Project Management

Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives.


The CSUS System Office generally subscribes to the industry-standard definition of a project, as published by the Project Management Institute (PMI). According to the PMI PMBOK Guide, a project is defined as "a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result."

However, since many projects can impact one or more CSUS universities, the System Office PM unit has expanded the PMI definition of a project as follows:

A project is a temporary endeavor which: (a) consists of a series of unique, interrelated activities designed to produce the product or service deliverables agreed upon by the stakeholders AND (b) is scheduled for completion by a specified date and within budget.

What are the Key Elements of a Project?

A project, regardless of its size or scope, is characterized by the following key elements:
  • It is temporary and unique in effort.
  • It has a defined start date and end date.
  • It has specific, defined deliverables for which assigned management is accountable.
  • Resources such as staff, money and material are assigned to the effort for a specified period of time (i.e. the duration of the project or duration of specific project tasks).

What is Project Management?

Project management is the discipline and art of planning, estimating, organizing and controlling all resources required to complete a project's defined tasks and activities.

Specifically, it is an organized set of methods, rules, guidelines, principles and best management practices designed to facilitate the successful completion of defined project goals and objectives while remaining within the agreed upon constraints of time, budget, scope and quality.

What is Project Management Methodology?

The system or set of best practices for accomplishing the tasks and activities associated with each project phase is referred to as Project Management Methodology. Two of the more widely known Project Management Methodologies are:
  • PMBOK (The Project Management Body of Knowledge) - a process-driven methodology established by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's largest project management association.
  • Prince2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments 2) is a complex, process-driven method which is very documentation oriented and therefore best suited to large projects. While Prince2 is the official UK Government PM standard, it is also used by other countries and private entities.
The System Office utilizes the Project Management Institute's PMBOK methodology.

The Project Lifecycle is the framework upon which project management activities are structured. It defines the phases that a project moves through from the start of the project through completion of all work. Each phase is composed of the logical and sequential steps needed to achieve the project's goals and objectives.

Depending on the nature of the project, the specific steps may take a different form. For example, the activities required to construct a new building differ from those required to establish an e-commerce portal. However, the phases themselves remain consistent and do not change based on the specific type of project.

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), the Project Management Lifecycle is composed of five phases:

Initiation

This phase ensures that the necessary authorities have endorsed and are committed to success of the entire project. Without such commitments, the project quality is compromised by inadequate allocation of resources and/or lack of the executive support needed to assemble and maintain a high-quality and focused project team. Additionally, it is during this phase that the project manager is granted authority.

During the Initiation phase, the new project or project phase is defined by identifying its:
  • Preliminary requirements/goals and objectives
  • Assumptions
  • Constraints
  • High level approach
  • Critical success factors
  • Preliminary high level estimates of time, effort and budget
The most common outputs of this phase are the:
  • Business Case
  • Feasibility Study
  • Project Charter or Statement of Work
  • Preliminary Scope Statement

Planning

Effective planning includes the identification of appropriate resources to carry out the tasks required in the project.

During the Planning phase:
  • The details of the project are established in order to refine the project scope and objectives.
  • The scope is broken down into tasks and activities which are then used to estimate the resources, effort, time and budget needed.
  • The approach for achieving the project objectives is defined.
  • The project plan is developed.
  • Project governance is defined.
The most common outputs of this phase are the:
  • Project Management Plan
  • Schedule
  • Resource plan
  • Budget plan
  • Quality plan
  • Risk plan
  • Deliverables/Acceptance Criteria for each of the project?s objectives.
  • Communication Plan
  • Procurement Plan
  • Change Management Plan

Execution

Ideal execution includes the stakeholders' commitment of those planned-for resources and the effective management of those resources toward the completion of each task, and the coordination of the various tasks toward fulfilling the overall goals.

During the Execution phase the work defined in the project plan is executed to deliver the project deliverables. All elements of the project are coordinated and integrated including:
  • Communications
  • Time/Schedule
  • Budget
  • Procurement
  • Scope
  • Change Management
  • Human Resources
  • Quality
  • Risk
  • Issue Management

Monitoring and Control

During this Monitoring and Control phase, the project manager:
  • Monitors and compares project progress against the project baseline that has been set.
  • Identifies variances from the project management plan and facilitates corrective action to minimize or eliminate variance related to Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, etc.

Closure

Once the stakeholders' formally accept the project deliverables, the project comes to a formal close. The most frequent outputs of the Closure phase are:
  • Lessons Learned (also referred to as the "post-mortem")
  • Release of project resources
  • Formal stakeholder notification of the project closure
  • Official signoff by business sponsor

The successful project manager actively manages the following factors for any given project: scope, time, and cost. These factors, normally referred to as constraints, are interdependent. Therefore, if a change occurs to any one factor, the others will be impacted as will the resulting quality of the project. This concept is referred to as The Triple Constraint theory.

The Triple Constraint Theory

As illustrated right, the quality of the deliverables is a critical concern. If time, cost and scope are constrained then the quality of the deliverables may be compromised. The successful project establishes allocations of time, cost and scope up front and then executes the delivery of the products/services based on those parameters.

For example, if an authorized individual wishes to:
  • 1. Expand the scope, then:
    (a) More time will be needed to address the expanded scope of work OR
    (b) The cost in terms of dollars and/or other resources must increase OR
    (c) Both (a) and (b) must occur.

