COURSE TITLE: FUNDAMENTALS

PROJECTMANAGEMENT

COURSE CODE: MPLM 5031

CREDIT HOURS: 4.8/8 ECTS

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The objectives of the course
 The purpose of this course is to provide students with the basic
tools, techniques and methodologies of project planning and
management.
 It applies management principles in executing projects with
the attraction of delivery of products or services on time, within
the scope, and budget, of high quality and exceeding the
customer’s expectations.
 The course espouses the primacy and importance of team work
as a solid foundation upon which successful projects have been
executed.
 Hence in course of delivery, we also emphasize working in
teams.
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• This also distinguishes facilitation from lecturing,
instructing and teaching because it allows interaction
and team work in a less formal atmosphere in order to
stimulate thinking and generate ideas.
• This is how we teach team work and team building
through facilitation and doing.
• All in all, the course offers an overview of project
planning and management and its applicability to the
Ethiopia, African and global context.
• It is anticipated that you will be able to apply the skills
learned in class to impact positively on the projects which
students are currently working on such as their own
studies, taken as a project with a start and end date.

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 Brief Course Content
• Chapter One: The Basic concepts Project
Management
• Chapter Two: The process of Project
Management
• Chapter Three: The Framework for Managing
Projects
• Chapter four: Project Integration
• Chapter five: Managing Project Scope
• Chapter six: Managing Project Time
• Chapter seven: Managing Project Cost
• Chapter eight: Managing Complexity and Chaos
in Public-Sector Projects
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Chapter One: The Basic concepts and Challenges of
Public-Sector Project Management
Project Characteristics
Project Objectives and Functions
Project Classification
Project Management Definition
Elements of Project Management
Techniques for Project Management
Roles and Attributes for Project Manager
The Distinguishing Characteristics of the Public Sector
The Challenges of Public-Sector Project Management
New Tools for Public-Sector Managers in the New
Economy
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 What is a project?
Project is a collection of linked activities, carried out in
an organized manner with a clearly defined start point and
finish point, to achieve some specific results that satisfy
the needs of an organization as derived from the current
business plans. (Trevor L Young,1998)
Project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a
unique product, service, or result.(PMBOK,2008)
Project is a well-organized development of an end product
that had a discrete beginning, a discrete end, and a
discrete deliverable.(Knutson & Bitz,1991)
A project is a job that is done once/Jemis P. lweis
A project is a problem scheduled for solution/J. M.
JURAN
A problem is a gap between where you are and where you
want to be, with an obstacle that prevents easy movement
to close the gap.
Project can be defined in the following ways:
• Project is an organizational unit dedicated to
the allotment of a goal, the successful
completion of a development product in time,
within specified budget, in conformance with
the predetermined performance specifications
• It is a set of finite activities that are usually
prepared only once and have well designed
objectives, using a combination of human and
nonhuman resources within limits of time

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• It consists of a series of non-routine,
interrelated activities with a goal that
must be completed with a set amount of
resources and within a set time limit.
• It is a proposal for investment to create
and/or develop certain facilities in order
to increase the production of goods
and/or services in a community during a
certain period of time. (UNIDO)

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1.1 Project Characteristics
• Objectives : A project has a set of objectives or a
mission. Once the objectives are achieved the project
is treated as completed.
• Life cycle : A project has a life cycle. The life cycle
consists of five stages i.e. conception stage, definition
stage, planning & organising stage, implementation
stage and commissioning stage.
• Uniqueness : Every project is unique and no two
projects are similar. Setting up a cement plant and
construction of a highway are two different projects
having unique features.
• Team Work : Project is a team work and it normally
consists of diverse areas. There will be personnel
specialized in their respective areas and coordination
among the diverse areas calls for team work.
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Phases of Project Management Life Cycle

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• Complexity : A project is a complex set of
activities relating to diverse areas.
• Risk and uncertainty : Risk and uncertainty go
hand in hand with project. A risk-free, it only
means that the element is not apparently visible
on the surface and it will be hidden underneath.
• Customer specific nature : A project is always
customer specific. It is the customer who decides
upon the product to be produced or services to
be offered and hence it is the responsibility of
any organization to go for projects/services that
are suited to customer needs.
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• Change : Changes occur through out the life span of a
project as a natural outcome of many environmental
factors. The changes may vary from minor changes, which
may have very little impact on the project, to major
changes which may have a big impact or even may
change the very nature of the project.
• Optimality : A project is always aimed at optimum
utilization of resources for the overall development of the
economy.
• Subcontracting : A high level of work in a project is done
through contractors. The more the complexity of the
project, the more will be the extent of contracting.
• Unity in diversity : A project is a complex set of
thousands of varieties. The varieties are in terms of
technology, equipment and materials, machinery and
people, work, culture and others. 12
What makes a good project?
• Well defined in scope and timing;
• Responds to real societal needs;
• Is environmentally and socially
sustainable;
• Complies with regulatory requirements;
• Is technically & financially feasible; and
• Is fiscally affordable.
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• Project management can be used with work that has three major
characteristics: desired technical objectives, a deadline, and a
budget

