LESSON 1

INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Introduction:

This lesson seeks to introduce the learner to the concepts of project planning and management.
The following concepts are covered:
 Project
 Project management
 Project constraints
 Project sources
 Nature of projects
 Role of the project manager
 Project management tasks

The lesson covers topic 1 of the syllabus

What is a Project?
A project is an interrelated set of activities that has a definite starting and ending point and
results in the accomplishment of a unique often major outcome.

Project management is the planning and control of events that together comprise the project. Project
management aims to ensure the effective use of resources and delivery of the project objectives
on time and within cost constraints.

A task is the smallest unit of work effort within the project and consumes both time and
resources which are under the control of the project manage.

A project is a sequence of activities that has a definite start and finish, an identifiable goal
and an integrated system of complex but interdependent relationships.

The purpose of project management is to achieve successful project completion with the
resources available. A successful project is one that:-
 Has been finished on time
 Is within its cost budget
 Performs to a technical/ performance standard which satisfy the end user

Project Characteristics
a) Objectives: A project has a set of objectives or missions once the objectives are achieved
the project is treated as completed.
b) Life cycle: A project has a life cycle where it consist of the following

 Conception stage: where project ideas are conceived

 Planning stage: where detailed design of different project are worked out
 Implementation stage: where the project is implemented as per the design
 Closing/Commissioning stage; where the project is commissioned after implementation
commissioning of the project indicates the end of its life cycle.

c) Definite time limit: A project has a definite time limit, it cannot continue forever. what
represents the end would normally be spelt out in the set of objectives.
d) Uniqueness : every project is unique and no two projects are similar even if the plants
are exactly identical or are merely duplicated the location the infrastructure the
agencies and the people make each project unique.
e) Team work : A project normally consists of delivered areas there will be personnel
specialized in their respective areas any project calls for the services of experts from a
host of disciplines. Co-ordination among the diverse areas calls for team work. Hence a
project can be implemented only with a team work.
f) Complexity: A project is a complex set of many components. The varieties are in terms of
technology of equipment and materials , machinery and people work culture and ethics
but they remain interrelated and unless this is so they either do not belong to the project
or will never allow the project to be completed.
g) Sub- contracting: some of the activities may be entrusted to sub- contractors to reduce the
complexity of the project. Sub-contracting will be advantageous if it reduces the
complexity of the project so that the project manager can co-ordinate the remaining
activities of the project more effectively. The greater the complexity of the project, the
larger will be the extent to which sub- contracting will be resorted to.
h) Risk and uncertainty: Every project has risks and uncertainty associated with it.
i) Customer specific nature: A project is always customer specific, this is because the
products produced on services offered by the project are necessarily to be customer
oriented. It is the customer who decides upon the product to be produced or services to
be offered and hence it is responsibility of any organization to go for projects / services
that are suited to customer needs.
j) Change: Changes occur throughout the lifespan of a project as a natural outcome of many
environmental factors. The changes may vary from minor changes to major changes
which may have a big impact or ever change the very nature of the project.
k) Forecasting: Forecasting the demand for any product/services that the project is going
to produce is an important aspect. All projects involve forecasting and in view of the
importance attached to forecasting they must be accurate and based on sound
fundamentals.
l) Optimality: A project is always aimed at optimum utilization of resources for the
overall development of the organization economy . This is because resources are scarce
and have a cost.
m) Control mechanism: All projects will have pre-designed control mechanism in order to
ensure completion of projects within the time schedule, within estimated cost and to
save time; achieve the desired level of quality and reliability.

Characteristics a good Project Manager

An effective project manager will require the following skills and abilities:
a) Planning and organization skills
b) Personnel management skills
c) Communication skills
d) Change orientation
e) Ability to solve problems in their totality
f) High energy i.e levels work under pressure
g) Ambition for achievements
h) Ability to take suggestions
i) Understanding the views of the project team members
j) Ability to develop alternative actions quickly
k) Knowledge of project management methods and tools
l) Ability to make self-evaluation
m) Effective time management
n) Capacity to relate current events to project management
o) Ability to handle project management software tools /packages
p) Initiative and risk taking ability
q) Familiarity with the organization
r) Tolerance for difference of opinion , delay ambiguity
s) Knowledge of technology
t) Conflict resolving capacity

The Role of a Project Manager

The role of a Project Manager is to "Deliver the project on time, within budget and to
specification". So in other words, you need to specify clearly upfront what must be delivered by
the project, and then you need to produce it within the schedule and budget assigned.

