Project Management: Introduction

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Introduction To Project Management

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The information published here are Keypoints to develop in your own time:

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KeyPoints to develop in your own time!


To make the reader aware of the possibility of being able to contribute more effectively as a member of a Project Team.

Aim of publication


After going developing the KeyPoints outlined in this publication, the learner should be able to:

☺ Identify what project management is all about.

☺ Understand the importance it plays in assisting organisations in meeting their business goals.

☺ Make differences between project and process work. ☺ Contributory factors to project success.

Learning Objectives


Project Start-up

☺ Identifies what needs to be considered when determining the validity and feasibility of the project in realising business benefits.

☺ Creating the Project Brief from the Project Mandate.


Roles & Responsibilities of the Project Board

☺ Represents the management layer above the Project Manager

☺ What needs to be done throughout the project lifecycle to ensure conformity to process and delivery of identified business goals and benefits.


Project Initiation

☺ The importance of identifying what the project is attempting to achieve and why it is important to the business.

☺ Definition of roles and responsibilities.

☺ Creating a solid foundation for the project.

☺ Production of the Project Initiation Document


Planning

☺ Identifies the crucial importance of planning.

☺ The necessity of planning at the appropriate level.

☺ The requirements of high level plus detailed planning is also addressed.

☺ Product-based planning technique


Controlling a Stage

☺ Review the issues and exceptions that can arise during the various stages of a project.

☺ Identifies how progress and the output of each stage should be controlled and managed.


Managing Product Delivery

☺ Focuses on the activity of product creation by the project team.

☺ Ensures that the team are delivering exactly what is required.


Managing Stage Boundaries

☺ Provides the information to the Project Board to allow them to assess the continuing viability of the Project.


Project Closure

☺ Examines the activities involved with wrapping everything up at the end of the project and disbanding the project team.

☺ Addresses the need to review all activities so that lessons can be learned from the ‘good’ as well as the ‘not-so good’ experiences.


PRINCE®

☺ PRINCE, which stands for Projects in Controlled Environments, is a project management method covering the organisation, management and control of projects. PRINCE was first developed by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) now part of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in 1989 as a UK Government standard for IT project management.

☺ Since its introduction, PRINCE has become widely used in both the public and private sectors and is now the UK's de facto standard for project management. Although PRINCE was originally developed for the needs of IT projects, the method has also been used on many non-IT projects. The latest version of the method, PRINCE2, is designed to incorporate the requirements of existing users and to enhance the method towards a generic, best practice approach for the management of all types of projects.

☺ The design and development work was undertaken by a consortium of project management specialists, under contract to OGC, and over 150 public and private sector organisations were involved in a Review Panel which provided valuable input and feedback to the consortium.


PRINCE2

☺ is a process-based approach for project management providing an easily tailored, and scaleable method for the management of all types of projects. Each process is defined with its key inputs and outputs together with the specific objectives to be achieved and activities to be carried out.

☺ The method describes how a project is divided into manageable stages enabling efficient control of resources and regular progress monitoring throughout the project. The various roles and responsibilities for managing a project are fully described and are adaptable to suit the size and complexity of the project, and the skills of the organisation. Project planning using PRINCE2 is product-based which means the project plans are focused on delivering results and are not simply about planning when the various activities on the project will be done.

☺ There are often different groups of people involved in projects: the customer, one or more suppliers, and of course the user. PRINCE2 is designed to provide a common language across all the interested parties involved in a project. Bringing customers and suppliers together typically involves contracts and contract management, although these aspects are outside the scope of PRINCE2, the method provides the necessary controls and breakpoints to work successfully within a contractual framework

☺ A PRINCE2 project is driven by the project's business case which describes the organisation's justification, commitment and rationale for the deliverables or outcome. The business case is regularly reviewed during the project to ensure the business objectives, which often change during the lifecycle of the project, are still being met.


Benefits

☺ PRINCE2 is a structured method providing organisations with a standard approach to the management of projects. The method embodies proven and established best-practice in project management. It is widely recognised and understood, and so provides a common language for all participants in the project.

☺ PRINCE2 provides benefits to the organisation, as well as the managers and directors of the project, through the controllable use of resources and the ability to manage business and project risk more effectively. PRINCE2 enables projects to have:

☺ A controlled and organised start, middle and end;

☺ Regular reviews of progress against plan and against the Business Case;

☺ Flexible decision points;

☺ Automatic management control of any deviations from the plan;

☺ The involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time and place during the project;

☺ Good communication channels between the project, project management, and the rest of the organisation.


Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and PRINCE2

☺ The Office of Government Commerce(OGC) is providing help and guidance to government departments, other Executive Agencies and various public bodies on the efficient and effective use of IT to deliver business objectives.

☺ OGC has always adopted the principles of public domain for its guidance on best practice in IS and IT by making the material widely available with no licence required to use it. In addition, OGC has encouraged supplier organisations to provide a competitive range of tools, training and other services to support the users and PRINCE2 is no exception.

☺ With the development of PRINCE2, OGC is keen to ensure the best package of products and services are available to users. Accordingly, OGC has established collaborative partnerships with a number of organisations specifically to provide support for PRINCE 2 and the related areas of Programme Management and the Management of Risk.

☺ A training accreditation, registration and examination scheme is provided by the APM Group Ltd. The Stationery Office (TSO) is the official publisher of PRINCE2 and also the new Electronic version of PRINCE2.


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KeyPoints to develop in your own time!

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Project Management: Introduction

Business

project team

project board

project success

project mandate

project brief

project closure

project manager

project lifecycle