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Project Management: Not Just A
Buzz Word(s)
Buzz Word(s)
projects. If you ever saw the TV show with Donald Trump
manager used in every episode. Project management is not
just a hot new buzz word being used in pop culture. Project
above, you have worked on a project. Today I hear lots of on
Management is a profession and I would like to share with
projects. If you ever saw the TV show with Donald Trump
projects. If you ever saw the TV show with Donald Trump
called 'The Apprentice' then you heard the term project called
'The Apprentice' then you heard the term project manager
used in every episode. Project management is not just a hot
new buzz word being used in pop culture. Project
Management is a profession and I would like to share with
you how you can take some of the international standards
and apply these practices in your business. The greatest
thing about project management is that it can be used in any
industry and any business. We all do projects and the
beauty of applying some discipline means we can get better
at what we do.
task, others may say it is a dream and yet others may say it
is a problem you are trying to solve. All of that is true!!! I
like to define a project as temporary and unique. Temporary
means that whatever you are doing has a definite start and
stop date. Unique means you have not done it before or it is
different than the last time you did it, whatever 'it' is. So
based on that definition, virtually everything we do is a
project.
The start and a stop date implies that there is a lifecycle.
Just like us humans and all living things have a life span, so
do projects. As a matter of fact, my wife tells me I am her
biggest project, but that is an article for a different time.
Every project can be split up into three easy phases: the
start (initial phase), the middle, (intermediate phase) and the
end (final phase). However, a project lifecycle can be defined
by the organization, project manager or project team. It can
also be divided into multiple phases to provide better control.
Now that we know what a project is and that each project
has a lifecycle, how do we manage this temporary and unique
endeavor. Based on the international best practice and the
de facto standard, a project can be managed by using 5
process groups and 9 knowledge areas. A brief introduction
to these process groups and knowledge areas is given
below. In follow-up articles, I will explain in more detail how
you can apply these process groups and knowledge areas to
everyday work.
The 5 process groups are: Initiating, Planning, Executing,
Monitoring/Controlling and Closing. The Initiating process is
where you define the project or project phases. The Planning
process is how you define/refine the objectives and plan the
course of action required to attain the objectives of the
project. Once you have created a plan, the executing
process is about getting things done. This is where most
people and organizations start and they skip all the activities
related to initiating and planning. While you are executing
your plan, you will also be applying the monitoring &
controlling processes. This means that you will regularly
measure and monitor progress to identify variances from the
plan, and take corrective action when necessary. As the
project draws to an end, you will begin applying the closing
processes. You will begin formalizing acceptance of the
product, service or results and bring the project to an orderly
completion.
While all these processes are being used during the lifecycle
of a project, you will be considering and managing the 9
knowledge areas: Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Human
Resources, Communication, Risk, Procurement and
Integration. Scope management is about what's in, what's
not, and how to do it. When managing time, you are
planning and controlling effort, duration and defining the
timeline. Activities related to cost management are all about
making sure your service or product is good. For most
businesses, project human resources means getting the right
people on the team to do the job, even if it means reaching
out to other businesses. Once you have identified all the
right people, you need to communicate with them and make
sure you are managing how and when you are
communicating. Once your plan is in place, you need to make
sure you can follow that plan. Project risk management is the
way to ensure you can get it done by creating alternative
plans and options. Project procurement management is
getting what you need when you need it. All these
knowledge areas are a lot to manage and you need a way to
tie it all together, which is where project integration comes in.
You need to make sure all parts work together whether it is
a knowledge area or a process group.
The international standard has taught us that in order to get
it done right, we need to think about more than scope, time
and cost. I hope this introduction to the profession of project
management has piqued your interest. Look for more
articles in the near future when we will begin to outline more
details about these process groups and knowledge areas.
About The Author:
Nathaniel J. Quintana is the Director of Chaos at Harvest PM
and is a certified project management professional. He has
over 8 years of project management experience. 10 years in
the field of Information Technology (IT) and 5 years of
teaching/training expereince. He has consulted and worked
in an array of industries such as the Department of Defense,
Civil Government, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Convention
Services, Call Centers and Education. To contact Mr.
