Unit-1: Introduction to project management No. of Lectures:6 Definition and characteristics of project, classification of project, project management, Benefits, Project management process, Role of project Manager, Project lifecycle. Definition and characteristics of Project: Project: A project is a sequence of unique, complex, and connected activities that have one goal or purpose and that must be completed by a specific time, within budget, and according to specification. Project management is an organized common-sense appropriate client involvement in order to meet sponsor needs deliver expected incremental business value. Project management can be defined as a group of multiple interdepended and depended activities that require people and resources it has definite start and end date and specific set of criteria that define successful completion. A Project is a one-time job that has defined starting and ending dates a clearly specified objective a predefined budget and temporary organization that is dismantle after the completion of project. A project is a unique undertaking which is composed of activity involving multiple resources which clear cut objective and emphasis of timely completion of objective. Characteristics of project: Major project characteristics are as under: a) Objective: A project has a set of objectives or a mission. Once the objectives are achieved, the project is treated as completed. For example, the objective of a project may be construction of a highway connecting two cities A and B, covering a distance of 20 km, Once the construction of the highway is completed the project comes to end. b) Life cycle: A project has a life cycle. The life cycle consists of the following stages: Conception stage: where project ideas are conceived. Design stage: where detailed design of different project areas is worked out. c) d) e) f) g) h) i) j) Implementation stage: Where the project is implemented as per the design. Commissioning stage: where the project is commissioned after implementation. Commissioning of a project indicates the end of its life cycle. Definite Time limit: A project has a definite time limit. It cannot continue forever. Team work: A project normally consist of diverse areas. There will be personnel specialized in their respective areas. Any project calls for the services of experts from a host of disciplines. Co-ordination among the diverse areas calls for teamwork. Hence a projects can be implemented only with teamwork. Sub-contracting Risks and uncertainty Complexity It is unique task. It is design to attend specific result requires varying of resources. A limited availability of time. Classification of project: There are three broad categories of projects to consider: Strategic Projects, Operational Projects, and Compliance Projects. Strategic Projects involve creating something new and innovative. A new product, a new service, a new retail location, a new branch or division, or even a new factory might be a strategic project, because it will allow an organization to gain strategic advantage over its competitors. Operational Projects improve current operations. These projects may not produce radical improvements, but they will reduce costs, get work done more efficiently, or produce a higher quality product. Compliance Projects must be done in order to comply with an industry or governmental regulation or standard. Often there is no choice about whether to implement a project to meet a regulation, but there may be several project options to consider, any of which would result in meeting compliance requirements. Project management: Project management is an organized common-sense appropriate client involvement in order to meet sponsor needs deliver expected incremental business value. Benefits of project management Clear, organized plans improve team collaboration. Defining everyone’s role eliminates confusion. Well-defined goals improve team effectiveness. Defining a communication plan keeps your team aligned and focused. Project management tools help increase efficiency. Project Management Improves Productivity and Reduces Costs and Workload. Project Management Improves Customer Satisfaction. Process Management Process: Project management life cycle model that is used must contain all of the following process Group: Scoping Process Group Planning Process Group Launching Process Group Monitoring and Controlling Process Group Closing Process Group These five-process group are the building block of every PMLC. In the simplest of cases, Linear TPM, the process group will each be completed once and, in the sequence, listed here. In more complex situation, some or all of the process group might be repeated a number of times. Scoping Process Group: Scoping comes before planning. This process group include all processes related to answering two questions: What business situation is being addressed? What does the business need to do? It does not include any process related to doing any project work. The project work is defined in the planning process group to be done later in the project life cycle. The scoping process group also includes establishing the business success criteria that will be the metrics used to answer the question “How will you know you did it?” The scoping Process Group includes the following processes: Identifying stakeholders Recruiting the project manager Eliciting the true needs and high-level requirement of the client Documenting the client’s needs Writing a one-page description of the project Gaining senior management approval to plan the project As you can see, the successful completion of the scoping process group is to gain the approval of senior management to move to the next phase of the project. Be advised, however, that not all projects are approved to go the planning phase. In every PMLC, the next phase will be defined by the planning process group. For some models that planning will encompass the entire project, and for others it will encompass only first cycle or iteration of the project. This direct linkage of the scoping and planning process group is present in every PMLC. Planning Process Group: The planning Process Group include all processes related to answering to questions: What will you do? How will you do it? These processes are as follows: Defining all of the work of the project Estimating how long it will take to complete the work Estimating the resources required to complete the work Sequencing the work Building the initial project schedule Analyzing and adjusting the project schedule Writing a risk management plan Documenting the project plan Gaining senior management approval to the launch the project Each of the processes in the planning process group can be done in a number of ways. The way that are done may be a function of the PMLC model being used or any of several other factors. I’ll offer my experiences in executing each process and in many cases offer several alternative ways of conducting the process. Choosing which to use in a given situation is where organized common