KIRIRI WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Introduction to Project Management Notes 1

By
B M S KIOKO

A Project
 A project is any temporary endeavor with a definite beginning and end, according to the Project
Management Institute (PMI).
 A sequence of tasks that must be completed to attain a certain outcome.

 A project is a set of interdependent tasks that have a common goal.

Characteristics of a project

Project share the following common characteristics.

 A clear start and end date: Have a specific time frame for completion with a definite start
and finish. It needs to have a clear beginning, a definite end, and an overview of what happens in
between.
 A project has boundaries – A project operates within certain constraints of time, money,
quality, and functionality. Every project operates within certain boundaries called constraints:

 Project scope

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 1 of 18

  Project schedule

 People

 Resources.

 A project creates something new . Every project is unique.

 Have definite objectives (goals) to achieve.

 Requires set of resources.

 Risk and uncertainty.

 Requires cross-functional teams and interdisciplinary approach.

Project Management

• The art of organising, leading, reporting and completing a project through people.

A project manager

Is a professional who organizes, plans, and executes projects while working within restraints like budgets and
schedules. Project managers lead entire teams, define project goals, communicate with stakeholders, and see a
project through to its closure.

Skillsets & Competencies for a project manager

Hard skills
Hard skills are job-specific abilities acquired through education and training.

a) Negotiation: a goid project manager can successful ’negotiate everything from pricing to
deadlines to the details of what the deliverable will be. Able to obtain desired result from each

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 2 of 18

 negotiation he/she enter into - or at least a result he/she is satisfied with - without creating
tesion or alienating the person he/shei s negotiating with.

b) Relevant technical skills: Having a solid background in the type of work their team is doing.
c) Writing: Having the ability to communicate accurately and effectively through the written
word.
d) Organization: must be highly organized, with everything related to the project easy to find and
clearly labeled.
e) Prioritization and goal setting: Ability to determine what is the highest priority and what can
wait until later. Making priorities clear to team members and connecting the priorities to
tangible team goals.
f) Project planning: a good PM must be able to build out a realistic, logical, effective plan. Must
always be one step ahead, prepared for the future, and with a clear idea of what’s coming up
next.
g) Delegating: Making sure that each team member always has something to work on, and that
the right people are working on a task, and that nobody is overworked. Avoiding being overly
prescriptive and make sure everyone has enough information but also the freedom to do their
best work for the project.
h) Budget management; Making sure that the project does not go over budget. Has a solid
understanding of math, spreadsheets, and finances to help in ensuring that the projects
consistently come in at or even under the projected budget.

Soft Skill sets for a Project Manger

Soft skills are general personality traits, such as teamwork and communication, relevant
across various roles and industries.

a) Communication: Since a project manager serves as the link between the project stakeholders
then the ability to effectively communicate important information to all stakeholders is
absolutely crucial to the success of the project.
b) Leadership: strong leadership is a necessity to lead project teams. A strong leader can win over
teams’ trust, motivate workers, get buy-in, make good decisions, and take responsibility for the
team’s successes and failures alike.
c) Motivation: Ability to to motivate the team members to do their best work even when
deadlines get tight and projects get tricky is a very important ability for a project manager to
have.
d) Conflict management: A successful project manager is is an effective conflict resolver will
know how to keep tempers in check and address problems as they arise so that the team can
move forward and keep working toward their goals without hurt feelings or big blow-outs.
They also know not to shy away from conflict but rather to face them head-on.
e) Adaptability: Being flexible and agile, knowing how to roll with the punches and make the
necessary adjustments to move forward even in the face of unexpected issues.
f) Resourcefulness: Strong project managers know how to get crafty and clever in order to solve
problems. instead of giving up whenthey come across an issue they’re unprepared to deal
with, they become determined to find a solution, even if it takes a little elbow grease to do so.
g) Teamwork: A good project manager isn’t just a team leader; they’re also a part of the team.
They should be cooperative, collaborative, easy to work with and talk to, and fair to others.
There’s no room for ego in this job.

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 3 of 18

h) Influence: Ability to get a group of people, who you don’t necessarily have any authority over,
to work toward a shared goal. Influence requires the ability to build trust, foster cooperation,
and encourage people to work together. It begins with listening.

