Mastering Project Management
Introduction
Dr. Lotfi Gaafar
The American University in Cairo
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What Is a Project?
A project is a combination of human and nonhuman
resources pulled together in a temporary
organization to achieve a specified purpose.*
* Cleland, D.I. and Kerzner, H. 1985. A project management dictionary of terms. New York: VanNostrand Reinhold.
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Project Example
Bus Shelter Construction
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Activity
Duration
Resources
Predecessor(s)
Shelter Plate
Shelter Walls
Shelter Roof
Roof Beam
Excavation
Curb and Gutter
Shelter Seat
Paint
Signwork
2
1
2
3
2
2
1
1
1
2
1
2
2
3
3
2
1
2
5
1
2,4
2
-5
4,6
3, 7
8
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Attributes of projects
Definable purpose with established goals
Temporary, One-time activity
Multiple resources across organizational lines
Should have a primary sponsor and/or customer
Involve uncertainty
Cost, schedule, and performance requirements
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What is Project Management*?
(PMI*, Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 2000, p. 6)
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Project Stakeholders
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Stakeholders are the people involved in or
affected by project activities
Stakeholders include
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–
–
–
–
–
the project sponsor and project team
support staff
customers
users
suppliers
opponents to the project
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Project Players
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Owner
Contractor
Designer/Consultant
Example Barrage Project
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Relationships
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PROJECT OBJECTIVE
The project objective answers the question, "What is
this completed project going to do?"
Project objectives should be "SMART":
Specific
Measurable
Agreed upon
Realistic
Time-limited
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PROJECT DELIVERABLES
A project deliverable is a specific, tangible item that
contributes to the project objective.
Be very sure of your project's objectives and all the
deliverables expected by the client. To do this, ask lots of
questions and then listen.
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Why Project Management?

Projects have a terrible track record
– A 1995 Standish Group study found that only 16.2% of IT
projects were successful. Over 31% of IT projects were
canceled before completion, costing over $81 B in the U.S.
alone
– Another survey of technology projects in the United States
by the Project Management Institute reveals some startling
percentages. Close to half of the projects started were never
finished, 30% were completed but took at least twice as long
as expected, some took 5 times as long. Only 10% of the
projects were finished on time.
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Project Constraints
Client
Acceptance
Budget
Success
Schedule
Performance
Pinto and Kharbanda 1995
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Project Constraints
The main project constraints are:
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Scope (Client Acceptance)
Time (Schedule)
Cost (Budget)
Resources (Performance)
Project management seeks to balance competing
goals within these four constraints
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THE PROJECT CHARTER
• Who's responsible for what
•Lines of demarcation between the project team and any
functional departments or teams
•What resources are available
•What constraints the resources may have
•How progress is to be reported
•What reports will be produced, when and by whom
•Decision points for the client
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Sample Project Charter
Project Title: Information Technology (IT) Upgrade Project
Project Start Date: March 4, 2006
Projected Finish Date: December 4, 2006
Project Manager:
Project Objectives: Upgrade hardware and software for all employees
(approximately 2,000) within 9 months based on new corporate standards. See
attached sheet describing the new standards. Upgrades may affect servers and
midrange computers as well as network hardware and software. Budgeted
$1,000,000 for hardware and software costs and $500,000 for labor costs.
Approach:
Update the IT inventory database to determine upgrade needs
Develop detailed cost estimate for project and report to CIO
Issue a request for quotes to obtain hardware and software
Use internal staff as much as possible to do the planning, analysis, and installation
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Sample Project Charter (Continued)
Name
Walter Schmidt, CEO
Mike Zwack
Role
Project Sponsor
CIO
Kim Nguyen
Jeff Johnson
Nancy Reynolds
Project Manager
Director of IT Operations
VP, Human Resources
Steve McCann
Director of Purchasing
Responsibility
Monitor project
Monitor project, provide
staff
Plan and execute project
Mentor Kim
Provide staff, issue memo
to all employees about
project
Assist in purchasing
hardware and software
Sign-off: (Signatures of all above stakeholders)
Comments: (Handwritten comments from above stakeholders, if applicable). This
project must be done within ten months at the absolute latest. We are assuming
that adequate staff will be available and committed to supporting this project.
Some work must be done after hours to avoid work disruptions, and overtime will
be provided.
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Do you need a project charter?
Not all projects have a formal written charter. Sometimes
these basic parameters and expectations are included in a
contract; sometimes they are indicated in the written
project plan in task descriptions or as an introduction to the
plan. The format or the location of this information is not as
important as the fact that it is written down and mutually
agreed upon by you as project manager and the client.
