- Topics Mentioned
- Certification(s):
- CompTIA Project+
Project was a word meant to be a jargon of sorts, but things have changed over the years. The word has lost its parlance and is now pretty much standard speech across all sections and geographies.
You might hear housewives say that they have taken up a new project to redo their garden or a high school kid talking about a science project. Even though it means something different to different people, the core idea behind a project always remains the same. Albeit it’s used in a wrong sense by others who might say that living their lives or playing a sport is a project.
Formal Definition of a Project
The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is considered as the bible of project management. As per the bible, the definition goes something like this:
A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result. The temporary nature of projects indicates a definite beginning and end. The end is reached when the project’s objectives have been achieved or when the project is terminated because its objectives will not or cannot be met, or when the need for the project no longer exists.
So, the next time you use the word project, ponder over the following questions:
- Is the activity that you refer to a project, temporary?
- Does it produce a unique solution?
- Does it have a definite beginning and an end?
If you answer yes to all of the above, then you’re definitely dealing with a project.
Project in Layman Terms
A project is a set of activities that are grouped together to collectively bring in a desired solution. The activities could be as simple as buying a commodity or as complicated as building a solar powered car; in short, an activity is subjective and complexity varies according to the desired solution and the required skill set.
Let me consider a simple example to illustrate a project. Cleaning a car sounds easy and something most of us would have done at some point in time. Confession time! I don’t do it anymore.
The process involved in cleaning a car varies but I will try to keep it straightforward and uncomplicated:
- Bring the cleaning supplies, hose pipe and other accessories that you might need
- Rinse your car with water to remove loose dirt
- Mix water with car shampoo in a bucket
- Apply the soapy water on the car’s body using a soft cloth
- Rinse the soap with water
- Dry the car using a dry cotton cloth
Although cleaning your car sounds like an activity, it can be further broken down into seven individual activities, or maybe more. In this case, car cleaning is a project and the seven tasks listed above need to be accomplished to complete your project, right?
I am going to pose the same questions which I asked you earlier for the car cleaning illustration:
1. Is the activity that you refer to a project, temporary?
Yes, cleaning a car is a temporary endeavor, although it can be repetitive in nature over a period of time.
2. Does it produce a unique solution?
Most definitely, a clean car is unique.
3. Does it have a definite beginning and an end?
Yes, it does.
Key Elements in a Project
I need to probably write a thesis on the key elements if I have to cover each and every bit of a project. I am going to wear blinders and talk about the primary ones, and scan the surface to give you a gist of what constitutes a project.
1. Project Manager
Just as every kingdom needs a ruler, a project needs one too, and he’s the project manager. He is the alpha and the omega, and is omniscient of the project’s needs, progress and outcomes.
The project manager is responsible for running a project, and it includes all aspects of a project, be it finances, client communication, people management, vendor management and the list of responsibilities can go on and on for pages, and I am not kidding.
2. Human Resources
However good the project manager is, he cannot alone run the project with computers and servers. He needs people who do the actual work. People (human resources) form an integral part of a project. Talented and skilled personnel have a higher chance of ensuring a project’s success, and hence are in demand. The project manager falls under human resources as well.
3. Balancing Quadruple Constraints
Scope, cost, time and quality are considered the four constraints that make or break a project.
Scope provides the boundary line and a direction towards the realization of the project’s goal. Cost refers to the financials that are required for the project to complete, and the time reflects when the project needs to be complete. The latest addition to constraints is quality; it provides a benchmark for the delivery to be accepted by the client.
Increasing one of the constraints will affect the rest. For example, if you decrease the time of a project, quality is likely to go down as well, and there might be some questions raised on the scope. If the scope increases, time and cost will go up; and in all likelihood quality usually lags due to lack of preparation.
Right, the examples above were meant to provide an understanding of the quadruple constraints. Balancing the four in optimum levels is a challenge that will plague a project from the initial stages until closure. If this can be taken care of, a project is successful more often than not. In reality, projects will tweak the four constraints throughout its life-cycle.
4. Communication
Communication in a project is prime. Like the constraints, the project hinges on to communications at each and every activity and phase. A project is a collection of activities working towards a common goal, and if the communications are not managed, you can imagine where the project heads to.
Project management practitioners believe that around 70% of the project hours in successful projects accounts towards communication. It could be discussions, war room meetings, stakeholder communication or generating reports.
In essence, actual work amounts to 30% of the total hours in successful projects.
Operations are Not Projects
Operations are ongoing and repetitive. They don’t have a definite end date although they may have a start date. The work performed may not lead to a unique solution.
An example could be MS Exchange administration, where the administrator is in charge of adding and deleting users, managing group mailboxes and troubleshooting exchange issues amongst others. The outcome of this activity is repetitive and will keep going on and on. It’s operations, and contradicts projects from every angle.
If you are to upgrade MS Exchange from MS Exchange 2007 to MS Exchange 2010, then the activity of transitioning from a lower version to a higher one can be considered as a project. In this case, you do have a start and end date, the upgrade is temporary and it produces a unique result.
The Art of Project Management
Managing projects is an art, and it requires your right brain as much as the left one. Project management is a vast study in vogue, and is on a continuous improvement mode.
The Project Management Institute (PMI) acts like a legal guardian for project management in providing direction and certifying project managers across the globe.
I have studied and worked on project management aspects for a number of years, and yet find a number of things that could have been dealt differently for better results. It is knowledge that tinkers with your thinking cells in your brain, and keeps you on your toes even in sleep.
Project management is a good career aspiration and it can take you places where you’ve never been before.
Discussion
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