outline of syllabus
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OUTLINE OF SYLLABUS
Introduction to Project Management
Information Technology Context and Process Groups in Project ManagementProject Integration Management
Project Scope Management
Project Time ManagementProject Cost Management
Project Quality Management
Project Human Resource ManagementProject Communications Management
Project Risk Management
Project Procurement Management
WHAT IS A PROJECT?
To discuss project management, it is important to understand the concept of a project. A projectis a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.Operations,
on the other hand, is work done in organizations to sustain the business. Projects are different
from operations in that they end when their objectives have been reached or the project has been
terminated.
Project management is the process of combining systems, techniques,and knowledge to complete a project within established goals of time,
budget, and scope.
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Every project has to manage four basic constraints; scope, schedule, budget and quality.
The success of a project depends on the skills and knowledge of a project manager to take
into consideration these constraints and develop the plans and processes to keep them inbalance.
Scope is what the project is trying to achieve, it entails all the work involved in
delivering the project outcomes and the processes used to produce them; it is the reasonand the purpose of the project. Scope is the boundary of a project, it is what the
beneficiaries, and the donors expect from the project, nothing more, and nothing less.
o Budget or the costs approved for the project including all required expenses needed in
order to deliver the project. In development projects managers have to balance between
not running out of money and not under spending, because many projects receive fundsor grants that have contract clauses with a use it or lose it approach to project funds.
Poorly executed budget plans can result in a last minute rush to spend the allocated funds.
o Schedule is defined as the time required to complete the project. The project scheduleis often the most frequent project oversight in developing projects. This is reflected in
missed deadlines, incomplete activities, and late donor reports. Proper control of the
schedule requires the careful identification of tasks to be performed, an accurate
estimation of their durations, the sequence in which they are going to be done, and howpeople and resources are allocated.
Quality is the fourth constraint and it is defined as delivering the project outcomes
according to the stated or implied needs and expectations of the project beneficiaries and
donor agency, in order to meet stakeholder satisfaction. It also means complying withquality standards that are either mandated by the donor, local government (such as laws
and regulations), or by professional standards (such as health).
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Project StakeholdersStakeholders are the people involved in or affected by project activities and include the project
sponsor, project team, support staff, customers, users, suppliers, and even opponents to the
project. These stakeholders often have very different needs and expectations.
Project Attributes
As you can see, projects come in all shapes and sizes. The following attributes help to
define a project further:A project has a unique purpose. Every project should have a well-defined objective.
For example, many people hire firms to design and build a new house, but each house,
like each person, is unique.
A project is temporary. A project has a definite beginning and a definite end. For ahome construction project, owners usually have a date in mind when theyd like to move
into their new homes.A project is developed using progressive elaboration or in an iterative fashion .
Projects are often defined broadly when they begin, and as time passes, the specific
details of the project become more clear. For example, there are many decisions that must
be made in planning and building a new house. It works best to draft preliminary plansfor owners to approve before more detailed plans are developed.
A project requires resources, often from various areas. Resources include people,
hardware, software, or other assets. Many different types of people, skill sets, and
resources are needed to build a home.A project should have a primary customer or sponsor. Most projects have many
interested parties or stakeholders, but someone must take the primary role of sponsorship.
The project sponsor usually provides the direction and funding for the project.A project involves uncertainty. Because every project is unique, it is sometimes
difficult to define the projects objectives clearly, estimate exactly how long it will take
to complete, or determine how much it will cost. External factors also cause uncertainty,such as a supplier going out of business or a project team member needing unplanned
time off. This uncertainty is one of the main reasons project management is so
challenging.
The use of a systematic project management methodology gives development
organizations a strategic tool; gives organizations the means to practice established andtime-tested practices of project management to help them achieve successful outcomes.
The processes that a methodology delivers help organizations keep focus and deliver
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solutions that project beneficiaries and its communities desperately need them. Among
the main benefits is an increase in the level of collaboration among al project
stakeholders, the delivery of consistent results of predicable quality and defined roles andresponsibilities that ensure proper accountability. Other benefits include:
1. A common language and a consistent discipline for how projects are planned andimplemented in the organization
2. A standard project terminology, understood by all stakeholders
3. Provides project stakeholders confidence on how projects are done in theorganization
4. Permits accurate predictions of project resource requirements and potential risks
5. Stipulates clear procedures for developing project plans that allow better control
of the project throughout its life cycle.6. Assists the project manager to integrate, coordinate and track project activities, by
describing the basic practices, procedures and techniques.
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Project Management Software
The project management and software development communities have definitely
responded to the need to provide more software to assist in managing projects. TheProject Management Center, a Web site for people involved in project management,
provides an alphabetical directory of more than 300 project management software
solutions (www.infogoal.com/pmc).
Many people still use basic productivity software such as Microsoft Word and Excel to
perform many project management functions, including determining project scope, time,and cost, assigning resources, preparing project documentation, and other tasks. People
often use productivity software instead of specialized project management software
because they already have it and know how to use it. However, there are hundreds ofproject management software tools that provide specific functionality for managing
projects. These project management software tools can be divided into three general
categories based on functionality and price:
MS Project and MS Project Server: MS Project is the market leader in project managementsoftware. It enables project planning, resource scheduling, multiple types of diagrams and reports,
project costing, project control and project status update.
http://www.infogoal.com/pmchttp://www.infogoal.com/link.php?n=603http://www.infogoal.com/link.php?n=603http://www.infogoal.com/pmchttp://www.infogoal.com/link.php?n=603