PROJECT

MANAGEMEN
T
DR. ANCHAL GUPTA
An Overview of Project Management

1–2
Project
 A complex, nonroutine, one-time effort limited by time, budget, resources, and
performance specifications designed to meet customer needs.

 According to Project Management Institute, “Project is a temporary endeavour

undertaken to create a simple product, service or result.”

 Planned, managed & controlled

Characteristics

• Has an established objective.

• Has a defined life span with a beginning and an end.
• Requires across-the-organizational participation.
• Involves doing something never been done before.
• Has specific time, cost, and performance requirements.
Examples

 New Product/Services
 Organizing Sports Event
 Construction Projects
 Information Technology Adoption
 Political Campaign
 New Vehicle Design
 Restructuring of Organization Design
 Plant Expansion
 Mining Projects
Project vs Operations vs Program

Operations Project Program

Day-to-day activities Temporary Group of related

Limited goals endeavor projects
Common goal

1–6
Comparison of Routine Work with Projects
Routine, Repetitive Work
Taking class notes
Daily entering sales receipts into
the accounting ledger
Responding to a supply-chain
request
Practicing scales on the piano
Routine manufacture of an Apple
iPod
Projects
Writing a term paper
Setting up a sales kiosk for a professional
accounting meeting
Developing a supply-chain information
system
Writing a new piano piece
Designing an iPod that is approximately 2
X 4 inches, interfaces with PC, and
stores 10,000 songs
Program versus Project
• Program Defined
- A series of coordinated, related, multiple projects that continue over an
extended time and are intended to achieve a goal.
- A higher-level group of projects targeted at a common goal.

• Examples:
-Project: completion of a required course in project management.
-Program: completion of all courses required for a business major.
Project Management

 Application of specific knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver

something of value – Definition by PMI

 Management of resources to provide desired project deliverables

Project Management: History

 The Pyramid, Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, Temples, Forts, …

 Late 19th century – Construction of intercontinental railroad, other large
projects
 Early 20th century – Frederick Taylor introduced Scientific Management;
Henry Gantt developed Gantt chart for project progress illustrations, PMI
 Mid 20th century – CPM and PERT methodologies, sequence of tasks,
dependencies and concept of critical path
Project Manager : Role
 Same functions as other managers perform.
 Difference?
 Challenging? How?
-Direction
-Coordination
-Integration
 “Project Management is not for timid”
 Must induce the right people at the right time to address the right issues and
make the right decisions.
 Project managers should be:

Project Manager : Role ►

►
Good coaches
Good communicators
► Able to organize activities
Highly visible from a variety of disciplines
Responsible for making sure that:

1. All necessary activities are finished in order and on time

2. The project comes in within budget
3. The project meets quality goals
4. The people assigned to the project receive motivation,
direction, and information
 Iron Triangle

On Time

Happy Within
Customer Budget

Delivered as
Promised
 Project Life Cycle

Defining

Planning

Executing

Closing
Project Life Cycle: Defining

 Specifications are defined

 Project objectives are established
 Scope and deliverables are defined
 Teams are formed
 Major responsibilities are assigned
Project Life Cycle: Planning
 Level of effort increases
 Determine what the project will entail
 When it will be scheduled
 Whom it will benefit
 What quality level should be maintained
 What the budget will be
Project Life Cycle: Executing

 Major portion of project works done

 Physical product is produced
 Time cost and specification measures
are under control
 Monitoring and revisions/ changes
Project Life Cycle: Closing

DELIVERY OF THE PROJECT RE-DEPLOYING RESOURCES POST PROJECT REVIEW

PRODUCTS TO OTHER PROJECTS
Project Life Cycle
Project Phases
Closure
Monitoring
Initiation & Control

Planning Execution
 1 Project Integration Management

2 Project Scope Management

3 Project Time Management

Project 4 Project Cost Management

Nine 5 Project Quality Management

Domains 6 Project Human Resource Management

7 Project Communication Management

8 Project Risk Management

9 Project Procurement Management

People Associated

Project Project
Vendors
Manager Team

Government
Suppliers Customers
Regulatory
 Project Governance:
An Integrative Approach
• Integration (or centralization) of project management provides senior management
with:
• An overview of all project management activities
• A big picture of how organizational resources are used
• A risk assessment of their portfolio of projects
• A rough metric of the firm’s improvement in managing projects relative to others
in the industry
• Linkages of senior management with actual project execution management
 Alignment of Projects with
Organizational Strategy
Problems resulting from the uncoordinated project
management systems include:
 Projects that do not support the organization’s overall
strategic plan and goals.
 Independent managerial decisions that create internal
imbalances, conflicts and confusion resulting in
dissatisfied customers.
 Failure to prioritize projects results in the waste of
resources on non-value-added activities/projects.
 Current Drivers of Project Management
• Factors leading to the increased use of project
management:
• Compression of the product life cycle
• Knowledge explosion
• Triple bottom line (planet, people, profit)
• Corporate downsizing
• Increased customer focus
• Small projects represent big problems
Case Study 1: A Day in a Life (P-46/6e)
 Rachel, Project Manager, Information Systems Project Effectiveness?
 What it takes to be a project manager? And effective project manager?

 Video Case study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciTaXx52NTU

 CASE STUDY 2: South American Adventures Unlimited