What is Project Management?

“At its most fundamental, project management is about people getting things done.”

Dr Martin Barnes, APM President 2003-2012

To understanding what project management is, we must first understand what a project is. A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Each project will have a set of objectives as well as a project plan, budget, timeline, deliverables, and tasks.

A key factor that distinguishes project management from just “management” is that it has a final deliverable and a finite timeline, unlike management which is an ongoing process.

The key components of project management are:

• Timeline – when the project should begin and end
• Budget – the budget allocated for the project
• Scope – the requirements for the project

Every project also has a project manager. Because of this, project managers need to have a wide range of skills; often technical skills, people management skills, and good business awareness. As a project manager, you are in charge of the planning and execution of a project. You make sure that everything is aligned with the client’s vision, requirements, and ultimately, responsible for the project’s success or failure.

Why is Project Management important? Well, because nothing ever would get done without first building a project plan. Project management is the action that creates and executes a project plan.

Project Phases

Projects and project management are done in phases, in order to improve control and quality. Large projects are broken down into more manageable and measurable stages with specific deliverables. At the end of each phase, a review is typically conducted on the deliverable as well as the performance of the project team. In Agile, we call these the Sprint Review and Retrospective. This helps the team determine whether the project can proceed onto the next phase or needs to undergo revisions.

Project Life Cycle

Collectively, all the phases of a project make up the project life cycle. Depending on the industry or project, there are many different phases and types of project life cycles.

So, how does it all work?

The project manager, with the project team and key stakeholders, identify objectives and define the scope of the project. These items are then tasked to the project team in a collaborative, often iterative process (i.e., Sprints) to allow for change and constant improvement. Below are some of the typical events, meetings, or ceremonies that a project goes through:

• Kick-off meeting: the project is introduced to the project team that entails the goal and high-level objectives.
• Stakeholder analysis: the stakeholders are defined.
• Scope: Requirements, deliverables, and the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) are defined.
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): the project is broken down into measurable tasks.
• Risk management planning: identify and plan for the most probable risks that a project may encounter within the project life cycle.