47178book.
47178book.book Page 2 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM This chapter will start us off with the fundamentals of project management. We want to make sure that your understanding of project management is in line with ours, because after all, there is more than one way to manage a project. If your experience is like ours, you probably tried several approaches until you found one that worked for you.
47178book.book Page 3 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM What Is a Project? 3 If you’re thinking about taking the PMP exam offered through PMI, be sure to get a copy of Kim Heldman’s PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide, Third Edition (Sybex, 2005). Thousands of people world-wide have used Kim’s book to study for and pass the PMP exam. As you progress through this book, you may find that you’ve used the processes and procedures outlined but perhaps called them by another name.
7178book.book Page 4 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM 4 Chapter 1 Establishing Project Management Fundamentals The purpose of a project is to meet its goal and conclude. The purpose of ongoing operations is to keep the organization functioning. Now suppose you have company coming for dinner. If you’re like us, there’s a mad rush 20 minutes before the guests arrive to tidy up and run the vacuum to get all those dark fuzzies off the carpet. Is this a project? No. It doesn’t fit the definition.
47178book.book Page 5 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM What Is a Project? TABLE 1.1 5 Projects versus Ongoing Operations Projects Ongoing Operations Definite beginning and ending. No definitive beginning and ending. Temporary. Ongoing. Produces a unique product or service. Produces the same product or service over and over. Resources are dedicated to the project. Resources are dedicated to operations. Ending is determined by specific criteria. Processes are repeated over and over.
47178book.book Page 6 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM 6 Chapter 1 Establishing Project Management Fundamentals Business needs Business needs such as improving efficiency, reducing costs, and increasing inventory churn are often reasons for project creation. An example business need might involve implementing an enterprise resource planning system that improves the customer ordering and fulfillment process while providing the organization with up-to-the-minute revenue information.
47178book.book Page 7 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM What Is a Project? Executing Monitoring and Controlling Closing 7 A number of individual processes collectively make up each group. For example, the Initiating process group includes two individual processes, Develop Project Charter and Develop Preliminary Project Scope Statement. These groups, along with their individual processes, make up the project management process.
47178book.book Page 8 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM Chapter 1 8 Establishing Project Management Fundamentals Defining project activities Developing a project schedule Determining resource needs, skills, and talents Executing The Executing process is where the work of the project happens. The project manager coordinates and directs project resources and oversees the completion of the project plan.
47178book.book Page 9 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM What Is a Project? 9 Closing The Closing process group brings a formal, orderly end to the project. In this group, final acceptance of the project occurs, project documents are gathered and archived, contracts are closed out, lessons learned are documented, and more. Closing is the most often skipped process. Once the work of the project is complete, project teams have a tendency to jump right into the next project.
47178book.book Page 10 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM 10 Chapter 1 FIGURE 1.1 Establishing Project Management Fundamentals Project management process groups Project Management Process Groups Initiating Closing Monitoring and Controlling Communication Planning Executing Key Project Management Skills When this author (Kim) started her career in project management, the field wasn’t even called project management.
47178book.book Page 11 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM Key Project Management Skills 11 The four cornerstone skills, known as “soft” skills, are the most important set of skills you have as a project manager. And of the four, leadership is the foundation stone you’ll lay first. If you aren’t good at leading, your project and your project team will likely suffer for it. Technical skills are important, but without a mastery of the soft skills, the technical skills aren’t a lot of help.
47178book.book Page 12 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM 12 Chapter 1 Establishing Project Management Fundamentals Project management has matured from the tactical to the strategic. It still requires tactical skills to manage the day-to-day activities of project work, but increasingly, projects are viewed from the perspective of the organization as a whole and the value they add to the organization or its customers.
47178book.book Page 13 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM Key Project Management Skills 13 to ask. Ask your team members. Ask your stakeholders. Ask questions such as these: Do you know the goal of this project? Are there any problems I should be aware of? Don’t assume anything. Institute an open-door policy and stand behind it (the policy, that is). You’ll be surprised what people will tell you when they see your leadership qualities and you have gained your trust and respect.
47178book.book Page 14 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM 14 Chapter 1 Establishing Project Management Fundamentals Make certain you define terms that are not familiar to the receiver. Leave negative emotions at your desk but take passion with you. Communicate the right information and the right amount of information to avoid receivers tuning you out. Receivers On the receiving end of communication is listening. We’re certified marriage counselors in our spare time (no, we never sleep).
47178book.book Page 15 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM Key Project Management Skills FIGURE 1.2 15 Lines of communication 8 1 7 2 6 3 5 4 As you can see, the more participants you have, the harder you’ll have to work to make certain everyone hears and understands the message. This doesn’t mean the project meetings become an exclusive club with only a handful of members. It’s most important to consider the number of people in meetings where decisions need to be made.
47178book.book Page 16 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM 16 Chapter 1 Establishing Project Management Fundamentals Negotiating and Problem-Solving Skills Negotiating and problem-solving skills make up another foundation stone of successful project management. Along with leadership and communication, you will use negotiating and problem-solving skills almost daily.
47178book.book Page 17 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM Key Project Management Skills 17 Forcing Forcing is just as it sounds. One person forces a solution on the other parties. This typically occurs when one of the stakeholders has more authority than the others or more power to exert their influence. While this is a permanent solution, it isn’t necessarily the best one. People will go along with it because, well, they’re forced to go along with it, but it doesn’t mean they agree with the solution.
47178book.book Page 18 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM 18 Chapter 1 Establishing Project Management Fundamentals Project Scope Management Project Scope Management is concerned with defining the work of the project and is highly interactive. It also concerns defining both project scope and product scope. Project scope involves managing the work of the project, whereas product scope concerns defining the characteristics of the product.
47178book.book Page 19 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM Key Project Management Skills 19 both positive and negative, that may impact the project. This means minimizing the probability and impact of negative risks while maximizing the probability and impact of positive risks. Some of the documents you’ll create in this knowledge area are a risk management plan, a risk identification list, a risk register, risk responses, and more.
47178book.book Page 20 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM 20 Chapter 1 Establishing Project Management Fundamentals schedule time to perform these functions, they may not happen. And talking to your team members should rank high on your priority list. Keep these tips in mind when managing your time: Schedule time on your calendar every day to talk to team members so your calendar shows that time as “busy.” Schedule time to update project documentation.
47178book.book Page 21 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM Key Project Management Skills 21 As you will discover later, using portal software such as Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) or SharePoint Portal Server (SPS) allows you to enhance the abilities you have to store documents. For example, using SPS (now called Microsoft Office SharePoint Server – MOSS), you can add metadata (“data about the data”) to a spreadsheet file as well as create different views of the data for various users.
47178book.book Page 22 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM 22 Chapter 1 Establishing Project Management Fundamentals Professional Responsibility Certified project managers are required to adhere to a code of professional conduct. Certified or not, it’s still a great idea. As in most professions, honesty and integrity should be your number one priority. Honesty builds credibility with your team members and stakeholders.