1. A discrete technical objective: If knowledge of the end product or

service does not exist, it is extremely difficult to produce a plan.
• In this circumstance, some type of planning may be possible, but
project planning it is not!
• If the definition of the technical objective is part of the project, the
effective application of project management requires that the
project be broken into several smaller projects, the first of which
will have the technical objective as its end product.
• In addition, the end product should be capable of being examined
in some objective manner to determine whether it possesses the
attributes and quality desired by the individual(s) for whom the
project is being accomplished.
• If the product will be assessed on the basis of subjective criteria, it
is much more difficult to plan and to manage the effort.
2. A deadline: The deadline can be established
prior to the development of the project plan,
or it can be the result of negotiation between
the project manager and the client after the
plan has been conceived.
• In either case, the project team ultimately
works toward a designated end date, with
some consequence associated with any delay
in completion of the effort.
3. A budget: The budget can be in the form of dollars
and/or staffing required; it can be established prior to
the development of the project plan, or it can be the
result of negotiations between the project manager
and the client based on the plan.
• In addition, the project manager and the other
personnel with the requisite subject matter expertise
must be able to divide or partition the work into small,
discrete segments whose completion can be measured.
• This partitioning or decomposition of the work results
in the development of a task (or to-do) list.
• If the task list is hierarchical and has a logical structure,
it is called a work breakdown structure (WBS).
1.2. Project Objectives and Functions
There are three primary objectives of a project
to be met, which include:
1. Performance: This is to satisfy the specified
standards of performance/function,
reliability and safety
2. Containment of expenditure within budgets
to ensure smooth running
3. Time Scale: Timely implementation of project
to be proven at time of launch
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Some of the typical objectives, not listed
in any particular order, include:

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Project Management Institute (PMI) identifies six basic
functions that project management must address. These
are:
1. Manage the project’s scope to define the goals and
the work to be done, in sufficient detail to facilitate
understanding and correct performance by
participants
2. Manage the human resources involved in a project
effectively
3. Managing communications to see that appropriate
parties are informed and have sufficient information
to keep the project coordinated
4. Manage time by planning and meeting schedules
5. Manage quality so that project results are satisfactory
6. Manage costs to see that project is performed at the
minimum possible cost and within the budget, if
possible
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 1.3.Project Classification
The project can be classified in various ways:
National vs International
• National
– Development
*Location (Rural and Urban);
*Resources (Infrastructural, Production, Service, Mobilization)
– Maintenance
*Welfare (Microscopic and Macroscopic)
• International
– Foreign Investors (MNC’s)
– Joint Ventures
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• Based on Size and Scale
– Large Scale, Medium Scale, Small Scale
• Based on Ownership and Control
– Public Sector, Private Sector, Joint Sector
• Based on Degree of Change
– Inventive, Discovery, Innovation, Adaptation
• Based on Technology Involved
– Conventional, Non-Conventional/
– Research and Development Projects/Developing a
new Technology, High Technology and Low
Technology
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• Based on Speed
– Normal, Crash, Disaster
• Based on Beneficiary
– Industrial, Ancillary, Consumers
• Based on Purpose
– New Projects, Mergers, Diversification,
Modernization, Replacement/Renewal, Up-
gradation, Maintenance, Balancing,
Rehabilitation/Sick Unit Reorganization,
Construction Projects (e.g. Construction of house,
building, bridges, roads, tunnels, etc.),
Management Projects, Manufacturing Projects
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There are some projects which are difficult
to classify into any category like :
• conducting national elections,
• performing marriage,
• overhauling a machine,
• maintenance of machine,
• launching new weapon system,
• commissioning of a factory,
• conducting war, precursor planning to
prevent riots.
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RELATIONSHIP OF PROJECT, PROGRAM, PORTFOLIO,
AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
1.4. Project Management Definition
 is the discipline that relates all of those words
that you thought of that apply to project.
 cultivates the expertise to plan, monitor, track,
and manage the people, the time, the budget,
and the quality of the work on projects.
 proactive style of management.
 fulfills two purposes:
(1) It provides the technical and business
documentation to communicate the plan and,
subsequently, the status that facilitates comparison of
the plan against actual performance, and
(2) it supports the development of the managerial skills
to facilitate better management of the people and
their project(s).
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 is a set of principles, methods, tools, and techniques
for the effective management of objective-oriented
work in the context of a specific and unique
organizational environment.
 is an evolving discipline that integrates the processes of
producing the end product with the processes of
planning, change management, control, and initiating
preventive and corrective action.
 begins when a decision is made to devote
resources to an effort and ends when the desired
result has been accomplished.
 project management: The planning, scheduling,
and controlling of project activities to meet
project objectives
 What Project Management Isn’t
1. project management is not personal
productivity
2. project management is not people
management.
3. project management is not operations or
service management
• is not designed for the management and
control of no project, day-to-day activities
within the organization.
• Responsibility for the day-to-day planning,
operations, and control of the staff remains
with the functional managers and is
accomplished with existing tools and
techniques.
• Responsibility for the technical direction of the work
also remains with the functional managers.
• Functional management supports the project
management approach rather than being a part of it.
 using project management provides
advantages
• Better control of financial, physical, and human
resources
• Improved customer relations
• Shorter development times
• Lower costs
• Higher quality and increased reliability
• Higher profit margins
• Improved productivity
• Better internal coordination
• Higher worker morale
 Effective project management
helps individuals, groups, and public and private organizations
to:
– Meet business objectives;
– Satisfy stakeholder expectations;
– Be more predictable;
– Increase chances of success;
– Deliver the right products at the right time;
– Resolve problems and issues;
– Respond to risks in a timely manner;
– Optimize the use of organizational resources;
– Identify, recover, or terminate failing projects;
– Manage constraints (e.g., scope, quality, schedule, costs,
resources);
– Balance the influence of constraints on the project (e.g., increased
scope may increase cost or schedule); and
– Manage change in a better manner.
Poorly managed projects or the absence
of project management may result in:
• Missed deadlines,
• Cost overruns,
• Poor quality,
• Rework,
• Uncontrolled expansion of the project,
• Loss of reputation for the organization,
• Unsatisfied stakeholders, and
• Failure in achieving the objectives for which the
project was undertaken.
 The facts below demonstrate the
significance of project management:
• In 2011, the average annual salary (excluding
bonuses, in U.S. dollars)
– for someone in the project management profession
was $160,409 in Switzerland (the highest-paid
country),
– $139,497 in Australia,
– $105,000 in the United States, and
– $23,207 in China (the lowest-paid country).
• This survey was based on self reported data from
more than 30,000 practitioners in 29 countries
• The U.S. spends $2.3 trillion on projects every
year, and the world as a whole spends nearly $10
trillion on projects of all kinds. Projects,
therefore, account for about one fourth of the
U.S. and the world’s gross domestic product
• Project management certification continues to be
one of the most popular certifications throughout
the world.
• CareerBuilder.com found that 44% of U.S.
employers listed project management as a skill
they looked for in new college graduates, behind
only communication and technical skills.
• Project management is also a vital skill for
personal success.
https://aits.org/2016/07/grim-portrait-current-state-project-failure/
https://aits.org/2016/07/grim-portrait-current-state-project-failure/
• The disturbing conclusion from
Standish report is that only 16.2%
of projects were successful by all
measures, and that of the 70% of
projects that were not successful,
Over 52 percent were partial
failures and 31% were complete
failures.
http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/6840_f03_papers/frese/
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 The top 5 factors found in successful
projects
1. User Involvement
2. Executive Management Support
3. Clear Statement of Requirements
4. Proper Planning
5. Realistic Expectations

http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/6840_f03_papers/frese/
The top 5 indicators found in
“Challenged” projects are:
1. Lack of User Input
2. Incomplete Requirements &
Specifications
3. Changing Requirements &
Specifications
4. Lack of Executive Support
5. Technical Incompetence
http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/6840_f03_papers/frese/
factors found in “Failed” projects
1. Incomplete Requirements
2. Lack of user involvement
3. Lack of Resources
4. Unrealistic Expectations
5. Lace of Executive Support
6. Changing Requirements & Specifications
7. Lack of Planning
8. Didn’t Need it Any Longer
9. Lack of IT management
10.Technical Illiteracy
http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/6840_f03_papers/frese/
1.5. Elements of Project Management

• Proper formulation of project.