sense again takes its stance. Launching Process Group: The Launching Process Group includes all processes related to recruiting and organizing the team and establishing the team operating rules. These processes are preparatory to executing the project. The Launching Process Group also includes all of the processes related to getting the project work started. These would be the executing processes. The Launching Process group includes the following processes: Recruiting the project team Writing a project description document Establishing team operating rule Establishing the scope change management process Managing team communication Finalizing the project schedule Writing work package All of these processes relate more to the art of project management than to the science of project management. During the executing of this project group, the entire team may be coming together for the first time. There will be client members and your delivery team members present. Perhaps they are mostly strangers to one another. At this point, they are nothing more than a group. They are not yet a team but must become one in very short order. Thinking back over my early experiences as a project manager when meeting my team members for the first time, I think of my task to create a team as something akin to herding cats. You can’t herd cats. There will be confusion and anxiety as they stare across the table at each other wondering why they are there, what they will be doing on the project, and what is happening on the project they should be working on in their home department. Being fully aware of this, the project manager will conduct that first team meeting with care, giving team members an opportunity to introduce themselves to each other and explain what they bring to the project. Monitoring and Controlling Process Group: The monitoring and controlling process group includes all processes related to answering the question, “How will you know you did it?” The monitoring and controlling process group includes all processes related to the ongoing work of the project. These processes are as follows: Establishing the project performance and reporting Monitoring project performance Monitoring risk Reporting project status Processing scope change request Discovering and solving problem Here is where the real work of the project takes place. It is a process group that consist of both the art and science of project management. It occupies the project manager with activities internal to the project team itself and with activities external to the project team and dealing with the client, sponsor, and your senior management. As problem and change requests arise, the strength of your client will in large measure contribute to the success or failure of the project. Closing Process Group: The Closing Process Group include all processes related to the completion of the project, including answer to the question, “How well did you do?” these processes are as follows: Gaining client approval of having met project requirement Planning and installing deliverable Writing the final project report Conducting the post-implementation audit The end is finally coming into sight. The client is satisfied that you have met the acceptance criteria. It’s time to install the deliverables and complete the administrative closedown of the project. Role of project Manager: Essentially, project managers oversee projects from start to finish. They supervise tasks, communicate effectively with stakeholders, and ensure that every aspect of the project is completed on time. Project managers must also be able to foresee potential blockers and find proper solutions to mitigate or eliminate them so that they don’t impede a project’s success. If we break the role of a project manager down into core responsibilities, we get a better picture of how much they oversee throughout a project’s timeline and how their supervision helps ensure success. Some of the core responsibilities of a project manager include: Identifying project goals, needs, and scope Planning, monitoring, and documenting tasks throughout a project Ensuring all tasks, deliverables, and project materials are delivered promptly Managing all resources Identifying necessary for project execution Fostering effective communication with stakeholders concerning project status Foreseeing and strategically eliminating blockers and potential risks Documenting each step of the process using various project management tools Ensuring top-quality results and success for a project These core responsibilities are pillars of project management. They empower project managers to supervise an assignment adequately. Moreover, they allow project managers to create timelines, delegate tasks and shape a project perfectly to the needs of everyone who stands to benefit from its completion. Project Management life cycle: To plan your journey, you need a project landscape that is simple and intuitive and will remain valid despite the volatility of the business environment. The project landscape will be your unchanging roadmap for further analysis and action. For several years now project management professional have proclaimed “One size does not fit all.” If it did, the life of a project manager would be boring and this book would be less than 100 pages in length. Unfortunately, being an effective project manager is exhilarating and demanding of all your creative energies. A “one size fits all” mentally doesn’t work and probably never worked. To help you build a decision-making model for choosing a project management model, I first defined a very general project landscape. Project Management is not a matter of following a recipe. Rather it is the ability to create and use recipes. I want you to be a chef not just a cook. You are going to have to work hard to reach a point where you can create recipes. Definition: Project A project management life cycle (PMLC) is a sequence of processes that includes: Scoping Planning Launching Monitoring and controlling Closing The logical ordering of these processes is a function of the characteristics of the project. This book defines five different PMLC models. Each is constructed to meet the specific needs of a project type to which it is which it is aligned. To that end I defined the following five models across the four quadrants. Quadrant 1: TPM- Linear and Increment Models Quadrant 2: APM- Iterative and Adaptive Models Quadrant 3: Xpm—Extreme Models Quadrant 4: MPx—Extreme Models These five models form a continuum that ranges from certainty about the solution to some uncertainty about the solution to major uncertainty about the solution. In figure, certainty is measured with respect to requirement and a solution. The less certain you are that you have clearly defined requirement and a solution to match, the more you should choose an approach at high uncertainty end of the continuum. Once you understand the nature of the project to be undertaken, you can confidently choose the model that offers the best chance of a successful completion.
