Definition of a Project

 A Project is a:
 Temporary endeavor with a definite beginning and end,
which
 Creates a unique product, service or result; is
 Done for a purpose,
 Has interrelated activities, and
 Is progressively elaborated
 i.e. development in steps incrementally
Temporary
 Projects start and they end
 Outcome of a project however is not necessarily
temporary

 Other temporal issues are

 A temporary window of opportunity – meaning the
project has a limited time frame in which to produce a
product or service
Unique (Product, Service, or Result)
 Deliverables are unique
 Result of a project may be a full product or even a
component for another product
 Projects may produce Services
 CSR Training
 PM Training
 Results
 Outcome or documentation such as those from research
projects or studies
Progressively Elaborated
 Developing in steps, and continuing in increments
 Progressive Elaboration is done while maintaining a
solid focus on ‘scope’.
 A properly defined scope must be guarded as the project
moves along
 A project manager spend most of his time ensuring the
integrity of the defined scope
What is a project?
 Temporary
 Unique
 Done for a purpose
 Has interrelated activities
 Progressively Elaborated
Projects vs Operations [PMBOK pg 6]
 Similarities
 Performed by people
 Constrained by limited resources
 Planned, executed, monitored and controlled
 Differences
 Operations are ongoing and repetitive
 Purpose is to sustain the organization by setting new
objectives and continuing the work
 Projects are temporary and unique
 Purpose is to attain the objective, then terminate
Program
 A collection of related projects managed in a
coordinated way.
 Program managements is centralized
 Done to achieve the program’s strategic objectives and
benefits
 Example
 Polio Eradication Program
Portfolio
 A collection of programs that may or may not be
related
Projects and strategic planning?
 Organizational activities that cannot be addressed as a
part of the daily operations are best tackled as projects.
 Projects are therefore a means to achieve the strategic
plans of an organization
Common strategic considerations
propelling a project
 Market Demand
 Organizational Need
 Customer Request
 Technological Advance
 Legal Requirement
 Example Project
 Developing a new product or service; designing a new
transportation vehicle; developing or acquiring a new or modified
information system; constructing a building; building a water
system for a community; running a campaign for political office;
and implementing a new business procedure or process etc.
What is project management? [PMBOK pg 8]

 Project management is the application of knowledge,

skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet
project requirements. It includes:
 Identifying requirements
 Establishing clear and achievable objectives
 Balancing the competing demands for quality,
scope, time and cost
 Adapting the specifications, plans, and approach to
the different concerns and expectations of the
various stakeholders.
Triple Constraints
 Triple Constraints is an old terminology. It originally
includes
 Scope, Time, Cost.
 Other literature identifies the Triple Constraints as
 Scope, Schedule, Resource (Budget)
 Yet other places it has been identified to include
 Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Risk
Quality is balanced by all three

Cost Scope

Q
Time
Areas of Expertise [PMBOK pg 12]
 Effective project management requires that the project
management team understand and use the knowledge
and skills from at least five areas of expertise
 The project management body of knowledge
 Standards and regulations
 Following a standard is options
 Following a regulation is mandatory
 Understanding the project environment
 General management knowledge and skills
 Interpersonal skills
What is a standard? [PMBOK pg 14]
 “document established by consensus and approved by
a recognized body that provides, for common and
repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for
activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of
the optimum degree of order in a given context.”
 Some examples of standards are computer disk sizes.
What is a regulation?
 A regulation is a government-imposed requirement,
which specifies product, process or service
characteristics, including the applicable administrative
provisions, with which compliance is mandatory.
 Building codes are an example of regulations.
 Standards often begin as guidelines that describe a
preferred approach and later, with widespread
adoption, become generally accepted as if they were
regulations
 Different organizational levels can mandate
compliance, such as when a government agency, the
management of the performing organization, or the
project management team establishes specific policies
and procedures.
 Regulations are not necessarily from the government
Project Environment
 All projects are planned and implemented in a social
economic, and environmental context, and have
intended and unintended positive and/or negative
impacts. The project team should consider the project
in its:
 Cultural and social environment
 International and political environment
 Physical environmental
Cultural and Social Environment
 Understand how projects affect people and how
people affect projects
 Understand aspects of economics, demographics,
education, ethics, religion
 Examine the organization culture
 Determine whether project management is recognized
as a valid role with accountability and authority for
managing the project
International & Political Environment
 Be familiar with:
 local / national / international laws
 Political climate