But it's not that simple. You might meet this objective but totally fail as a "top notch Project
Manager". The role of a project manager is much more than that. It is also...

1: To recruit the best

Great projects are delivered by a great team. Your role is to recruit the best people you can find
and make sure that their skill sets are perfectly complimentary so that you have all of the
experience you need to deliver the project successfully.

2: To motivate and lead

You need to be the one "cracking the whip" so that everyone knows what is to be done and by
when. You need to be strict and make sure that every task is done on time and doesn't slip. If it
does slip, then you need to identify the slippage immediately and have contingency plans so you
can get back on track.

As well as cracking the whip, you need to be positive and supportive towards your team so they
know you also care. You need to lead by example and motivate others to do the same. If you
want others to work hard, then you need to work harder than they do.
Lead by giving them direction, motivating them to work hard and showing you care along the
way.

3: To manage the finances

Every project has a budget, whether it's clearly defined or not. You need to ensure that you don't
spend more than you're entitled to, or your sponsor / client will be dissatisfied with the end
result. Manage finances carefully by listing every expense and ensuring that they are budgeted
upfront. If unbudgeted expenditure takes place, tell your client as soon as possible to avoid
complications down the track. If you need more budget, then don't be afraid to ask for it!

4: To control change

You need to be the one who controls all change to the project scope, tightly. "Scope creep" kills
projects. Define the scope of the project upfront and then review it each week to make sure that
you're not doing un-authorized work at any time. Your customer will ask for change throughout
the project. Don't always give in. Stay your ground and when this happens, ask for more time or
budget to cater for it. Remember—no matter how many changes they ask you for, they will still
beat you up if you‘re late or over budget. So control change when you see it.

5: Communicate

It's your job as a Project Manager to communicate the status of the project regularly. If people
know it's on track it will motivate them. If they know it's late it will motivate them even more.
But they will only know if it's on time or late if you communicate this to them.

You need to communicate the project status to your team, project sponsor and client every week
of the project life cycle. Never miss a week. Always document the status accurately. Never
exaggerate. Communicate the right messages t the right people at the right time.

Sources of Projects
1. Demand driven Projects (Bottom-Up-Approach)

Demand-driven approaches, such as many social funds and other community driven
Development projects (CDD) have become increasingly common in developing countries
As a strategy for delivering basic services down to the local level. These demand-driven
approaches help to finance the construction and rehabilitation of social infrastructure,
Such as schools, health posts and water points; the delivery of basic social services; and
The implementation of community-level economic investments, such as the rehabilitation
Of irrigation systems and the construction of local markets.

The demand-driven approach relies on a participatory process, whereby residents of a

Community or village assess their needs and identify the community investments that they see as
their top priorities. Often communities compete at the municipal level for financial Support for
their proposed projects. One of the risks of this approach is that the priorities Expressed by a
community are likely to reflect the needs of the majority, while the needs. Of more vulnerable
members of the community, such as orphans, female-headed households, disabled, and elderly,
may not be heard. Likewise, the needs of a small, remote village populated by a traditionally
excluded ethnic group may not fare well in competing for funds at the municipal level with the
‗majority‘ population.

In some Countries, such as Peru and Ecuador, the so-called ethnic ‗minority‘ may, in fact, be in
the majority, but a traditionally silent majority whose needs have been historically ignored.

Advantages of Demand Driven Projects

The three main advantages to DDSN as a supply chain strategy are:

a) Participants in the demand driven are all able to take part in shaping demand as opposed
to merely accepting it. Where businesses traditionally had little or latent visibility into
market demand, the collaborative technologies employed in implementing DDP have the
overall effect of reducing and even eliminating the gap between upstream businesses and
the end customer. This gives them a more accurate and timely insight into market trends
to increase the accuracy of their forecasts and hence their ability to interpret and respond
to demand fluctuation.

