Kap 1 - Introduction Flashcards
What is a project?
An acitivty, task or endevaour that is intenionally temporary, is unique in its outcome and/or process and requires progressive elaboration.
What are the primary characteristics of a project?
- Activity/task/endeavour is temporary (intentionally)
- Process or outcome is somehow unique (or both)
- Activity requires progressive elaboration (managed against time, budget and uncertainty.
For it to be a project it needs to have all three characteristics
What are the secondary characteristics of a project?
- Carries risk and uncertainty
- Organizationally complex, requiring the interaction of many people, departments and other organisations
- Managed against time, budget and human resource plans
- Suffers conflict due to competition for resources requierd by other projects and nonproject work
- Has a single point responsibility provided by the project manager
- Teamwork and the ability of participants to use effective leadership skills
- An activity can lack all of them and still be a project. If an activity has secondary characteristics then it makes sense to apply project management knowledge.
Define project management
The discipline of managing projects successfully.
Project management is about planning, controlling, organizing, leading activites that are temeporary, unique and requieres progressive elaboration such that the prevalence of cost overruns, delays and benefit shortfalls are reduced.
Project - Success - Management
What is management and what are the 4 primary activities?
Planning: Assert current situation, decide on desired future state and then bridge the gap between now and the future
Organizing: Arranging the resources to facilitate goal achievement
Controlling: Ensuring that the project is executed in accordance with the plan
Leading: Shaping goals, obtaining resources, building roles and structure, establish good communications, seeing the whole picture and moving forward to the conclusion.
Explain hard and soft skills
Hard skills generally refers to the mechanical and technical skills of planning, estimating, scheduling and controllong a project. Soft skills are people skills such as interpersonal communication, commitment to success, negotiation, consensus problem solving, leadership and motivation.
Soft skills are harder to learn than hard skills. Hard skills are generally related to IQ while soft skills are related to EX.
What are some common reasons for undertaking a project?
- Market demand
- Customer request
- Business need
- Social need
- Technological advance
- Legal requirement
- Crisis
What is a program and program management?
A programme is a group of related projects which together achieve a common purpose in support of the strategic aims of the business.
Programme management is the coordinated management of a
portfolio of projects that change organisations to achieve benefits that are of strategic importance.
What is the difference between program and project management?
A project has a definite beginning and end (although these are not always easy to pinpoint); a programme is an ongoing concern with new projects joining and existing ones finishing. A programme may be of fixed duration or may continue for an indefinite period of time
What are the four different types of program?
What are the five major influences of the development of project management?
- Development of management thought
- Creation of special tools and techniques
- Development of information and communication technologies
- Socioeconomic and political influences
- Expanding scope of project management
What is project success and what are its 3 constraints?
A project is successful if we are able to bring about the project project deliverables within the three fundamental constraints of time, cost and scope(quantity and quality of project deliverables).
Can measure success with absence of:
* Cost: (absolute/relative) cost overrun
* Time: delay/ schedule overrun
* Scope: benefit shortfall
The definition of success is debated. We could also add additional constraints. Merrow (2011) argues for
* Cost competitiveness
* Schedule competitiveness
* Safety
If cost or schedule overrun is 25% or less it is still successfull according to Merrow. This is also debated.
Whats the difference between a project and a programme?
A program is a portifolio of related projects which together acheieve a common purpose in support of the strategic aims of the buisness. All programs contain projects. Not alle projects are a part of a program.
