Project Management/Introduction

This lesson introduces project management, including project characteristics and project validation.

Objectives and Skills

Objectives and skills for the introduction portion of Project+ certification include:^[1]

• Identify the characteristics of a project
  • Temporary endeavor
  • Delivers a unique product or service
  • Constrained by time
  • Resources and quality
• Summarize the steps required to validate a project
  • Validate business case
    • Feasibility analysis
    • Justification for project
    • Alignment to strategic plan
  • Identify and analyze stakeholders

Readings

1. Read Wikipedia: Project management.
2. Read Wikipedia: Project stakeholders.
3. Read Wikipedia: Project management software.
4. Read Wikipedia: Project portfolio management.
5. Read Wikipedia: Project manager.

Multimedia

1. Watch YouTube: Introduction to Project Management.
2. Watch YouTube: Project management tutorial: The characteristics of a project.
3. Watch YouTube: The Role of the Project Manager.
4. Watch YouTube: Top 10 Terms Project Managers Use.
5. Watch YouTube: Studying Project Feasibility: A Vital Business Process.

Activities

1. Do a google search to find a recent real life project that interests you. Describe what the project is, what you liked about this project, and what you would do differently if you were assigned to this project.
2. Think of some projects you've had to do in your own life. This could be in your personal life or at work. What problems if any did you encounter, and what are some ways you can think of to prevent them from happening?
3. Watch the youtube video YouTube: The Role of the Project Manager.
   • Would you consider an occupation in project management? Why or why not?
   • Search on indeed.com for any project management jobs available. Share your findings.
4. Read the article Wikipedia: Project management software. Then do a google search on project management software. Name 3 different software you found, and which you would use.
5. Read the article Steps to Determine Project Feasibility. Discuss why you feel these steps are necessary in determining project feasibility. Which step do you feel is the most important and why?

Lesson Summary

• Project management is essential to an organization in today’s world. “Companies, governments, and nonprofit organizations are recognizing to be successful they need to use modern project techniques, especially for IT projects. Individuals are realizing that to remain competitive in the workplace, they must develop good project skills and that many of the concepts of project management will help them in their everyday lives as they work with people and technology on a day-to-day basis”.^[2]
• Project management is the discipline of carefully projecting or planning, organizing, motivating and controlling resources to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria.^[3]
• The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals and objectives while honoring the preconceived constraints.^[4]
• The primary constraints are scope, time, quality and budget (project management triangle).^[5]
• The secondary challenge is to optimize the allocation of necessary inputs and integrate them to meet pre-defined objectives.^[6]
• A project is a temporary endeavor designed to produce a unique product, service or result with a defined beginning and end (usually time-constrained, and often constrained by funding or deliverables) undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value.^[7]
• Stakeholders are entities that have an interest in a given project.^[8]
• These stakeholders may be inside or outside an organization which: sponsor a project, or have an interest or a gain upon a successful completion of a project; may have a positive or negative influence in the project completion.^[9]
• A project team has mainly three separate components: Project Manager, Core Team and Contracted Team.^[10]
• The Project Manager is the head of the team and is the person responsible for accomplishing the stated project objectives.^[11]
• Key project management responsibilities include creating clear and attainable project objectives, building the project requirements, and managing the constraints of the project management triangle, which are cost, time, scope, and quality.^[12]
• The project manager is accountable for ensuring that everyone on the team knows and executes his or her role.^[13]
• Project Managers analyze and collectively manage current or proposed projects based on numerous key characteristics.^[14]
• They use project portfolio management (PPM) to manage processes, methods and technologies.^[15]
• PPM provides program and project managers in large, program/project-driven organizations with the capabilities needed to manage the time, resources, skills, and budgets necessary to accomplish all interrelated tasks.^[16]
• It provides a framework for issue resolution and risk mitigation, as well as the centralized visibility to help planning and scheduling teams to identify the fastest, cheapest, or most suitable approach to deliver projects and programs.^[17]
• Project management software can also assist project managers with it wide range of functions such as: manage estimation and planning, scheduling, cost control and budget management, resource allocation, collaboration software, communication, decision-making, quality management and documentation or administration systems.^[18]

Key Terms

best practice

A method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark.^[19]

critical path

Sequence of project network activities which add up to the longest overall duration.^[20]

ethics

The part of philosophy that deals with good and evil.^[21]

gantt chart

Gantt charts illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal elements and summary elements of a project.^[22]

project

A temporary endeavor designed to produce a unique product, service or result with a defined beginning and end (usually time-constrained, and often constrained by funding or deliverables) undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value.^[23]

project management

The discipline of carefully projecting or planning, organizing, motivating and controlling resources to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria.^[24]

project management institute

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a US nonprofit professional organization for project management.^[25]

project deliverable

A tangible or intangible object produced as a result of the project that is intended to be delivered to a customer (either internal or external).^[26]

project management professional

An internationally recognized professional designation offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI).^[27]

project management tools and techniques

Methods available to assist project managers and their teams; some popular time-management tools include Gantt charts, network diagrams, and critical path analysis

project manager

A professional in the field of project management.Project managers can have the responsibility of the planning, execution and closing of any project.^[28]

project portfolio management or portfolio management

The centralized management of the processes, methods, and technologies used by project managers and project management offices (PMOs) to analyze and collectively manage current or proposed projects based on numerous key characteristics.^[29]

project sponsor

Ownership of projects on behalf of the client organization.^[30]

stakeholder

An individual, group, or organization, who may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project.^[31]

Review Questions

1. PPM provides a framework for ____ resolution and ____ mitigation, as well as the centralized visibility to help planning and scheduling teams to identify the fastest, cheapest, or most suitable approach to deliver projects and programs

   issue, risk
2. What are the three main components of a project management team?

   Project Manager, Core team, and contracted team
3. What are the three parts to the project management triangle?

   Time, quality, and budget
4. What is best used to illustrate start and finish dates of terminal elements of a project?

   Gantt Chart
5. A ____ is a temporary endeavor designed to produce a unique product, service or result with a defined beginning and end. undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value.

   Project
6. ____ ____ is the discipline of carefully projecting or planning, organizing, motivating and controlling resources to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria.

   Project Management
7. The ____ ____ of project management is to achieve all of the project goals and objectives while honoring the preconceived constraints

   primary challenge
8. The ____ ____ is to optimize the allocation of necessary inputs and integrate them to meet pre-defined objectives

   secondary challenge
9. ____ are entities that have an interest in a given project

   Stakeholder
10. Stakeholders may be ____ or ____ the organization

    inside, outside
11. The ____ ____ is the head of the team and is the person responsible for accomplishing the stated project objectives

    project manager
12. Creating clear and attainable project objectives, building the project requirements, and managing the constraints of the project management triangle, which are cost, time, scope, and quality are key ____ ____ ____

    project management responsibilities
13. The ____ ____ is accountable for ensuring that everyone on the team knows and executes his or her role

    project manager
14. Project Managers ____ and ____ manage current or proposed projects based on numerous key characteristics

    analyze, collectively
15. They use ____ ____ ____ (PPM) to manage processes, methods and technologies

    Project portfolio management

Assessments

• Quiz: Quizlet: Introduction to Project Management
• Flashcards: Introduction to Project Management

References

Resource type: this resource is a lesson.