This type of market intelligence impacts more than just a business' ability to plan
operations; it translates directly into reduced inventory holdings across the supply chain,
which, in turn, means an overall reduction in the amount of capital invested therein and
the associated risks.

b) The demand driven approach, as opposed to the supply driven accepts that product design
and ongoing product innovation are key requirements in creating competitive advantage
and shaping demand. Early feedback from customers can help product designers better
understand what customers like and don't like about their products. In addition, product
designers can also interface more readily with manufacturing facilities to assist in solving
production problems that may arise, especially in the early stages of production setup.

c) Deterministic optimization is replaced with probabilistic optimization that uses stochastic

optimization methods to handle variability. Probabilistic models do a better job of
accounting for the uncertainties that exist in the supply and demand equation.
Probabilistic modeling also enables simulation of "what-if" scenarios so managers can
randomly vary their initial conditions.

Disadvantages of Demand Driven Projects

Although demand-driven interventions represent progress over top-down approaches to

development operations, consideration must be given to the risks involved. In light of available
experience, certain design traps should be avoided, i.e.

a) Demand-driven approaches bear an inherent risk in terms of fragmenting and scattering

activities. With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that geographical planning and
synergies among the components should not be overlooked during the preparatory phase.
b) There is an obvious need for both top-down and bottom-up infrastructure planning to
allow for combining heavy and light investments within the framework of local
development plans at various levels. Integration with the decentralization process is
crucial, particularly for social or community-based projects.

c) Productive micro projects are better designed in consultation with professional

organizations, private-sector enterprises and competent technicians rather than during
plenary village meetings. Development programmers‘ aimed at the commodity chain
(taking account of competitiveness, processing and marketing issues) may help improve
the profitability of income-generating interventions.

d) The development of local production dynamics presupposes that any investments made
will be backed up by credit on a sustainable basis. This will call for the expansion of
microfinance components and their integration with other components.

Case:

The Indian Maharashtra Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project in order to reach tribal
populations in the Maharashtra state in India, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project
worked directly with clusters of tribal households, instead of the traditional panchayat village
governance structure. Members of tribal populations are often geographically separated from the
main villages and view panchayats as influenced by wealthier members of a community who
ignore the needs of tribal populations in their decision-making. Thus, when attempting to
increase access to potable water and improve sanitation at the community level for tribal
populations, it made sense to work directly with clusters of about 30-50 tribal households. All
tribal households in a targeted district are eligible to participate in the project, and these clusters
or ―Tribal Paras‖ are responsible for planning, procuring, constructing, operating and
maintaining water supply and sanitation activities.

2. Supply Driven Projects (Top-Down)

This is a source of project which is influenced by availability of resources. It is a very systematic
source of project idea since most of those involved are Technocrats and widely experienced
development partners it is also called top down approach.

Top-down project planning is focused on keeping the decision making process at the senior
level. Goals and quotas are established at the highest level, and those at the top are not often
willing to take advice or any guidance from lower level employees. Senior-level managers need
to be as specific as possible when laying out expectations since those following the plan are not
involved in the planning process. Because employees are not included in any of the decision
making process and are often only motivated through either fear or incentives, moral can become
an issue.

With top-down planning, management must choose techniques to align projects and goals.
Management holds the sole responsibility for the plans set forth and for the end result. This way
of thinking assumes that management knows best how to plan and carry out a project, thus not
taking advantage of talented employees who may have more experience with certain aspects of
the project.

Some see the top-down planning process as a way to make a plan, and not about who develops
the plan. It allows management to divide a project into steps, and then into still smaller steps.
This continues until the steps can be studied, due-dates can be accurately assigned, and then parts
of the project can be assigned to an employee. However, the focus is on long-term goals, and the
here-and-now goals can get lost. Often, this approach is applied best to very small projects.

Advantages of supply driven projects

a) Your organization realizes a focused use of resources from the individual managed
application.
b) The first implementation becomes a showcase for the identity management solution.
c) When the phases are completed for the managed application, you have implemented a
deeper, more mature implementation of the identity management solution.
d) Operation and maintenance resources are not initially impacted as severely as with the
bottom-up approach.

Disadvantages of supply driven projects

a) The solution provides limited coverage in the first phases.

b) A minimal percentage of user accounts are managed in the first phases.
c) You might have to develop custom adapters at an early stage.
d) The support and overall business will not realize the benefit of the solution as rapidly.
e) The implementation cost is likely to be higher.

