MIT,BBM(IB),Semester VI Session 1.

The word project was first used in or around the sixteenth century and derives from the Latin

trajectory, a certain relationship with space and time. The implied process involves: a point of departure used as a base, from which one throws oneself forward towards a goal.

projicere (= throw forward). The Latin root thus suggests movement, a

Historically, the word and concept were first used by architects. In the fifteenth century, Filippo Brunelleschi made two innovations in the architectural practice of his time: Brunelleschi rationalized architecture and gave it a new temporal perspective an approach which made it possible to separate planning and performance, project and implementation. His example suggests that we should rethink the term project and see it as a concept which serves to organize action

 envisaging, planning and defining a course of action one wishes to pursue to achieve a specific future situation; describing, at a specific time and in a specific situation, the processes of change one needs to initiate to create a new situation at a definite time in the future; a process which involves setting up a comprehensive scheme, which takes account of the various aspects of one situation, for the purpose of arriving at another; a dream, a process, an instrument which one can use to project oneself into the future, to set oneself goals and objectives; drawing on the present to envisage the future (tomorrow). A destination worked out together.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines project as An individual or collaborative enterprise that is carefully planned and designed to achieve a particular aim: [e.g.] a

research project /a nationwide project to encourage right to education.

A Project is a temporary attempt or endeavor made to produce some kind of a tangible or intangible result (a unique product, service, benefit, competitive advantage, etc.).

There are many written definitions of a project, however, there is a formal definition of a project the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). defines a project as a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result. The temporary nature of projects indicates a definite beginning and end. The end is reached when the projects objectives have been achieved or when the project is terminated because its objectives will not or cannot be met, or when the need for the project no longer exists.

The Chartered Management Institute define a project as an activity that has a beginning and an end which is carried out to achieve a particular purpose to a set quality within given time constraints and cost limits. Process in which all aspects of a proposed project are explored to examine the relationship between activities, events, durations, and costs. Areas of uncertainty or conflict are identified, and possible alternatives or trade-offs are developed to strike a satisfactory balance. . A project, according to PMI, is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.

A project can be defined as initiative to bring about change. This is done in order to achieve specific objectives, within a timescale, in a given context. A project is normally allocated a budget. Viv Martin (cited in Baume, Martin and Yorke, 2002:1) lists the attributes of a project as follows. A project : has a clear purpose that can be achieved in a limited time; has a clear end when the outcome has been achieved; is resourced to achieve specific outcomes; has someone acting as sponsor who expects the outcomes to be delivered on time; and is a one-off activity that would not normally be repeated.

Sequence of tasks Planned from beginning to end Bounded by time, resources, & required results Defined outcome and "deliverables" Deadline Budget limits number of people, supplies, and capital

Resources (and Constraints) Time

People Money Equipment

Defined beginning, end, schedule, and approach Use resources specifically allocated to the work End results have specific goals (time, cost, performance/quality) Follows planned, organized approach Usually involves a team of people

Projects have a purpose: projects have clearly-defined aims and set out to produce clearly-defined results. Their purpose is to solve a problem, and this involves analyzing needs beforehand. Suggesting one or more solutions, it aims at lasting social change. Projects are realistic: their aims must be achievable, and this means taking account both of requirements and of the financial and human resources Available.

Projects are limited in time and space: they have a beginning and an end, and are implemented in a specific place and context. Projects are complex: projects call on various planning and implementation skills, and involve various partners and players. Projects are collective: projects are the product of collective Endeavour. They are run by teams, involve various partners and cater for the needs of others.

Projects are unique: all projects stem from new ideas. They provide a specific response to a need (problem) in a specific context. They are innovative. Projects are an adventure: every project is different and ground-breaking; they always involve some uncertainty and risk. Projects can be assessed: projects are planned and broken down into measurable aims, which must be open to evaluation.

Projects are made up of stages: projects have distinct, identifiable stages. Projects have a definite start and end, meaning they have a defined duration. Projects have temporary teams of people, assembled or teamed to perform the specific tasks and these teams are generally dismantled/disbanded after completion of the project.

Project management is the science (and art) of organizing the components of a project, whether the project is development of a new product, the launch of a new service, a marketing campaign, or a wedding. A project isn't something that's part of normal business operations. It's typically created once, it's temporary, and it's specific. As one expert notes, "It has a beginning and an end." A project consumes resources (whether people, cash, materials, or time), and it has funding limits.

Project management, then, is the application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently. Its a strategic competency for organizations, enabling them to tie project results to business goals and thus, better compete in their markets.

Project management is a methodical approach to planning and guiding project processes from start to finish. According to the Project Management Institute, the processes are guided through five stages: initiation, planning, executing, controlling, and closing. Project management can be applied to almost any type of project and is widely used to control the complex processes of software development projects.

