Project Management and Appraisal-MODULE 1

Introduction:
The word PROJECT comes from the Latin word PROJECTUM from the Latin
verb PROICERE; which means “to throw something forwards” which in turn
comes from PRO-, which denotes something that precedes the action of the next
part of the word in time and ICERE, “to throw”. The word PROJECT thus
actually originally meant “something that comes before anything else happens”.
A project in business and science is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create
a unique product, service, or result. Basically, it is planned to achieve a
particular aim. The aim of a project is to attain its objective and then terminate.
Some of the reasons to start a project can be:
A customer request or market demand
An organizational need
A customer requests
A technological advance
A legal requirement
Projects and operations differ primarily in that operations are ongoing and
repetitive, while projects are temporary and unique. Generally, a project is a
means of organizing some activities that cannot be addressed within the normal
operational limits.
Project have a major role to play in economic development of a country, since
the introduction of planning in our economy ,we have been investing large
amount of money in projects related to Industry ,Minerals, Power,
Transportation, Irrigation, Education. etc. with a view to improve the socio -
economic conditions of the people
These Projects are designed with the aim of efficient management, earning
adequate return to provide for future development with their own resources
But experience shows that there are several short comings in the ultimate
success of achieving the objectives of the proposed projects
Meaning of Project:
A piece of planned work or an activity that is finished over a period and
intended to achieve a particular purpose
Examples

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The government has given the go-ahead for a multi-billion-pound road-building

project.
The cost of the project has increased dramatically since it began.
A large portion of the company's profit goes straight back into new projects.
Has she had any experience of managing large projects?
I want to thank you all for the time and energy you have put into this project,
and for your part in making it such a success.
Project is a great opportunity for organizations and individuals to achieve their
business and business objectives more effectively through implementing change
in an organized manner and with reduced probability of failure

It is an attempt to implement desired change to an environment in a controlled

way

Definition:
“A Project is a temporary unique and progressive attempt or endeavor made to
produce a kind of a tangible or intangible result.”
“A Project is defined as a specific ,finite activity that produces an observable
and measurable results under certain preset requirements ”
A project can also be defined as a set of inputs and outputs required to achieve a
particular goal.
A project is an activity to meet the creation of a unique product or service and
thus activities that are undertaken to accomplish routine activities cannot be
considered projects.
A Project is a series of tasks that needs to be completed to reach a specific
outcome .

Characteristics of a Project
Objectivity-
A project has a set of a objectives or a mission ,once the objectives are achieved
the project is treated as completed

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Project has a set objective to achieve within a distinct time, cost and technical
performance.
Temporary-
It is temporary – temporary means that every project has a definite beginning
and a definite end. Project always has a definitive time frame.
Temporary does not necessarily mean that the duration of a project is short. It
only refers to the engagement of a project, and not to the product, service, or
resulting deliverable. The temporary aspect of a project can be conceptualized
by thinking of a building construction project. The construction of a building
takes a specific amount of time. However, the building will continue to be in
place much longer after the construction project has ended.
Uniqueness-
Every project is unique and different. This is another aspect that differentiates a
project from normal operations. Repetitive elements may be present in project
deliverables and activities, but there is always something different about those
elements or the way in which they are combined. Once again, a building
construction project can serve as a conceptual example. A specific structure
may be designed by people who have designed other buildings, constructed by
people who have built other buildings, and made from the same materials as
other buildings. Yet, an individual building project brings those elements
together in a unique way; A particular building of a specific design for an exact
purpose using selected materials all combine to create a unique construction
project.

Creating Output –
Every project creates some type of product, service, or end result. These outputs
are called deliverables and they are the reason projects exist and take place.
Project output can be both tangible and intangible. An example of tangible
project output is the building resulting from a construction project. Examples of
intangible projects include new services or events. Projects have other features
as well. They can be large or small, involving a single person or multiple
organizations. Projects can also be undertaken at all different organizational
levels.
As an example, we find that considering the changing pattern of modern living
the domestic appliances small e.g. grinders, mixers etc., and large, e.g.

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refrigerators, washing machines etc. are on ever-increasing demand. This

generates responses to avail opportunity to produce such appliances.

Lifecycle-
Projects have a start and an end a characteristic of a life cycle. The organisation
of project changes as it passes through this cycle the activities starting from—
conception stage, mounting up to the peak during implementation and, then,
back to zero level on completion and delivery of the project.

Teamwork-
Project is planned, managed and controlled by an assigned team the project
team planted within the owner’s organization to achieve the objectives as per
specifications.
Project is a teamwork and it normally consists of diverse areas ,there will be be
personnel specialized in their respective areas ,co-ordination among the diverse
areas calls for team work

Optimality-
A Project is always aimed at optimum utilization of resources for the overall
development of the economy.

Customer Specific-
A project is always a 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 or Services that are suited to
the customer needs .

Changes-
Changes occur throughout the life span of a project as a natural outcome of
many environmental factors .The changes may vary from Minor to Major
changes, the vary nature of the Project

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Elements of Project
There are at least ten critical elements that must be present in the project plan,
some of which you may not consider unless you have a bit of education in
effective project management.
1. PROJECT GOALS
A project is like a journey. Every journey needs a destination. If the destination
is known, a map can then be formulated. The same is true of projects: if the
goals are clear, then a plan for accomplishing those goals can be formulated.
In other words, there can be no project plan without definite project [Link]
that reason, the most important thing the project manager must do before
coming up with a plan is figure out exactly what they want the project to
achieve.

The best project goals contain five essential characteristics, captured by the
acronym SMART.

S.M.A.R.T goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-

Bound.

Specific
As we mentioned, a project needs a clear destination. That is what Specific
[Link] project formulators must figure out the five Ws of the project goals,
which are Who, What, Why, Where, and Which?.
“Who” refers to the beneficiaries of the project. Who has commissioned the
project? Who is the project supposed to benefit? It also refers to the team that
will be working on the project. Who are the best people you can hire? Who has
the skills you need? Who can you afford with the given budget?
“What” refers to the specific outcome expected of the project, as well as the
project management tools that you will use to achieve this outcome. What do
you want to achieve? What are you working with?
“Why” refers to the relevance or importance of the goal. Why does the school
need a new skating rink – might something else be more important? Knowing

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why a project is necessary is very important if the project is to be completed

successfully and efficiently.
“Where” refers to the location of the project.
“Which” refers to the resources you need to work on the project. Which
resources are at hand?

