Project Management 101


According to the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) 2000 Edition, " . . . a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Project Management has been evolving as a management discipline for centuries. During the early 1980s, project management focused on two primary functions: Time Management (schedules) and Cost Management (budgets). Now the Project Management Institute (PMI) has included Scope Management (project plans).

 

Key Benefits to Learning Project Management:

  • Assists with coordination of activities to achieve project goal
  • Links project goals and objectives to stakeholders needs
  • Allows for better organization and optimization
  • Promotes higher quality and reliability of project delivery
  • Yields Higher profit margins and meets time constraints
  • Increases independent employee coordination and higher work morale
  • Estimates and monitors project costs and schedules using project management tools and techniques
  • Monitors project risks and change management
  • Builds high performance project teams
  • Teaches and develops Work Breakdown Structures

 

Who Needs Project Management?

All members of a project team, including those at the highest level of the company, can benefit from project management training.

  • Project Managers lead projects, but their responsibilities include a broad range of roles and responsibility. From scheduling and budgeting to risk mitigation, all of these elements are core tools of project management.
  • Team Members need project management to maintain and assist the project manager with their parts of projects.
  • Executives depend on project success to achieve overall business objectives, to make high-level decisions and to allocate resources that significantly affect projects. They also depend on project management tools to monitor the success of the project and ensure it is on time, on budget, and within scope of their goal.

 


To achieve the full benefits, rewards, and proper management of your projects, you must have a fundamental knowledge of what project management is and how you can incorporate it into your daily schedule.