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Project Management Framework*
*Schwalbe, Kathy, Information Technology Project Management, Course Technology,
2000, p. 8
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Project Management
Knowledge Areas
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Knowledge areas describe the key competencies that
project managers must develop
– 4 core knowledge areas lead to specific project objectives
(scope, time, cost, and quality)
– 4 facilitating knowledge areas are the means through which the
project objectives are achieved (human resources,
communication, risk, and procurement management)
– 1 knowledge area (project integration management) affects and
is affected by all of the other knowledge areas
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Project Management Tools and
Techniques
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Project management tools and techniques
assist project managers and their teams in
various aspects of project management
Some specific tools and techniques include
– Project Charter and WBS
– Gantt charts, PERT charts, critical path analysis
– Cost estimates and Earned Value Analysis
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Fifteen Project Management Job Functions*
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Define scope of project
Identify stakeholders, decisionmakers, and escalation
procedures
Develop detailed task list (work
breakdown structures)
Estimate time requirements
Develop initial project
management flow chart
Identify required resources and
budget
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Evaluate project requirements
Identify and evaluate risks
Prepare contingency plan
Identify interdependencies
Identify and track critical
milestones
Participate in project phase
review
Secure needed resources
Manage the change control
process
Report project status
Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies, "Building a Foundation for Tomorrow: Skills Standards for Information
Technology,"Belleview, WA, 1999
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Suggested Skills for a Project Manager
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Communication skills: listening, persuading
Organizational skills: planning, goal-setting, analyzing
Team Building skills: empathy, motivation, esprit de
corps
Leadership skills: sets example, energetic, vision (big
picture), delegates, positive
Coping skills: flexibility, creativity, patience,
persistence
Technological skills: experience, project knowledge
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Code of Ethics for the Project Management
Profession
PREAMBLE: Project Management
Professionals, in the pursuit of their
profession, affect the quality of life for all
people in our society. Therefore, it is vital that
Project Management Professionals conduct
their work in an ethical manner to earn and
maintain the confidence of team members,
colleagues, employees, clients, and the public.
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Code of Ethics for the Project Management Profession
ARTICLE I: Project Management Professionals shall maintain high
standards of personal and professional conduct and:
a. Accept responsibility for their actions.
b. Undertake projects and accept responsibility only if qualified by
training or experience, or after full disclosure to their employers
or clients of pertinent qualifications.
c. Maintain their professional skills at the state-of-the-art and
recognize the importance of continued personal development
and education.
d. Advance the integrity and prestige of the professional by
practicing in a dignified manner.
e. Support this code and encourage colleagues and co-workers to
act in accordance with this code.
f. Support the professional society by actively participating and
encouraging colleagues and coworkers to participate.
g. Obey the laws of the country in which work is being performed.
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Code of Ethics for the Project Management Profession
ARTICLE II: Project Management Professionals shall, in their
work:
a. Provide the necessary project leadership to promote maximum
productivity while striving to minimize costs.
b. Apply state-of-the-art project management tools and techniques
to ensure quality, cost, and time objectives as set forth in the
plan are met.
c. Treat fairly all project team members, colleagues, and
coworkers, regardless of race, religion, sex, age, or national
origin.
d. Protect project team members from physical and mental harm.
e. Provide suitable working conditions and opportunities for
project team members.
f. Seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of work, and properly
credit the contribution of others.
g. Assist project team members, colleagues, and co-workers in
their professional development.
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Code of Ethics for the Project Management Profession
ARTICLE III: Project Management Professionals shall, in their
relations with employers and clients:
a. Act as faithful agents or trustees for their employers or clients
in professional or business matters.
b. Keep information on the business affairs or technical processes
of an employer or client in confidence while employed, and later,
until such information is properly released.
c. Inform their employers, clients, professional societies, or public
agencies of which they are members or to which they may make
any presentations, of any circumstance that could lead to a
conflict of interest.
d. Neither give nor accept, directly or indirectly, any gift, payment,
or service of more than nominal value to or from those having
business relationships with their employers or clients.
e. Be honest and realistic in reporting project quality, cost, and
time.
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Code of Ethics for the Project Management Profession
ARTICLE IV: Project management Professionals
shall, in fulfilling their responsibilities to the
community:
a. Protect the safety, health, and welfare of the
public, and speak out against abuses in these
areas affecting the public interest.
b. Seek to extend public knowledge and
appreciation of the project management
profession and its achievements..
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