Measurable
It’s important to track and measure the progress of the project. How fast are you
going? How far do you have left?
Measurable progress helps determine if you are on course, if you are likely to
miss a deadline, or if the project is going the right way. This will help you chart
the way forward and ensure you are not late in completing the project. When
you know that you are making progress, this also motivates you to keep putting
in the work until the project is achieved.

Achievable
This is common sense, but not that intuitive in practice. The project formulators
have to think things through deeply to determine if the project they are working
on is attainable.
Some projects are impossible, given the existing variables, but they are complex
enough to appear deceptively achievable. Figuring out whether a goal is
achievable will save a lot of time and resources that would have been wasted.
On the other hand, great projects have ambitious goals that seem to reach
beyond what people think is possible. The trick is in knowing the limits, lest the
project comes crashing down during [Link] project formulators should
assess the resources they have at hand and the constraints of the project such as
scheduling and costs to determine if the project goals can be attained.

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Relevant
The project does not occur in a vacuum. It occurs within the ecosystem of an
organization. That means the project should align to the objectives and mission
of the organization. It should be relevant to the greater organization, not just in
isolation.
It is the task of the project formulators to figure out how to align their project
with the organization’s [Link] may involve tweaking the project goal
here and there, or picking a different goal altogether.

Time-bound
The project should not go on indefinitely. It needs to have a set deadline, a
defined [Link] time constraint ensures resources are used efficiently and with
minimal wastage. Furthermore, having clear deadlines for a project motivates
the project team to work harder and faster to hit targets and complete the project
in good time.

2. SCOPE
The scope of the project is the total work/tasks/goals that are contained in the
project. Small projects have a small scope. Big projects have a large scope.
The scope includes the project’s key milestones, major deliverables, high-level
requirements, assumptions, and constraints. It is absolutely necessary that the
project formulators take the time to define the boundaries of the project. In
doing so, they will be defining the scope.
Defining the scope also ensures the entire team is focused on the same goals.
For instance, if you’re working with a marketing team to create a brochure,
defining scope would involve figuring out how many pages the brochure should
be.
Some team members might consider a finished product to be one that contains
two pages, others four, or ten. It’s important that all team members know
exactly how many pages the brochure should contain, so that they can
coordinate [Link] a client or management gives new instructions on
something new they want done or included in the project, this widens the
project’s scope.

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3. MILESTONES AND MAJOR DELIVERABLES

The key achievements that the projects must attain are known as milestones.
The key work products produced by the project are known as major
deliverables.
These two are important components of the work performed to complete a
project: it must attain certain set milestones and it must produce certain set
deliverables.
A good project plan clearly defines both the milestones and deliverables of the
project. It also sets deadlines for the attainment of the milestones and the
deliverables.
Project planners should develop deliverables that align with the project’s overall
objectives.
Deliverables are the building blocks of the project. Examples of deliverables
include reports, prototypes, plan designs, patents filling, websites, videos, press
& media actions, technical diagrams, software, and so on. Milestones are
checkpoints which help the project team chart progress throughout the project’s
course.
Milestones enable the team to identify which tasks and key deliverables have
been completed. Once certain milestones have been attained, the team can move
on to the project’s next phase.

4. BUDGET
It’s not possible for a project to operate without [Link] team needs to be
paid, and other project resources cost money as well. The larger the scope of the
project is, the higher the cost of completing the project will be. That is why the
project team must take great care to ensure there is zero or minimal scope
To ensure the project does not use more money than it should, the project
planners should come up with a budget to be used by the team during
[Link] budget details the allocation of money in the project and provides
an estimate of the project’s total cost.
Examples of costs covered by project budgets include operating costs, labor
costs, material procurement costs, and so on. The project budget is not set in
stone however. The project is a dynamic thing.

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The scope will often expand during execution. As the scope enlarges, the costs
increase and the budget must therefore keep being updated throughout the
course of the project.
Note that the project’s total cost is linked to the length of time it takes to
complete the project.

If you allocate more money to the project (for instance in hiring more people or
buying better machinery), completion time will be faster. On the other hand, if
you want to use as little money as possible, the completion time might take
much longer.
The budget is therefore linked to both the scope and the time. The project
planners must ensure that the budget, scope, milestones, and tasks are realistic
and aligned.

5. WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

A work breakdown structure is a tool used in projects to provide a hierarchical
structure of outcomes the project will deliver and how they need to be
[Link] simpler, the work breakdown structure defines everything the
project must accomplish, organizing it all into multiple levels. The work
breakdown structure is displayed/represented graphically.

The WBS defines the project’s “what”. The purpose of the WBS is to break
down complex activities into smaller constituents that are easier to manage.
The more complex a project is, the more dearly it needs a work breakdown
strcture. When there is no work breakdown structure, things are likely to get
muddled and the ensuing confusion will make the project miss its deadline or
even lead to project failure.
It is therefore extremely important for the project planners to break down the
complexity of the project into chunks that are smaller and easier for the project
manager and project team to manage. When developing the work breakdown
structure, the project manager will consider each team member’s strengths and
weaknesses, the available resources, interdependencies among project tasks, and
the overall deadline of the project.

