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Submitted By: Bipin Bhandari Submitted By:

Krishna Awasti Sir
While project management skills are obviously important for project managers, interestingly the methods and
tools that project managers use can be helpful for everyone.

A 'task' does not necessarily have to be called a 'project' in order for project management methods to be very
useful in its planning and implementation. Even the smallest task can benefit from the use of a well-chosen
project management technique or tool, especially in the planning stage.

Any task that requires some preparation to achieve a successful outcome, will probably be done better by using a
few project management methods somewhere in the process. Project management methods can help in the
planning and managing of all sorts of tasks, especially complex activities.

Project management is chiefly associated with planning and managing change in an organization, but a project
can also be something unrelated to business - even a domestic situation, such as moving house, or planning a
wedding.

Project management methods and tools can therefore be useful far more widely than people assume.

Project management techniques and project planning tools are useful for any tasks in which different outcomes
are possible - where risks of problems and failures exist - and so require planning and assessing options, and
organizing activities and resources to deliver a successful result.

Projects can be various shapes and sizes, from the small and straightforward to extremely large and highly
complex.

In organizations and businesses, project management can be concerned with anything, particularly introducing or
changing things, in any area or function, for example:

 people, staffing and management

 products and services
 materials, manufacturing and production
 IT and communications
 plant, vehicles, equipment
 storage, distribution, logistics
 buildings and premises
 finance, administration, acquisition and divestment
 purchasing
 sales, selling, marketing
 human resources development and training
 customer service and relations
 quality, health and safety,
 legal and professional
 technical, scientific, research and development
 new business development
 and anything else which needs planning and managing within organizations.

Successful project management, for projects large or small, tends to follow the process outlined below.

The same principles, used selectively and appropriately, also apply to smaller tasks.

Project Management
Project management techniques are not just for project managers - they are available for anyone to use.

When projects are major pieces of work undertaken over an extended period of time, it is important to manage
them carefully. In many cases, managing a project means co-coordinating a number of different resources,
including people from different departments or even from outside of the business. Project Management is all
about managing these resources in order that the project is delivered

 To specification
 On time, and
 Within budget

Students should appreciate the importance of good project management to business success. It is easy to see the
impact of failed project management in works such as the new Wembley Stadium:

 Damaged reputation which may hamper the ability to gain further work
 Dissatisfied customers
 Cost over-runs that lead to loss of profit
 Financial penalties paid to the customer
 Low morale amongst the workforce
 Damaged relationships with sub-contractors and other business partners

Specification

Often called the project 'terms

of reference', the project
specification should be an
accurate description of what
the project aims to achieve, and
the criteria and flexibilities
involved, its parameters, scope,
range, outputs, sources,
participants, budgets and
timescales (beware - see note
below about planning
timescales).Usually the project
manager must consult with
others and then agree the
project specification with
superiors, or with relevant
authorities. The specification
may involve several drafts
before it is agreed. A project
specification is essential in that
it creates a measurable
accountability for anyone
wishing at any time to assess
how the project is going, or its
success on completion. Project
terms of reference also provide an essential discipline and framework to keep the project on track, and concerned
with the original agreed aims and parameters. A properly formulated and agreed project specification also protects

Project Management
the project manager from being held to account for issues that are outside the original scope of the project or
beyond the project manager's control.

This is the stage to agree special conditions or exceptions with those in authority. Once you've published the terms
of reference you have created a very firm set of expectations by which you will be judged. So if you have any
concerns, or want to renegotiate, now's the time to do it.

The largest projects can require several weeks to produce and agree project terms of reference. Most normal
business projects however require a few days thinking and consulting to produce a suitable project specification.
Establishing and agreeing a project specification is an important process even if your task is simple one.

A template for a project specification:

1. Describe purpose, aims and deliverables.

2. State parameters (timescales, budgets, range, scope, territory, authority).
3. State people involved and the way the team will work (frequency of meetings, decision-making process).
4. Establish 'break-points' at which to review and check progress, and how progress and results will be
measured.

