Project Management

INTRODUCTION
 Lecture one
 Project definition
 Characteristics of a project
 Project management
 Why project management
 Responsibilities of a project manager
 Project life cycle
 Why projects fail
 Why projects succeed
Project Definition
 PROJECT
 A collection of activities that has to be carried
out by a person or a group of people
 A set of activities carried out in a specific
timeframe to meet specific needs, problems or
opportunities by utilising mobilised/available
resources
 A set of interrelated and coordinated activities
designed to achieve specific objectives within
a given budget and time.
Project Definition Example
 Construction of a building. The activities
involved are acquiring a plot, obtaining a
building permit from community authorities,
Preparing plan for a building, clearing the
plot, building foundation, etc
 Preparation of research proposal. The
project includes activities such as reviewing
the relevant literature, stating the problem to
be investigated, describing the appropriate
research methodology
Project Definition Example
 Road construction. Activities include
surveying the area where the road will pass,
site clearances, excavating the area where
the road will pass, bridge constructions.
Terms used in project management
 Overall/Wider Objective or Aim
It is the overall or ultimate change desired in
the long run. It is the main overall objective
that the project is meant to contribute to in the
long run.
 Specific Objective or Project Purpose
It is communities’ expectations of what they
want from the project. It is what the
community hopes to attain from using project
outputs
 Terms used in project
management
 Outputs/Results
These are the results of completed project activities,
which are within the control of project management,
and which use the inputs provided.
 Activities
These are the actions carried out in order to achieve
the project outputs or results.
 Inputs
These are raw materials (ingredients) of a project
necessary to produce the intended output – money,
materials and personnel
Characteristics of a project
 Responds to specific needs, problems,
opportunities
 Carried out in a specific timeframe with a
deadline
 Complex; made up of several activities
happening simultaneously. Example road
construction
 Utilises human, time, equipment, facility,
material and financial resources
Characteristics of a project
 Activities
 Uniqueness
 Temporary
 Specific scope
 Resource constraints
 Risk and Uncertainty
Types of Projects
Classification Criterion Type of Project Motivating Factor

Purpose Development projects Social welfare

distribution
Economic projects Profit maximization
Ownership Public projects Social welfare
distribution
National security
Political power
Private projects Profit maximization
Joint venture projects Pooling resources
National security
Participation in profits
Size Small-scale projects Ease of entry
Risk-averse investment
strategy
Medium-scale project Business growth
Large-scale projects Economies of scale
Monopoly profits
Spreading risks
Project Management
 is the discipline of planning, organizing,
securing and managing resources to bring
about the successful completion of specific
project goals and objectives.
 It is the management of all available
resources and bringing them together within a
time frame for a desired result.
Why Project Management?
 Today’s complex environments require
ongoing implementations
 Project management is a method and
mindset…a disciplined approach to managing
chaos
 Project management provides a framework
for working amidst persistent change
Selecting the project managerd
 The PM is the central person in a project
responsible for effectively managing the
following;
 The “work”, all necessary activities are
accomplished in the desired sequence and
performance goals is met
 The “Human resources” so that those working
on the project have direction and motivation
Selecting the project manager….
 “Communication”, everybody has the
information they need to do their work
 “Quality” so that performance objectives are
realized
 “Time” so that the project is completed for
schedule
 “Cost” the project is completed within the
budget.
Responsibilities of a project
manager
 Project managers preform four
basic functions:
 planning,
 organizing,
 leading, and
 controlling.
Responsibilities of a project
manager
 Planning the project; Involves stating and
defining Cleary the activities of the project.

 Organizing of the project activities: This

requires estimating the time for carrying out
the activities to completion and preparing the
appropriate schedule for executing the
project.
Responsibilities of a project
manager: Leading
 After plans have been prepared, structures created
and appropriate personnel hired, someone must lead
the project – the Project Manager.
 It is the PM’s function of getting others to perform
tasks in order to achieve project objectives and
targets.
 NB: leading does not start after the planning and
organizing functions; on the contrary, the success of
these functions crucially depends on the existence of
leadership.
Responsibilities of a project
manager
 Controlling the project: This involves
preparing the budget for the projects, setting
standards for evaluating the successful
completion of the activities, monitoring the
progress or execution of the activities.
 This Includes obtaining the feedback on the
execution of activities, identifying problem
areas, taking corrective measures and
judging progress made.
 