Combining top-down and bottom-up sources of projects

Top-down and Bottom-up Project Management: Leveraging the Advantages of the Two
Approaches:

Significant changes are taking place in management and especially project management today.
We hear that organizations, like the New York Times switched from the so-called top-down
management style to bottom-up management. Others, including some of the world‘s biggest
corporations, such as Toyota implemented bottom-up management style elements in some of
their departments. The popularity of the bottom-up approach to management is growing. In spite
of this fact, the discussions about the two major approaches are still hot. Why have organizations
become so anxious about changing their management style? If we compare the two management
approaches, the answer to this question will be clear.

Managing projects top-down

The top-down approach remains extremely popular in contemporary project management. The
phrase ―top-down‖ means that all the directions come from the top. Project objectives are
established by the top management. Top managers provide guidelines, information, plans and
fund processes. All of the project manager‘s expectations are clearly communicated to each
project participant. Following this approach, ambiguity opens the door for potential failure, and
the managers should be as specific as possible when communicating their expectations. Process
formality is very important for this approach.

Examples of the top-down approach applications can be found in many organizations. One of
such example is the New York Times, a leader in the newspaper industry. Several years ago,
American Journalism Review reported that The Times‘ executive management felt that they
were far from what was necessary for creation of a vibrant workplace and a successful
organization. Power was centralized and masthead editors experienced overall control. Editors
introduced the same management pattern in the projects for which they were responsible. One
person‘s emotions and opinions influenced all the project decisions, and this person was the
project manager. What was the result? Team members felt that they weren't listened to, that their
voices didn't count.

There was no effective collaboration between the journalists. They were not morally motivated
to do their jobs. The managing executives then realized that they needed to give more freedom
to the teams and change their management style. It took quite a while to introduce bottom-up
management to the organization. But, obviously, it was worth the time and effort, as New York
Times employees say that collaboration became much more efficient, and team members
now work together more productively.

Why Projects Go Wrong

There are a variety of reasons why projects fail. The good news is that they are often within your
control. The top 10 reasons for project failure and what you can do about them.
a) Insufficient resource
The Project Manager was given insufficient resources and budget at the start of the
project. If you don't have the level of resources or budget you need, then tell your Project
Sponsor quickly.

b) Impossible deadlines
The deadline for the project was always impossible to achieve. The Project Manager
should have told the sponsor at the start of the project and fought to have the deadline
extended. You not only need to have sufficient time to deliver your project, but you also
need contingency in case things take longer than expected.

c) Poor communication
The Project Manager fails to communicate the status of the project to the team and
sponsor. So everyone thinks the project is going smoothly until the deadline is missed.
You need to tell people early if it‘s slipping. Don't hide it. By telling people you're
running late, you give them the opportunity to help get it back on track.

d) Lack of focus
The team don't really know what is expected of them, so they lack focus. They are given
a job to do but not told what is required and by when. Everyone in your team should have
regular goals to meet, they should have deadlines and you should be monitoring their
progress at every step in the journey.

e) Low morale
The project team lack motivation, so nothing is delivered on time. If you want someone
to deliver within a set timeframe, then you need to motivate them to do it through reward
and recognition. And you need to be highly motivated yourself. Only by being healthy,
relaxed and truly motivated can you inspire others to be.

f) Sponsor support
The Project Manager gets very little support from their sponsor. There is no-one available
to help solve problems or provide further resource or money when it's needed. If you lack
sponsor support, then you need to tell your Project Sponsor about it. Be open and frank
with them. Tell them what you need and by when.

g) Scope creep
The scope of the project keeps changing, so you never really have a fixed set of
deliverables. Every time it changes, you lose time and resource, so Change Control is
critical. The scope needs to be clearly defined and then a process put in place to ensure
that change requests are formally approved.

h) Lengthy timeframes
The project timescale may simply be too long. Over time your customer's requirements
will change, so you need to break your project into smaller chunks and deliver each as a
project on its own.
i) Lack of tools
Not having the right tools to get the job done can also be a problem. Using good quality
tools such as templates, processes and a project methodology will lead to project success.

j) Customer involvement
Lack of customer involvement has proved fatal on many projects. You need to involve
your customer throughout the project to ensure that what you are building will meet their
requirements. Remember, only if your customer is truly satisfied will your project be a
success.