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6. HUMAN RESOURCES PLAN

A project is not possible without a [Link] are the people that do the actual
work which leads to attainment of the project objectives. Who you select to be a
part of the team is crucial in determining whether the projects succeeds or fails.
The human resources plan demonstrates how the project is staffed: who will be
working on the project and how much time commitment is expected of each
person. Furthermore, if the project needs additional staff (for instance, on
consultation basis), this too must be documented in the human resources
[Link] supervisors should be consulted during the process of
formulating the work breakdown structure because they can give insights on the
strengths or weaknesses and personalities of various proposed team
[Link] human resource plan must include the roles and responsibilities of
each of the team members.
This will eliminate conflicting or ambiguous expectations around roles and
goals. In other words, a well-designed human resources plan is critical for
reducing conflicts in projects. The human resource plan must also include a
project organization chart. This is a graphical display of the project team’s
composition. The chart includes the various relationships and relative ranks in
the team.
In addition, the human resource plan also features a staffing management plan,
which defines the approach used to staff the project.
For instance, will you be directly involved in the staffing process or is the
project staff pre-assigned? When will the selected people be ready? How
available are they to work on the project throughout its duration.
The plan could also include a training plan. After team evaluation, the project
manager is able to determine the members’ strengths and weaknesses and
identify areas where training will be necessary to improve the team’s
performance.
7. RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN
Lots of things can go wrong during a project. Despite disasters and accidents
being unforeseeable, they can be expected. We can’t say with accuracy when
they will occur, but we know which risks are more likely to occur than others.
It is the job of the project manager to identify various risks to the project, assess
the likelihood of occurrence, and come up with strategies for mitigating those
risks.

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Risks that have the highest likelihood of occurring, together with risks that have
high costs associated with them, are covered by the mitigation strategies put in
place by the project manager.
On the other hand, risks that have a lower likelihood of occurring, or that have
low costs, may not have mitigation strategies – however, they are still put in the
risk management plan.
Examples of risks that face most projects include sickness or the quitting of
team members, unavailability of resources, and weather that is not ideal (for
instance, a snowstorm), and so on.
There exists four ways of responding to a risk:
Avoidance – This is when you prevent the risk from occurring. It is the best
thing to do with a risk, but that is not always an option.
Mitigation – Where you can’t avoid the risk, you must mitigate it, which
involves taking action that minimizes the damage caused to the project by
occurrence of the risk.
Transference – This is where you pay a person or institution to accept the risk
for you – you transfer the risk to them. The most common form of risk
transference is buying insurance.
Acceptance – Where avoidance, mitigation, or transference are not possible,
you have to accept the risk.
You can’t wait for a risk event to occur for you to do something about it – by
then it will probably be too late.
The project planners must be proactive in identifying the risks and formulating
an appropriate response – either preventing, mitigating, transferring, or
accepting. Risk management planning is therefore a key element of an effective
project plan.

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8. STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT PLAN

A project team does not exist in isolation and they do not, as we mentioned,
execute the project in a vacuum.

The project has a whole ecosystem within it and around it, especially when the
project is part of the greater mission of an organization.
The parties that are affected or invested in the project are known as
stakeholders.
They include the project team, the beneficiaries, the organization itself, the
customers, the project sponsor, regulatory agencies, and so on.
These stakeholders have varying interests and some of them have the influence
to determine if the project will succeed or fail. It is therefore absolutely
necessary for the project plan to take their concerns or interests into
consideration.
The project planners must determine who are the most important stakeholders
for the project and interrogate what needs to be done to satisfy them.
It is impractical for the project team to include members that represent all
stakeholder groups.
That said, the project will require input and support from the stakeholders for it
to be a success.
Certain stakeholders can make or break the project, no matter how impressively
the project team has executed it.
Since it is not possible for the project team to include or to directly represent
every stakeholder, it is critical that the team comes up with methods of
gathering input from stakeholders. It must also devise ways of communicating
the project’s status and progress to relevant stakeholders.
It is these methods of input gathering and stakeholder communication strategies
that you should document in the stakeholder management plan.
This gives the project a clear framework on how to relate with its stakeholders.
There is some overlap between some functions of the stakeholder management
plan and that of the communications plan.
The difference is that the stakeholder management plan addresses
communication with a narrower audience of stakeholders who have vested

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interests. On the other hand, the communication plan has a broader audience in
mind.

9. COMMUNICATION PLAN
As we have mentioned, the communication plan is targeted at a broader
audience than the stakeholder management plan.
The communication plan aims to streamline communications amongst team
members, and with the client and other stakeholders.
The communication plan provides clear guidelines on the sharing of information
and defines who needs to receive which information based on their status or
responsibilities in the project.
The communication plan does the following:
Provides written documentation every team member can consult when in doubt.
Sets clear guidelines on the how and when of update sharing.
Provides opportunities for feedback sharing.
Boosts team meetings’ productivity.
Increases the project’s status and visibility.
Enables the team to keep the project always aligned with the set goals.
The methods of communication include email, in-person meetings, via-phone
meetings, video chat meetings, status reports, discussion boards, collaboration
apps, to-do lists, and surveys.
The project planners must review past projects to see what worked or didn’t and
consult the team, client, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure their preferred
communication methods are considered.
For instance, it would be inefficient to communicate via weekly emails if no one
reads their email. Perhaps another mode of communication might be more
appropriate.

10. CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN

The project is a dynamic thing. Change may occur at any time during execution.
It is necessary for the project team to have a change management plan as it

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provides guidelines on what to do in the event of change. It defines the activities

and roles for managing and controlling change during project execution.
Change occurs during the execution, monitoring, and controlling phases of the
project lifecycle.
The change management plans ensure that the project team maintains control,
since change can often lead to confusion.
Furthermore, change is often demotivating, and most people are reluctant to
accept change.
Having a change management plan provides some structure to the change
process and makes it less unappealing. It communicates to the team that change
was inevitable and factored into the calculations of the project manager, that
change is itself a part of the project.
The change management plan contains the protocols and processes that must be
followed when making changes. This ensures accountability and transparency.

Project Life Cycle/Phases of Project Management

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[Link] Initiation
Initiation is first phase of project management life cycle where the feasibility
and the business value of the project are determined.
The key outcome of the Initiating phase is our "Project Charter"! It is the bible
of your Project!
The answer to all your project disputes, concerns, and doubts are covered in the
Project Charter. So why do you think this is such an important document?
As common logic says – before we undertake any endeavor we perform certain
background checks, initial research, execution feasibility, and commercial
viability and then decide if it should be undertaken at all.
And exactly that is what is covered in our Project Charter :-
- Business Case or Vision
- Goals / Projected Benefits
- Identify Stakeholders
- Project Scope (In-scope and Out-of-scope items)
- Identifying Deliverables
- Identifying Risks
- Defining project resources, cost &budget.
It is quite evident why a Project Charter is the most important document of any
project.

