The discipline of project management can be compared to a set of woodworking tools. Both are designed for specific purposes. And both are capable of amazing results in the hands of a master. Every project needs a project manager who, performs the functions of project management. It is a role that can be fulfilled in…
How to Survive Your Organizational Structure
Understanding organizational styles is more than an academic exercise because choosing the right structure could provide a competitive advantage for a firm. But how does the organizational structure affect you as a project manager? Consider the following: Authority. Clearly, the difference between the organizational styles is that some favor projects while others favor ongoing operations.…
A Product Development Life Cycle May Contain Many Projects
One of the reasons project management techniques are increasing in popularity is because of their role in new product development. Whether the effort is a new drug, a new software product, a new model car, or a new baseball stadium, it is done one time and produces a unique product. Since product development has the…
What is Your Organizational Style? Here Are Some Examples
Certain firms perform nothing but project work; large construction companies fit this model. The majority of their organization is devoted to specific projects. On the other end of the spectrum, utilities are operations-oriented. The majority of companies, however, conduct ongoing operations and projects. Choosing an organizational style that supports projects has never been easy. After…
What is a Project Life Cycle
A project life cycle represents the linear progression of a project, from defining the project, through making a plan, executing the work, and closing out the project. At first glance, it might seem that this life cycle is the same as the project management functions. Define, plan, and execute seem to map directly to definition,…
Project Management Functions
Setting realistic expectations, fostering agreement among all parties, and then delivering the product is frequently challenging and always requires a wide array of techniques. From a high level these techniques can be grouped into the three project management functions. Project definition lays out the foundation for a project. There are two activities involved in this…
Defining Project Success In Three Easy Steps
This article focuses on the framework of project management. Just what are the components that go into building a successful project? How are we defining project success? Here are a few answers to these questions: On time. The product is delivered according to schedule. Some projects are essentially worthless if they aren’t on time. In…
Project Management Is Industry Independent, Project Managers Are Not
This industry independence has been a major factor in the development of project management as a discipline, but that independence doesn’t extend to the people practicing the discipline. While project management is industry independent, project managers must not only know how to operate in business and project environments, they must also be well acquainted with…
The Evolution of the Project Management Discipline
From the time humans first worked together to build a shelter or cultivate a crop, there have been projects and project management. Yet it has been only since World War II that a formal project management discipline has emerged. During and immediately after the war, the U.S. government was engaged in enormous weapons development projects.…
Managing Projects, 6 Challenges You Should Know
Work that is unique and temporary requires different management disciplines. Because managing projects have different characteristics than ongoing operations, they pose a brand-new set of challenges. Here are some of the challenges that project managers could face: Personnel. Every project has different personnel needs. The number of people needed—and their different skill sets—is different for…