'. To the extent they have succeeded in these goals, they have been
successful in anticipating the risks of both cost and time over-runs. But
construction is a mature industry, with extensive experience in project risk
management. How can risk be assessed in an information technology project,
such as developing a software system for the Denver International Airport?
This project ended up as a failure; the new software system completely abandoned
after several years effort. It was reported after the abandonment that
simulation modeling could show that this specific software project was unworkable.
Why wasn't this simulation work performed during the project planning phase as part
of the project risk management?
• IT Project Management
As discussed above, IT project management can offer special challenges. It
is crucial that the resources be available at the time and in the location needed.
This is a particular problem with information technology, because
the domain knowledge is so specific and so complex. A knowledgeable programmer
can accomplish in one week what it would take another programmer an embarrassing amount
of time to do if that person has to learn on the job. And even then, the
job may not be done correctly.
And it is difficult to predict an end-time in IT project management. Much of the
time the specific coding has never been done before. Estimates of time required
for completion may be way off.
Another crucial aspect of IT project management is the breakdown of the project into
independent tasks such that these separate tasks can be done by different groups.
When a group's task is complete, that complete code must be integrated and work
correctly with that of other groups. Experienced and knowledgeable people must
therefore do the breakdown of the IT project into separate tasks. Else,
the project could be a disaster.
• Construction Project Management
Construction is a mature industry. Almost all of construction activity can be
considered to be a project. Construction deals with physical items.
Therefore, it is fairly easy to keep accurate records. Consequently,
construction project management has a long history. This extensive history has
resulted in improvements in the project management approach, in the development
of more sophisticated project management tools, and in the training of more
competent project managers. Many universities today offer classes in construction
project management. A great deal of useful information, therefore,
has been written which can correctly be called project management training.
Another very useful aspect of construction project management is that the project
lifecycle can be divided quite cleanly between a project planning phase, and a project
execution phase. The project planning phase typically ends with a project
plan, which consists of a set of graphical plans, and a set of written
specifications detailing what is to be accomplished to complete the project (during
project execution).
The set of graphical plans is usually divided by the project architect(s)
into sheets that are specific to major components of the project. This identifies
the overall scope of the project, a significant contribution to the project
plan. Because of the detail contained in the project plan, potential
contractors who compete via bid to do the work of project execution have an opportunity
to assess project risk management as they construct their project proposal and bid.
Examples contained in the history of construction project management make it an
ideal example for other less mature industry efforts, such as IT project
management, to learn from the experience of others, adjusting of course
for the different tasks and problems to be faced. Be advised that the difference
in tasks and in problems/risks between industries is extensive.
• Enterprise Project Management
Enterprise project management implies the management of more than one project at a
time. This often means large businesses, but may also be applicable to
smaller enterprises. Good examples of shared resources that are commonly
used in different simultaneous projects are specialized equipment and skilled labor.
Particularly in IT project management, a skilled programmer may be the only
person in the company who can do a particular piece of work (programming).
Consequently, it becomes valuable for project managers to coordinate the
availability of that person. Likewise, for construction project management,
very expensive and specialized equipment may be needed on different projects.
This requires some additional scheduling and communication, which can be provided
via enterprise project management systems.
• Project Management
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 5/7/07)
"Project Management is the discipline of organizing and managing resources in such a way
that these resources deliver all the work required to complete a project within defined
scope, quality, time and cost constraints. A project is a temporary and one-time endeavor
undertaken to create a unique product or service, that brings about beneficial change or
added value"
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