Principles of Project Management - Admission/Application Essay Example

Principles of Project Management Principles of Project Management Introduction A project is a planned activity which is carried out by an individual or a group of individuals with the aim of producing a distinctive service, product of result. Projects are regarded to be a temporary activity because it has a defined start and end time. That implies that it also has a limited scope of resources. A project is said to be unique because its operations are not routine. In order to accomplish the intended goals and objectives, certain sets of operations must be deliberated by the project planners. In this case, the project planners may come from different geographical locations, organizations or even professions, all combining their efforts in order to achieve a common goal. A project can be construction of a bridge, software development or a relief effort after a natural disaster has occurred. In any project, there must be expert management to ensure that the results are delivered in time and the project is running within its budget. Project management entails planning, organizing, managing and the securing of resources with the aim of achieving a specified goal. Specifically, a project is concerned with an activity whose start and end time is specified, while the resources used to undertake it are limited (Sanjay, 2009). In view of this, project managers face challenges because they are required to undertake projects within certain time limits using limited resources. In other words, the project managers are required to strike a balance between the scope, the time and the budget of the project, which is not easy. Although project management has been undertaken since time immemorial, use of certain methods that are approved has come of age in recent years. Project management, in the 1990s, was mainly a preserve of professionals such as engineers, architects, and builders. Even so, by 1950s, firms had started to schedule their projects using project management methods. As a discipline, project management originated from a variety of professions, especially engineering and construction professions. Some of the forefathers of project management include Henri Fayol and Henry Gantt. The Gantt chart, which is used during the scheduling of projects up to date, was invented by Henry Gantt. The Gantt chart is very useful in planning and control functions in project, however, they are commonly used in small and less complicated projects. In order to tackle projects with higher number of parameters, Frederick Taylor invented a tool called work break down structure (WBS), which positioned project management as a key discipline. The WBS later opened doors to other inventions such as Critical Path Method (CPM) and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). Project management has two methods, including traditional method and agile method. Regardless of which approach is used in directing a certain project, there are specific considerations which cannot be avoided, including time, cost, budget and the participant’s duties and responsibilities. Project Management in Digital Era There are several approaches that can be used in project management. These approaches include iterative, lean, phased and incremental approaches. However, despite the methodology applied, there should be careful consideration accorded to the general project timeline, cost, objectives, as well as the duties and responsibilities of all the stakeholders and participants. In project management, the first step is to define the approach to use. PRINCE2 PRINCE2 is a methodology that was developed in the UK in 1996 as a generic project management method. It is a combination of PROMPT and MITP. PRINCE2 approach provides a methodology for managing projects which have a clearly defined framework. This approach is based on process and it is aimed at attaining efficiency in project management. This methodology is commonly used by the UK’s government in managing its projects. Some of its main features include attention to business rationalization, its product-based planning approach. In addition, it defines an organization structure for the project management team and the flexibility of PRINCE2 can be applied at any level as long as it is appropriate to the project. Traditional project management approach According to PMBOK, traditional project management approach is a set of tools and methods that are is to an activity in order to get an end product, service or an outcome. This is a systematic approach with a series of procedures which are undertaken one after the other. These procedures include the initiation, planning/design, execution, monitoring and completion. It is, however, important to note that all the procedures must not be followed in all products, but rather it depends on the nature of the project. Furthermore, there are some projects which can be completed successfully, even before all the steps are accomplished. The model that projects follow is referred to as waterfall, consisting of stages such as design, verification, maintenance and implementation. This model is usually effective in small projects with well defined parameters. Some of the drawbacks associated with this model include its inability to accommodate changes when the project has been rolled out. In addition, the model prevents execution of future requirements, which project managers could fail to notice (Post, 2008). This model is typically applied in small software projects where all the requirements are already known. Spiral model is also another one of the traditional project management models. It is a software development model that combines the advantages of bottom-up and top-down models. It has the waterfall model features and prototyping features. This method takes into account risk management in project management. The main difference between it and the waterfall method is the fact that it accommodates changes even when the project has already started. This method is mostly used in large projects. This model is also used in projects where the business goals are unstable and the architecture goals must be realized. Cone of Uncertainty is