Project Management Home

Foundations of Project Management, Glossary

  1. Introduction
  2. Life cycle and Methodologies
  3. Organizational structure and culture

1. Introduction

Project: A unique endeavor, and usually includes a set of unique deliverables. A temporary pursuit; it has a defined beginning and end.

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to meet the project requirements and achieve the desired outcome.

  • Planning and orgainzing.
  • Managing tasks.
  • Budgeting and controlling costs and other factors.

Career: Project managers work in many industries. The skills project managers learn in one industry can be applied in others. Project managers tackle a variety of projects from start to finish.

1.1 Make Values

Deliver Values :

  • Prioritization : Project managers add value to their teams and organizations through effective prioritization of tasks required to complete a project.
  • Delegation (~empower) : Project managers use delegation to add value to their teams and organizations by matching tasks to individuals who can best complete the work.
  • Effective communication both with their team and with key stakeholders.

Make Values:

  • Focusing on the (internal/external) customer - understand their expectations.
  • Building a great team.
  • Fostering relationships and communication.
  • Managing the project.
    • Sees the impacts of each process within the project and communicates those impacts to the team.
    • This ensures that everyone working on the project understands their task goal as well as the big picture goal for the finished product
  • Breaking down barriers.

1.2 Responsibilities

mindmap
Rroject Manager Responsibilities
  Teaching and mentoring
  Empowering the team
  Communicating status and concerns
  Controlling change
  Building relationships
  • Planning and orgainzing.
    • Make use of productiviy tools and create processes.
    • Create plans, timeline, schedules, and other forms of documentation to track project completion (and day-to-day progress).
  • Managing tasks.
    • Tasks need to be accomplished within a set period of time (by you, your team or your stakeholder).
  • Budgeting and controlling costs and other factors.
    • Monitor and manager the budget.
    • Track issues and risks.
    • Manage quality.
    • Remove unforessen barriers.

1.3 Role within a team

Ensure that the team has the support they need to complete the project.

  • Hold all team members accountable for their assigned tasks.
  • Ensure that issues and risks are tracked and visible, and establish escalation paths.
  • Understand and help teammates to adopt the right workflows and project management styles.
  • Collaborate with other teams at the organization to deliver solutions that meet the requirements based on project scope, schedule, and budget.

Manager cross-functional teams

  • Clarify goals.
    • Define key items, such as budget, deadlines, quality requirements, or important resources.
  • Get team members with the right skills.
  • Measure progress.
    • e.g. meeting key milestones, completing project tasks, and meeting project goals on time and within budget.
  • Recognize efforts.

1.4 Skills

  • Enabling decision making.
  • Communicating and secalating.
  • Flexibility.
  • Strong organizational skills.

2. Life cycle and Methodologies

Life cycle:

  1. Initiate the project.
    • Define project goals.
    • Determine resources, people and other project details.
    • Get project approval.
  2. Make a plan.
    • Create a budget.
    • Set the schedule.
    • Establish your team.
    • Plan for risk and change. (reduce risk)
    • Establish communications.
  3. Execute & complete tasks.
    • Manage the progress.
    • Communicate with the team.
    • Make adjustment.
  4. Close the project.
    • Ensure all taska have been completed.
    • Confirm acceptance of the project outcome.
    • Reflect on lessons learned - retrospective.
    • Communicate results with stakeholders.
    • Celebrate completing the project.

A project management methodology is a set of guiding principles and processes for owning a project through its life cycle. The method can be linear (with one task completed before the next can begin) or iterative (with some tasks happening at the same time).

(1) Waterfall traditional methodology in which tasks and phases are completed in a linear, sequential manner, and each stage of the project must be completed before the next begins. Project deliverables and plans are well-established and documented in the early stages of initiating and planning.

(2) Agile project phases overlap and tasks are completed in iterations. Planning happens in shorter iterations and focuses on delivering value quickly. Subsequent iterations are adjusted in response to feedback or unforeseen issues.

(3) Lean and Six Sigma, DMAIC. Define, Measure (get data), Analyze (identify gaps and issues), Improve, Control.

  • Lean methodology : the removal of waste within an operation. By optimizing process steps and eliminating waste, only value is added at each phase of production.
    • using 5S method : Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standarize, Sustain.
    • Kanban boards.
  • Six Sigma standards : reduce variations by ensuring that quality processes are followed every time.

3. Organizational structure and culture

3.1 Organizational structure

Organizational structure : classic (functional top-down) structure and matrix structure. Affact: authority; resource availability.

Project Management Office : strategic planning and governance, implementing project management best practices, establishing common project culture, resource management, and creating project documentation, archives, and tools.

3.2 Organizational culture

Organizational culture (Identity, People, Process) : the values employees share, as well as the organization’s values, mission, and history (company’s personality).

  • How to communicate?
  • How are decision made?
  • What kind of rituals are in place when someone new comes to the facility?
  • How are projects typically run?
  • What kinds of practives, behaviors and values are reflected by the people in the organization?

culture map

3.3 Change Management

The process of delivering your completed project and getting people to adopt it.

  • Create a sensor of owneship and urgency.
  • Figure out the right combination of skills and personalities.
  • Effective communication : being transparent, upfront with your plans and ideas, and making information available.

Governance (understanding who is in charge): the management framework within which decisions are made and accountability and responsibility are determined.

  • Corporate and project governance