    More WORK = more people, more time, or a reduction in quality.

  • 2. Reduce the cost in terms of dollars and/or other resources, then:
    (a) More time will be needed to address the necessary tasks OR
    (b) The scope of the endeavor must be reduced OR
    (c) Both (a) and (b) must occur.

    Less MONEY = less work, fewer people, or a reduction in quality

  • 3. Reduce the time allotted for completion of the project, then:
    (a) The cost in terms of dollars and/or other resources must increase OR
    (b) The scope of the endeavor must be reduced OR
    (c) Both (a) and (b) must occur.

    Less TIME = less work, additional people, or a reduction in quality.

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), there are nine key knowledge areas that every project manager must master to effectively manage any project. The PMI PMBOK Guide identifies these nine areas as follows:

Integration Management

Integration Management is the successful coordination of the various processes, resources and activities associated with a project.It requires the ability to envision the disparate elements of a project and draw them together into a cohesive whole while monitoring all variables that may arise during the life of the project.

The following PM processes are associated with Integration Management:

    • Development of the project charter, preliminary project scope, and project management plan.
    • Project Execution
    • Monitoring & Control
    • Change Management
    • Project Closure

Scope Management

Scope Management is the art of defining the scope of a project and, once established, managing that definition. If a project deviates from the stated scope (i.e. what it will or will not achieve), it increases the difficulty of delivering the objectives both on time and within budget. Therefore, it is important to not only define the scope but also manage it throughout the life of the project.

The following PM processes are associated with Scope Management:

    • Scope Planning
    • Scope Definition
    • Work Breakdown Structure (i.e. subdividing project work and deliverables into smaller, more manageable components).
    • Scope Verification
    • Scope Control

Time Management

Time Management is the process of ensuring that a project is completed on time. Timely completion of a project can only be achieved through the proper management of all required resources. While materials can be ordered and delivered with some degree of reliability, individuals assigned to a project are essentially ?talent on loan? and often have production responsibilities which may limit their availability. Therefore, it is often the project's human resources which require the sharpest focus.

The following PM processes are associated with Time Management:

    • Activity Definition
    • Activity Sequencing
    • Activity Resource Estimating
    • Activity Duration Estimating
    • Schedule Development
    • Schedule Control

Cost Management

Cost Management is primarily concerned with estimating, budgeting and controlling project costs.

While cost can be measured in dollars, human resources are often gauged in hours or full time equivalent. Since the project budget is established prior to the start of the project itself, it's quite possible that a resource might eventually cost more than was originally forecast. Additionally, competing financial pressures may force management to trim project costs resulting in a reduction in budget without a corresponding reduction in responsibilities. It is the role of the project manager to negotiate such discrepancies and to keep the overall project on track.

The following PM processes are associated with Cost Management:

    • Cost Estimating
    • Cost Budgeting
    • Cost Control

Quality Management

Quality Management is the art of ensuring that what is delivered actually meets the specific business need(s) as defined in the project scope statement. This is achieved by setting standards, regularly evaluating the project processes, and consistently monitoring results throughout the life of the project.

The following PM processes are associated with Quality Management:

    • Quality Planning
    • Quality Assurance
    • Quality Control

Human Resource Management

  • Human Resource Management represents the ability to identify and manage the human resource components of a project. While it's essential to identify the most appropriate individuals for each task and to assign them accordingly, the best resources are often already focused on current tasks. Since their managers may be reluctant to relinquish them to the project, securing the right human resources often requires negotiation. Once the project team members are assembled, the focus turns to effective team building to ensure efficient team performance and quality results.
The following PM processes are associated with Human Resource Management:
    • Human Resource Planning
    • Project Team Acquisition
    • Project Team Development
    • Project Team Management

Communications Management

Communications Management ensures that project information is disseminated, retrieved and stored in an accurate and timely manner. Communications management begins with the stakeholders' mutual understanding of business need, defined deliverable(s), project timetable, and the real costs of completing the job as well as the commitment required of each stakeholder area. A common understanding of who needs to communicate what to whom, when, and how is critical to the project's success. Progress must be reported regularly to ensure that good decisions are made.

The following PM processes are associated with Communications Management:

    • Communication Planning
    • Performance Reporting
    • Information Distribution

Risk Management

Risk Management focuses on the identification, assessment and mitigation of project risks. It requires the project manager to recognize the risks associated with a project, determine the severity of each risk, and then develop a mitigation plan to avoid and/or minimize those risks.

The following PM processes are associated with Risk Management:

    • Risk Identification
    • Quantitative Risk Analysis
    • Qualitative Risk Analysis
    • Risk Response Planning
    • Risk Monitoring & Control

Procurement Management

Procurement Management involves determining what must be purchased to meet the project objectives and then sourcing, pricing and selecting the correct goods and services to do so. This requires navigating the RFP processes, negotiating contracts and administering the accounts throughout the life of the project.

The following PM processes are associated with Procurement Management:

    • Purchases & Acquisitions
    • Contracting
    • Request Seller Information (e.g. bids, proposals)
    • Seller Selection (review and negotiate)
    • Contract Administration
    • Contract Closure
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