Reasons for Project failure

1. Lack of clear link between the project and the organisation’s key strategic priorities, including
agreed measures of success.
2. Lack of clear senior management and Ministerial ownership and leadership.
3. Lack of effective engagement with stakeholders.
4. Lack of skills and proven approach to project management and risk management.
5. Too little attention to breaking development and implementation into manageable steps.
6. Evaluation of proposals driven by initial price rather than long-term value for money
(especially securing delivery of business benefits).
7. Lack of understanding of and contact with the supply industry at senior levels in the
organisation.
8. Lack of effective project team integration between clients, the supplier team and the supply
chain.

When a project considered a success

 If the desired outcome is achieved on time and within budget, a project is considered to be a success.

 The project is completed on time/schedule and on a budget can be considered a success.

 It meets project/business requirements

 Has deliver the expected value

Project management helps to manage projects

 Project management principles help the project run smoothly. Without proper project management

principles, projects will be handled haphazardly and are at a much higher risk of

 Project failure

 Delay in the project

 Being over budget

Possible Obstacles faced by project manager

 Scope creep

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 4 of 18

Poor communication Knowing the fundamentals of project management improves one’s chances of completing a

project successfully.

 and task delays

Characteristics of a good project
1) The project is well-defined
2) The project has a clear scope
3) The project is achievable within the given time frame and budget,
4) The project provides clear value to the organization or individual leading the project.
5) Has Progress transparency: Effective and timely communication to stakeholders about the
progress of the project at all times.
6) Has Controlled budget: The project stays on budget.
7) Has Excellent Stakeholder engagement/ management: Solid relationships with stakeholders
help to ease bottle necks when challenges arise.
8) Adherence to established timeframes: one of the biggest hallmarks of a successful project is
keeping it on time.
9) Mitigation of risks: Has mechanisms for navigating challenges
10) Well Planned: Successful projects are well planned.
11) Has Strong Team: Has a project manager supported by a strong project team.
12) Clear Communication at all levels: It involves clear communication all the way through it.
13) Good Change Control: Has a robust change control process for averting scope creep.
14) A Clear Vision: Has clearly documented initial goals
15) Risk Control: Has effective ways of identifying, tracking and managing the many different
types of risk which could affect it.

Importance of Project Management

 Project management is important because it ensures what is being delivered, is right, and
will deliver real value against the organization/community opportunity.

 Project management provides leadership and vision, motivation , removing roadblocks,

coaching, and inspiring the team to do their best work.
 Project management is important because it ensures there’s a proper plan for executing on
strategic goals.
 Project management is important because it ensures proper expectations are set around what
can be delivered, by when, and for how much.
 Project management is important because it ensures the quality of whatever is being
delivered, consistently hits the mark.
 Project management is important because it ensures risks are properly managed and
mitigated against to avoid becoming issues.
 Project management is important because it ensures the right people do the right things, at
the right times – it ensures proper project management process is followed throughout
the project cycle
 Project management is important because it ensures a project’s progress is tracked and reported
properly.

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 5 of 18

  Project management is important because someone needs to be able to understand if
everyone’s doing what they should.
 Project management is important because it learns from the successes and failures of the pas t

Triple Constraint Concept

Every project has basic characteristics.

 It has a clear start date and end date.

 It is a unique activity that produces something new.
 operates within certain boundaries or constraints, which mainly are scope, time, and cost.
 These three interdependent constraints are inherent in every project, and any adjustment in one affects
the other two as well as the quality of the project and final deliverable.

For example,

 Based on a defined project scope, the project manager creates a schedule with a projected end date
where the project team produces the final deliverable.
 From this schedule, the project manager calculates the cost of resources and other expenses needed,
then comes up with the equivalent total project budget that the project manager asks the project sponsor
for approval.
 But as the project proceeds, the scope expands because of scope creep. This change in scope affects the
schedule, which is in danger of missing the end date. But to keep the same end date, the project team
will need additional resources, which will affect the cost and make the project go over its budget.

Project management triangle/Triple Constraint Triangle.

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 6 of 18

The project management triangle is a good representation of the relationships of the triple constraint concept
where each side or point of the triangle represents a specific constraint.

