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PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Introduction
Sometime during the third millennium bc, workers on the Great Pyramid of Cheops set the last stone in place.

They must have felt jubilant, for this event represented a milestone of sorts in one of humanitys grandest undertakings. .

Introduction
Although much of the ancient Egyptians technology is still a mystery, the enormity and quality of the finished product remains a marvel.

Despite the lack of sophisticated machinery, they were able to raise and fit some 2,300,000 stone blocks, weighing 2 to 70 tons a piece, into a structure having height of a modern 40-story building.

Introduction
Each facing stone was set against the next with an accuracy of 0.04 inch, and the base, which covers 13 acres, deviates less than 1 inch from level. Equally as staggering was the number of workers involved.

Introduction
To quarry the stones and transport them down the Nile, about 100,000 labourers were levied. In addition, 40,000 skilled masons and attendants were employed in preparing and laying the blocks, and erecting or dismantling the ramps. Public works were essential to keep the working population employed and fed, and it is estimated that no less than 150,000 women and children also had to be housed and fed.
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The Great Pyramid of Cheops, an early (circa 2500 BC) large-scale project.
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Just as mind-boggling was the managerial ability of the Egyptiansthe planning, organizing, and controlling that were exercised throughout the 20-year duration of the pyramid construction. Francis Barber, a nineteenth-century American naval attach and pyramid scholar, concluded that: it must have taken the organizational capacity of a genius to plan all the work, to lay it out, to provide for emergencies and accidents, to see that the men in the quarries, on the boats and sleds, and in the masons and smithies shops were all continuously and usefully employed, that the means of transportation was ample, . . . that the water supply was ample, . . . and that the sick reliefs were on hand.
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WHAT IS A PROJECT?

From above example, it is clear that humankind has been involved in project activities for a long time. But why are these considered projects while other human activities, such as planting and harvesting a crop, stocking a warehouse, issuing payroll checks, or manufacturing a product, are not?

Tasks vs Projects

o Responding to email

oMaking coffee oWriting a letter to a prospect oHooking up a printer oProducing a customer newsletter oCatering a party oWriting a book oImplementing a computer network
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Features of a Project

some characteristics that warrant classifying an activity as a project A project has a definable goal or purpose, and well-defined end-items, deliverables, or results, usually specified in terms of cost, schedule, and performance requirements.

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 Every project is unique; it requires doing

something different than was done previously. It is a one-time activity, never to be exactly repeated again. Even in a routine project such as home construction, variables such as geography, labour market, and public services make it unique. Projects are temporary activities. They are ad hoc organizations of personnel, material, and facilities organized to accomplish a goal within a scheduled time frame; once the goal is achieved, the ad hoc organization is disbanded.
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A project is the process of working to achieve a goal; during the process the project passes through several distinct phases in the project life cycle. Often, the tasks, people, organizations, and resources change as the project moves from one phase to the next. Projects cut across organizational and functional lines because they need skills and talents from different functions, professions, and organizations.
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The organization doing the project usually has something at stake. The work calls for special scrutiny or effort, because failure would jeopardize the organization or its goals. Today project management techniques have expanded and are applicable to any project-type activity, regardless of size or technology. Methods of modern project management would have been as useful to early Egyptian and Renaissance builders as they are to present-day contractors, engineers, systems specialists, and 13 managers.

WHAT IS A PROJECT?

The organization doing the project usually has something at stake. The work calls for special scrutiny or effort, because failure would jeopardize the organization or its goals.

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WHAT IS A PROJECT?

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
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WHAT IS A PROJECT?

Today project management techniques have expanded and are applicable to any project-type activity, regardless of size or technology. Methods of modern project management would have been as useful to early Egyptian and Renaissance builders as they are to present-day contractors, engineers, systems specialists, and managers.

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Resources (and Constraints) Time People Money Equipment

Facilities

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A typology of projects.

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Project Management Project management is a systems approach to management. A project is a system of interrelated componentswork tasks, resources, stakeholders, as well as schedules, budgets, and plans. The purpose of project management is to integrate the components to accomplish the project goal. 19

Functions of Management The role of management is to plan, organize, and integrate resources and tasks to achieve the organizations goals. Although the specific responsibilities of managers vary greatly, all managerswhether they are corporate presidents, agency directors, line managers, school administrators, movie producers, or project managershave this same role.
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Functions of Management The activities of a manager can be classified into the five functions identified in Figure.

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Functions of Management First, the manager decides what has to be done and how it will be done. This is the planning function, which involves setting a purpose or goal and establishing the means for achieving it consistent with higher-level organizational goals, resources, and constraints in the environment.

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Functions of Management Second, and related to planning, is arranging for the work to be done; this is the organizing function. The manager must (1) hire, train, and gather people into a team with specified authority, responsibility, and accountability relationships; (2) Acquire and allocate facilities, materials, capital, and other resources; and (3) create an organization structure that includes policies, procedures, reporting 23 patterns, and communication channels.

Functions of Management Third, the manager directs and motivates people to attain the goal. This is the leadership function. The manager tries to influence the work performance and behavior of workers and groups.

Fourth, the manager monitors work performance with respect to the goal and takes necessary action whenever work begins to deviate from the goal; this is the control function. For effective control, the manager tracks information about performance with 24 respect to costs, schedules, and goal criteria.

Functions of Management All four functions are aimed at the goal, which implies a fifth function: assessing the four functions to determine how well they, the functions, are doing and where change is needed, either to the goal or to the functions themselves.

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