PROJECT Chapter 1

MANAGEMENT
 WHAT IS A PROJECT?

A project is defined as a
sequence of tasks that must be
completed to attain a certain
outcome. According to the Project
Management Institute (PMI), the
term Project refers to ” to any
temporary endeavor with a definite
beginning and end”. Depending on
its complexity, it can be managed
by a single person or hundreds.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A
PROJECT
A project is a set of interdependent tasks
that have a common goal. Projects have
the following characteristics:

A clear start and end date – There are

projects that last several years but a project
cannot go on forever. It needs to have a clear
beginning, a defi nite end, and an overview of
what happens in between.
A project creates something new – Every
project is unique, producing something that did
not previously exist. A project is a one-time,
once-off activity, never to be repeated exactly
A project has boundaries – A project
operates within certain constraints of time,
money, quality, and functionality. We’ll see
more about this in later sections.

A project is not business as usual –

Projects are often confused with processes.
A Process is a series of routine, predefi ned
steps to perform a particular function, say,
expense reimbursement approvals. It’s not a
one-off activity. It determines how a specifi c
function is performed every single time.
 PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project management is a
process that allows project
managers to plan, execute, track
and complete projects with the help
of a project team. To do so, they
must use project management
principles, skills, methodologies and
tools to lead team members through
each of the project management
steps which are known as the
 PROJECT MANAGEMENT LIFE
CYCLE
The project management life cycle is a framework
that describes the stages a project goes through from
start to fi nish. It's a set of best practices that helps
project managers ensure their projects are successful.
Phases of the project management life cycle
 Initiation: Defi ne the project's scope, goals,
timeline, and success criteria
 Planning: Create a detailed action plan that outlines
the tasks needed to complete the project
 Execution: Carry out the work to complete the
project
 Monitoring and control: Ensure the project stays on
time and within budget
 Closure: Bring the project to a close
 EXAMPLE OF PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
Le t's say a p roje ct m an age r is taske d w ith le ading a te am to
de v e lop so ftw are prod u c ts. T h e y b e gin by id e n tify ing the sc ope of the
pro je c t. Th e y th e n assign task s to th e p roje ct te am , w hic h can inc lu de
de v e lop e rs, e n gin e e r s, te c h n ic al w r ite r s, an d q uality assuranc e
spe c ialists. T h e pro je c t m an age r c re ate s a sc h e du le an d se ts d e ad lin e s.

O fte n , a proje c t m an age r w ill u se v isu al re pre se ntations of

w o rk fl o w , su ch as G an tt c h ar ts o r P E RT ch ar ts, to de te rm in e w h ic h task s
are to be c om ple te d by w h ic h de par tm e n ts. We 'll touc h on
v isu aliz atio n s in th e n ex t se c tio n . Th e y se t a b ud ge t th at inc lud e s
su ffi c ie n t fu n ds to ke e p th e pro je c t w ith in bu d ge t e v e n in th e fac e of
u n ex p e c te d c o n tin ge n c ie s. T h e pro je c t m an age r also m ake s sure th e
te am h as th e re so u rc e s it n e e ds to b u ild, te st, an d d e ploy a softw are
pro du ct.

W h e n a larg e I T c o m p an y ac q u ire s sm alle r c o m panie s, a ke y part

o f th e p ro je c t m an ag e r's job is to in te gr ate pro je c t te am m e m b e rs from
v ario u s back g ro u n ds an d in still a se n se of gro u p p u rpose about m e e ting
th e e n d g oal. Pro je c t m an age r s m ay h av e so m e te c hnic al kn ow -h ow bu t
also h av e th e im po rtan t task of tak in g h igh -le v e l c orp orate v isions and
 PROJECT MANAGEMENT
TOOLS
Project management software provides a
digital platform for organizing, planning, and
tracking project activities. Some more
common project management software tools
include Microsoft Project, Asana, Trello, or
Jira.
Communication tools facilitate real-time
collaboration and communication among
project teams, stakeholders, and project
managers. For example, Slack is a popular
messaging platform that lets team members
to communicate through channels, direct
messages, and fi le sharing. Other examples
 Project managers usually rely on document management
systems to store, organize, and share project documents.
These repositories can range from SharePoint, Google Drive,
or DropBox. Document management systems ensure that
team members have access to the latest project
documentation.
 For companies that want to know what time is being spent on
what task, time-tracking software allows team members to
record what they've been up to. Platforms like Harvest off er
time tracking, expense tracking, and invoicing features,
helping project managers monitor project progress. This may
be really important for some projects, especially if items are
being billed to a client. Another example of this type of tool
is Toggl.
 Last, project management entails risk management tools.
Something like Risk Register can help identify potential risks,
their likelihood, and their potential impact on project
objectives. Meanwhile, internal model simulations like Monte
WHY IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT
IMPORTANT?
Project management ensures that large
deliverables are executed properly.
Instead of focusing on one large end
product, project management usually
documents, evaluates, and monitors a
series of smaller, more manageable
tasks that come together to make
something bigger possible. Project
management is important because it
ensures end goals are achieved.
 WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF
PROJECT TYPES?
A common example of a project would be
product development. Multiple
departments are involved in creating the
product, marketing it, selling it, and more.
The team that designs a project is diff erent
from the teams that manufacture, market,
or sell the product. As part of a project,
each of these teams would be working with
a project manager who helps move the
product development from one stage to the
next.
 TYPES OF PROJECTS BY
INDUSTRY
Projects can be executed by large or small
organizations from any industry. However,
some industries are more project-intensive
than others. Here are some of the most
common types of projects by industry.

Construction projects: The main goal of

any construction project is to make a
building that can be used for diff erent
purposes such as infrastructure, residential or
commercial use.
Manufacturing projects: Manufacturing
projects consist of manufacturing physical
IT projects: Information technology
projects consist in establishing an IT
framework for the processing of data at a
company-wide scale.
Software development projects: The
main goal of a software development project
is to create a software product for a client.
Business projects: The term business
project could refer to creating a new
business, creating a new business unit for
an existing company or simply launching a
new business initiative.
 WHAT DOES A PROJECT
MANAGER DO?
A project manager is more than just a
manager, in the traditional sense. This
individual is the leader of the project team and
oversees every aspect of the project, from
beginning to end. The project manager will
typically write the project plan, run team
meetings, assign tasks and do quality control
tests to ensure everything is running smoothly.
A project manager can’t carry the entire
project on their back, though. In most
organizations, project managers work within a
project management offi ce (PMO), a functional
department in charge of planning, executing
and monitoring projects.
 In addition to this, one of their key duties, in
fact, is knowing how to entrust various
responsibilities to team members. With the help
of their team, project managers will create
project schedules and budgets. They will also
create project reports throughout the project
lifecycle.

As you can see, their responsibilities are

widespread, but that doesn’t mean spreading too
thin. Ideally, a project manager creates the
foundation of the project—like the foundation of a
house. They then appoint other individuals to
fi nish out each room.