Planning

Plan the various stages and activities of the project. Where possible (and certainly where necessary) we can
involve our team in the planning. A useful tip is to work backwards from the end aim, identifying all the things
that need to be put in place and done, in reverse order. Additionally, from the bare beginnings of the project, use
brainstorming (noting ideas and points at random -
typically with a project team), to help gather points
and issues and to explore innovations and ideas.
Fishbone diagrams are also useful for brainstorming
and identifying causal factors which might otherwise
be forgotten. For complex projects, or when you lack
experience of the issues, involve others in the
brainstorming process. Thereafter it's a question of
putting the issues in the right order, and establishing
relationships and links between each issue. Complex
projects will have a number of activities running in
parallel. Some parts of the project will need other
parts of the project to be completed before they can
begin or progress. Such 'interdependent' parts of a
project need particularly careful consideration and
planning. Some projects will require a feasibility
Fishbone diagram
stage before the completion of a detailed plan. Gantt
Charts and Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagrams are
two commonly used tools for detailed project management planning, enabling scheduling, costing and budgeting
and other financials, and project management and reporting.

Good project management starts with good planning - the objectives of a project should be clear and would
conform to the SMART model:

 Specific
 Measurable
 Agreed
 Realistic, and

Project Management
  Time-based

Planning tools would include Simultaneous Engineering (for product development) and Critical Path Analysis,
for projects in general - see separate notes on both of these methods.

Monitoring

Projects do not always go according to plan and it is generally the case that when this happens, work takes more,
rather than less time, than expected. Good project management recognises the internal and external factors that
might throw a project off schedule. Monitoring progress carefully will help identify the likely impact of any
delays so that action can be taken to get the project back on track.

Contingency planning

Contingency planning means trying to identify possible sources of disruption to the project so that in the event of
a problem, swift action can be taken. This may be as simple as having a back-up supplier for materials, or by
building some ‘slack’ into the schedule. In the case of serious delays, this may mean making arrangements to
manage the situation, such as happened with Wembley Stadium, when major matches have had to be hosted
elsewhere.

Initialising the Project

Closing The Project

The completion of the project may not end the moment the event finishes. If we take the case of the visit to Alton
Towers, it may be that there will still be invoices to pay, finance to collect in and other issues to settle. These will
have to be sorted out and it is often the case that this is the most dangerous part of project management. The end
is near and it is easy to lose sight of the fact that important things need to be completed before the project can be
closed.

Even when you have managed to collect all the money, settle all the invoices and so on, you may find that you
have either a surplus on the account or, if things have gone badly, a deficit. These cannot be left, so you will have
to find a way of disposing of the surplus (you may have decided to donate any surplus to a charity at the outset of
your project planning), or what you will do if you end up with a loss. It may be the case that you have had to
negotiate with the principal or your tutor: what would happen if you were unable to pay all your debts? For
example, what would you do if you were unable to pay the coach company all the money they were owed?

This might have involved you in some pre-planning: arranging the signing of an agreement that as a student
group, you would receive help from the college if such an occasion arose. You may find that without some form
of security or underwritten agreement like this, some firms will not deal with you! Assuming everything turns out
fine, your job will still not be over. You will have to make sure that any bank accounts that were opened to cater
for this project are closed down and any sort of credit agreements cancelled.

Reviewing the Project

The final task in this exercise is to write up a report on your experiences. This will form the basis of your
assessment for this unit. To achieve a distinction, your report will have to evaluate the planning and the process of
the project. This will mean a bit of soul searching and honesty on your part, as well as identifying what you have

Project Management
learned from the experience. It is not good enough to say something like 'we needed to advertise a bit more to get
more people to come'. Such a comment is an example of some simple evaluation, but not of a level to get you a
distinction.

You might instead accept that the advertising was not adequate to secure the sort of numbers you needed to help
you meet your aims (i.e. breaking even?). You will have to think carefully about what it was about your
advertising that was not up the scratch: was it how you advertised or where you advertised? What evidence do
you have that people were aware of the event and how did they react to the advertising? Was the success of the
advertising limited by the budget you set for your advertising? Did you need to allocate more for advertising? If
so, how would this have made a difference?

Part of the process of closing the project is to review what has happened and pinpoint aspects that you did well
and not so well, so that you can learn from your mistakes and improve for next time. Copyright: Davide
Guglielmo, from stock.xchng.

You might have identified that the communication between the team members was poor: maybe one person did
not do their job properly, which was one of the reasons why the project did not go as well as you might have
hoped. If so, what leadership or management lessons have you learned from the experience? Often, telling a
friend that they are not doing a proper job is extremely difficult but in the business world, having to confront
people and challenge them about their attitude, motivation and approach is an important skill in itself.

Project Management