 Scope: Refers to the extent of the project. It defines what is part of the project, its purpose, objective,
boundaries, and the work needed to achieve the final deliverable, be it a product, service, or result.
 Scope looks at the outcome of the project undertaken. This consists of a list of deliverables, which need
to be addressed by the project team.
 Extending the scope when scope creed happens disfigures the perfect triangle so to speak, and the
project ends differently compared to the initial plan or vision. This can mean without compensatory

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 7 of 18

 adjustments, the project will miss its deadlines, or it will go over-budget because of an extended
schedule, or both.
 A successful project manager will know to manage both the scope of the project and any change in
scope which impacts time and cost.
 Time: The time constraint is the schedule the project stakeholders agreed on when everyone agreed
that they needed the project to commence.
 It is the estimated total amount of time the project team needed to complete all the tasks and deliver the
final result.
 When unforeseen delays during project execution happen, such as additional scope or unavailable
resources, the original schedule extends to miss set deadlines.
 To get the schedule back on track, the project team may have to remove some items in the scope or ask
for additional budget to get more resources.
 A project's activities can either take shorter or longer amount of time to complete. Completion of tasks
depends on a number of factors such as the number of people working on the project, experience, skills,
etc.
 Time is a crucial factor which is uncontrollable. On the other hand, failure to meet the deadlines in a
project can create adverse effects. Most often, the main reason for organizations to fail in terms of time
is due to lack of resources.
 Cost: Cost refers to the constraints brought about by using or hiring resources needed to complete the
project.
 Although a project aims to provide value at the end of its successful delivery, the cost should always be
less than the perceived value the project will deliver. Otherwise, it is not good business. If the sponsor
reduces the project budget unrealistically, then the project team can only do so much tasks at a given
time. They will probably miss the deadline. Or they can still meet the deadline but neglect some of the
project requirements or scope, either way affecting the end quality and result of the project.
 It's imperative for both the project manager and the organization to have an estimated cost when
undertaking a project. Budgets will ensure that project is developed or implemented below a certain
cost.
 Sometimes, project managers have to allocate additional resources in order to meet the deadlines with a
penalty of additional project costs.

End-to-end Project Management/Project Life cycle

The Project Management Lifecycle
 A project lifecycle is the process followed by a project regardless of size or scope.
 A project lifecycle generally consists of four phases: initiation, planning, execution, and closure, but a
fifth phase called monitoring and controlling can be added. A sixth phase is also possible.
 Five-phase models are considered more agile and effective in helping projects succeed. With the
Project Management Institute (PMI) promoting a five-phase lifecycle.

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 8 of 18

 Phases Project Management

Every successful project goes through the same phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and
controlling.

Stage 1: Project Conception and Initiation

 An idea becomes a project plan, complete with goals, project charters, and stakeholders.

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 9 of 18

  The project teams come together—with the project manager—to build a broad roadmap for the project.

Teams should address the following:

 The purpose of project

 potential obstacles/risks

 identification of key stakeholders

 Project budget: minimum or maximum budget

 project timeline /length

 The project sponsor/donor approves the budget and timeline.

Stage 2: Project Planning

• The project manager develops a detailed plan for executing, monitoring, and controlling the project.
This typically starts with setting goals.
• Project goals are defined using S.M.A.R.T. and CLEAR methodologies.

S- Specific

M- Measurable

A- Achievable

R- Realistic

T -Timely/Time bound

and

C- Collaborative

L- Limited,

E- Emotional,

A- Acceptable,

R- Refined

• In this methodology, the project team works towards a goal that is specific and achievable within the
project deadline and budget. Team members should be passionate about achieving it, and it should
relate to the overall project objectives.
• The Project plan should also include milestones and deliverables so that everyone knows what needs to
be done, who handles what, and when milestones must be completed.
• The plan should also include a breakdown of tasks, a timeline, a communication plan, a risk mitigation
strategy, and a plan to deal with worst-case scenarios.
• If agile project management is employed, development resources are effectively used, and client needs
are met.

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 10 of 18

 • The plan should also factor in keeping everyone up-to-date on progress, to allow for quick and easy
changes to be made.
Stage 3: Project Execution

• Implementation of the project plan starts. The actual work gets done at this phase.
• Project managers establish workflows, assign tasks to team members, and ensure that everyone is on
track.
• They also keep stakeholders and teams in the loop as the project progresses.
Stage 4: Project Monitoring & Controlling

• This stage usually runs concurrently with execution stage, for in order to monitor a project, it has to be
running.
• The project manager works with their team to resolve any issues.
• This involves periodic reviews and updates of the plan to reflect changes in the scope of the project or
in the availability of resources.
• Progress is monitored against the plan and corrective action taken when necessary. For example, it may
be necessary to revise the timeline to accommodate for unexpected delays or changes.
• Project managers monitor progress against key performance indicators (KPIs) or critical success factors
(CSFs). For example, measurement of if project is on schedule and budget or if specific tasks are being
completed can be done.
Stage 5: Project Close