Tips for Project Success

a) Starting out: Make sure that when you start out your customer defines their requirements
in depth. You need to know exactly what it is that must be delivered, to who and when.
Make it specific, write it up formally and get them to sign it off. This document will
become the basis upon which to measure your success.
b) Customers: Involve your customers throughout the entire project life cycle. Get them
involved in the analysis and planning, as well as execution. You don't have to seek their
approval, just keep them informed. The more you involve them, the greater their level of
buy-in and the easier it is to manage their expectations.
c) Timeframes: Keep your delivery timeframes short and realistic. Never agree to lengthy
timeframes. Split the project into ―mini-projects‖ if you need to. Keep each mini-project
to less than 6 months. This keeps everyone motivated and focused.
d) Milestones: Break your project timeframe into "Milestones" which are manageable
pieces of work. Add delivery deadlines to your milestones and try to deliver on every
deadline, no matter what. If you're late, tell your customer about it as early as possible.
e) Communications: Make sure you keep everyone informed by providing the right
information at the right time. Produce Weekly Status Reports and run regular team
meetings.
f) Scope: Only authorize changes to your project scope if there is no impact on the timeline.
Get your customers approval to important scope changes first and then get their buy-in to
extend the delivery dates if you need to.
g) Quality: Keep the quality of your deliverables as high as possible. Constantly review
quality and never let it slip. Implement ―peer reviews‖ so that team members can review
each other‘s deliverables. Then put in place external reviews to ensure that the quality of
the solution meets your customer's needs.
h) Issues: Jump on risks and issues as soon as they are identified. Prioritize and resolve
them before they impact on your project. Take pride in keeping risks and issues to a
minimum.
i) Deliverables: As each deliverable is complete, hand it formally over to your customer.
Get them to sign an Acceptance Form to say that it meets their expectations. Only then
can you mark each deliverable off as 100% complete.
j) Your team: Great projects are run by great teams. Hire the best people you can afford.
Spend the time to find the right people. It will save you time down the track. Remember,
good people are easy to motivate. Show them the vision and how they can make it
happen. Trust and believe in them. Make them feel valued. They will work wonders.
How to start a new project
When starting a project, one need to ensure the following:

a) Sponsorship:
You need to have a highly motivated sponsor who understands the criticality of the
project on the business and is motivated to making it a success. They need to have the
resources available to support you, and the right level of "influence" in the business.
b) Targets:
Sit down with your sponsor and agree specific targets. Make sure they are realistic.
Perform a feasibility study to ensure that what is discussed is feasible to achieve. Only
agree to the targets if there is sufficient contingency. Add an extra 20% to the budget and
timeline if you can.
c) Scope:
Keep your scope to a minimum. If you can't get the contingency you need, then try and
negotiate to deliver less than you have to. And if that doesn't work, identify any
deliverables that are not on the critical path and negotiate to produce these items after the
project deadline has been reached.
d) Resourcing:
Find the best people you can afford. Then find extra people to assist, as further
contingency. You will always need more people than you plan for, so you need to
identify additional help as a ―backup‖ should you need it. This could include people from
other teams in your business, contractors or suppliers.
e) Planning:
Your success will be measured against your ability to deliver against the plan. So plan
wisely. Only plan in detail the next few months. After that, plan at a summary level.
Never ―over-plan‖ by listing every tiny task for the entire length of the project, as people
will hold you to it. Then, stick to the plan.
f) Processes:
Implement processes for managing time, cost, quality, change, risks and issues upfront.
Communicate these processes to your entire team and make sure that everyone follows
them rigorously.
g) Tracking:
With your plan complete, you need to start tracking progress against it. Track your
progress against budget and schedule. Track your risks and issues. Track your work
efficiency and your overall percent complete.
h) Reporting: Report on your project status weekly. Keep your reports brief and 100%
accurate. Report the summary level to your Sponsor and the detailed level to your team.
Focus on the current issues to hand. Remember that your project report can be a great
motivational tool to rally everyone behind the project and focus them on the outcome.
With the whole team motivated to achieve the goals, you have the best chance of success.

