Project Management Simplified

Project Management Tools: Problems and Solutions

So why is project management relevant? Problems arise in every organization. Such problems as what products/systems to develop, should capacity be expanded, or should a computer be purchased are just a few of an endless number of continuing problems about which management must concern itself if the firm is to survive.

Project Management

These problems and their alternative solutions establish some elements of change around which the organization must adapt. Projects are generally established to carry out these changes and someone is always responsible for each project’s successful completion.

Every project is unique in terms of the problems that arise, the priorities and resources assigned it, the environment in which it operates, and the project manager’s attitude and style used to guide and control project activities. Therefore, the organizational structure for the project must be designed to fit within that project’s operating constraints.

The organizational structure implemented may not be the same structure used throughout the life cycle of the project due to changes in priorities, available resource, project personnel, laws, and other contingencies.

Regardless of the project management structure chosen, management must realize that a dynamic state of equilibrium between limited personnel and financial resources and the objectives of the project will be necessary if project management is to be successful in their particular organization.

Before touching on the major tools and techniques of project management, let’s get to the bottom of what project management truly is. Later, I will list the benefits that the tools and techniques of project management bring to the systems analysis process.

 

Projects

Nearly every activity within an organization could be labelled as a project possessing unique characteristics and varying levels of importance to the organization. A project is defined as a planned undertaking of related activities to reach an objective that has a beginning and an end. All projects solve some type of problem, but projects may also be established simply to determine and define feasible alternative solutions to problems.

 

Seven primary characteristics of a project include:

  1. Objective: Each has a specific goal to reach.
  2. Schedule: Point in time in which they must be accomplished.
  3. Complexity: Does the technology exist to achieve the project objectives?
  4. Size and Nature of Task: Step-by-step plan of action.
  5. Resources: Labor, personnel, equipment, materials, facilities, etc.
  6. Organizational Structure: The ‘meshing’ of project requirements into the existing organization.
  7. Information and Control Systems: These must be structured to handle problems through the typical lines of authority (Prin. of Project Mgmt).

 

Project Management

In the past, a company typically decided to undertake a project effort, assigned the project and the “necessary” resources to a carefully selected individual and assumed they were using some form of project management. Organizational implications were of little importance.

 

Although the basic concepts of project management are simple, applying these concepts to an existing organization is not. Richard P. Olsen, in his article “Can Project Management Be Defined?” defined project management as “…the application of a collection of tools and techniques…to direct the use of diverse resources toward the accomplishment of a unique, complex, one-time task within time, cost, and quality constraints. Further definitions of Project Management can be find on wikipedia.

 

Each task requires a particular mix of these tools and techniques structured to fit the task environment and life cycle (from conception to completion) of the task.” Employing project management technologies minimizes the disruption of routine business activities in many cases by placing under a single command all of the skills, technologies, and resources needed to realize the project.

 

The skills required depend on each specific project and the resources available at that time. The greater the amount of adjustments a parent organization must make to fulfil project objectives, the greater chance exists for project failure. The form of project management will be unique for every project endeavour and will change throughout the project.

The project management process typically includes four key phases: initiating the project, planning the project, executing the project, and closing the project. An outline of each phase is provided below.

 

Initiating the Project
The project management techniques related to the project initiation phase include:

  1. Establishing the project initiation team. This involves organizing team members to assist in carrying out the project initiation activities.
  2. Establishing a relationship with the customer. The understanding of your customer’s organization will foster a stronger relationship between the two of you.
  3. Establishing the project initiation plan. Defines the activities required to organize the team while working to define the goals and scope of the project.
  4. Establishing management procedures. Concerned with developing team communication and reporting procedures, job assignments and roles, project change procedure, and how project funding and billing will be handled.
  5. Establishing the project management environment and workbook. Focuses on the collection and organization of the tools that you will use while managing the project.

 

Planning the Project
The project management techniques related to the project planning phase include:

  1. Describing project scope, alternatives, and feasibility. The understanding of the content and complexity of the project. Some relevant questions that should be answered include:
    • What problem/opportunity does the project address?
    • What results are to be achieved?
    • What needs to be done?
    • How will success be measured?
    • How will we know when we are finished?
  2. Divide the project into tasks. This technique is also known as the work breakdown structure. This step is done to ensure an easy progression between tasks.
  3. Estimating resources and creating a resource plan. This helps to gather and arrange resources in the most effective manner.
  4. Developing a preliminary schedule. In this step, you are to assign time estimates to each activity in the work breakdown structure. From here, you will be able to create the target start and end dates for the project.
  5. Developing a communication plan. The idea here is to outline the communication procedures between management, team members, and the customer.
  6. Determining project standards and procedures. The specification of how various deliverables are produced and tested by the project team.
  7. Identifying and assessing risk. The goal here is to identify potential sources of risk and the consequences of those risks.
  8. Creating a preliminary budget. The budget should summarize the planned expenses and revenues related to the project.
  9. Developing a statement of work. This document will list the work to be done and the expected outcome of the project.
  10. Setting a baseline project plan. This should provide an estimate of the project’s tasks and resource requirements.

 

Executing the Project
The project management techniques related to the project execution phase include:

  1. Executing the baseline project plan. The job of the project manager is to initiate the execution of project activities, acquire and assign resources, orient and train new team members, keep the project on schedule, and assure the quality of project deliverables.
  2. Monitoring project progress against the baseline project plan. Using Gantt and PERT charts, which will be discussed in detail further on in this paper, can assist the project manager in doing this.
  3. Managing changes to the baseline project plan.
  4. Maintaining the project workbook. Maintaining complete records of all project events is necessary. The project workbook is the primary source of information for producing all project reports.
  5. Communicating the project status. This means that the entire project plan should be shared with the entire project team and any revisions to the plan should be communicated to all interested parties so that everyone understands how the plan is evolving.

 

Closing Down the Project
The project management techniques related to the project closedown phase include:

  1. Closing down the project. In this stage, it is important to notify all interested parties of the completion of the project. Also, all project documentation and records should be finalized so that the final review of the project can be conducted.
  2. Conducting post project reviews. This is done to determine the strengths and weaknesses of project deliverables, the processes used to create them, and the project management process.
  3. Closing the customer contract. The final activity is to ensure that all contractual terms of the project have been met.

 

The techniques listed above in the four key phases of project management enable a project team to:

  • Link project goals and objectives to stakeholder needs.
  • Focus on customer needs.
  • Build high-performance project teams.
  • Work across functional boundaries.
  • Develop work breakdown structures.
  • Estimate project costs and schedules.
  • Meet time constraints.
  • Calculate risks.
  • Establish a dependable project control and monitoring system.

 

Tools for Project Management

Project management is a challenging task with many complex responsibilities. Fortunately, there are many tools available to assist with accomplishing the tasks and executing the responsibilities. Some require a computer with supporting software, while others can be used manually. Project managers should choose a project management tool that best suits their management style.

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