• Is the last phase of the project management lifecycle. The deliverables are handed over to the project
sponsor for approval.
• The project team disbands and any contractual hires for the project will be terminated.
• The project manager conducts a final review that documents the lessons learned from the project, as
well as any necessary data that can be useful in the future.
• Team members and stakeholders also discuss failures and successes during the presentation of the
report. This helps to improve performance and productivity across the organization

 The whole process of Project Management (Project Life cycle) is divided into segments
(sometimes referred as Steps, Phases or Process Groups), these include:-
1. Planning (Conceptualization etc.),
2. Implementation,
3. Monitoring
4. Close-out
 Monitoring envelops the other steps. It is considered as an additional Process or otherwise
considered part of each Step enlisted earlier. Each of these phases contains many separate
activities, each of which are specific to their relevant Step.
Project Planning
 This is the very first step marking the beginning of the journey to deliver a concept Product,
Service or Result.
 During the planning step a specific Result is conceptualized & further steps are taken to
elaborate the project need of the same as well as the necessary Scope of the result.
1. Identify the Core Problem
 Identification of the actual problem for which there is need to develop a solution.

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 11 of 18

  The problem will be the foundation of the whole project & all the concepts, Ideas, Plans &
rest of the Project Management related activities will be revolving around resolving this
problem.

 Normally, organizations involved with Projects come across some ideas from some internal
or external clients with a problem statement & are invited to bring their solutions for further
consideration.
2. Defining Project Objectives
 Here sketching out what the results or deliverables will be looking like or what features the
outcomes must contain.
 This is vital to identify the all expected features before moving on to the next steps of
planning & execution.
 Failure to define the detailed objectives of the outcomes will result is diverting from the
actual expectations of the outcomes of the project.
3. Determine scope, resources, and major tasks/activities
 To determine the Project scope is actually defining the project boundary, it is about building
a wall around the project.
 Everything inside the boundary is necessary & supposed to be completed to deliver the
Outcomes of the project.
 It is the only scope which is supposed to be completed & all of this scope is completed. To
plan in a proper manner & keep the Project in control, a number of tools & techniques are
utilized at this stage i.e. a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
 These tools & techniques help to define Scope in a systematic manner & aid in the further
planning process.
4. Managing Constraints
 Scope, Schedule, Cost, Resources, Risk & Quality are the project constraints.
 The outcomes of the project actually result from mix-up of these constraints.
 Variation in any of these constraints will reflect on the project outcomes. For instance, if in
the middle of the project the schedule is squeezed by the client or Management and now
there are two options either have a trade off with money & resources (pour more of Cost &
Resources to complete the project in new schedule) or deliver something which is not
meeting the expected/planned outcomes of the Project which for sure will not be acceptable
to any of the stakeholders.
Development:This is actually the build-up step of the project, here certain activities are performed
leading to further project implementation.
1. Resource Assemblance/Assemble Team
 The team is brought together, Time estimates are converted into Schedule, and Cost
estimates are converted into budgets. The resources are gathered & and commitments are
made.
 Assemblance of a team capable to handle the project end to end includes adding to a small
team helping to plan more experts to perform the real project planning and execution related
stuff.
 A lot of subject matter experts (SME’s) are now required to get the technical aspects of the
project done.
2. Responsibility Assignment Planning
 Here planning detail with a clear definition of roles & responsibilities, so that during the
Project Life Cycle things may move in a systematic fashion.