Kick Starting a Project

a) Stop and get a grip
Projects are always ahead in some areas and behind in others. Stop and take the time to
get a firm handle on the project progress. Make a list of all of the areas that you're behind
in. Then prioritize the list and calculate the amount of effort needed to get them back on
track. Are there any tasks that can be completed by others outside your team? If there are
non-critical tasks that you can outsource, then now is the time to consider it. Use
whatever resources you can find to complete these late tasks as soon as possible.

b) Rework the plan

Once you've caught up, revisit your Project Plan. Update every task in the plan and
recreate your schedule ahead. You need to revitalize your team and to do this; you need a
newly worked project plan that shows how you're going to deliver the rest of the project
on time. This will boost motivation and enthusiasm for completing the revitalized plan.
Especially if your team can see that it's actually achievable.

c) The Road Ahead

Now that you have a crystal clear plan ahead, you're ready to get the team behind it. Walk
your team through the remaining challenges and the timeframes in which they must be
achieved. Always be positive and focus on the road ahead

d) Individualization
The trick now is to make each person feel like they are a critical cog in the wheel. Meet
them individually, reward their successes and recognize achievement whenever you see
it.

e) Quick wins
A winning team like to know they are winning right from the start. Focus on delivering a
couple of critical tasks early, and then shout about the success. Then get more quick wins
under your belt and shout out about your successes again. This creates the feeling of
achievement and it creates momentum in the team. Sure, the project may not be finished
until you've crossed the finishing line, but half the fun should be in getting there.

Project Life Cycle

All projects have to pass through the following five phases:-
i Identification, conception and definition phase
ii Planning and organizing phase
iii Implementation phase
iv Project clean-up phase
Fig 1.0: The Project lifecycle

i) Project Identification phase

This is the phase during which the project idea is developed, sources of ideas may include:
a) Finding a solution to certain problems
b) Non-utilization of the available funds, plant capacity, expertise or simply unfulfilled
aspirations.
c) Surveying the environment
d) Ideas put across by well wishers

The ideas need to be put to shape before they can be considered and compared with
competitive ideas. The ideas need to be examined in light of objectives and constraints. If this
phase is avoided or truncated, the project will have innate defects and may eventually
become a liability for the investors. A well-conceived project will go a long way for
successful implementation and operation of the project ; ideas may undergo some changes
as the project progresses because pertinent data may not be available at inception.

Project Definition

The idea generated during the conception phase is further developed to produce a document
describing the project in sufficient details covering all aspects necessary for the customer and for
financial institutions to make up their minds on the project idea. Definition examines the
following areas:
a) Raw materials: quantitative and qualitative evaluation
b) Plant size /capacity enumeration of plant capacity for the entire plant and for the
main deportments
c) Location and site: description of location supported by map.
d) Technology/process selection: selection of optimum technology, reasons for selection and
description of selected technology.
e) Project layout; selection of optimum layout, reasons for selection and appropriate
drawings.
f) Utilities –fuel, power, water, telephone, etc
g) Manpower and organization pattern
h) Financial analysis
i) Implementation schedule: This clears some of the ambiguities and uncertainties
associated with the formation made during the conceptual phase this phase also
establishes the risk involved in going ahead with the project in clear terms. A
project can either be accepted or get dropped at this stage.

ii) Planning and Organizing Phase

This phase includes the following:

a) Project infrastructure and enabling services
b) System design and basic engineering package
c) Organization and manpower
d) Schedule and budgets
e) Licensing and governmental clearances
f) Finance
g) Systems and procedures
h) Identification of project manager
i) Design basis , general conditions for purchase and contracts
j) Site preparation and investigations
k) Work packaging

Thus this phase is involved with preparation for the project to take off smoothly. This phase
is often taken as a part of the implementation phase since it does not limit itself to
paperwork and thinking but many activities including field work it is essential that this
phase is completely done as it forms the basis for the next phase i.e implementation phase.

iii) Implementation Phase

Preparation of specification for equipment and machinery, ordering of equipment lining

up construction contractors, trial run , testing etc takes place during this phase. As far as the
volume of work is concerned 80-85% of the project work is done in this phase only.
The bulk of the work is done during this phase therefore the need to complete this
phase as fast as possible with minimum resources.

iv) Project closure/termination and Clean –Up Phase

This is a transition phase in which the hardware built with the active involvement of
various agencies is physically handed over for production to a different agency who
was not so involved earlier. Drawing, documents, files, operation. and maintenance
manuals are catalogued and handed over to the customer . Project accounts are closed,
materials reconciliation carried out, outstanding payments made and dues collected
during this phase. Essentially this is the handing over of the project to the customer.

Project Life Cycle Curves

4 % effort
conception and 8 % effort
―planning 85%effort: 3% effort:
definition implementation clean up phase
phase and orgn
phase

Fig1.2: Effort required of the project team in the project lifecycle

Fig 1.3: Time required of the project team in the project cycle.

