How can we leverage Project

Management in building
projects
Introduction
A project has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore it has a defined
scope and resources. A project is unique in that it is not a routine operation, but a
specific set of procedures designed to accomplish a singular goal. Application of
knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques of project activities to meet the project
requirements and meet the organizational needs is called Project Management.

While there are dozens of project management methods available, appropriate

project management methods can help your team to manage your project much
more efficiently, reducing cost and time. Project management can have a
tremendous impact on the performance of the whole company, especially in large
corporations.
Need for Project Management in Software Development
Software development is a complex process with a deliverable constrained to a finite timeline and budget which can be
accomplished with the help of Project Management.

High level overview of Project Management in Software Development involves

● Project Planning: Mapping of a clear plan for the project from inception to completion
● Process Scheduling: Creating a schedule that eliminates delays and overruns in a project
● Improves Teamwork: Promotes teamwork, builds synergy and inspires all teams to collaborate by constant
communication and follow-up every day.
● Resource Utilization: Track the expenses and resources and utilizes them efficiently.
● Manage Integrations: Allows projects to be integrated with business processes and systems
● Cost Mitigation: Reduces the risk of over-running the prescribed budget and controls spending
● Quality Assurance: Helps in identifying, managing, and controlling the quality of the projects delivered
● Learning Opportunities: Analyses successes and failures and allows you to apply the knowledge in future projects
Case Study: James Webb Space Telescope
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is supposed to be the successor to Hubble Space Telescope. The
original idea of JWST was conceived in 1996 with a projected cost of $1 billion and the original launch
date expected somewhere in 2007. JWST is supposed to be the most potent and advanced space
telescope ever, orbiting Sun in orbit about 1 million miles from Earth.

Some of the notable features of JWST are:

● 25 ft golden mirror which is five times the size of Hubble’s mirror

● JWST will operate in the near-infrared range which will make JWST one of its kind
● Orbiting Sun at 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, because of which JWST will not suffer the
distortion of Earth’s atmosphere
● Named after Nasa’s second administrator James E. Webb
● JWST was a very ambitious project from the beginning, which led to multiple delays in its
construction and launch dates. When JWST was initially proposed, it was budgeted at $1 billion and
due for launch in 2007. But, even after 23 years from initial conception, JWST is still not complete in
2019 and has very high-cost overruns.
The below table shows that currently JWST is scheduled to launch in 2021 with the total cost running in
$9.66 billion:
These cost overruns and delays are the results of poor planning during the initial phase of JWST. The
1990s was the era of “faster, better, cheaper” and NASA leaders at the time pushed for a cheaper
telescope. This blind push without taking into the account of technical complexities and over-optimistic
view of project lead to inaccurate estimation of cost and timeline. One of the essential things that NASA
missed in the planning stage is that the technology/components needed for the construction of JWST
didn’t exist at the time of planning. NASA failed to take into account the time it will take to invent the
technology. Also, the over-optimistic culture added to the miscalculations in the estimation of the project.

From the figures given above, we can see that JWST is a good example showing how poor project
management leads to the high cost and delays and launch delays. The only reason, JWST project is still
alive is because it is a federally funded project, and Congress was bearing the cost overruns. Any other
project funded by private companies would have been shut down long before it reaches the current state
of the JWST project. JWST is one of the many projects NASA has worked on, which ran into budget and
timeline issues. This case study highlights how important project management is in the success and
performance of an organization
Why do projects fail?
The rate of project failure does not seem to be decreasing. That's because current project management tools,
techniques, and theories account for the rational components of project management, but they overlook the
emotional components which accounts for a large chunk of a projects success.

When projects fail, it usually can be traced to one or more of the following causes:

● Technical – this involves the implemented technology and project management techniques
● Individual – this involves project leadership, scope management and communication factors
● Stakeholder – includes user involvement, executive buy-in and a lack of goal specificity

If goals are not defined at the beginning of a project, and the wrong technological techniques are used
combined with a lack of management a project is guaranteed to fail.
Poor Implementation of Project Management
Projects often fail because organizations put more emphasis on rational factors than on employees' psychological

engagement -- and the cost to organizations is enormous

● Research has shown a more powerful approach that enables project groups to gain higher levels of emotional

commitment and performance from their team members -- and increased levels of emotional involvement from

stakeholders -- in a way that improves both engagement and performance.

● Multiple studies show that a significant share of projects overrun their original timelines or are never completed. This

may be do to many reasons like:

○ Lack of leadership and team structure
○ Lack of technical resources, tools and financial support
○ Lack of time management skills
○ Lack of passion
Conclusion
● Project management makes a world of difference in accomplishing goals established for a project.
● All stages of the Project Management process iteratively add up to a project’s success.
● We have seen a well established example of how projects can fail even with heavy budgets if basic
fundamental principles are not followed.
● With a right Project Manager assigned, projects will have leadership and move in the right direction
towards successful completion.
● Project Management at the same time provides strategic orientation and can be leveraged to align
multiple projects with in an organization.
● One of the biggest benefits of Project Management is we can leverage learning (Failures) points
from similar projects previously.
● In conclusion, without Project Management, project teams and stakeholders are exposed to chaotic
work environment. Project Management creates happy and motivated project teams to work in
cohesion and deliver successfully.
References
Hardy-Vallee, B. (2020). The Cost of Bad Project Management. Retrieved from https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/152429/cost-
bad-project-management.aspx