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 12 of 18

  For the purpose of such planning, there is need to involve the team members so that they
may provide their consent based on their skillset which will, later on, result in a smooth
flow of the project.
3. Kick-off Meeting
 since project management is a collaborative process, the formal start of the project is
announced, which is done during the kick off meeting, all the key stakeholders are invited
& major project milestones are explained.
 A review of the time frame as a big picture should also performed.
 Any suggestions are also collected & further considered for analysis & incorporation to the
plans if required.
4. Create Schedule
 The time estimates for each activity & work package are prepared & further converted into
the formal schedule.
 The schedule becomes a baseline for project performance measurement during the project
life cycle.
 To create a realistic Project Schedule team involvement is mandatory, which formally
results in internal buy-in & pave the way for the successful execution of the project.
5. Budget Development
 Another vital component of the Project is known as Cost. The cost for each activity is
estimated individually & further accumulated as Project Budget.
 The same budget is further used as a baseline to measure the project performance.
 The team involvement is important here, to ensure the buy-ins & smooth performance
during execution.
 It must be remembered that a budget, no matter how carefully is developed is always a
guess & may need adjustments later on & variations with actual spending & budget are
always expected, so the key is to closely monitor & control.
Implementation
 Involves putting the plans to action.
 Most of the project effort happens at this stage & most of the project resources are required
during the implementation stage.
 This stage is the most exciting as a lot of activity goes on here.
 It is also the most frustrating stage due to the immense pressure to meet the goals &
perform the things as per plans.
1. Monitor & Control Budget, Scope, & Schedule
 The key goal here is to maintain the control over the three Major constraints of the Project
Scope, Schedule & Cost. If these controls are kept there is no problem in managing the
whole project.
 Adaptation of Project Management approach is another important aspect, not all project
management approaches are a perfect fit for a given situation. An approach which is best
for huge projects may prove useless & wash away the project due to heavy documentation
& paperwork involved.
 So, while selecting the approach for one’s project there is need to consider the whole
scenario of the project.
2. Progress Reporting
 Project performance may effectively be measured through proper reporting.
 A lot of different types of reports are available for selection, only those which are necessary
and may reflect the true picture of what’s going on under the hood in the project must be
adapted.
 Progress Reports, Status Reports, Performance Reports are few of these.
P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 13 of 18
  The reports are generated through the work performance data collected from Project site,
which is further converted into information, which then is populated into reports to display
the whole picture of the projects.
3. Issues & Problem Management
 It is the responsibility of the Project Manager ito keep an eye on the Project, identifying the
potential problem areas, uncovering conflicts & addressing & managing these problems to
solve & safeguard the project from these.
 It’s important to pay attention to the small signals & triggers of emerging problems, these
indicators may include a team member’s increased frustration, lack of interest &
enthusiasm, or inability to decision making.
 It is proper to face & resolve the problems rather than avoiding them, it is prudent to find
the potential root causes & eliminate them.
Close-out
 The project deliverables are accepted and handed over to the client.
 The Staff may be released
 Project procurements are formally closed
 All unused material, resources & equipment are returned. The project performance is
evaluated & all project records & documents archived.
1. Project Performance Evaluation
 The project is complete, butit must be evaluated to find out if it met its goals as defined at
beginning.
 The project performance needs to be verified if it met its expected target.
 The project performance with respect to the agreed scope is also measured.
 At this stage, Project scope is used as a yardstick to measure the outcomes performance.
2. Project Closure
 Formal project closure is done.
 If everything went as per plan & project has delivered for what it was planned, it’s time to
celebrate.
 Recognition of the team’s efforts & accomplishments is supposed to happen
notwithstanding that the project may sometimes have had a lot of rollercoaster ride along
the way, may also result in over budgeting, over scheduling or shown the inability to deliver
the outcomes as expected.
3. Post-Evaluation Debriefing
 A post-evaluation debriefing session with the Project Management team is a key event at
the end of the project regardless of the outcome.
 Its purpose is to brief the Project Management team regarding the performance and major
events during the Project Lifecycle.
 Lessons learned are documented.
 It’s an opportunity to discover the whole Project Life cycle positively rather than blaming
or criticizing.
 The event may be used to find the best way to perform certain things in a project which
actually went wrong.
 The critical team members must be involved to make sure their contribution at this stage
leads to the success of the future project.
SOME TERMS USED IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