Quintana, click here to email or call (720) 851-4841 .
manager used in every episode. Project management is not
just a hot new buzz word being used in pop culture. Project
above, you have worked on a project. Today I hear lots of on
Management is a profession and I would like to share with
projects. If you ever saw the TV show with Donald Trump
projects. If you ever saw the TV show with Donald Trump
called 'The Apprentice' then you heard the term project called
'The Apprentice' then you heard the term project manager
used in every episode. Project management is not just a hot
new buzz word being used in pop culture. Project
Management is a profession and I would like to share with
you how you can take some of the international standards
and apply these practices in your business. The greatest
thing about project management is that it can be used in any
industry and any business. We all do projects and the
beauty of applying some discipline means we can get better
at what we do.
task, others may say it is a dream and yet others may say it
is a problem you are trying to solve. All of that is true!!! I
like to define a project as temporary and unique. Temporary
means that whatever you are doing has a definite start and
stop date. Unique means you have not done it before or it is
different than the last time you did it, whatever 'it' is. So
based on that definition, virtually everything we do is a
project.
The start and a stop date implies that there is a lifecycle.
Just like us humans and all living things have a life span, so
do projects. As a matter of fact, my wife tells me I am her
biggest project, but that is an article for a different time.
Every project can be split up into three easy phases: the
start (initial phase), the middle, (intermediate phase) and the
end (final phase). However, a project lifecycle can be defined
by the organization, project manager or project team. It can
also be divided into multiple phases to provide better control.
Now that we know what a project is and that each project
has a lifecycle, how do we manage this temporary and unique
endeavor. Based on the international best practice and the
de facto standard, a project can be managed by using 5
process groups and 9 knowledge areas. A brief introduction
to these process groups and knowledge areas is given
below. In follow-up articles, I will explain in more detail how
you can apply these process groups and knowledge areas to
everyday work.
The 5 process groups are: Initiating, Planning, Executing,
Monitoring/Controlling and Closing. The Initiating process is
where you define the project or project phases. The Planning
process is how you define/refine the objectives and plan the
course of action required to attain the objectives of the
project. Once you have created a plan, the executing
process is about getting things done. This is where most
people and organizations start and they skip all the activities
related to initiating and planning. While you are executing
your plan, you will also be applying the monitoring &
controlling processes. This means that you will regularly
measure and monitor progress to identify variances from the
plan, and take corrective action when necessary. As the
project draws to an end, you will begin applying the closing
processes. You will begin formalizing acceptance of the
product, service or results and bring the project to an orderly
completion.
While all these processes are being used during the lifecycle
of a project, you will be considering and managing the 9
knowledge areas: Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Human
Resources, Communication, Risk, Procurement and
Integration. Scope management is about what's in, what's
not, and how to do it. When managing time, you are
planning and controlling effort, duration and defining the
timeline. Activities related to cost management are all about
making sure your service or product is good. For most
businesses, project human resources means getting the right
people on the team to do the job, even if it means reaching
out to other businesses. Once you have identified all the
right people, you need to communicate with them and make
sure you are managing how and when you are
communicating. Once your plan is in place, you need to make
sure you can follow that plan. Project risk management is the
way to ensure you can get it done by creating alternative
plans and options. Project procurement management is
getting what you need when you need it. All these
knowledge areas are a lot to manage and you need a way to
tie it all together, which is where project integration comes in.
You need to make sure all parts work together whether it is
a knowledge area or a process group.
The international standard has taught us that in order to get
it done right, we need to think about more than scope, time
and cost. I hope this introduction to the profession of project
management has piqued your interest. Look for more
articles in the near future when we will begin to outline more
details about these process groups and knowledge areas.
About The Author:
Nathaniel J. Quintana is the Director of Chaos at Harvest PM
and is a certified project management professional. He has
over 8 years of project management experience. 10 years in
the field of Information Technology (IT) and 5 years of
teaching/training expereince. He has consulted and worked
in an array of industries such as the Department of Defense,
Civil Government, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Convention
Services, Call Centers and Education. To contact Mr.
Quintana, click here to email or call (720) 851-4841 .
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