It explains :-
- Why a project was undertaken? What problems need to be addressed?
- What specific strategic gaps and initiatives need to be served?
- What needs, objectives and profits were served by this project?
- Who are the key stakeholders, sponsors and project team?
- What are the roles and responsibilities of each person associated with the
project?

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- What does the project entail? What will be exactly delivered and left out of the
deliverables?
- What is to be delivered, at what time and within how much cost?
- And lastly who is in charge and authorized to run the project?
It is the process of starting a project by naming it, defining its purpose, etc. The
stakeholders come to know about the value of the project and initiate it.

[Link]
The project risks, costs are analyzed in this process. A roadmap is laid out for
the project with a deadline. The resources are allotted to a project in this process
only. Questions like "what is a project cost?" "What does project consist of?"
and "what is project type?" are raised, and their answers are found by project
managers/stakeholders in this stage.
Failing to plan is planning to fail! We all have heard it, know it, yet often fail to
implement it. Planning is the second yet most important phase in the project
management life cycle. Project planning is at the heart of the project life cycle,
and tells everyone involved where you’re going and how you’re going to get
there. The planning phase is when the project plans are documented, the project
deliverables and requirements are defined, and the project schedule is created.

Planning includes:-
Creating a Project Plan:- The Project Plan is you project blueprint and a project
manager’s best friend. It helps the Project Manager to be in-sync with the
roadmap and maintain progress accordingly by taking informed decisions at the
right time.
Creating a Resource Plan:- A Resource Plan provides information about the
level of resources that is needed to complete a project. A properly documented
Resource Plan will specify the exact quantities of labor, equipment and
materials needed to complete your project. At here, we also consider the skill of
the resources that is whether the resources have the relevant expertise required
for the project.
Creating a Financial Plan:- A Financial Plan helps set budget for your project.
To deliver your project within budget, you need to produce the project
deliverables at a total cost which does not exceed allotted budget.

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Creating a Quality Plan:- Quality Planning is an essential part of any project. It

helps you to monitor and control the level of quality produced by the project, to
ensure that you meet the required quality targets.
Creating a Risk Plan:- A Risk Plan helps you to identify the potential risks and
how to mitigate them. The Risk Management Plan is created as part of the Risk
Planning process. The risk plan contains lists of all potential risks, their ranking
or level and priority, the preventive actions, along with a process for tracking
them.
Creating an Acceptance Plan:- Acceptance plan is the list of the task that is
designed to meet the customer requirement. The Acceptance Plan includes a list
of the deliverables, the acceptance test activities, the criteria and standards to be
met, and the plan for their completion.
Creating a Communication Plan:-:- A communication plan describes the
approach to provide information to the stakeholders. A communication plan
contains the list of information that should be shared with the stakeholders,
project members and the PMO, at what schedule and frequency, the right means
of communication (email, standup meeting, daily meeting, weekly meeting, ppt.
etc.) and how/where the relevant documents and reports can be accessed and by
whom.
Creating a Procurement Plan:- Procurement planning is the process to decide
what to buy, what are procedure should be followed to buy and sources from
which required materials to be purchased.

[Link]
This is the phase that is most commonly associated with project management.
Execution is all about building deliverables that satisfy the customer. Team
leaders make this happen by allocating resources and keeping team members
focused on their assigned tasks.
Everyone usually gathers for a meeting to mark the official start of the project,
where teams can get acquainted with each other and discuss their roles in the
success of the project. Modes of communication and project management tools
are identified before the project plan is executed.
In addition, team members familiarize themselves with the necessary status
meetings and reports that will be conducted throughout this phase to collect
project metrics. The project execution phase is a critical point in a project’s life

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cycle as it will help everyone determine if their efforts will ultimately be fruitful
or not.

4. Monitoring and Controlling

The monitoring and controlling phase happens at the same time as the execution
phase. It’s the job of the project manager to oversee operations and make sure
that everything is headed in the right direction, according to plan.
Aside from overseeing the project’s performance, project managers must
monitor resources, manage risks, head status meetings, and reports, etc. If
unforeseen issues arise, the project manager may have to adjust the plans, as
well as the project schedule.

5. Closing
The final phase of the project management life cycle isn’t as simple as
delivering the output itself. Project managers have to record all deliverables,
organize documents in a centralized location, and hand over the project to the
client or the team responsible for overseeing its operations during the project
closure phase.
Not only that, but teams come together for a final meeting to discuss the
insights they’ve learned and to reward the hard work of each member

Key roles and job responsibilities of a project manager

Project management is a blend of art and science and in today’s business

environment project managers should be well versed in a project management
system. Today’s project management has grown to include several industries
and has been around for several years. A good project manager should have an
entrepreneurial mindset so that they can think about the project beyond the
basics of project management. They are the one responsible for the overall
effort and success and failure of the object. They should have first-hand

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knowledge and skills to deliver up to the mark results associated with their jobs
and responsibilities. To keep your business at its highest level, a project should
be led by qualified managers as it makes a huge difference. Let’s have a look
into it.

[Link] the activities

A project manager needs to set an impact strategy that includes a full list of
activities that are important for the project. The key responsibility of a project
manager includes planning. The project manager needs to define the scope of
the project and develop a project schedule accordingly. In general, when a
project manager is planning the activities it is important to target the activities
effectively to do less but well. The procedures should be efficient enough to
deliver the projects within specified time and budget. Also, a backup plan
should be created if the situation demands.

2. Organizing a project team to perform work

Another major role of project managers has focused their team’s efforts on
elaborate spreadsheets, long checklists, and whiteboards. They need to develop
a plan that will support the team to reach their goal easily without hindering the
performance. It is their duty to organize their team to show their full potential.
A project manager will have have to sometimes put on the duties of human
resources like negotiating current employees’ job responsibilities, managing
their times and achieving their commitment to the project, bids may be required
and contracts will need to be reviewed and keeping everyone in check to make
sure that the team’s moves along in accordance with the plan.

