Aspects of project management

Aspects of project management
See also
Project implementation phase Plan and schedule Organizational project management Project monitoring and control Management in construction project Importance of project management Applications of project management Traditional project management Project change management

Project management is the process of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals in scientific or daily problems. It includes a set of techniques and tools used to define and achieve project objectives, including project scope, timeline, budget and resources. It also involves managing risks and ensuring quality control. This includes establishing project objectives, identifying stakeholders, determining project tasks, allocating resources, scheduling tasks, and monitoring and measuring progress. Project management requires the ability to develop and maintain a project plan, set objectives, define roles and responsibilities, manage expectations and track progress.

Example of aspects of project management

• Project Scope: The scope of a project defines the boundaries and limits of the project, including the objectives, deliverables, tasks, and timeline. It also defines the stakeholders, resources, and constraints involved in the project.
• Project Planning: Project planning involves the identification of project tasks and activities, and their sequencing and scheduling. This involves developing a task list, creating a timeline, estimating resources required, and defining roles and responsibilities.
• Risk Management: Risk management involves identifying, evaluating, and responding to potential project risks. This involves developing a risk management plan, identifying potential risks, assessing the likelihood of each risk, and developing strategies to mitigate or avoid them.
• Quality Control: Quality control is used to ensure that deliverables meet the project requirements and standards. This involves developing quality assurance plans, setting quality standards, and carrying out inspections and tests to ensure quality.
• Project Communication: Project communication involves the sharing of project information with stakeholders and team members. This involves setting up communication channels, assigning roles and responsibilities, and providing regular updates on the project progress.
• Project Planning: This involves determining the scope and goals of the project, as well as the resources and timeline needed to achieve them. It also requires breaking down the project into manageable tasks and assigning responsibilities to team members.
• Project Scheduling: This involves creating a timeline of events and tasks, and assigning deadlines to each task. This allows the project to be completed on time and allows team members to work effectively.
• Resource Management: This includes allocating the resources needed to complete the project, such as equipment, materials, personnel, and capital. It also involves managing the allocation of resources to maximize efficiency and minimize waste.
• Risk Management: This involves identifying and assessing potential risks and developing strategies to minimize their impact. It also requires creating contingency plans to deal with unexpected events.
• Quality Control: This involves ensuring that the project meets all standards and specifications. It requires monitoring the project and taking corrective action when necessary.
• Project Closure: This involves evaluating the project and assessing its success. It also includes communicating the results, archiving the project, and providing feedback to all stakeholders.
• Project Initiation: This is the first step of project management, which involves establishing project objectives, identifying stakeholders, and determining project tasks and resources.
• Project Planning: This phase involves developing a detailed project plan, which includes setting objectives, defining roles and responsibilities, allocating resources, and determining timelines and budgets.
• Project Execution: This is the process of carrying out the project plan and tasks, which includes managing risks and ensuring quality control.
• Project Monitoring and Control: This is the process of tracking progress and making changes as needed to ensure that the project meets its objectives.
• Project Closure: This is the final phase of the project, which involves evaluating the project’s success and reviewing the results.

Best practices of project management

1. Establish Clear Goals: Define the project objectives and outcomes clearly, including success criteria, at the outset of the project. This helps ensure all stakeholders are working towards the same objectives and understand what needs to be achieved.
2. Create a Detailed Plan: Break the project into smaller, manageable tasks, and create an action plan to keep the project on track. This plan should include a timeline and milestones, resource allocations, and a cost estimate.
3. Use Effective Communication: Establish clear communication channels between all stakeholders, including regular meetings and updates. Ensure all parties are up to date on project progress and any changes that may occur.
4. Track and Monitor Progress: Monitor the project regularly to ensure it is on track and that any potential problems are identified and addressed quickly.
5. Manage Risks: Identify and document risks associated with the project, and develop strategies to mitigate these risks.
6. Ensure Quality Assurance: Establish quality assurance procedures and processes to ensure the project is meeting standards and objectives.
7. Document Everything: Document all decisions, processes, and progress throughout the project. This helps ensure all stakeholders understand the project and can refer back to it when needed.

Advantages of project management

Project management provides a number of advantages that can help a project be successful. The following are some of the benefits of project management:

• Improved visibility of project objectives and goals: Project management helps to ensure that there is clarity of the project’s goals and objectives, and that everyone involved in the project is aware of what needs to be achieved and when. This helps to improve communication and cooperation between all stakeholders, increasing the likelihood of successful outcomes.
• Increased efficiency: By having a well-defined system in place, project management allows teams to work more efficiently and effectively, leading to quicker completion of the project.
• Improved resource allocation: Project management helps to ensure that resources, such as time and money, are allocated in the most efficient manner possible. This helps to reduce waste and ensure that all resources are used effectively.
• Reduced risk of failure: By having a clear plan in place, teams can identify potential risks and plan ahead for how to deal with them. This reduces the risk of failure and helps to ensure successful outcomes.
• Improved communication: Project management helps to ensure that all stakeholders are kept informed of project progress and that any issues are addressed quickly and effectively. This helps to maintain a good level of communication between all parties, which can help to ensure successful outcomes.

Other approaches related to project management

Project management involves a variety of approaches related to the management of resources, timelines, and expectations. These approaches include:

• Stakeholder Management: Stakeholder management is the process of identifying, engaging, and managing the interests of stakeholders in project planning and execution. This requires an understanding of the stakeholders’ expectations and their influence on the project’s success.
• Resource Management: Resource management involves the effective utilization of resources to meet project goals. This includes planning, allocating, and scheduling resources to ensure that tasks are completed on time and on budget.
• Risk Management: Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks associated with a project. This involves understanding the risks and developing strategies to manage them.
• Quality Control: Quality control is the process of monitoring and maintaining the quality of a project’s output. This includes identifying, measuring, and addressing any quality issues that arise.
• Change Management: Change management is the process of managing and implementing changes to a project, including the scope, timeline, budget, and resources. This includes understanding the impact of changes and developing strategies to ensure successful implementation.

Suggested literature

• Whitty, S. J., & Schulz, M. F. (2007). The impact of Puritan ideology on aspects of project management. International Journal of Project Management, 25(1), 10-20.
• Tohidi, H., & Jabbari, M. M. (2012). Role of human aspects in project management. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 837-840.