1) A task is a work item or activity with a specific purpose related to the larger goal.
2) Project deliverables refer to all the outputs associated with a project, whether tangible or intangible.
The term is more commonly used to refer to any outputs related to a project, regardless of whether they
are submitted at the end of the project.
P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 14 of 18
 Examples of deliverables include an initial project strategy report, the budget report, a progress report.
They serve to clarify the project's objectives and the activities required to get there.
Project deliverables are vital components in the project management process because they let the
project manager, clients, and other stakeholders know that the team is making progress.
3) Project objectives describe the desired outcome of a project, which is often a tangible object. It's
beneficial to create objectives for your project because creating a specific goal for you and your team
helps everyone know what they're supposed to be working toward. This can improve your team's
chances of success.
4) A project schedule indicates what needs to be done, which resources must be utilized, and when the
project is due. It's a timetable that outlines start and end dates and milestones that must be met for the
project to be completed on time. The steps and resources necessary to achieve the project.
5) Project planning is the process of defining a project’s scope, goals, and deliverables, as well as
identifying the resources and tasks
6) A project plan is one of the key formal documents created before starting any project. The document
usually consists of approved cost, schedule, and project scope. It guides the execution of a project from
initiation to project closure. The project plan also lays the foundation for all kinds of communication
among the stakeholders.
7) A work breakdown structure (WBS) comprehensively divides the project deliverables into
manageable sections. This hierarchical organizing of the team’s work helps everyone understand the
nature of work better and execute project goals effectively.
8) Critical Path Method (CPM) is an algorithm particularly used for scheduling project activities. It is
used to determine the step-by-step sequence of activities, which in turn determines the total time of the
project. These activities must be completed according to this set sequence to achieve the project goals.
9) Project Manager: The person responsible for handling every aspect of a project from the day it starts
till it closes is called a project manager. The responsibilities of a project manager typically entail
powerful planning, smart resource utilization, and managing the scope of the project.
10) Project Stakeholder: Any individual or organization that has a direct or indirect interest in a project is
known as a project stakeholder. They usually affect or are affected by the project decisions being taken
over the course of the project lifecycle. A stakeholder can be anyone from the project team, executives,
sponsors, customers, or the end-users.
11) Project portfolio management (PPM) involves collective management of a series of projects to
achieve organizational goals. It allows the teams to visualize the big picture of all projects and
maximize the return on investment.
12) Collaboration:The process of actively involving each team member in project activities is called
collaboration. The whole concept demands the development of an interconnected network through
which individuals exchange information and monitor the project performance.
13) Agile project management is an iterative and incremental approach to delivering projects. The
approach focuses on breaking down the project into small cycles, known as ‘iterations.’ These
iterations are then prioritized in terms of urgency or importance. There are multiple frameworks
associated with agile implementation, Scrum being one of the most popular ones.
14) Waterfall model is a traditional project management approach to the project lifecycle. The model
works in a similar pattern like a ‘waterfall’. The project development takes place systematically, from
one phase to another in a downward fashion. Each phase has to be completed before moving on to the
next phase and there is no overlapping of the phases, making it difficult to make any amendments.
15) Project budget is a formally approved document featuring a comprehensive list of financial resources,
including project expenses, required to complete a project.
16) A project timeline outlines the project events in order of their occurrence. It captures exactly what
needs to be done over the course of the project lifecycle and how it will be done.
17) Gantt charts are used for visualizing the project schedule in the form of a graph. The chart illustrates
what needs to be done at a particular time period during the project lifecycle. The key terms associated
with Gantt charts are:
18) A milestone is a specific point within a project's life cycle used to measure the progress toward the
ultimate goal. Milestones in project management are used as signal posts for a project's start or end
date, external reviews or input, budget checks, submission of a major deliverable, etc. A milestone