• Plan for implementation of the project
 Hard plan for next stage
 Soft plan for future stages
• Actual implementation of the project
• Monitoring the implementation to see that the project has not deviated
considerably from the predefined targets, budgeted resources and time.
• Feedback and revision of objectives.
• Control action
 o Record events
 o Predict completion
 o Report progress
 o Rectification action for the deviations 43
• Policy restrictions
• Government regulation
• Manage staff
– Select and train
– Lead and manage
• Manage client relationship
– Plan client involvement
– Report progress
– Resolves problems
• Evaluation either at the end of the project or few years after
the completion of the project to gain an insight as to what
went right or wrong vis-a-vis predefined objectives of the
project and what lessons can be learned so as to transmit the
same knowledge to other similar or related projects to be
executed is future
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1.6. Techniques for Project
Management
1. Project Selection Technique
– Cost benefit analysis
– Risk and sensitivity analysis
2. Project Execution Planning Techniques
– Work breakdown structure (WBS)
– Project execution plan (PEP)
– Project responsibility matrix
– Project management manual
3. Project Scheduling and Coordinating Techniques
– Bar chart
– Project life cycle
– Line of balance (LOB)
– Networking techniques (PERT/CPM)

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4. Project Monitoring and Progressing Techniques
– Progress measurement technique
– Performance monitoring technique
– Updating, reviewing and reporting technique
5. Project Cost and Productivity Control Techniques
– Productivity budgeting technique
– Value engineering
– Cost calculation using WBS
6. Project Communications and Cleanup Techniques
– Control room
– Computerized information systems

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1.7. Roles and Attributes for Project
Manager
The Basic Roles for a Project Manager Could be Broadly Grouped
Under Following Heads :
1. Projecting and problem solving. Projecting work as much as
possible e.g. create a number of projects such as daily, weekly,
monthly, quarterly, biannually and annual package activities of
entire plant.
2. Defining and maintaining integrity of a project.
3. Development of Project Execution Plan. Organization for
execution of the plan.
4. Setting of cost and time targets for each of the projects e.g. daily,
weekly, monthly activities, etc
5. Development of systems and procedures for accomplishment of
project objectives and targets.
6. Line up vendors and contractors for supply of materials and
erecting skills and contract management.
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7. Negotiation for commitments and management.
8. Nonhuman resource management including fiscal
matters.
9. Direction and co-ordination of project activities.
Matrix and coordinate with other departments for
preparation of drawing, specification, procurement of
materials, providing skills including labour and
supervision.
10. Monitor and control these projects using schedules,
budgets and contracts.
11. Satisfaction of customer, government and the public.
12. Achievements of project objectives, cash surplus and
higher productivity
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Attributes of a Good Project Manager
1. Planning and organizational skills
2. Conflict resolving capacity
3. Ambition for achievement
4. Personnel management skills
5. Communication skills
6. Change orientation
7. Ability to solve problems in their totality
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8. High energy levels
9. Ability to take suggestions
10.Understanding the views of project team
members and having a sympathetic attitude
towards them
11.Ability to develop alternative course of
actions quickly
12.Knowledge of project management methods,
tools and technology
13.Ability to make self evaluation
14.Effective time management

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15.Capacity to relate current events to the
project
16.Ability to handle project management
software tools and package
17.Flair for sense of humour
18.Solving issues/problems immediately without
postponing them
19.Initiative and risk taking ability
20.Familiarity with the organization
21.Tolerance for difference of opinion, delay,
ambiguity
22.Conflict resolving capacity
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 project objectives
• The four project objectives are related to each
other by the following equation:

• performance: The quality of the work being done.

cost: The cost of project work, directly related to
the human and physical resources applied.
• time: The schedule that must be met.
• scope: The magnitude of the work to be
performed.
• In addition, if project work extends beyond an
optimum time, costs increase because people
are not working efficiently.
• Some senior managers believe that if enough
people are thrown at a project, it can be
completed in whatever time is desired.
• This is simply not true, but the idea is the
cause of many project fiascos.
• What the equation says is that cost is a function ( f ) of
performance (P), time (T), and scope (S).
• As P and S increase, cost generally increases.
• The relationship between time and cost, however, is not
linear. As a rule, cost increases as the time to do the
project decreases below a certain optimum time.
• That is, there exists a project duration that results in the
best performance of all resources.
• If the duration is shortened, it is often necessary to pay
premium labor rates as a consequence.
• Further, worker errors often increase, resulting in costs
for corrections, and productivity often declines.
• Studies have shown that if a knowledge worker spends
twelve hours of overtime on a job, the actual increase
in output is equivalent to that normally obtained in two
hours of regular work.
1.8. The Distinguishing Characteristics
of the Public Sector
• More differences exist between private-sector
organizations and public-sector organizations
than just their approach to earning and
distributing revenue.
• Despite the different types of public-sector
organizations, they have some shared
characteristics, particularly with regard to the
management of their projects.

