Project Management Fundamentals
Project Management is both an art and a science of getting things done. Art, because there is no single, best way to do it. However, there are many tried-and-true methods and processes that can greatly increase the likelihood of a project’s successful completion.
Definition of Project Management
Let’s take a look at the three most widely accepted definitions of project management.
Definition by APM (Association of Project Management)
Project management is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters. Project management has final deliverables that are constrained to a finite timescale and budget.
Definition by PMI (Project Management Institute)
Project management is the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to deliver something of value to people.
Definition by Wikipedia
Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process. The primary constraints are scope, time, and budget. Wikipedia
It’s not hard to figure out what project management entails once you know what a project is. Organizational management entails arranging and directing available means to accomplish a predetermined goal.
Take a look at the three most common definitions of “project” to see what it means in different contexts. Many different words mean the same thing when they’re used to describe a project.
According to the PMI, a project is defined as a “Temporary endeavor with a beginning and an end and it must be used to create a unique product, service or result”.
As per the APM, A project is a unique, transient endeavor undertaken to bring about change and to achieve planned objectives.
Remember, a project is a set of tasks to achieve a goal within certain limits. Project managers run projects. The team manages logistics and completes the project once project managers review goals.
What are the 5 types of projects?
Basically, a Project can be of different types with unique goals and outputs.
The majority of professional Projects can be classified under 5 main categories.
1. Construction Projects
2. Manufacturing Projects
3. Management Projects
4. IT Projects
5. Research Projects
What are the 5 stages of project management?
Even though project management can appear daunting at first glance, chances are you’ve already participated in a process of some kind. There are as many stages manage project.
Phases are typically used to divide the project management process into manageable chunks that can be carried out in order.
These steps consist of
1. Initiation
2. Planning
3. Execution
4. Monitoring and control
5. Closure
The project life cycle frequently overlaps with these stages. They can assist you in planning the most efficient method of completing the project. Further, you can divide the work for each stage of the project with the aid of our project management checklist.
What are the 7 steps of project management?
These are 7 steps to follow for efficient project management.
Step-01: Define the project.
A vision that meets organizational needs will improve actor adhesion. If the team grasps the project’s goals, productivity will increase. Hence, issues, objectives, priorities, resources, budget, deadlines, talents, roles, and duties must be determined.
Step-02: Allocate Resource
Allocating resources helps you determine what you need to complete a task. Project skills? Recruiting? Establish methods to integrate new hires if necessary. Project success depends on HR management.
Step-03: Deploy Action Plan.
It organizes all actions throughout a set period.
Step-04: Budgeting
Unexpected events can exceed budgets. Include thresholds and notifications in your budget to react effectively.
Step-05: Follow-up
Follow-up requires meetings. This facilitates progress and task review.
Step-06: Recognize Team Efforts
Appreciating teamwork is essential. To get the most out of them, you need to manage and inspire them.
Step-07: Lesson Learnt
After the project is over, take stock to learn what worked, what was tough, what could have been done differently, etc.
What is the purpose of project management?
Project managers organise, track, and execute tasks. Projects are tasks that achieve a goal. Project management helps your team plan, manage, and execute tasks to fulfil project deadlines.
What is the effect of project management on business?
Project management can also boost corporate growth. Businesses profit when they can predict issues, adapt tasks, and improve interdepartmental communication.
What are the main 5 roles of project management?
Project Leader helps with team members’ successful onboarding and training by creating schedules for them. Make sure everyone on the team is on the same page by sharing a detailed set of objectives.
Be there for team members emotionally and make sure they know how much they are appreciated.
The project manager is the one who is responsible for the project.
1. Planning
2. Developing a Schedule
3. Assemble a Project team
4. Manage their workload throughout the project’s life cycle
5. Responsible for managing risk & budget.
What are the 4 types of project manager?
Top executives care most about growing their companies. Few executives routinely work with employees who can help them grow. To build your firm sustainably, you need four sorts of project managers.
As per HBR , This does not necessarily mean that you need an equal number of each, as most organizations must predominantly rely on executors to ensure the alignment and feasibility needed to maintain profits in the short term.
However, you will need a few prophets, gamblers, and experts to be able to identify and pursue growth opportunities at the periphery that can help you renew your organization beyond the chosen path.