3. Delegating the teams

In many situations like a big project, or various tasks involved in a project, it
becomes critical to delegate responsibilities to teams wisely. It is a leadership
style that every project manager has to abide with and be good at it and
eventually it becomes the responsibility of a project manager that needs to be
learned over time. A manager should not misuse this responsibility in putting
blames or degrading the team members. The tasks need to prioritize the tasks so
prioritized to the team members so that they become more effective in their
abilities. The managers should also understand the strength and weakness of

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their teams and accordingly delegate the tasks to them. So, be a good leader
who creates an environment that fosters trust through meaningful delegation.

4. Controlling time management

To make a good impression on stakeholders and clients, the project managers
need to look for whether the project has succeeded or failed. A project manager
needs to be able to negotiate achievable deadlines and discuss the same with the
team. They need to develop a project that has the following features:
Objective
Process
Estimating duration
Schedule development
Schedule control

5. Managing deliverables
The Project Manager is also responsible for ensuring that the deliverables are
delivered on time and within budget as per the business requirements. Their job
is concerned with asking questions like:
What are the changes being made in the organization? What is the team doing?
Why are we doing it? Is there a business opportunity or risk? How are we going
to do it? What are the popular project management techniques? Who is doing
what? Where are the records and project documents? What are the
specifications, schedule, meetings etc? When are the things being done?
6. Monitor progress
Most of the project manager’s time revolves around monitoring the status of
projects. After the project has been started, a project manager has to see how
much is done and if it is being done as expected. The progress of the project is
made during the middle stages of the project through multiple systems like
status reports, meetings and informal updates. This responsibility will become
easier if a proper management system is selected by the project managers.

7. Establish Regular Meetings

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Scheduling regular meetings are difficult for all project managers and it doesn’t
work well for every project. But a good for successful projects you probably
need one team meeting per week. Or some project managers prefer to have daily
standup meetings for a unique project methodology. The objective of the
meeting should be met by communicating the rules of the project clearly to the
entire team. The project managers should be ready from the beginning to
prepare for meeting the objectives. They can set meeting calendar and try to
stick to it until there is an emergency to cancel the plan out.

8. Communicate a vision with the team

A project manager should have a vision of where to go and the skills to
understand the big picture related to any project. The vision should be conveyed
to the entire team so that they understand the importance of their role to achieve
the end results. The team should understand the load of work and do the
possible efforts to convert goal into a mission. The appropriate tone should be
set by the manager for smoother sailing down the road.

9. Managing reports and necessary documentation

Finally, when the project is completed on time and on a budget, the project
manager has to then provide an appropriate documentation to present the final
reports to clients and identify the areas where there is a need for future
development. This is also a major responsibility of a project manager for project
development. It has two main functions:
To maintain a record of what has been done in the project and who have been
involved in it.
To ensure that the project satisfies all the project requirements.
The role of the project manager encompasses many activities including:

Planning and Defining Scope

Activity Planning and Sequencing
Resource Planning
Developing Schedules

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Time Estimating
Cost Estimating
Developing a Budget
Documentation
Creating Charts and Schedules
Risk Analysis
Managing Risks and Issues
Monitoring and Reporting Progress
Team Leadership
Strategic Influencing
Business Partnering
Working with Vendors
Scalability, Interoperability and Portability Analysis
Controlling Quality
Benefits Realization

EVOLUTION OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The importance of Project Management is an important topic because all
organisations, be they small or large, at one time or other, are involved in
implementing new undertakings. These undertakings may be diverse, such as,
the development of a new product or service; the establishment of a new
production line in a manufacturing enterprise; a public relations promotion
campaign; or a major building programme. Whilst the 1980s were about quality
and the 1990s were all about globalisation, the 2000s are about velocity. That is,
to keep ahead of their competitors, organisations are continually faced with the
development of complex products, services and processes with very short time-
to-market windows combined with the need for cross-functional expertise. In
this scenario, project management becomes a very important and powerful tool
in the hands of organisations that understand its use and have the competencies
to apply it.

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The development of project management capabilities in organisations,

simultaneously with the application of information management systems, allow
enterprise teams to work in partnership in defining plans and managing take-to-
market projects by synchronising team-oriented tasks, schedules, and resource
allocations. This allows cross-functional teams to create and share project
information. However, this is not sufficient, information management systems
have the potential to allow project management practices to take place in a real-
time environment. As a consequence of this potential project management
proficiency, locally, nationally or globally dispersed users are able to
concurrently view and interact with the same updated project information
immediately, including project schedules, threaded discussions, and other
relevant documentation. In this scenario the term dispersed user takes on a
wider meaning. It not only includes the cross-functional management teams but
also experts drawn from the organisation's supply chain, and business partners.
On a macro level organisations are motivated to implement project management
techniques to ensure that their undertakings (small or major) are delivered on
time, within the cost budget and to the stipulated quality. On a micro level,
project management combined with an appropriate information management
system has the objectives of: (a) reducing project overhead costs; (b)
customising the project workplace to fit the operational style of the project
teams and respective team members; (c) proactively informing the executive
management strata of the strategic projects on a real-time basis; (d) ensuring
that project team members share accurate, meaningful and timely project
documents; and (e) ensuring that critical task deadlines are met. Whilst the
motivation and objectives to apply project management in organisations is
commendable, they do not assure project success.