 Other factors to consider are:

 Time-zone difference
 National and regional holidays
 Travel requirements
 Face-to-face meetings
 Logistics of teleconferences
Physical Environment
 It the project will be affecting the physical
environment then you must have knowledge about
 Local ecology
 Physical geography
General Management Knowledge and
Skills
 Planning, organizing, staffing, executing, and controlling
 Supporting disciplines are also important
 Finance / accounting
 Purchasing / procurement
 Sales / marketing
 Contracts / laws
 Manufacturing / distribution
 Logistics / supply chain
 Strategic / tactical / operational planning
 HRM
 IT
Interpersonal Skills
 Effective communication
 Getting your message across
 Influencing the organization
 Getting things done
 Leadership
 Vision / strategy
 Motivation
 Improving performance
 Negotiations / Conflict management
 Achieving mutual benefit
 Problem Solving
 Contingencies
Project Management Context
 Project management exits in a broader context that
includes program management, portfolio
management, and project management office (PMO).
 There may be a hierarchy in some organizations
 Strategic plan
 Portfolio
 Program (involve a series of repetitive or cyclical steps)
 Projects
 Subprojects
Portfolio Management (Portfolio =
strategy) [PMBOK pg 16]
 A portfolio is a collection of programs or projects
grouped to effectively manage the work to meet
strategic business objectives.
 Programs under the portfolio may not be related, but
projects under programs are usually related.
 Goals may be to maximize the value of the grouped
work, to balance the investment, or to effectively use
resources.
 Senior managers, or SM teams, are usually responsible
for portfolios.
Project Management Office (PMO)
 PMO works directly under the authority of ‘upper-
management’
 A PMO centralizes and coordinates the management of
programs, projects, or a combination of both
 PMOs can:
 Provide PM support: training, software, standard policies and
procedures, to
 Direct management and responsibility for projects
 Be integral stakeholders and decision maker during initiation
 Have authority to make recommendations
 Terminate projects
 Select, manage, redeploy project personnel
KAPG Matrix
The KAPG Matrix consists of 44 PM Processes
/ 5 Process Groups / 9 Knowledge Areas.

Do not confuse Process Groups or PM life

cycle with Project Life Cycle

Process Groups are: Initiating, Planning,

Executing, M&C, Closing

Project Life Cycle stages are: idea, feasibility,

design, develop, build, test and deliver

If you add professional responsibility to the

Process Groups, the 6 groups are called
Domains
Key Feature of PMO
 Shared and coordinated resources
across all projects administered by the
PMO
 Identification and development of
project management methodology,
best practices, and standards
 Clearinghouse and management for
project policies, procedures,
templates, and other shared
documentation
 Centralized configuration
management for all projects
administered by the PMO
 Centralized repository and
management for both shared and
unique risks for all projects
 Central office for operation and
management of project tools, such as
enterprise-wide project management
software
 Central coordination of
communication management across
projects
 A mentoring platform for project
managers
 Central monitoring of all PMO
project timelines and budgets, usually
at the enterprise level
 Coordination of overall project quality
standards between the project
manager and any internal or external
quality personnel or standards
organization.
Differences between project managers and
a PMO may include the following:
 Project managers and PMOs pursue
different objectives and, as such, are driven objectives, while the PMO optimizes the
by different requirements. All of these
efforts, however, are aligned with the
strategic needs of the organization.
 A project manager is responsible for
delivering specific project objectives
within the constraints of the project, while
a PMO is an organizational structure with
specific mandates that can include an
enterprisewide perspective.
 The project manager focuses on the
specified project objectives, while the
PMO manages major program scope
changes and can view them as potential
opportunities to better achieve business
objectives.
 The project manager controls the assigned
project resources to best meet project
use of shared organizational resources
across all projects.
The project manager manages the scope,
schedule, cost, and quality of the products
of the work packages, while the PMO
manages overall risk, overall opportunity,
and the interdependencies among
projects.
 The project manager reports on project
progress and other project specific
information, while the PMO provides
consolidated reporting and an enterprise
view of projects under its purview.