Prophet:
This type of project manager actively explores business prospects outside strategic limits in an area where it is difficult to acquire reliable statistics on success. So, the prophet seeks organizational followers for a great vision of a development opportunity that is strategically different from the existing quo—without trustworthy quantitative evidence—relying on organizational members to take a leap of faith in favor of the vision.
Gambler:
This project manager actively explores commercial prospects within strategic boundaries but without a clear business case because reliable data on success is unavailable. Hence, the gambler seeks organizational support for a significant wager on a growth opportunity that fits the strategy but lacks quantitative evidence. Gamblers follow the rules and explore development possibilities within the strategy, but they cannot anticipate success. So, the gambler wants organizational members who prefer betting.
Expert:
This type of project manager actively explores business prospects outside strategic bounds that are supported by reliable data. So, specialists seek organizational support for a growth opportunity that deviates from the current strategy but is supported by good, trustworthy quantitative evidence. Thus, specialists rely on organizational members to really listen to their recommendations.
Executor:
The executor gets organizational support for a sure-thing growth opportunity that is aligned with the present plan and supported by reliable quantitative data. Hence, there is no danger, uncertainty, or challenge—only execution. The growth opportunity is well-documented and linked with the plan, making this the most likely route to success. The executor can only identify low-hanging growth prospects, not more radical and undiscovered company opportunities.
What is a project life cycle?
The phases of a project typically change depending on the project’s scope, duration, and complexity. These stages, when taken as a whole, define the journey a project makes from its inception to its conclusion, and are collectively known as the project life cycle.
The project lifecycle model has no established norms or rules. Even within the same industry, projects might use a variety of different project lifecycle models due to the varying needs of the business.
The phase naming practice is mostly determined by the specifics of the underlying project. The first phase may be known as the concept phase in some fields, while the beginning phase is used in others.
If the lifespan is the big picture, then the phases are the steps to take to get from A to B. Deliverable(s) are completed work products that signify the end of a project.
What are project principles?
Projects can only be managed effectively if they adhere to the principles of project management. Currently, there is no canonical set of project success principles included in the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK). Yet the concepts that successful project managers and firms are implementing are highlighted in PMI’s annual pulse study.
The nine-cornerstone principle of successful project management are as follows:
1. Formal project management structure
2. Invested and engaged project sponsor.
3. Clear and objective goals and outcomes
4. Documented roles and responsibilities
5. Strong change management
6. Risk management
7. Mature value delivery capabilities
8. Performance management baseline
9. Communication plan
What are the 4 types of PMO?
A company’s project management office (PMO) sets and maintains standards. The PMO manages project documentation and KPIs and ensures on-time and under-budget delivery.
PMOs aim to gain from standardized and following project management processes, policies, and methods. To be effective, PMOs should reflect the organization’s culture and strategy, whether internal or outsourced.
Activist PMO
The activist PMO, which enables rather than controls, is popular in distributed, business-centric project ownership organizations. It usually analyses business reasons for alignment and risk and monitors project demand. The PMO reviews project and business cases. This comprehensive perspective provides a project portfolio overview of all its projects and oversight to recommend or solicit solutions for “red” projects.
Delivery PMO
The project delivery PMO is the most popular type of PMO. At least 40% of PMOs are delivery PMOs that plan and execute projects to business expectations, according to Gartner. Project managers should manage, make decisions, and escalate issues.
Compliance PMO
In firms with poor documentation, processes, procedures, and techniques, the compliance PMO works best. In this case, the compliance PMO establishes standards for monitoring project performance and develops a capability for tracking critical projects.
Centralized PMO
Organizations rely on key performers to complete work when PPM maturity is low. Management strives for efficiency and trustworthy project tracking and reporting. Hence, a centralized PMO is created to quickly train new personnel on project management best practices. A best-practices council gathers project support organization representatives in the centralized PMO.
What are the golden rules of project management?
Rule # 1: Use simple and effective skills.
Project management abilities may help you handle tasks. Successful project managers can use these as competitive advantages.
Rule # 2: Use simple Project Management terms.
Use project management terms. Complex terminology reduces productivity when individuals are overworked. Formal project management terminology may confuse or backfire.
Rule # 3: Planning, Planning, and Planning
Have perfect project planning. After planning, we conduct the task. In project management, poor planning is common.