Project management is a carefully planned and organized effort to accomplish a successful project. Project management includes developing a project plan, which includes defining and confirming the project goals and objectives, identifying tasks and how goals will be achieved, quantifying the resources needed, and determining budgets and timelines for completion. It also includes managing the implementation of the project plan, along with operating regular 'controls' to ensure that there is accurate and objective information on 'performance' relative to the plan, and the mechanisms to implement recovery actions where necessary.

The PMBOK Guide defines project management as the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. In other words, it involves planning, organizing, monitoring and controlling the project activities in order to accomplish the project requirements. Essentially what we're talking about here are the five process groups and we'll be going over those in great detail later on in this course.

Better efficiency in delivering services: Project management provides a roadmap that is easily followed and leads to project completion. Once you know where to avoid the bumps and pots holes it stands to reason that youre going to be working smarter and not harder and longer. Improved/increased/enhanced customer satisfaction: Whenever you get a project done on time and under budget, the client walks away happy. And a happy client is one youll see again. Smart project management provides the tools that enable this client/manager relationship to continue. Enhanced effectiveness in delivering services: The same project management strategies that allowed you to successfully complete one project will serve you many times over.

Improved growth and development within your team: Positive results not only command respect but more often than not inspire your team to continue to look for ways to perform more efficiently. Greater standing and competitive edge: This is not only a good benefit of project management within the workplace but outside of it as well; word travels fast and there is nothing like superior performance to secure your place in the marketplace. Opportunities to expand your services: A byproduct of greater standing. Great performance leads to more opportunities to succeed.

Better Flexibility: Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of project management is that it allows for flexibility. Sure project management allows you to map out the strategy you want to take see your project completed. But the beauty of such organization is that if you discover a smarter direction to take, you can take it. For many small-to-midsize companies, this alone is worth the price of admission. Increased risk assessment: When all the players are lined up and your strategy is in place potential risks will jump out and slap you in the face. And thats the way it should be. Project management provides a red flag at the right time: before you start working on project completion. Increase in Quality: Goes hand-in-hand with enhanced effectiveness Increase in Quantity: Often the result of better efficiency, a simple reminder regarding the benefits of project management.

Inability to stick with the project scope: Project Management, by definition, is unable to commit to the original project scope due to constant change requests. Project Management acknowledges this with the formal integration of Change Management. This limitation causes a lot of problems, and is the reason why so many projects end up way over budget and many months/years late, sometimes even canceled or killed.

Inability to fully align the project objectives with the business/organizational strategy: By definition, Project Managers manage projects, not their organization. Although projects are usually initiated by stakeholders/executives with a clear relation and full alignment with the overall corporate strategy, Project Managers are incapable, by themselves, to make sure that their projects are kept aligned with the companys strategy. In order to solve this limitation in Project Management, Program Management was introduced as a higher layer of managerial control to guarantee and sustain alignment.

Inability to manage projects with unspecified budget and/or schedule: This is probably the biggest limitation in the traditional incarnation of Project Management. Imagine if, thousands of years ago, pyramid building was restricted to a budget and a schedule. Would the pyramids have lasted so long? Would they have been considered as marvelous wonders? Project Management imposes a budget and a deadline on any project and thus creates a major problem: All projects finishing on time and on schedule (and they are very rare) have their quality compromised (when was the last time you saw perfection in any project?). Resources are not allowed to give their best, gold plating is considered a bad practice, and resources finishing on time, regardless of the delivered quality, are considered heroes.

Dependence on functional management: Traditional (non-agile) Project Management is clear about the authority of the Project Manager over the resources: he has none. It is the functional managers who own the resources: they have their loyalty (resources are loyal to their functional managers as theyre the ones who report quarterly on their performance), they have their gratitude (most resources are hired directly by their functional managers), and they have their respect. The dependence on functional management is a major limitation in Project Management, as Project Managers are constantly at the mercy of both the functional managers and the resources (indirectly, for example, an excellent resource resenting the presence of the Project Manager might disobey him, while still being supported and endorsed by his functional manager), and they have to compromise, or offer something in return, just to get things done. Note that this limitation is almost negligible in highly projectile organizations.

Following an exclusive methodology Project Management forces the Project Manager to choose and follow a methodology, be it the traditional (waterfall) methodology, or a newer methodology such as Agile. In Project Management, a project can only be managed using one methodology, and, in almost all cases, is not switched from one methodology to the other (usually methodology switching is not per project and is a decision made at the organization level), even when the other methodology is proven to be highly successful for that type of project. Being restricted by an exclusive, non-changeable methodology, either at the project level or the organizational level undermines and limits the potential of the project as well as the resources.

