BAHR 323

Project Management

Week 1-3: Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO): At the end of the unit, you are expected to:
 Explain project and its classification.
 Expound project goals, difference between project to process and program, project life cycle.
 Elaborate project management.

Project is a temporary undertaking performed to produce a unique product, service, or result (Portny,
2017).

Three Main Components

• Specific scope. This pertains to the desired results or products the organization wants to attain. You
need to have a specific scope to ascertain the reason why your project exists.
• Schedule. The project should have a time frame, when should it start and when it should end. This is
an essential part of the project to determine when the organization evaluates the projects if its effective
or not.
• Required resources. This talks about the needed people, budgetary requirements and other resources.

Classification of a Project

Metalanguage

• Timetable. This refers to the time schedule the project must be completed.
• Feasible. This term refers to the attainability of the project to finish on time.
Primary Goals of a Project

The following are the primary goals of a project:

1. Conclude the project within the planned timetable

With the specific time decided, the project must be completed. This means that personnel
responsible must do all feasible means to end the project on time. Presumption and ineffectiveness
during planning of the scope has to be avoided. This avoidance will give realistic time schedule with
which to work.

2. Complete the project within the allocated budget.

Budgets are done to check that funds are managed effectively. Completing the project within the
allocated budget makes obvious that personnel working on it has manage the project responsibly.

3. End the project with the identical level of quality.

It is regrettable that oftentimes quality is jeopardized to meet deadlines but it is important to

note that this should not happen. Maintaining high quality of the whole project is vital while staying on
track with the target date.

4. Terminate the project within the detailed guidelines.

To make sure that the customer is satisfied, it is necessary to attain customer needs. Finishing
the project with what the customer wanted creates the amazing feeling.

5. Make the best of the task that has been given.

Perfection is unattainable but with great project leaders and teams could still make the project
successful even with fortuitous events. Project goals were attained due doing their best with what
appeared their way.

Is project the same with process and program?

No, process and program are different from project. Process is a sequence of steps to perform a
particular task, such as budget process. A process isn’t a one-time activity but it defines how a particular
function is to be done every time. Oftentimes, process is part of the project. In the other hand, program
refers to a group of specified projects that achieve a common goal.

Four phases of a Project Life Cycle

1. Starting the project – This phase involves generating, evaluating and framing the business need
for the project and the general approach to perform it and prepare a detailed project plan.

 approval to proceed to the next phase

 documentation of the need for the project
 rough estimates of time and resources to perform it
 Initial list of people who may be interested in, involve with or affected by the project

2. Organizing and preparing – This phase involves developing a plan that specifies the desired
results; the work to do; the time, cost and other resources required; and a plan for how to
address key project risks.

3. Carrying out the work – This phase involves establishing the project team and the project
support systems, performing the planned work, and monitoring and controlling performance to
ensure adherence to the current plan.

 project results
 Project progress reports
 Other communications
 4. Closing the project – This phase involves assessing the project results, obtaining customer
approvals, transitioning project team members to new assignments, closing financial accounts
and conducting a post-project evaluation.

 terminal project results and recommendations

 suggestions and lessons learned
 Other communications

Project management is the process of guiding a project from its beginning through its performance to
its closure. It is the science and art in the application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute
projects effectively and efficiently toward the accomplishment of its goals and objectives.

Project management includes five sets of processes which I describe in more detail in the
following sections:

• Initiating processes. Clarifying the business need, defining high-level expectations and secure budgets,
and beginning to identify audiences that may play a role in your project.
• Planning processes. Detailing the project scope, time frames, resources and risks, as well as intended
approaches to project communications, quality and management of external purchases of goods and
services.
• Execution processes. Establishing and managing the project team, communicating with and managing
project audiences and implementing the plans.
• Monitoring and controlling processes. Tracking performance and taking actions necessary to help
ensure project plans are successfully implemented and the desired results are achieved.
• Closing processes. Ending all project activity.
Advantage of Project Management

 A more resourceful handling of resources as both the schedule and the budget are clear in the
project plan.
 Less cost and better quality of the end product/service conveyed by executing meticulous cost
management and quality management processes.
 A better, more firm affiliation with the client and other stakeholder management.
 An improved teamwork atmosphere because of the implementation of a formal process to
acknowledging/resolving conflicts.
 A flattering ouch of professionalism to the company leading to healthier insight by external
organizations.

Disadvantage of Project Management

1. Overhead
 Cost overhead – all actions that can outlay a sizeable sum of money be kept aligned with
the overall business strategy to make sound investment.
 Communication overhead – instead of having the information stream directly from the
functional managers down to the team members and back up, it’s all channeled through
the Project Managers.
 Time overhead – Project Managers can never precisely evaluate the extent of any task,
and pad their approximation so that they won’t wind up with a late project.

2. Obsession
 Methodology obsession – Project Managers become so blocked and so defensive to their
own methodology that they reject to try out with a different one that may be quicker and
superior for their existing project.
 Process obsession – Quite a few Project Mangers deter the advancement of the project
with their obsession for attaching to the process. The motive why most Project Managers
think process obsession as a good practice is because of insecurity and fear of loss of
control.
 Stakeholder obsession – Instead of administering the stakeholders’ expectations,
requests, and interference and focusing on their support, these Project Managers strive
their best to accommodate the stakeholder. This accommodation, which often manifests
itself in gold plating, is pricey and unnecessary. Gold plating is in the act of furnishing the
customer more than what he initially requested for.

3. Non-creativity
 Technical – Project Management compels cutoff date on resources, who have to work as
speedy as they can to conclude to their tasks on time. By nature, people like to be
artistic, particularly at work. However, when there’s a Project Manager breathing down
their necks all the time, their main goal is just to finish on time so they don’t mind any
longer on setting free their creativity. This discourages the resources and unfavorably
influences the quality of the end product.
 Managerial – Project Management, by nature, imposes the routine process. Managers,
habitually leading humans, become directed by a process. Their managerial skills decline,
as there’s no requirement to hone them anymore: the process is obvious and it should be
pursued. Likewise, managers become demoralized.
Limitations of Project Management

A limitation is a constraint enforced by the application of traditional project management. A limitation

differs from a disadvantage as the latter is an unwanted outcome stemming from the implementation of
project management, while limitation is the margin unnaturally fashioned by project management.
Without this limitation better supervision of a project and superior quality of delivered product/service are
the expected result.

The following are the limitations of project management:

 Failure to stick with the project scope

 Failure to completely make parallel the project objectives with the business organizational
strategy.
 Failure to administer projects with unstipulated budget and/or schedule.
 Reliance on functional management
 Pursuing an exclusive methodology