Projects can be viewed as the entire process to produce a new product, plant, or system.
Historic context:
Project concepts are not new; mankind created many significant projects in the past under less hostile environments.
Examples include:
Roman Architecture
Egyptian Pyramids
Harappa Township
Project: A series of milestones or phases, activities, or tasks that support an effort to accomplish something.
Management: The process of planning, organizing, controlling, and measuring operational activities.
A project consists of:
A collection of linked activities,
Organized with a defined START POINT and END POINT,
Designed to achieve specific results to meet organizational needs.
A project is a temporary endeavor aimed at creating a unique product or service.
Characteristics:
Performed by people,
Constrained by limited resources,
Planned, executed, and controlled.
Additional stages and definitions:
Configuration freeze stages include:
Preliminary Configuration
Concept Definition Completion
Entry into Service and Type Certification.
Aim is to create an asset:
Types of assets:
Tangible (e.g., products, systems)
Intangible (e.g., services, goodwill).
Assets enable production of goods/services, fulfilling human needs, and enhancing the standard of living.
Examples include:
Developing a new product/service
Organizational structural changes
Designing transportation vehicles
Building community infrastructure (e.g., water systems)
Major events organization (e.g., Cricket World Cup).
Planning: Most critical yet often least time-consuming step.
Organizing: Arranging resources in an orderly manner (Contingent/Prerequisites).
Controlling: Ensuring project processes are executed effectively.
Measuring: Assessing if goals were accomplished.
Questions to assess:
Are we efficient?
Are we productive?
Do outcomes meet expectations?
Key principle: "If you can't plan it, you can't do it; if you can't measure it, you can't manage it."
Project management is universally applied:
Individuals manage personal tasks with to-do lists.
Any effort to track tasks towards goals can be defined as project management.
Key to track progress towards goals.
Optimizes resource usage and maximizes effectiveness in achieving objectives.
Effective project management requires minimal time compared to the time wasted without it.
Facilitates clear action paths and work plans:
Unique tasks with specific objectives
Involves various resources
Time-bound nature of tasks.
In-built monitoring
Early identification of bottlenecks
Activity-based costing
Timely completion and reporting.
Established objectives
Defined lifespan (beginning and end)
Unique nature
Cross-organizational participation required.
Involves novel activities, resource consumption, and specific performance criteria.
Progressive nature - activities follow a sequence.
Defined scope and schedule.
Exposed to risk and uncertainty, with flexibility in the process.
Deliverables: Tangible outputs of the project.
Milestones: Key dates for major activities.
Tasks: Actions within the project.
Risks and Issues: Potential and encountered problems.
Gantt Chart: Visual task scheduling tool.
Stakeholder: Affected individuals/groups in a project.
Operations: Tasks to achieve project objectives, sequenced logically.
Resources: Include manpower, finances, methods, materials, machines, and time.
Restraints: External factors affecting project resources and delivery systems.
Formal project management structure: Defines processes and tools necessary for a project.
Invested point of contact: Key liaison for stakeholder communication.
Clear goals and outcomes: Requirements for successful project completion.
Documented roles and responsibilities: Ensures accountability.
Risk recognition: Identifying and monitoring project risks.
Strong change management: Control changes to prevent scope creep.
Value delivery capabilities: Tools and methods that deliver project value.
Performance management baseline: Measure against cost, schedule, and scope.
Communication plan: Essential for project transparency and coordination.
Transparency principle: Reporting status and progress to stakeholders.
Projects require a structured framework for effective execution, increasing likelihood of timely completion.
Effective dialogue is crucial in project management, enhancing coordination and timely decision-making.
Measurable criteria for success defined by stakeholder approval.
Clear definitions of accountability to enhance performance evaluation and team management.
Proactive identification of risks to minimize project impact.
Controlled scope to meet customer expectations and manage team dynamics for project pace.
Project management methodologies that ensure delivery of value to stakeholders.
Metrics for measuring project components and managing scope changes effectively.
Essential for stakeholder engagement and effective management of project risks and conflicts.
Maintaining visibility of the project to stakeholders, fostering trust and collaboration.
Highlights the significance of generating project ideas for successful ventures.
Projects can be independent or related;
Programs coordinate related projects for better management.
A portfolio includes all work aligned with strategic objectives.
Programs: A series of related projects targeting a common objective.
Example: Completing all courses for a degree.
Weekly reports to track milestones, completion percentages, and potential risks.
Effective team building and realistic scheduling are crucial.
Senior management support from project start enhances engagement and leadership.
Effective skill sets and project management approaches enhance execution efficiency.
Projects synchronize at the program level to enhance coherence and coordination across tasks.
Ensures alignment and resource optimization across all projects, programs, and operations.
Conducive environments and SWOT analysis can stimulate the flow of project ideas.
A method to identify opportunities and assess project potential.
Clearly defined operational goals lead to productive focus and success.
