Project Management can deliver successful results

Project Management can deliver Success

The popularity and demand for project management techniques has increased over the last 10 years, however the reality is that many still don’t really understand what project management is.  There is a misconception that Project management is only relevant to engineers, IT, manufacturing and the construction profession. What isn’t realised is that the same technique and skills used by these industries and leading organisations are applicable to any type of project whether large, small, professional or personal.

Everyone works on a project

Whilst speaking at a business ladies event recently, I took the opportunity to share how project management was necessary for delivering successful results.  The fact is everybody undertakes some type of project in his or her life whether personal or professional. Therefore it is important to understand what a project is and be able to identify when we are working or engaged in one.

Definition of  a project

A Temporary endeavour to create a Unique Product, Service or Result

Project management is for small and large projects

Projects exist to achieve goals, strategies and visions and these can range from huge infrastructure, government or technology projects to starting a business, planning a holiday or making a career move. On a flip chart I used a simple animated project to demonstrate how breaking it down enables better planning, control, reporting and structure. Project management techniques and processes can be used for any type of industry or personal project as they are generally the same, the only difference is in the scale, budget, complexity and number of people involved.

Measures and indicators that project management techniques can deliver success

Before exerting time and effort into using project management techniques we should be convinced that it can help us manage and complete our projects successfully. Therefore we look at measures and indicators of success such as statistics, research and the growth of project management practices within organisations.

Organisations increasingly look at project management as a means for managing their resources, time and budget in a structured and accountable way.

Other indications of project management popularity are the increase in demand for project managers, training and certifications. And the growth of the project management market such as software, knowledge, membership to professional bodies and followings in PM communities’.

Definition of project Management

Application of skills, tools and knowledge to project activities to meet project requirements

Breaking the project down

Breaking the Project down using Project Management techniques

All projects follow a life cycle as demonstrated in the diagram. In the initiation important questions such as why the project is being done, what the intended end product or goals are, and answers to questions such as who, where and when.

After documenting and approving this phase we move on the next phase of the life cycle which is to create a detailed plan. This serves as the projects map or guidebook to be followed until the project’s aims have been achieved. The planning phase of any project is critical and some projects have been known to spend over two years just in the planning phase. According to the PMI best practice guide PMBOK, planning can be broken down into nine knowledge areas.

Biz ladies at RCSI

The subsequent phases in the project life cycle involve processes, tools and techniques to execute, monitor and control project activities and changes to the plan. The final phase of the project are the processes to close and finish the project, and document lessons learnt. Underpinning all of these techniques is the importance of identifying and engaging with stakeholders, these are all the people who are engaged in the project internally, externally and can affect the progress of project activities.

Project Management Tools

Similar to other professions project managers also have different tools and techniques in their toolkit to help plan, manage, control, report and organise all the components of a projects activities.  These can be project management software’s, documentations, charts, graphs, reporting sheets, registers and logs.

Conclusion