Performing the project/implementation takes the most of the project‘s time

Programme Vs Project

A project has the following characteristics

• Defined start and finish dates.
• Focus is more on delivering products. Rather than benefits.
• Simpler; only have to focus on delivering defined products.
• Projects are ‗ring fenced‘.
• Change control is a more structured and easier activity.
• Micro view, will fight against others which threaten their success

A programme is characterized by:

• Contain many projects, drive operational change.
• Exist in a world that is constantly changing.
• Macro view; have to consider the combined effect of a portfolio of projects.
• Less well defined end date.
• Focus is on delivering benefits and requires involvement after projects have ended.
• Every programme must directly benefit the organisation in some way.

Order of Tasks for Project Management

A project manager executes a project a certain order. The following order shows how a project
manager can order the tasks of project planning and implementation:
a) Get a project charter
b) Create the project scope statement
c) Create the WBS with the project team
d) Create the activity list from the WBS
e) Sequence the activities in the order in which they must – or should – happen
f) Estimate the time of the activities based on which resources you have to complete the
activities
g) Assign the needed resources to the activities
h) Get it done.

Key areas of Project Management

 Scope Management
 Issue Management
 Cost Management
 Quality Management
 Communications Management
 Risk Management
 Change Control Management
 HR Management
 Time management
 Resources management

Managing the Triple Constraint

Every project manager has to contend with the triple constraints of all projects: time, scope and
cost. These are known as the project triangle.

Fig: 1.4 Project Triangle

Time
 A project's activities can either take shorter or longer amount of time to complete.
Completion of tasks depends on a number of factors such as the number of people
working on the project, experience, skills etc.
 Time is a crucial factor which is uncontrollable. On the other hand, failure to meet the
deadlines in a project can create adverse effects. Most often, the main reason for
organizations to fail in terms of time is due to lack of resources.

Cost
 It's imperative for both the project manager and the organization to have an estimated
cost when undertaking a project. Budgets will ensure that project is developed or
implemented below a certain cost.
 Sometimes, project managers have to allocate additional resources in order to meet the
deadlines with a penalty of additional project costs.
Scope
 Scope looks at the outcome of the project undertaken. This consists of a list of
deliverables which need to be addressed by the project team.
 A successful project manager will know to manage both the scope of the project and any
change in scope which impacts time and cost.
Quality
 Quality is not a part of the project management triangle, but it is the ultimate objective of
every delivery. Hence, the project management triangle represents implies quality.
 Many project managers are under the notion that 'high quality comes with high cost',
which to some extent is true. By using low quality resources to accomplish project
deadlines does not ensure success of the overall project.
 Like with the scope, quality will also be an important deliverable for the project.

Tools and Techniques for Project Management

1. Project selection techniques
 Cost benefit analysis
 Risk and sensitivity analysis

2. Project execution planning techniques

 Work break down structure (WBS)
 Project execution plan (PEP)
 Project responsibility matrix
 Project management manner
3. Project scheduling and Coordinating techniques
 Bar charts
 Life cycle charts
 Line of balance (LOB)
 Networking techniques(PLRT/ CPM)

4. Project monitoring and progress techniques

 Project measurement technique (PROMPT)
 Performance monitoring techniques (PERMIT)
 Updating , renewing and reporting techniques (URT)

5. Project cost and Productivity Control Techniques

 productivity budgeting techniques
 value engineering (VE) and
 Cost/ WBS

6. Project Communication and clean-up Techniques

 Control room and
 Computerized information systems.

Module pre pared by Mr. Stephen Kamau

Review Questions:
1. Projects are unique undertakings. Discuss the various ways in which projects differ from
organizations.

2. As a newly appointed project manager, what activities would you expect to perform?

3. With the aid of a diagram, discuss the project cycle.

4. Why is the project triangle an important concept to the project manager?

5. Compare and contrast demand driven projects and supply driven projects

6. Most international NGO projects are supply driven projects. Do you agree?

7. As a project manager working on developing a community water project, what participatory

approaches would you use to participate all the stakeholders in project definition, planning
and implementation? Which stakeholders would you target to participate?

8. Distinguish between a programme and a project.

9. What are the advantages of doing projects instead of setting up organizations to deliver the
work?

10. As a member of a recruiting panel seeking to recruit a project manager, what skills and
competences would you look for?