Brief History of Project Management

Project management has been practiced for thousands of years dating back to
the Egyptian epoch, but it was in the mid-1950s that organisations commenced
applying formal project management tools and techniques to complex projects.
Modern project management methods had their origins in two parallel but
different problems of planning and control in projects in the United States. The
first case involved the U.S Navy, which at that time was concerned with the
control of contracts for its Polaris Missile project. These contracts consisted of

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research, development work and manufacturing of parts that were unique and
had never been previously undertaken.
This particular project was characterized by high uncertainty, since neither cost
nor time could be accurately estimated. Hence, completion times were based on
probabilities. Time estimates were based on optimistic, pessimistic and most
likely. These three time scenarios were mathematically assessed to determine
the probable completion date. This procedure was called program evaluation
review technique (PERT). Initially, the PERT technique did not take into
consideration cost. However, the cost feature was later included using the same
estimating approach as with time. Due to the three estimation scenarios, PERT
was found (and still is) to be best suited for projects with a high degree of
uncertainty reflecting their level of uniqueness. The second case, involved the
private sector, namely, E.I du Pont de Nemours Company, which had
undertaken to construct major chemical plants in U.S. Unlike the Navy Polaris
project, these construction undertakings required accurate time and cost
estimates. The methodology developed by this company was originally referred
to as project planning and scheduling (PPS). PPS required realistic estimates of
cost and time, and is thus a more definitive approach than PERT. The PPS
technique was later developed into the critical path method (CPM) that became
very popular with the construction industry.

During the 1960s and 1970s, both PERT and CPM increased their popularity
within the private and public sectors. Defence Departments of various countries,
NASA, and large engineering and construction companies world wide applied
project management principles and tools to manage large budget, schedule-
driven projects. The popularity in the use of these project management tools
during this period coincided with the development of computers and the
associated packages that specialised in project management. However, initially
these computer packages were very costly and were executed only on
mainframe or mini computers. The use of project management techniques in the
1980s was facilitated with the advent of the personal computer and associated
low cost project management software. Hence, during this period, the
manufacturing and software development sectors commenced to adopt and
implement sophisticated project management practices as well. By the 1990s,
project management theories, tools and techniques were widely received by
different industries and organisations.

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Why Project Management?

There is no doubt that organisations today face more aggressive competition
than in the past and the business environment they operate in is a highly
turbulent one. This scenario has increased the need for organisational
accountability for the private and public sectors, leading to a greater focus and
demand for operational effectiveness and efficiency.

Effectiveness and efficiency may be facilitated through the introduction of best

practices that are able to optimise the management of organisational resources.
It has been shown that operations and projects are dissimilar with each requiring
different management techniques. Hence, in a project environment, project
management can: (a) support the achievement of project and organisational
goals; and (b) provide a greater assurance to stakeholders that resources are
being managed effectively.

Research by Roberts and Furlonger in a study of information systems projects

show that using a reasonably detailed project management methodology, as
compared to a loose methodology, improves productivity by 20 to 30 percent.
Furthermore, the use of a formalised project management structure to projects
can facilitate: (a) the clarification of project scope; (b) agreement of objectives
and goals; (c) identifying resources needed; (d) ensuring accountability for
results and performance; (e) and encouraging the project team to focus on the
final benefits to be achieved. Moreover, the research indicates that 85-90% of
projects fail to deliver on time, on budget and to the quality of performance
expected. The major causes identified for this situation include:

Lack of a valid business case justifying the project;

Objectives not properly defined and agreed;
Lack of communication and stakeholder management;
Outcomes and/or benefits not properly defined in measurable terms;
Lack of quality control;
Poor estimation of duration and cost;
Inadequate definition and acceptance of roles (governance);

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Insufficient planning and coordination of resources.

It should be emphasised that the causes for the failure to deliver on time, on
budget and to the quality of performance expected could be addressed by the
application of project management practices. Furthermore, the failure to deliver
on time, on budget and to the quality of performance expected does not
necessarily mean that the project was itself a failure. At this stage what is being
discussed is the effectiveness and efficiency of project execution and not
whether a project is a success or failure.

Conclusion
Project management should be viewed as a tool that helps organisations to
execute designated projects effectively and efficiently. The use of this tool does
not automatically guarantee project success. (project success will be discussed
in a subsequent issue). However, in preparation for the next issue, I would like
you to think about the distinction between project success and project
management success. This distinction will provide further insight to the
questions: Why are some projects perceived as failures when they have met all
the traditional standards of success, namely, completed on time, completed
within budget, and meeting all the technical specifications? Why are some
projects perceived to be successful when they have failed to meet two important
criteria that are traditionally associated with success, namely, not completed on
time and not completed within budget?

Definition
Project Management, in a simple term, it means managing a project from end to
end. It is how a person of authority sets up and supervises the resources that are
available in order to finish a project they have taken. The person of authority
who supervises the whole project is called the Project Manager. The Project
Managers uses different techniques, methodologies, skills, and they have the
required knowledge which will help the Project achieve the objective as per the
criterion which has been agreed upon by all the parties.
Project management is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge
and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project
acceptance criteria within agreed parameters. Project management has final
deliverables that are constrained to a finite timescale and budget.
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A key factor that distinguishes project management from just 'management' is

that it has this final deliverable and a finite timespan, unlike management which
is an ongoing process. Because of this a project professional needs a wide range
of skills; often technical skills, and certainly people management skills and
good business awareness.

Scope of Project Management

In project management, scope is the set of boundaries that define the extent of a
project. The scope describes what is to be delivered to the customer as a result
of the project initiative.

Understanding the scope allows the project manager and project team to
understand what falls inside or outside the boundaries of the project. If
something is "not in scope," it is not factored in the planning work of the
project. Activities that fall within the boundaries of the scope statement are
considered “in scope” and are accounted for in the schedule and budget. If an
activity falls outside the boundaries, it is considered “out of scope” and is not
planned for.
Whether you’re a project manager or part of the project team, you’ll want to
consider if something is in scope or out of scope as you move forward. As an
example, imagine that a client has asked you to build a website. As you outline
the scope (or set the boundaries) of the project, you indicate the following items
as in-scope:
Site design and wireframe diagramming
Establishment of a test bed
Coding to the approved wireframe
Graphics development for the website theme
Testing and debugging prior to making the site public
During the project, the client asks you to include a video overview of the
company. The video is not specified in the scope of the project and is therefore
out of scope. While you may be happy to do the video work for an extra charge,
this will require a revision of the scope and cost and time estimation for the
project.

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In the absence of a clear and agreed upon scope document, the issue of the
video might have become contentious between your team and the customer's
representatives. A clear scope statement allowed you to defuse the situation and
deal with a change in an orderly way.

Why Is Project Management Important?