also another method of approach of traditional project management. Cone of Uncertainty shows the amounting uncertainty as a project progresses. While using this approach, it is assumed that very little is known about the expected product or results. As the project takes off, many of the parameters are just rough estimates but they become clearer as the project progresses and more research is conducted. Some of the disadvantages of the Cone of Uncertainty include vague estimates which can lead to losses to deficit. Also, the assumptions made can later prove to be very expensive and taxing to undo them. A project in Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) is a long-established approach employed during project management. PRINCE2 is one of the project management methodologies that are structured in nature. It merges management, control and the organizational aspects of a project. This approach employs a process outlook that is distinctive from almost all the project management models that are responsive. When using PRINCE2, a project is split into processes and stages, which determine the ways in which the individual stages will be managed. This method of project management is helpful, in the case that the framework of the project is clearly defined. The very nature that the framework is structured makes the process and the project easily understandable. The PRINCE2 approach is not suitable for use with small projects or to be applied to project, whose requirements are likely to vary over time. CMMI is a project management model that is aimed at quality improvement. CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) employs a process outlook, which is useful in guiding the process improvement outlook of a project, a division, or the entire organization. The model gives organizations, the elements required for the effective improvement of processes. The model comes in two formats: the formats include the continuous and the staged representation. The continuous representations option enables the project manager to concentrate on a given process, which is essential to the project. The staged representation option is used when it is important to guarantee that the series of events meet a certain standard. Agile project management approach The agile approach is project management methodology, in many cases used during software development. This approach is a repetitive project management model that establishes the requirements of engineering and information technology projects, through an interactive and a highly elastic mode. The agile approach to project management is primarily used in the cases where projects are highly complex, which makes it difficult to capture all the parameters required for and during the project (CC Pace Systems, 2011). The approach is also employed in the cases of small projects or when dealing with projects that have a broader scope of work. Some forerunners of the approach include Extreme programming, Scrum, Crystal clear, Dynamic Systems Development Method and the Feature Driven Development approaches. There is a wide variety of agile methods, and most of the methods entail splitting tasks into component parts; many of the methods are not concerned with the planning of the project, in the long term. In the case of agile projects, the composition of teams is cross-functional, where there is no sense of hierarchy. The outlook of the method requires face to face communication and the use of written documents in getting the project going. For that reason the project teams are ordinarily made up of 6 to 9 members. Irrespective of the location, from which a given team is operating, they are required to work together with a customer representative and are also required to maintain ongoing communication with the rest of the teams, over platforms like email and video conferencing. The remote location of the different teams calls for the careful coordination of correctness and respect between the teams. One agile model variant is Extreme Programming (XP); this model is ordinarily used with software engineering projects. The rationale for using this model is that it is instrumental in quality improvement responding to the variations in the needs of clients (Gardiner, 2005), which increases the outcomes and the quality of the end product. Extreme Programming is aimed at reducing the cost associated to changes during the software development process, by changing the cycles to small, instead of the ordinary long ones. One of the rewards of XP include that, in the case that the stakeholders of the project are on sight, it becomes cost effective to employ the changes, after the customers demand for them. However, the costs of using XP include that it can increase the levels of overhead costs, especially because it calls for rework, which is often not projected by the project team. Other disadvantages associated with XP include that is impossible to capture all the requirements of the project at the start of the project. Additionally, the model requires team members to work in pairs (Charles, 2011). The agile approach of project management is criticized due to the fact that its claims are not supported by scientific evidence. A second criticism is that agile methods are, ordinarily, centralized around the developers of the software or the project, and not its users. Finally, agile methodologies are known to be highly inefficient when used for the management of large projects, and in some cases when used with small ones (Highsmith, 2004). Scrum is among the approaches of project management used during the development of applications or software. Scrum takes in the fact that clients can change the requirements after the project is in the process of development. This outlook is called requirement churn, and it uses an empirical style that acknowledges the inability to capture or define all the requirements (Stephen, 2007). Taking that into account, it emphasizes the group’s capacity to produce results quickly and responding to changes in demands as fast as possible. The lean approach is grounded on a set of principles. These principles include eliminating wastage, where all materials or changes that do not add project value are