Successful organizational environments encourage innovation and creativity.
Key areas of monitoring include socio-economic and market conditions.
Economic, governmental, technological, demographic, and competitive environment.
Monitoring economic growth rates, trade balances, and overall economic conditions.
Keeping track of policies, taxes, and regulations that affect project viability.
Continued access to innovative techniques and technologies is vital.
Understanding demographic trends and their implications for market projects.
Assessing market competition and entry barriers in a given sector.
Evaluating corporate strengths and weaknesses to identify investment opportunities.
Examines marketing, production, human resources, and finance.
Key classifications to assess market standing and influence.
Evaluating operational capacity and production capacity considerations.
Critical for assessing product development capabilities and research efficacy.
Examining employee competencies and management dynamics.
Assessing financial health, borrowing strengths, and cash flow.
Tools like Porter model and lifecycle approaches to identify investment prospects.
Identifies competitive forces that shape an industry’s attractiveness.
Detail on the structure of competitive pressures affecting industries.
Captures the dynamics within competitive forces and market structures.
Stages outlined from introduction to growth to decline.
Projects must adapt to lifecycle phases for sustained competitiveness.
Cost efficiency improves over production volume accumulation.
Learning, technology, and scale effects on cost behaviors.
Utilizes key factors for planning and efficient resource allocation.
Initial factors for project compatibility with organizational goals.
Rapid growth and high return on investment potential clarified.
Ensuring project alignment with national goals and feasible execution.
Assessing if existing and prospective market demand aligns with capabilities.
Evaluating associated risks such as competition and economic conditions.
Utilizing performance analysis, reviews, and industry trends.
Creative approaches to identify and tap into market needs and trends.
Key questions guiding project viability and operational strategy.
Highlights attributes essential for entrepreneurial success.
Steps to rate and evaluate project proposals effectively.
Assignment of weights and scoring of proposals for comparison.
Gathering information to forecast competitor actions and market responses.
Evaluation of a competitor's capabilities across business functions.
Evaluation of competitor strategies and responses to environmental changes.
Objectives and strategies for competitive positioning.
Predictions and strategies based on competitor analysis findings.
Detailed assessments of strengths and weaknesses relative to competitors.
Factors that enhance the attractiveness of projects through entry barriers.
Strategic framework for analyzing business units within a portfolio.
Visual representation of business unit performance across growth rates.
Relative market share definitions guiding strategic decisions.
Displays conditions for Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks, and Dogs.
Consideration of strong cash flow and growth potential in strategic planning.
Ideal segments for long-term investment and growth management strategies.
Growth potential assessment for lower market share units in growth sectors.
Revenue management strategies for high-share, low-growth business units.
Cost strategies for low growth & share business units.
Visualizations of growth rates within the competitive landscape.
Addressing limitations and advantages of the BCG framework.
GE Business Screen's nine-cell matrix criteria for assessing sectors.
Versatile tool for evaluating business units and strategic orientations.
Insights and evaluations for diversifying corporate portfolios effectively.
Detailed definitions of business strength and industry attractiveness.
Visual assessment of business units relative to the competitive landscape.
Utilization of the matrix for strategic resource allocation and decision-making.
Guidelines for investment, expansion, and divestment actions.
Analyzes distinctions in approach toward business and industry evaluation.
Merits and limitations identified in six key areas for evaluation.
Considerations for varying analytical frameworks based on situational contexts.
Strategies for allocating resources effectively across multiple projects.
Overview of techniques supporting effective project management.
Key methodologies in project management for execution.
Essential budgeting and productivity control methods in project management.
Utilization of a RACI model to clarify project roles and responsibilities.
Visual tool for project task organization into manageable parts.
Tracking task completion visually to assess project balance.
Framework guiding project selection based on strategic fit and value.
Prioritizing projects enhances resources, decision-making, and success chances.
Resource Maximization
Strategic Alignment
Improved Decision-Making
Risk Management
Increased Success Rates
Better Communication
Areas essential for evaluating project potential and alignment with objectives.
Ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory implications.
A thorough methodology involving evaluation, comparison, and selection.
Criteria guiding prioritization based on competitive advantage and necessity.
Establishment of criteria to guide project evaluation and decision-making.
Methods for assessing projects based on economic viability.
Utilization in project assessment to weigh potential returns against costs.
Objective criteria-based selection for project prioritization.
Encourages selection of projects that provide positive returns over time.
Used to assess project profitability through comparison of cash inflows and outflows.
Linear Programming
Non-Linear Programming
Dynamic Programming
Others
Elements like customer service relationships and strategic goals in project evaluation.
Establishing organizational goals, market conditions, and practices for project evaluation.
Structured evaluation from ideas to project definition and selection.
Evaluating projects based on their benefits relative to organizational objectives.
Projects necessary for operational continuity and market competitiveness.
Phase in the project life cycle.
Involves defining objectives, initiating scheduling, and reporting progress.