1. Strategic Alignment
Project management is important because it ensures what is being delivered, is
right, and will deliver real value against the business opportunity.
Every client has strategic goals and the projects that we do for them advance
those goals. Project management is important because part of a PM’s duties is to
ensure there’s rigor in architecting projects properly so that they fit well within
the broader context of our client’s strategic frameworks.
Good project management ensures that the goals of projects closely align with
the strategic goals of the business.
In identifying a solid business case, and being methodical about calculating
ROI, project management is important because it can help to ensure the right
thing is delivered, that’s going to deliver real value.
Of course, as projects progress, it is possible that risks may emerge, that turn
into issues, or even the business strategy may change. But a project manager
will ensure that the project is part of that realignment. Project management
really matters here because projects that veer off course, or which fail to adapt
to the business needs may end up being expensive and/or unnecessary.

2. Leadership
Project management is important because it brings leadership and direction to
projects.
Without project management, a team can be like a ship without a rudder,
moving but without direction, control, or purpose. Leadership allows and
enables team members to do their best work. Project management provides
leadership and vision, motivation, removing roadblocks, coaching, and inspiring
the team to do their best work.
Project managers serve the team but also ensure clear lines of accountability.
With a project manager in place, there’s no confusion about who’s in charge

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and in control of whatever’s going on in a project . Project managers enforce

process and keep everyone on the team in line too because ultimately they carry
responsibility for whether the project fails or succeeds.

3. Clear Focus & Objectives

Project management is important because it ensures there’s a proper plan for
executing on strategic goals.
Where project management is left to the team to work out by themselves, you’ll
find teams work without proper briefs and without a defined project
management methodology. Projects lack focus, can have vague or nebulous
objectives, and leave the team not quite sure what they’re supposed to be doing,
or why.
As project managers, we position ourselves to prevent such a situation and drive
the timely accomplishment of tasks, by breaking up a project into tasks for our
teams.
Oftentimes, the foresight to take such an approach is what differentiates good
project management from bad. Breaking up into smaller chunks of work enables
teams to remain focused on clear objectives, gear their efforts towards achieving
the ultimate project goal through the completion of smaller steps, and to quickly
identify risks since risk management is important in project management.
Often a project’s goals must change in line with a materializing risk. Again,
without dedicated oversight and management, a project could swiftly falter but
good project management (and a good project manager) is what enables the
team to focus, and when necessary refocus, on their objectives.

4. Realistic Project Planning

Project management is important because it ensures proper expectations are set
around what can be delivered, by when, and for how much.
Without proper project management, budget estimates and project delivery
timelines can be set that are over-ambitious or lacking in analogous estimating
insight from similar projects. Ultimately this means without good project
management, projects get delivered late, and over budget.
Effective project managers should be able to negotiate reasonable and
achievable deadlines and milestones across stakeholders, teams, and

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management. Too often, the urgency placed on delivery compromises the

necessary steps, and ultimately, the quality of the project’s outcome.
We all know that most tasks will take longer than initially anticipated; a good
project manager is able to analyze and balance the available resources, with the
required timeline, and develop a realistic schedule. Project management really
matters when scheduling because it brings objectivity to the planning.
A good project manager creates a clear process, with achievable deadlines, that
enables everyone within the project team to work within reasonable bounds, and
not unreasonable expectations.

5. Quality Control
Project management is important because it ensures the quality of whatever is
being delivered, consistently hits the mark.
Projects are also usually under enormous pressure to be completed. Without a
dedicated project manager, who has the support and buy-in of executive
management, tasks are underestimated, schedules tightened and processes
rushed. The result is bad quality output because there’s no quality management
in place.
Dedicated project management ensures that not only does a project have the
time and resources to deliver but also that the output is quality tested at every
stage.
Good project management demands gated phases where teams can assess the
output for quality, applicability, and ROI. Project management is important to
quality because it allows for a staggered and phased process, creating time for
teams to examine and test their outputs at every step along the way.

6. Risk Management
Project management is important because it ensures risks are properly managed
and mitigated against to avoid becoming issues.
Risk management is critical to project success. The temptation is just to sweep
them under the carpet, never talk about them to the client, and hope for the best.
But having a robust process around the identification, management, and
mitigation of risk is what helps prevent risks from becoming issues. Especially

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in complex projects, dealing with risk is where the value of project management
really comes into play.
Good project management practice requires project managers to carefully
analyze all potential risks to the project, quantify them, develop a mitigation
plan against them, and a contingency plan should any of them materialize. It
requires knowing the right questions to ask in order to uncover risks early.
Naturally, risks should be prioritized according to the likelihood of them
occurring, and appropriate responses are allocated per risk (some PMs use a
dedicate risk management software for this). Good project management matters
in this regard, because projects never go to plan, and how we deal with change
and adapt our project management plan is a key to delivering projects
successfully.

7. Orderly Process
Project management is important because it ensures the right people do the right
things, at the right time – it ensures proper project process is followed
throughout the project lifecycle.
Surprisingly, many large and well-known companies have reactive planning
processes that aren’t really based around any real project management
strategies.
But reactivity – as opposed to proactivity – can often cause projects to go into
survival mode. This is when teams fracture, tasks duplicate, and planning
becomes reactive creating inefficiency and frustration in the team.
Proper planning and process can make a massive difference as the team knows
who’s doing what, when, and how. Proper process helps to clarify roles,
streamline processes and inputs, anticipate risks, and creates checks and
balances to ensure the project is continually aligned with the overall strategy.
Project management matters here because without an orderly, easily understood
process, companies risk project failure, attrition of trust in their business
relationships, and resource wastage.

8. Continuous Oversight
Project management is important because it ensures a project’s progress is
tracked and reported properly.