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The Public-Service Purpose
• That service to the public complicates the management
of public agencies and public-sector projects, because it
makes identifying objectives much more complex.
• Not only do a variety of opinions attend the best way to
serve that public, but the public itself is difficult to
define.
• For example, what is the goal of a public-sector program
designed to revitalize neighbourhoods?
• And who is the public to be served by that program?
• The answers to those tough questions are not without
controversy and can substantially impact the direction
of the program and the projects within it.
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• In general, public-sector agencies lack the
simple measures of performance, like
return on investment (ROI), that private-
sector organizations enjoy.
• Although simple project outcomes, like
on-budget performance and timeliness,
can be measured, larger outcomes, like
the impact on public welfare, are more
difficult to measure.

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Overlapping Oversight Mechanisms
 Public agencies are constrained by overlapping
oversight structures
 This overlapping oversight represents, at the
operational level, the system of checks and
balances that limits the power of government
agencies to operate outside the bounds of public
authorization
 As a result of this overlapping oversight, public-
sector projects may be required to dedicate
substantial resources to ensuring that constraints
are not violated and that oversight agencies are
placated.
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A Short Planning Horizon
Public sector agencies have a shorter planning
horizon than private-sector organizations
because of electoral cycles.
Private-sector, for-profit organizations can
establish substantially longer time horizons for
product planning and other strategic
movements.
Public-sector organizations cannot count on
the commitment to strategic goals beyond the
term of current political officeholders and
their appointees.
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A Contentious Environment
• Every project is subject to conflict and
differences of opinion, and private-sector
projects may not be supported by all of the
organization’s stakeholders.
• But public-sector organizations are subjected
to an organized political opposition.
• That opposition, usually embedded in the
opposition party, may be on the alert for
opportunities for criticism of the current
administration.
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• In addition, the media, though not explicitly
attempting to find fault with the current
administration, finds ‘‘good copy’’ in the
failures of public-sector projects.
• Unfortunately, failed projects make better
stories than successful projects.
• Both of these factors in combination cause
public-sector project managers to feel that
they operate in a hostile environment and
that they need to avoid visible failure at all
costs.
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Overlapping Service Delivery Mechanisms
• It is rare that any public-sector agency has a
monopoly on providing a public service or
attaining a public goal.
• In the United States, for example, services
provided to those with mental illnesses may
be funded by federal programs and grants,
managed by state agencies, and provided by
private providers, the state agencies
themselves, and county governments.

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• Similarly, education at any level is subject to a
variety of funding mechanisms at various
levels of government and is provided to the
public by an equally extensive array of
organizations.
• As a result, public-sector agencies have to
coordinate their projects with other agencies
and consider the impact of their projects on
that array of programs and providers.
• These overlapping service delivery
mechanisms also increase the number of
stakeholders involved in a project.

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• Some observers might argue that another difference
between public sector and private-sector projects is
that public-sector employees are not adequately
motivated. That is not the case.
• First, though it is true that public-sector employees
may not be motivated by short-term financial rewards
such as bonuses, they are motivated by the same
drives for professionalism and career growth that
inspire private sector employees.
• Second, they have learned that their motivation for
performance must be tempered with an understanding
of the constraints under which they work. Blind
ambition or revolutionaries cannot be accommodated
in public-sector agencies, and public-sector employees
have learned that accomplishing objectives requires
sharing responsibility and working within existing
systems or shaping those systems incrementally.
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• Third, because of the long-term nature of most public-sector
employment and the group cohesion that characterizes many
public-sector agencies, public-sector employees have strong
group norms and are motivated by a desire to support their
colleagues. Although military operations are perhaps an extreme
example of public-sector projects, the behaviour of soldiers in
combat has been shown to be motivated by allegiance to their
comrades in small units. Public-sector project managers may
want to keep in mind that, in many cases, the allegiance to the
small group exceeds the allegiance to the larger agency or
organization.
• Last, public-sector employees are also motivated by a concern
for the public interest. Operationalizing that concern requires
complex behaviours given the challenges inherent in identifying
the public interest and the actions that must be taken to serve
that interest. Inspiring project team members based on their
public-interest motivation is, of course, more challenging than
awarding them bonuses, which is probably also impossible in
public-sector agencies. It is a factor, however, that astute project
managers can apply to induce team performance.
65
• As a result of the distinguishing
characteristics of public-sector
organizations, public-sector
projects require the
management, not only of the
project team, but of an entire
community.