Responsibilities of a project
manager
 Through the controlling function Project Managers do
the following:
 Set standards of performance
 Monitor progress of work: measure current
performance against planned performance to reveal
any variances – variance analysis;
 Establish the causes of variances;
 Assess the impact of variances on progress of
work: evaluation;
 Take remedial/corrective actions to address
variances - control
 Project Manager’s Role

Lead

Communicate

Define Plan Monitor Complete

Communicate

Re-Plan
 Project Manager’s Key Strength

• Be the eye of the hurricane

 Project Life Cycle

Concept/
Project Planning Execution/Control Closing
identification

20% 60%

5% 15%

Percentages and graph refer to the amount of effort (people)

 PHASE 1
 PROJECT
IDENTIFICATION/INITIATION
 searching for investment opportunities
that are promising and feasible.
 starts with an idea (intuitive thinking)
 Serves as a starting point in project
planning and has broader benefits in the
total project planning process.
PHASE 1
 First, you need to identify a business need,
problem, or opportunity and brainstorm ways
that your team can meet this need, solve this
problem, or seize this opportunity.
 During this step, you figure out an objective
for your project, determine whether the
project is feasible, and identify the major
deliverables for the project.
PHASE 1
 Steps for the project initiation phase may
include the following:
 Undertaking a feasibility study: Identify the
primary problem your project will solve and
whether your project will deliver a solution to
that problem
 Identifying scope: Define the depth and
breadth of the project
 Identifying deliverables: Define the product or
service to provide
PHASE 1
 Identifying project stakeholders: Figure out whom the
project affects and what their needs may be
 Developing a business case: Use the above criteria
to compare the potential costs and benefits for the
project to determine if it moves forward
 Developing a statement of work: Document the
project’s objectives, scope, and deliverables that you
have identified previously as a working agreement
between the project owner and those working on the
project
PHASE 1
What are the sources of Project ideas?

 Research findings;
 Survey reports;
 Development plans;
 Entrepreneurship;
 Donor agencies;
PHASE 1
PROJECT IDENTIFICATION
ACTIVITIES:
Stakeholder Analysis
 Socio-Economic Analysis

 Project Alternatives Identified

 Write Concept Paper

PHASE 2
PROJECT PLANNING
ACTIVITIES:
 Discuss Concept Paper
 Carry out Pilot Project
 Draft Project Document
PROJECT PLANNING
 Review
 Finalise Project
Document
P H A S E 2: PROJECT
PLANNING
 Once the project is approved to move forward
based on your business case, statement of
work, or project initiation document, you
move into the planning phase.
 During this phase of the project management
life cycle, you break down the larger project
into smaller tasks, build your team, and
prepare a schedule for the completion of
assignments.
P H A S E 2: PROJECT
PLANNING
 Create smaller goals within the larger project,
making sure each is achievable within the
time frame. Smaller goals should have a high
potential for success.
P H A S E 2: PROJECT
PLANNING
 Steps for the project planning phase may
include the following:
 Creating a project plan: Identify the project
timeline, including the phases of the project,
the tasks to be performed, and possible
constraints
 Creating workflow diagrams: Visualize your
processes and make sure team members
clearly understand their role in a project
 P H A S E 2: PROJECT
PLANNING