Rule # 4: Project Management is not just a technical skill.
Project management requires leadership and personal skills. This includes soft skill competence. Even with a Microsoft project schedule, you may not finish the project.
Rule # 5: Project Management is ethics.
In my experience, project management’s best result is ethical. This emphasizes honesty, justice, trust, and responsibility. Team cohesion and professionalism lead to project success.
What is the salary of a PMO in TCS?
A project manager’s salary directly depends on their experience and the sector they are working in. For instance, a project manager in the IT sector can expect to earn more due to the higher requirement for skills and expertise. On the other hand, a project manager in the real estate sector may earn less since the job requires less advanced skills.
Experience is another important factor that influences the salary of a project manager. A project manager with less than two years of experience can expect to earn approximately Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per annum. With more than two years of experience, the salary can go up to Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Those with seven to eight years of experience can expect to earn up to Rs 12 lakh per annum.
Location also plays a major role in determining the salary of a project manager. For instance, a project manager in Mumbai or Bengaluru can expect to earn more than those in smaller cities due to the higher cost of living and the availability of more job opportunities.
What is the salary of PMO in Infosys?
Project managers at Infosys are well-paid for their work. According to Glassdoor, the average base salary for a project manager at Infosys is $98,000 per year. Depending on the project, the salary can be higher or lower. Bonuses and other forms of compensation can also be negotiated.
In addition to competitive salaries, project managers at Infosys benefit from a great work environment. The company has a strong commitment to its employees and offers a range of development and career opportunities. It also provides a range of flexible working options, such as remote working and part-time schedules.
What is the salary of PMO in Wipro?
The average salary of a Wipro project manager is approximately Rs. 10 lakhs per annum, which is significantly higher than the industry average of around Rs. 6.5 lakhs. This salary is further supplemented by the numerous benefits that Wipro offers its project managers. These include performance-based bonuses, medical insurance, and flexible work hours.
What is Salary for PMP- Certified Project Managers?
Salary expectations for project managers are high because of the complex nature of the work they do. In the United States, the typical annual income for a project manager was $108,200 in the most recent edition of PMI’s wage study. Shown below are the annual median wages, broken down by level of qualification and years of experience.
Robert Half’s 2018 Technology and IT Pay Guide also includes wage information for project managers, which is broken down into four levels according to level of experience and expertise:
• 25th percentile: $92,750
• 50th percentile: $110,000
• 75th percentile: $132,000
• 95th percentile: $156,000
What are soft skills for project managers?
Non-technical talents, or “soft skills,” are those that can increase the quality of your work without the use of any special equipment or training. People’s skills and interpersonal abilities are so valuable in the
project planning workplace that they have their own names.
These 10 skills are the most important soft skills for project management:
1. Collaboration
2. Teamwork
3. Communication
4. Time management
5. Leadership
6. Organization
7. Problem-solving
8. Critical thinking
9. Adaptability
10. Conflict resolution
What are hard skills for project managers?
Hard skills can be objectively measured, whereas soft ones cannot. While the soft talents are transferable to a wide variety of professions, the following seven hard skills are essential for effective project management.
Becoming better at these will make you a more capable and well-rounded project manager.
1. Project Planning
2. Project Scoping
3. Writing a project brief
4. Hosting a project kickoff meeting
5. Project Road-mapping
6. Mapping your project timeline
7. Task management
8. Workload management
9. Cost management
10. Change management.
Best Project Management Books You Should Read in 2023
Whether you are just starting your career as a project manager or have decades of experience under your belt, here is a list of the top ten best project management books (from beginner to advanced) to help you level up your skills.
5 FREE Best Project Management Books
1. Executive guide to project management by Project Management Institute
2. Project Management by The Open University of Hong Kong
3. Project Management Techniques for Non-Project Managers (Presentation) by Boston College
4. Project Management Methodology Guide 3.0 by European Commission, Centre of Excellence in Project Management
5. Project Management Framework by U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation
Technical Service Center
Conclusion:
Here’s the iceberg. Project management involves difficult topics that require lifetime research. Now you know that project management is an optimal mix of complementing dimensions. Each project’s goals, resources, and schedule determine project management.
Which project management principle do you use? Did I miss something? Please comment below.
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