The disadvantages of Project Management can be grouped into 3 main categories: overhead, obsession, and non-creativity. Overhead Project Management presents 3 types of overhead: cost overhead, communication overhead, and time overhead. Cost overhead: Project Management costs money. Hiring Project Managers, training Project Managers, hiring Program Managers to make sure that projects are kept aligned with the overall business strategy, creating a PMO to control the different projects, changing the organization to adopt and adapt to Project Management, etc are all actions that can cost a substantial amount of money. In the case of small companies, even paying for just one Project Manager is huge overhead, as Project Managers are rarely paid below the $70k mark. Not to mention that small companies view Project Managers as (redundant) employees who do not produce tangible work.

Communication overhead: Project Management introduces

another layer of communication between management and team members. Instead of having the information flow directly from functional managers down to the team members and back up, its all funneled through the Project Manager. Time Overhead: The communication overhead stated above is one cause of time overhead. For example, consider some wrong requirements that the Project Manager mistakenly gathered and passed to the team members for implementation. Once the requirements are discovered to be false, the team members have to scrap the implemented part based on the wrong requirements, the Project Manager has to re-gather the requirements, and finally pass them again to team members for implementation.

Obsession : methodology obsession, process obsession, stakeholder obsession. Methodology obsession: A few decades ago, the Waterfall term has been introduced to describe the then linear process of Project Management. Waterfall was applied to all kinds of projects (construction, engineering, etc), including software projects. Nearly a decade ago , a group of software professionals introduced a certain methodology called Agile, claiming that its much better for managing software projects due to its iterative approach. each camp claims obsessively that their methodology is much better, and one can never finish a project with the other methodology. Instead of just getting the project done, which is the whole point of PM, some Project Managers have become so focused and obsessed about the methodology that the latter has grown to be the end rather than the mean to the end. This jeopardizes the delivery of the project and causes missed opportunities as Project Managers become so closed and so protective their own methodology that they refuse to experiment with another one that might be faster and better for their current

Process obsession: Quite a few Project Managers hinder the

progress of the project with their obsession for sticking to the process. For example, they require all the paperwork to be in perfect order before processing anything, be it a new project, a major change request, a minor change request (e.g. changing the font color), the addition of a new resource, etc Unfortunately, rigidly following the process is encouraged by most references on Project Management as well as by experienced Project Managers. The reason why most Project Managers consider process obsession a good practice is because of the following:
Insecurity: The vast majority of Project Managers are insecure, theyre afraid that if they dont have a proof of who approved what, they will be scapegoat if something goes wrong. Fear of loss of control: Most Project Managers think that if they dont enforce a process, then they will no longer be in control of the project (this, to a certain extent, is probably true).

Stakeholder obsession: The term stakeholder

management, for quite a few Project Managers, means ensuring stakeholder satisfaction. Instead of managing the stakeholders expectations, requests, and interference, and focusing on getting their support, these Project Managers try their best to accommodate the stakeholders. This accommodation, which often manifests itself in gold plating, is costly and needless. Unfortunately, stakeholder obsession is here to stay, as, in most cases, this is a win-win situation: stakeholders love to be pampered, and Project Managers (for selfish, provincial reasons that have nothing to do with the project) love to pamper their stakeholders.

Non-creativity Some organizations, when adopting Project Management, suffer from non-creativity. Non-creativity can be either technical or managerial. Technical non-creativity: Project Management imposes deadlines on resources, who have to work as fast as they can to finish their tasks on time. By nature, people like to be creative, especially at work. For example, designers like to come up with the perfect design, programmers like to write elegant, smart, and scalable code, but when theres a Project Manager breathing down their necks all the time, their primary goal is just to finish on time; they dont care anymore about unleashing their creativity. This demotivates the resources and adversely affects the quality of the end product.

Managerial non-creativity: Faithfully trusting and

following a routine process is not the dream of any manager (at any level, whether lower, middle, or upper management). Project Management, by nature, enforces that routine process. Managers, usually leading humans, become lead by a process. Their managerial skills weaken, as theres no need to sharpen them anymore: the process is clear and it should be followed. Likewise, managers (especially functional managers) become demotivated.

Program Management is the management (nontechnical) of several projects at the same time taking into consideration their interdependencies as well the organization's goal. Program Managers deal with Project Managers, as well as upper management/high profile stakeholders. Project Management is usually about managing one project and getting that project done. Project Managers deal directly with resources.

Program management is about defining and achieving organizational objectives through the management of complex projects and resources. It differs from project management as project management focuses on delivering a single project whereas program management coordinates multiple, related projects and operations toward achieving a common strategic objective.