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 15 of 18

 represents a major event in a project lifecycle. Usually represented as diamonds, milestones greatly
help with project scheduling and monitoring.
19) Dependencies specify the relationship between project activities and the order in which they are to be
performed. There are 4 kinds of dependencies:
 Start-to-start – The predecessor task must start before the Successor can start
 Finish-to-start – Predecessor must finish before the Successor can start
 Start-to-finish – The predecessor must start before the Successor can finish
 Finish-to-finish – The predecessor must finish before the Successor can fin
20) Kanban : A popular project management methodology, Kanban uses a virtual pinboard approach to
delivering projects. Utilizing movable cards for showing the project progress overtime is essentially
what makes up a Kanban system. When discussing Kanban, some of the commonly used project
management terms are:
21) Work in Progress (WIP): At any point during a project, the number of task items a team is currently
working on is called work in progress. It indicates the capacity of the team’s workflow at any moment.
22) Work in Progress Limit (WIP) restricts the maximum amount of work that can exist in different
stages of a workflow. Limiting work in progress allows teams to identify bottlenecks faster and focus
on single work items better.
23) A bottleneck is a work stage where the inflow of workload is greater than the capacity of the system,
resulting in hindering the smooth flow of work overtime.
24) Scrum is a popular framework utilized for successfully implementing agile. The framework uses the
iterative method of delivering projects and is based upon continuous systematic collaboration among
team members in between the project cycle.
25) A sprint is a fixed unit of time during which specific tasks has to be completed. Typically, the
duration of a sprint is determined by the Scrum Master (team’s facilitator). During a sprint, daily
standups are conducted to monitor the progress towards sprint goals.
26) A kickoff meeting is generally the first meeting that occurs between the project team and their client.
This meeting usually occurs after the basic project details have been finalized, but the main project
work has not been started yet. It serves the purpose of reviewing the project expectations and to create
alignment between everyone involved in the project.
27) A meeting agenda is simply a list of all the topics that are to be discussed during a meeting. It may
include detailed topic descriptions, their sequence, and the expected outcomes of each topic.
28) Meeting minutes are written notes of whatever is discussed during a meeting. These minutes can be
circulated among meeting participants after the meeting to gain valuable insights and take appropriate
follow-up actions.
29) A stand-up meeting, also known as the daily Scrum, is a daily short meeting conducted to get an
update from every team member about their work progress. Usually, a stand-up meeting is conducted at
the same time and same place every day.
30) A meeting follow-up includes all the activities that are targeted towards collecting feedback from the
meeting participants after a meeting. Sometimes a dedicated follow-up meeting is conducted to serve
the purpose.
31) Resource allocation involves scheduling and assigning resources for a project in the most efficient
way possible. The purpose of resource allocation is to maximize the use of available resources in a way
that supports the project’s end goals.
32) Resource Breakdown Structure: A comprehensive list of resources required to complete a project.
This list is usually made according to the function and resource type, facilitating the planning and
control of a project work.
33) Resource leveling is the process of adjusting the project schedule in a way that keeps a resource use
below a set limit. It ensures that a resource doesn’t have to work overtime. Resource leveling has an
impact on the project’s critical path.
34) Resource availability specifies whether a particular resource is available at a given time or not.
35) A resource calendar indicates all the working and non-working days a specific resource will be
available.
36) Project Risk: Any uncertain event or condition that has a probability of occurrence during a project.
Risks usually have the potential to impact the overall project objectives.

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 16 of 18

37) Risk Management: The process of identifying and assessing risks to decrease their negative impact
on project operations. During the process, it is made sure that overall project goals are not affected in
any way.
38) Risk Mitigation: A strategy devised to decrease the probability of adverse effects of risk. A successful
risk mitigation strategy focuses on developing actions that reduce possible threats to overall project
objectives.
39) Risk monitoring and control involve tracking how the risk responses are performing in comparison
with the original risk management plan.
40) Risk Owner: A person responsible for ensuring that a particular risk is managed appropriately is a risk
owner. One of the core duties of a risk owner is to make sure that the mitigation strategy is
implemented effectively. He can also sometimes be involved with performing qualitative and
quantitative risk analysis.
41) Issue Management: The comprehensive process of identifying, resolving, and tracking issues
associated with your projects comes under issue management. The purpose of issue management is to
timely resolve the issues before they become big disasters.
42) Issue tracking is the process of identifying a possible bug or error in the product which is affecting its
optimal performance. Most of the time, a professional issue tracking software is kept in place for
efficient issue tracking.
43) Issue Log: A complete record of all the project issues (ongoing and closed), along with the persons
responsible for resolving them is included in an issue log. The document may also include each issue’s
status and resolution deadlines.
44) Issue type defines the particular category of an issue your project is likely to encounter during its
lifecycle. The process makes assigning and tracking issues easy for their timely resolution. Usually,
there are three types of issues your project encounters over its lifetime:
 Bug – Any problem or issue that affects the functionality of your product
 Epic – A large chunk of work consisting of multiple issues is called an epic
 Story – Also known as ‘user stories’ are short feature requests from the perspective of an end-user
45) Quality planning identifies the expected quality standards that are to be met during the project, and
creating systems which ensure these standards are met with effectiveness. In quality planning, it is
determined how vigilant a team needs to be when fulfilling the quality standards.
46) Quality Assurance is a set of planned and systematic activities implemented to monitor the project
processes in a way that project quality requirements are fulfilled. Quality assurance is done during the
project and involves regular quality audits.
47) Quality control involves the use of standardized practices to evaluate whether the resulting product of
a project meets quality expectations or not. The process is conducted after the product has been created
to identify any changes that might be required in the quality assurance process.
48) A quality management plan is a detailed plan consisting of stakeholders’ quality expectations,
quality assurance, and quality control policies to successfully execute a project. This plan is usually a
part of the project management plan.

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 17 of 18

P M Course Outline by B M S Kioko - Sept 2023 Page 18 of 18