PROJECT MANAGEMENT

UNIT I
Introduction to Project
Management

Project
A project is a temporary endeavor
undertaken to create a unique product,
service, or result.
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.

What is a Project
A temporary job to accomplish a specific task
Attributes

Unique purpose
Involves resources
May involve uncertainty

Factors influencing a project

Goal
Time
Cost

Project Attributes
A project:
Has a unique purpose.
Is temporary.
Is developed using progressive elaboration.
Requires resources, often from various areas.
Should have a primary customer or sponsor.
The project sponsor usually provides the
direction and funding for the project.

Involves uncertainty.

Examples
constructing houses, factories, shopping
malls, athletic stadiums or arenas
developing military weapons systems,
aircrafts, new ships
launching satellite systems
constructing oil pipelines
developing and implementing new computer
systems
planning concert, football games, or
basketball tournaments
introducing new products into market
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Project Management-Challenges
Projects are growing in size and complexity-today it
is common to think in terms of projects involving
investments of Rs. 5000 Cr and more.
Increasing complexity and size accompanied by a
need to cut implementation time and cost
The net result is a set of major challenges that the
Project Owners, Consultants, Contractors and
Suppliers have to face jointly and overcome at each
stage of a project

Concerns
Delays
Cost over runs
Management of risk
Resource Constraints
Sustainability
The right approach at each stage helps to address these issues

What is Project Management?

It is the planning, scheduling, and
controlling of project activities to achieve
performance, cost, and time objectives
It has a definite beginning and an end
The result of a project is a product or
service
Managing a project means taking control
and completing it with the least pain,
expense, and casualties

Project management
Involves applications of
knowledge, skills, tools and
techniques to project activities in
order to meet or exceed
stakeholders expectation from a
project

Project Stakeholders
Stakeholders are the people involved in or
affected by project activities.
Stakeholders include:
Project sponsor
Project manager
Project team
Support staff
Customers
Users
Suppliers
Opponents to the project

Tools and Techniques

Assist the team in various functions
Some tools
Scope
Critical path analysis, PERT and Gantt
charts
Cost estimates

The ten commandments of project management

Project and Program Managers

Project managers work with project sponsors,
project teams, and other people involved in
projects to meet project goals.
Program: A group of related projects managed in
a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control
not available from managing them individually.*
Program managers oversee programs and often
act as bosses for project managers.

The Triple Constraint

Every project is constrained in different ways by its:
Scope goals: What work will be done?
Time goals: How long should it take to complete?
Cost goals: What should it cost?
It is the project managers duty to balance these three
often-competing goals.

The Triple Constraint of Project

Management

Successful project
management means
meeting all three
goals (scope, time,
and cost) and
satisfying the
projects sponsor!

Project Management
Framework

Nine Project Management

Knowledge Areas
Knowledge areas describe the key competencies that
project managers must develop.
Four core knowledge areas lead to specific project
objectives (scope, time, cost, and quality).
Four facilitating knowledge areas are the means
through which the project objectives are achieved
(human resources, communication, risk, and
procurement management).
One knowledge area (project integration management)
affects and is affected by all of the other knowledge
areas.
All knowledge areas are important!

The Role of the Project

Manager
Job descriptions vary, but most include
responsibilities such as planning,
scheduling, coordinating, and working with
people to achieve project goals.
Remember that 97 percent of successful
projects were led by experienced project
managers.

Suggested Skills for Project

Managers
Project managers need a wide variety of skills.
They should:
Be comfortable with change.
Understand the organizations they work in and with.
Lead teams to accomplish project goals.

Suggested Skills for Project

Managers
Project managers need both hard and
soft skills.
Hard skills include product knowledge and
knowing how to use various project
management tools and techniques.
Soft skills include being able to work with
various types of people.

Suggested Skills for Project

Managers
Communication skills: Listens, persuades.
Organizational skills: Plans, sets goals, analyzes.
Team-building skills: Shows empathy, motivates,
promotes esprit de corps.
Leadership skills: Sets examples, provides vision (big
picture), delegates, positive, energetic.
Coping skills: Flexible, creative, patient, persistent.
Technology skills: Experience, project knowledge.

PROJECT LIFE CYCLE

Phases of the Project Life

Cycle 1
The first phase involves the
identification of a need, problem, or
opportunity.
Theneedandrequirementsareusuallywrittenby
thecustomerintoadocumentcalledarequestfor
proposal(RFP).

Phases of the Project Life

Cycle 2
The second phase is the
development of a proposed solution
to the need or problem.
This phase results in the submission of a
proposal.
The customer and the winning contractor
negotiate and sign a contract (agreement).

Phases of the Project Life

Cycle 3
The third phase is performing the
project.
Different types of resources are utilized
Results in the accomplishment of the project
objective

Phases of the Project Life

Cycle 4
The final phase is terminating the
project.
Perform close-out activities
Evaluate performance
Invite customer feedback