Introduction to Project Management

 Explain what a project is?  Describe project management.  Understand project management framework.  Discuss the relationship between project, program, and portfolio management.  Understand the role of the project manager.  Define the project management institute (PMI).  Recognition project management software.

 Project is a temporary sequence of related activities that must be completed to create a unique product or service.  Projects can be large or small and take a short or long time to complete.  Information Technology (IT) projects can be hardware projects, software projects, or mix of them.

 A technician replaces ten laptops for a small department.  A small software development team adds a new feature to an internal software application for the finance department.  A college campus upgrades its technology infrastructure to provide wireless Internet access across the whole campus.

 A project: ◦ Has a unique purpose. ◦ Is temporary. ◦ Is developed using progressive elaboration. ◦ Requires resources, often from various areas. ◦ Should have a primary customer or sponsor. ◦ Involves uncertainty.

 A project has a unique purpose:  Every project should have a well-defined objectives.  A project is temporary:  It must has a definite beginning and a definite end.  A project is developed using progressive elaboration:  Project should be developed in steps (phases), in increments way. ( Project are often defined broadly when they begin, and as time passes, the specific details of the project become clearer ).

 A project requires resources :  Resources include people, hardware, software, and other assets.  Resources are limited and must be used effectively to meet project goals.  A project should have a primary customer or sponsor :  Project sponsor provides the direction and funding for the project.  A project involves uncertainty :  Because every project is unique, it is sometimes difficult to define its objectives clearly, estimate how long it will take to complete, or determine how much it will cost.

 Project Management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements”.  Project managers manage projects by:  Setting clear and achievable objectives.  Identifying requirements.  Adapting the project to meet the needs of the people involved in or affected by the project activities.  Balancing the demands of the Triple Constraint.

Successful project management means meeting and balancing these three goals: Scope. Time. Cost.

 Scope:  What work will be done as part of the project?  What unique product, service, or result does customer or sponsor expect from the project?  Time:  How long should it take to complete the project?  What is the project’s schedule?  Cost:  What should it cost to complete the project?  What is the project’s budget?

 Reducing time allowed will increase cost, and may reduce the scope of the system.  Reducing costs will increase time and may reduce the scope of the system.  Reducing scope may reduce time and cost.  Increasing scope will certainly increase time and/or cost.

 The key elements of the Project Management Framework include: ◦ The project stakeholders. ◦ Project management knowledge areas. ◦ Project management tools and techniques. ◦ The contribution of successful projects to the enterprise.

 Stakeholders : are the people involved in or affected by project activities.  Stakeholders include: ◦ The project sponsor. ◦ The project manager. ◦ The project team. ◦ Support staff. ◦ Customers. ◦ Users. ◦ Suppliers. ◦ Opponents to the project.

 Knowledge areas: describe the key competencies that project managers must develop.  There are 9 knowledge areas of project management: ◦ Core knowledge areas leads to specific project objectives, include project scope, time, cost, and quality management. ◦ Facilitating knowledge areas : they are the process through which the project objectives are achieved, include human resources, communication, risk, and procurement management. ◦ 1 knowledge area called project integration management. It affects and is affected by all of the other knowledge areas.

 Core knowledge areas: 1.Project scope management : involves defining and managing all the work required to complete the project successfully. 2.Project time management: includes estimating how long it will take to complete the work. 3.Project cost management : consists of preparing and managing the budget for the project. 4.Project quality management : ensures that the project will satisfy the stated or implied needs for which it was undertaken.

 Facilitating knowledge areas: 1.Project human resources management is concerned with making effective use of the people involved with the project. 2.Project communications management involves generating, collecting, deployment, and storing project information. 3.Project risk management includes identifying, analyzing, and responding to risk related to the project. 4.Project procurement management involves acquiring or procuring goods and services for a project from outside the performing organization.

 One knowledge areas: 1.Project integration management is process that coordinate all project management knowledge areas throughout a project’s life.

 Project Management Tools and Techniques assist project managers and their teams in carrying out work in all nine knowledge areas.  Some specific ones include: ◦ Project charter, scope statement, and WBS (scope management). ◦ Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path analysis, critical chain scheduling (time management). ◦ Cost estimates and earned value management (cost management).

 Better control of financial, physical, and human resources.  Improved customer relationships.  Shorter development times.  Higher quality and increased reliability.  Higher profit margins.  Lower costs and improved productivity.  Better internal coordination.  Higher worker morale.

 There are several ways to define project success: ◦ The project met scope, time, and cost goals. ◦ The project satisfied the customer/sponsor. ◦ The results of the project met its main objective.

 Project managers work with project sponsors, the project team, and other people involved in a project to meet project goals.  Program: group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually.  Program manager provides leadership and direction for the project managers heading the projects within the program.

 Portfolio: is a group of programs (investments).  Project Portfolio Management is grouping and managing projects and programs as a portfolio of investments that contribute to the entire enterprise’s success.  Project Portfolio Management is the continues process of selecting and managing the optimum set of project initiatives that deliver maximum business value.

more specific and short-term goals emphasize long- term goals

 The job descriptions of project manager vary by project and by organization, but most include responsibilities like planning, scheduling, coordinating, and working with project stakeholders to achieve project goals.

1. People skills. 2. Leadership. 3. Listening skills. 4. Integrity, ethical behavior, consistent. 5. Strong at building trust. 6. Verbal communication. 7. Strong at building teams. 8. Conflict resolution, conflict management. 9. Critical thinking, problem solving. 10. Understands, balances priorities.

11. Project management knowledge. 12. Application area knowledge. 13. General knowledge (finance, accounting, sales, marketing, manufacturing,… ect.). 14. Project environment knowledge. 15. Making effective use of technology.

 The Project Management Institute (PMI) is an international professional society for project managers founded in 1969.

 The Project Management Institute (PMI) provides certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) who is someone that has documented sufficient project experience and education.  PMP constraints: ◦ Sufficient project experience. ◦ Agreed to follow a code of ethics. ◦ Passed the PMP exam.

 There are hundreds of different products to assist in performing project management.  Three main categories of software: ◦ Low-end: handle small projects and single users, cost less than $200 per user. ◦ Midrange: handle larger projects, multiple users, and multiple projects. Cost range from about $200 to $600 per user. Microsoft Project 2007 most popular. ◦ High-end: also called enterprise project management software, handle very large projects, that often licensed on a per-user basis, and are accessible via the internet.