Introduction to international project management
- 1. INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT
- 2. What is a project? • A project is an activity to meet the creation of a unique product or service and thus activities that are undertaken to accomplish routine activities cannot be considered projects. For instance, if your project is less than three months old and has fewer than 20 people working on it, you may not be working in what is called a project according to the definition of the term.
- 3. Definition of Project • An individual or organization involved in projects needs to understand how to solve complexity of problems through project management. In this article we’ll define the term “project”, describe the key characteristics of a project, and explain how to distinguish a project from an activity.
- 4. Characteristics of Project • Temporary. This key characteristic means that every project has a finite start and a finite end. The start is the time when the project is initiated and its concept is developed. The end is reached when all objectives of the project have been met (or unmet if it’s obvious that the project cannot be completed – then it’s terminated). • Unique Deliverable(s). Any project aims to produce some deliverable(s) which can be a product, service, or some another result. Deliverables should address a problem or need analyzed before project start. • Progressive Elaboration. With the progress of a project, continuous investigation and improvement become available, and all this allows producing more accurate and comprehensive plans. This key characteristic means that the successive iterations of planning processes result in developing more effective solutions to progress and develop projects. • In addition to the listed characteristics, a conventional project is: • Purposeful as it has a rational and measurable purchase • Logical as it has a certain life-cycle • Structured as it has interdependencies between its tasks and activities • Conflict as it tries to solve a problem that creates some kind of conflict • Limited by available resources • Risk as it involves an element of risk
- 5. Phases Of a Project • A typical project is divided into following phases. Each phase of the project has its own importance and impact on overall success of the project. • Initiation Phase: In this phase of the project, feedback received from customers is analyzed and brainstorming is done as to develop new product or modify existing product to meet the new demands. • Project Definition Phase: In this phase of the project efforts are made to define the solution for the problem posed by customers. • Feasibility Study: In this phase, planning of the project is made and definite milestones are established. • Project Execution: In this phase all activities and milestones established in the earlier phase are executed in a timely and orderly manner. This phase utilizes maximum of all resources. • Project Conclusion: This is the last phase of the project. In this phase, final product or service is handed over to the operations team for commercial production.
- 6. Project Management Activities • Project management activities are mainly divided into three main categories Planning, Scheduling and Controlling. • Planning: Planning activities include defining project objective, resource planning, etc. • Scheduling: Scheduling activities include developing detailed milestones and guidelines for the project. These activities are performed typically before actual initiation of the project. • Controlling: Controlling activities include developing budget and finance control points, measuring of scheduled tasks are performed.
- 7. Problems in Project • 1. Poor Planning – includes not prioritizing effectively, not having a proper business plan, not breaking down the development into phases. 2. Lack of Leadership – If the Project Manager lacks the relevant business/management expertise this will lead to poor decision making. 3. People Problems – leads to unresolved conflicts which could have a detrimental effect on the project. A Project Manager needs expert communication skills to keep everybody on board and in agreement. 4. Vague/Changing Requirements – it’s essential that the project requirements are defined clearly and completely from the start. Change requests can cause the project to drift and miss deadlines. 5. Lifecycle Problems – often caused by poor planning or changing requirements. Initial testing techniques should be rigorous in order to avoid repeated errors. 6. Inefficient Communication Process – it’s vital to keep everybody informed on the project status at all times. Lack of efficient communication will lead to errors and delays. 7. Inadequate Funding – this issue is most likely to affect projects with changing requirements. 8. Stakeholder Approval – effective stakeholder management is the ability to identify individuals affected by/likely to affect the successful outcome of the project. A skilled project manager will ensure a collaborative working environment where project phases can be analyzed and discussed by all stakeholders. 9. Schedule absence – no Established Schedule for tasks, operational activities and objectives. 10. Missed Deadlines – delays in phases of the project leading to a missed deadline for the project.
- 8. Types Of Project • (1) Manufacturing Projects: • Where the final result is a vehicle, ship, aircraft, a piece of machinery etc. • (2) Construction Projects: • Resulting in the erection of buildings, bridges, roads, tunnels etc. Mining and petro-chemical projects can be included in this group. • (3) Management Projects: • Which include the organization or reorganization of work without necessarily producing a tangible result. Examples would be the design and testing of a new computer software package, relocation of a company’s headquarters or the production of a stage show. • (4) Research Projects: • In which the objectives may be difficult to establish, and where the results are unpredictable.
- 9. Conclusion • Project management is very important for the organization to govern the project. A team leader needs to understand project lifecycle, risk and risk management in order to create the strategy for the project to be successful. Moreover, applying the proper tool during the process duration estimation by considering the iron triangle can lead to reach the goal of the project. • However, team project need to keep in mind that when the project seems to not achieve the goal, they need to know when to stop it before they are going to spend beyond the budget