 Estimating budget and creating a financial

plan: Use cost estimates to determine how
much to spend on the project to get the
maximum return on investment
 Gathering resources: Build your functional
team from internal and external talent pools
while making sure everyone has the
necessary tools (software, hardware, etc.) to
complete their tasks
P H A S E 2: PROJECT
PLANNING
 Anticipating risks and potential quality
roadblocks: Identify issues that may cause
your project to stall while planning to mitigate
those risks and maintain the project’s quality
and timeline
 Holding a project kickoff meeting: Bring your
team on board and outline the project so they
can quickly get to work
PROJECT PLANNING
Essence of project planning
i.Clarification of project goals and objectives
ii.Reduction of uncertainty
iii.Maximization of efficiency
iv.Establishment of a monitoring and control
system
v.Managing complexity
PHASE 3: EXECUTION
 The execution phase turns your plan into action.
 The project manager’s job in this phase of the
project management life cycle is to keep work
on track, organize team members, manage
timelines, and make sure the work is done
according to the original plan.
 Tools such as a GANTT chart can be used
under this stage to see which deliverables have
been completed ensure that your project
remains on track.
PHASE 3: EXECUTION
 Steps for the project execution phase may include
the following:
 Creating tasks and organizing
workflows: Assign granular aspects of the projects to
the appropriate team members, making sure team
members are not overworked
 Briefing team members on tasks: Explain tasks to
team members, providing necessary guidance on
how they should be completed, and organizing
process-related training if necessary
PHASE 3: EXECUTION
 Communicating with team members, clients,
and upper management: Provide updates to
project stakeholders at all levels
 Monitoring quality of work: Ensure that team
members are meeting their time and quality
goals for tasks
 Managing budget: Monitor spending and
keeping the project on track in terms of
assets and resources
PHASE 3
PROJECT
EXECUTION/IMPLEMENTATION
ACTIVITIES:
 Organise for Project
 Form Teams
 Agree Project Document
 Establish Structures/
Reporting Systems
PHASE 4:
CLOSURE/COMPLETION
 In the closure phase, you provide final
deliverables, release project resources, and
determine the success of the project.
 Just because the major project work is over,
that doesn’t mean the project manager’s job
is done—there are still important things to do,
including evaluating what did and did not
work with the project.
PHASE 4:
CLOSURE/COMPLETION
 Steps for the project closure phase may include
the following:
 Analyzing project
performance: Determine whether the project's
goals were met (tasks completed, on time and on
budget) and the initial problem solved using a
prepared checklist.
 Analyzing team performance: Evaluate how team
members performed, including whether they met
their goals along with timeliness and quality of
work
PHASE 4:
CLOSURE/COMPLETION
 Documenting project closure: Make sure that
all aspects of the project are completed with no
loose ends remaining and providing reports to
key stakeholders
 Conducting post-implementation reviews:
Conduct a final analysis of the project, taking
into account lessons learned for similar
projects in the future
 Accounting for used and unused budget:
Allocate remaining resources for future projects
PHASE 4
PROJECT COMPLETION/CLOSE OUT
ACTIVITIES:
 Debriefing Staff
 Project Completion Report
 Handing Over
Why Projects Fail
 Failure to align project with organizational
objectives
 Poor scope
 Unrealistic expectations
 Lack of executive sponsorship
 Lack of project management
 Inability to move beyond individual and
personality conflicts
 Politics
Why Projects Succeed!
 Project Sponsorship at executive level
 Good project charter
 Strong project management
 The right mix of team players
 Good decision making structure
 Good communication
 Team members are working toward common
goals
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
TRIANGLE
 It is a framework that represents the relationship
between three primary project constraints: time,
cost, and scope.
 It is a visual representation of the trade-offs that
project managers often face when managing a
project.
 The three constraints are interdependent, and any
change in one constraint will affect the other two.
A graphic aid where the three
attributes shown on the corners
of the triangle represents
certain project constraints.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
TRIANGLE
SCOPE
 The scope constraint refers to what
must be done to produce the
project's end result.
 Requirements specified to achieve
the end result.
 The overall definition of what the
project is supposed to accomplish,
and a specific description of what the
end result should be or accomplish
 Time
 The time constraint refers to the
amount of time available to complete
a project
 Project's activities can either take
shorter or longer amount of time to
complete depending on a number of
factors such as the number of people
working on the project, experience,
skills, etc.
TIME cont…..
 Time is a crucial factor which is
uncontrollable.

 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
 The cost constraint refers to the
budgeted amount available for the
project.

 It's crucial for both the project

manager and the organization to
have an estimated cost when
undertaking a project.
COST…..
 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.
Quality
 Quality is not a part of the project
management triangle, but it is the
ultimate objective of every delivery.

 Many project managers are under

the notion that 'high quality comes
with high cost', which to some
extent is true.
Quality……

Like with the scope, quality will

also be an important deliverable
for the project.
 The real value of the project
triangle is to show the complexity
that is present in any project.

 This graphic aid can facilitate better

project decisions and planning and
ensure alignment among team
members and the project owners.
 One side of the triangle cannot be changed without
affecting the others.
 These three constraints are often competing
constraints:
 increased scope typically means increased time and
increased cost,
 a tight time constraint could mean increased costs
and reduced scope,
 and a tight budget could mean increased time and
reduced scope.
 A further refinement of the constraints separates
product "quality" or "performance" from scope, and
turns quality into a fourth constraint.
Overcoming Challenges to Project
Constraints:

 It is always a requirement to
overcome the challenges related to the
project triangle during the project
execution period.
 Project managers need to understand
that the three constraints outlined in
the project management triangle can
be adjusted.
 The project manager needs to
strike a balance between the three
constraints so that quality of the
project will not be compromised.
 To overcome the constraints, the
project managers have several
methods to keep the project going
such as preventing stakeholders
from changing the scope and
maintaining limits on both financial
and human resources.
 END

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