66
1.9. The Challenges of Public-Sector Project
Management
Public-sector projects can be more difficult than
many private-sector projects because they:
– Operate in an environment of often-conflicting goals
and outcomes
– Involve many layers of stakeholders with varied
interests
– Must placate political interests and operate under
media scrutiny
– Are allowed little tolerance for failure
– Operate in organizations that often have a difficult
time identifying outcome measures and missions
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– Are required to be performed under constraints
imposed by administrative rules and often-
cumbersome policies and processes that can delay
projects and consume project resources
– Require the cooperation and performance of agencies
outside of the project team for purchasing, hiring, and
other functions
– Must make do with existing staff resources more often
than private- sector projects because of civil-service
protections and hiring systems
– Are performed in organizations that may not be
comfortable or used to directed action and project
success
– Are performed in an environment that may include
political adversaries
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Emerging challenges for public-sector
organizations
Some of the emerging challenges for public-sector
organizations will include:
• Modest or stagnant economic growth
• Globalization and the loss of the industrial revenue
base and, increasingly, the service-sector revenue
base
• A decline in real wages and pressures for tax
reform
• Private-sector practices that pass the corporate
safety net back to individuals, who may then look
to government for such essential security
mechanisms as health coverage
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• Difficulty in passing on the need for government revenue
to tax- payers and a general loss of confidence in
government
• Structural limitations on revenue generation
• The redirection of scarce public revenues to homeland
security and defense without the imposition of war taxes
• The erosion of public-sector income as entitlement
programs drain revenues in response to an aging
population
• An age imbalance, with fewer workers in the workforce
to support an expanding number of retirees and children
• Longer life expectancy, which further burdens
entitlement and health programs
• Increasing costs of health care well beyond the level of
inflation
• Long-delayed investments in our national infrastructure,
including roads, bridges, and water systems
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 1.10. New Tools for Public-Sector Managers in
the New Economy
• As public-sector agencies make the necessary
transitions to cope with the demands of the new
economy and the impact of the factors described
earlier, public-sector managers at all levels of
government will face an array of daunting challenges.
Some of those are:
1. Motivating employees who are coping with increasing
demands but less pay and security
2. Dealing with a multigenerational workplace (According
to some observers, there is a wider age range among
employees in the work- place now than at any time in
history.)
3. Managing for short-term results with limited resources
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4. Managing employees who are not in the same
geographic location
5. Managing vendors who may be performing
critical organizational functions
6. Building organizational loyalty without the trade-
off of a guarantee of long-term employment
7. Managing in an environment of constant change
8. Coping with the unique constraints of public-
sector organizations, which include political
systems, organizational stovepipes, and limited
technology
9. Coping with the loss of organizational knowledge
as the baby boom generation retires
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• Public-sector managers will require new tools and
strategies for operating in this challenging new
environment.
• So what tools can public managers apply?
• One of the best adaptive tools for organizations and
individuals is project management, which is the focus of
this course and which is ideal for organizations
attempting to create change and optimize the use of
scarce resources.
• In order to make their projects successful, public-sector
project managers will need a combination of humility
and patience coupled with dogged persistence and
creativity.
• Management tools and skills for making public-sector
managers successful will be discussed later in the course.
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 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What are the implications of the changes in
the workplace? Is the workplace more
stressful? Are resources less available? Are
you being asked to do more with less? Is it
harder to separate work and home? When
will things change?
2. How can you build a sustainable work life—
one that you can sustain for the long term?
3. What management tools do you think will be
effective in the public sector in the future?
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 EXERCISE
1. Identify a public-sector organization. Identify
the pressures (e.g., financial, competitive,
technological, workforce) that it might be
facing. Create a list. For the pressures on that
list, create a second column identifying
strategies (projects) for coping with those
challenges.

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End of Chapter one

Thank you
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