Ahmad Al-Ghoul
Learning Objectives
 Explain what a project is,, list various attributes of
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projects.
Describe project management, discuss Who uses Project
Management.
Discuss The Project Management Process.
Explain Benefits of Project Management
Discuss how to control projects.
Discuss Suggested Steps in Project Management
Discuss the activities in a Project Life Cycle
What is Project Management?
 Project : A group of milestones or phases,
activities or tasks that support an effort to
accomplish something
 Management : is the process of Planning,
Organizing, Controlling and Measuring
Project...
 A collection of linked activities, carried out in an
organized manner, with a clearly defined START
POINT and END POINT to achieve some specific
results desired to satisfy the needs of the
organization at the current time
What Is a Project?
 A project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to
create a unique product, service, or result.”*
 Operations is work done to sustain the business.
 A project ends when its objectives have been reached,
or the project has been terminated.
 Projects can be large or small and take a short or long
time to complete.
Attributes of a Project
 Has a well-defined objective
 Composed of a series of interdependent tasks
 Utilizes various resources
 Has a specific time frame
 May be a unique or one-time endeavor
 Has a customer
 Involves a degree of uncertainty
Project Management
 A dynamic process that utilizes the appropriate
resources of the organization in a controlled and
structured manner, to achieve some clearly
defined objectives identified as needs.
 It is always conducted within a defined set of
constraints
Why Need Project Management?
• Complex project needs coordination of:
 Multiple people
 Multiple resources (labs, equipment, etc.)
 Multiple tasks – some must precede others
 Multiple decision points – approvals
 Phased expenditure of funds
 Matching of people/resources to tasks
Who uses Project Management?
 Nearly Everyone to some degree
People plan their Days, their Weeks, their Vacations
and their Budgets and keep a simple project
management form known as ‘’To Do’’ list
 Any Process or Means used to track tasks or efforts
towards accomplishing a goal could be considered
Project Management
The Project Management Process
 The project management process means planning the work and
then working the plan.
 Clearly define the project objective.
 Divide and subdivide the project.
 Define the specific activities that need to be performed.
 Graphically schedule the activities in a project.
 Make a time estimate.
 Make a cost estimate.
 Calculate a project schedule and budget.
Benefits of Project Management
 Less overall project cost
 Effective use of resources
 More timely project completion
 Higher quality of the final product
Controlling Projects
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Establish a baseline plan.
Monitor progress.
Measure actual progress and compare it to planned progress.
Take corrective action if the project is behind schedule,
overrunning the budget, or not meeting technical specifications.
Suggested Steps in
Project Management
• Generate a formal definition of the project, with goals,
constraints, assumptions
• Identify project start/end dates, any mandatory milestones,
including reports, signoffs, deliverables, etc.
• List constraints – money, equipment availability, holidays,
etc.
• Identify tasks to be accomplished – high level (i.e., by
categories), then details within each, using brainstorming
method – green light
Suggested Steps, cont.
• Refine detailed task list, dropping/ combining, adding
things omitted
Then, for each task in list:
• Estimate time (person hours, calendar period)
• Identify dependencies among tasks
• Identify resources (people, money, parts, etc.)
Suggested Steps, cont.
Organize task groups roughly by starting date
List dependencies that should or MUST hold
Use MS Project to make a GANTT chart
• First capture tasks and task groups, milestones
• Identify critical path, see if it can be shortened
• Assign person-hours and specific team member(s) to each
task – identify “task leads”
Suggested Steps, cont.
As project progresses:
• Monitor, record progress on all tasks, at least weekly –
use “Tracking Gantt Chart”
• Pay particular attention to those on critical path
• Revise plan as needed to take into account changes,
adapt to meet milestones
Project Life Cycle
Initiating
Processes
Planning
Processes
Executing
Processes
Controlling
Processes
Closing
Processes
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Project Initiation Phase
 To commit the organization to a project or phase
 To set the overall solution direction
 To define top-level project objectives
 To secure the necessary approvals and resources
 Validate alignment with strategic objectives
 To assign a project manager
Project Planning Phase
 Organize and staff the project
 Develop a Project Plan
 Sign off on the Project Plan
Project Execution Phase
 Execute the Project Plan
 Manage the Project Plan
 Implement the project’s results
 Sign off on project’s completion
Project controlling Phase
To keep the project on track in order to achieve its
objectives as outlined in the project plan by:
 Monitoring and reporting variances
 Controlling scope changes
 Controlling schedule changes
 Controlling costs
 Controlling quality
 Responding to risks
Project Close-out Phase
 Document the lessons learned during the project
 After-implementation review
 Provide performance feedback
 Close-out contracts
 Complete administrative close-out
 Deliver project completion report