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Status reporting might sound boring and unnecessary – and if everything’s

going to plan, it can just feel like documentation for documentation’s sake. But
continuous project oversight, ensuring that a project is tracking properly against
the original plan, is critical to ensuring that a project stays on track.
When proper oversight and project reporting is in place it makes it easy to see
when a project is beginning to deviate from its intended course. The earlier
you’re able to spot project deviation, the easier it is to course correct.
Good project managers will regularly generate easily digestible progress or
status reports as part of their stakeholder management. This enables clients or
stakeholders to track the project on their own. Typically these status reports will
provide insights into the work that was completed and planned, the hours
utilized and how they track against those planned, how the project is tracking
against milestones, risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies, and any
outputs of the project as it proceeds. This data is invaluable not only for
tracking progress but helps clients gain the trust of other stakeholders in their
organization, giving them easy oversight of a project’s progress. It also gives
your team a simple, consistent way to maintain regular contact to build your
client relationships.

9. Subject Matter Expertise

Project management is important because someone needs to be able to
understand if everyone’s doing what they should.
With a few years of experience under their belt, project managers will know a
little about a lot of aspects of delivering the projects they manage. They’ll build
technical skills and subject matter expertise; they’ll know everything about the
work that their teams execute; the platforms and systems they use, and the
possibilities and limitations, and the kinds of issues that typically occur.
Having this kind of subject matter expertise means they can have intelligent and
informed conversations with clients, teams, stakeholders, and suppliers. They’re
well equipped to be the hub of communication on a project, ensuring that as the
project flows between different teams and phases of work, nothing gets
forgotten about or overlooked.
Without subject matter expertise through project management, you can find a
project becomes unbalanced – the creatives ignore the limitations of technology
or the developers forget the creative vision of the project. Project management

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keeps the team focused on the overarching vision and brings everyone together
forcing the right compromises to make the project a success.

10. Managing and Learning from Success and Failure

Project management is important because it learns from the successes and
failures of the past.
Project management can break bad habits and when you’re delivering projects,
it’s important to not make the same mistakes twice. Project managers use
retrospectives, lessons learned, or post-project reviews to consider what went
well, what didn’t go so well, and what should be done differently for the next
project.
This produces a valuable set of documentation that becomes a record of “dos
and don’ts” going forward, enabling the organization to learn from failures and
success. Without this learning, teams will often keep making the same mistakes,
time and time again.
These retrospectives are great documents to use at a project kickoff meeting to
remind the team about failures such as underestimating projects, and successes
such as the benefits of a solid process or the importance of keeping timesheet
reporting up to date.

Benefit of Project Management

1. Improved Efficiency and Productivity:

 Streamlined Processes:
Project management methodologies break down complex projects into manageable
tasks, optimizing workflows and resource allocation.
 Clear Roles and Responsibilities:
Defining roles and responsibilities ensures that everyone understands their tasks
and contributes effectively, minimizing confusion and bottlenecks.
 Reduced Waste:
By optimizing processes and resource utilization, project management helps
minimize waste and maximize efficiency.
 Increased Output:

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With clear direction and streamlined processes, teams can focus on their work and
deliver more output in less time.

 Optimized Workflows:
Project management tools and techniques help in creating efficient workflows that
are tailored to the specific project needs, leading to smoother execution.

2. Budget and Timeline Adherence:

 Accurate Budgeting and Scheduling:
Project management enables teams to create realistic budgets and timelines,
considering all project requirements and potential risks.
 Cost Control:
By tracking expenses and resource utilization, project management helps control
costs and prevent budget overruns.
 Time Management:
Monitoring progress against the schedule and identifying potential delays early on
allows for timely corrective actions, ensuring projects are completed on time.

3. Enhanced Communication and Collaboration:

 Clear Communication Channels:
Project management establishes clear communication channels and reporting
structures, ensuring that information flows effectively between team members and
stakeholders.
 Stakeholder Engagement:
Regular communication with stakeholders keeps them informed about progress,
risks, and any necessary adjustments, fostering trust and collaboration.
 Team Collaboration:
Project management tools and techniques facilitate collaboration among team
members, enabling them to work together effectively and share information
seamlessly.
4. Risk Mitigation:
 Proactive Risk Identification:
Project management methodologies include processes for identifying potential risks
early on, allowing for proactive mitigation strategies.
 Contingency Planning:

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By anticipating potential problems, project management enables teams to develop

contingency plans and be prepared for unexpected challenges.
 Reduced Impact of Risks:
Effective risk management minimizes the impact of risks on project outcomes,
ensuring that projects stay on track and achieve their objectives.
5. Increased Stakeholder Satisfaction:
 Meeting Expectations:
By delivering projects on time, within budget, and to the required quality, project
management helps meet stakeholder expectations.
 Positive Customer Experience:
Satisfied stakeholders lead to a positive customer experience, which can result in
repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
 Stronger Relationships:
Effective communication and collaboration foster stronger relationships with
stakeholders, building trust and loyalty.
6. Improved Decision-Making:
 Data-Driven Decisions:
Project management provides access to real-time data and insights, enabling
informed decision-making throughout the project lifecycle.
 Better Resource Allocation:
By understanding project needs and resource availability, project management
helps optimize resource allocation for maximum efficiency.
 Proactive Problem Solving:
With a structured approach to problem-solving, project management enables teams
to identify and address

NATURE OF PROJECT MANGEMENT

. Temporary Nature: Projects are not ongoing operations. They have a

defined start and end date, with a specific scope and deliverables.

2. Unique Nature: Each project is unique, producing something that hasn't

been created before within the organization.

3. Defined Objectives: Projects are initiated to achieve specific,

measurable goals.

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4. Resource Management: Projects require the efficient allocation of

resources like time, budget, personnel, and materials.

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Project teams often include members

from different departments or disciplines, requiring effective communication
and collaboration
.
6. Integration: Project management brings together various elements like
planning, execution, monitoring, and control to ensure a cohesive
approach.

7. Dynamic and Adaptive: Project management requires flexibility to adapt

to changing circumstances, client needs, and unforeseen challenges.

8. Focus on Delivering Value: The ultimate goal is to deliver a product,

service, or result that meets the client's objectives and provides value.

9. Essential for Strategic Alignment: Project management helps

organizations achieve their strategic goals by ensuring that projects are
aligned with overall objectives.
In essence, project management is a structured approach to organizing
and guiding efforts to achieve specific objectives, manage resources
effectively, and deliver successful outcomes within defined constraints.

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