eliminated. The second principle is the amplification of learning, where emphasis is made on delivering outcomes as quickly as possible, which allows the team the time needed to fix emerging requirements as they emerge. Comparison between agile and traditional approaches of project management Generally, after organizations change from traditional to agile approaches of project management, they encounter problems. The differences between the two models are also the core factors behind the problems. Orlando identified the problems, through the article “Traditional project Management approaches” and discusses that the first one is the different techniques used for estimation purposes. When using the traditional approach, estimation is task-based (Shah, 2005), in that the team cooperatively with the manager of the project draft a work breakdown framework, where they enumerate the list of the tasks, which allows them to estimate the duration to be taken by each task. Different from traditional approaches, agile project management models employ a feature-based outlook, where the entirety of the features is estimated. Drawing from that fact, it becomes evident that task-based estimation is dependent on durations or hours, while feature-based estimation regards the size, where size could be small, medium or large scale. According to the IT Leadership (2010) article, “Comparing traditional and agile project management estimation techniques”, the main difference between agile and traditional approaches is the approach method employed during project management. Under the traditional approach to project management, prior to the launching of the project, the team needs to secure all the requirements. After securing all the requirements, the project is further employed using the procedural manner that entails the completion of one stage after another. After the completion of one stage, it becomes impossible to revert to it, irrespective of whether the requirements of the project change (Cadle & Yeates, 2007). The way to revert and reflect the changes made after the completion of a previous project requires the redoing of the entire process again. The inflexible outlook makes the traditional approach rigid and unfriendly to the reflection and the accommodation of changes. When using the agile style, the project can be started with only sufficient requirements taken into account, as the project team continues to research and incorporate new requirements into the project, as they emerge. This flexibility to changes is realized because the entire project is split into different parts, which are not dependent on one another, allowing for their review, as the project work goes on, which enables the project team to incorporate new requirements. The traditional approach to project management is usually used for projects with a fixed process of task completion. One example that can be subjected to the traditional approach is a construction project, as the designing and planning processes are done before the project is started. After the completion of the designing and planning process, the actual construction process is started, which requires the project team to have all the materials and the designs needed before starting (William, 2008). The fixed nature of such projects is evident from the fact that, the project team cannot accommodate changes of plan at the first floor of the building, during the stage when the construction has reached the fifth floor. This case demonstrates the rigidity that comes with the traditional project management approach. The agile approach to project management generally is used with projects where there are expected results, and the final outcomes change as the process approaches completion (Wysocki, 2010). The agile approach of project management is relatively time consuming cost saving, due to its flexibility to incorporate the unanticipated requirements that emerge, as compared to the traditional approach to project management (Oussen, 2009). In the case where a requirement changes, when the project team is using the traditional approach, the team is required to redo everything, starting from the first stage of the plan. The lack of flexibility calling for massive project changes is time wasting and wasteful of resources, which makes it more costly to use for some projects, as compared to the agile approach of project management (Dalchell, 2009). The traditional approach to project management is usable for the management of large-scale projects, and also where all the requirements of the project are available. The agile approach to project management is useful for small projects, which are more complex, making it difficult for the project team to capture all the requirements at the beginning of the project. When using the agile approach, requirements emerge and are incorporated as the project continues to be implemented, and the incorporation of these changes can also lengthen the time taken by the project. However, it is more cost effective, taking into account that redoing a project is not necessary. Conclusion The traditional project management model has been under use for a long time, and it is still useful in many environments and situations, despite the fact that it cannot be considered a hundred percent efficient for all types of projects. However, in special environments, the traditional model of project management does not reflect its usefulness, which is where the agile model comes in. The agile model adapts to the environment, so as to get the best results (Woodcock, 2010). During the deployment of a project which is largely straight-forward and without complex requirements, the traditional model of project management is the best. However, under situations where there are complexities or the lack of knowledge about some requirements (especially with projects covering a broad scope) it is better to use the agile model of project management. References CC Pace Systems. (2011). Agile Project Management. San Fransisco CA. Elseiver Inc. Charles, M. (2011) Second order project management. Gower, London. Clark, T., Barn, B.S., & Oussena, S. (2011) LEAP: A precise lightweight framework for enterprise architecture. In Sanjay, S.(Ed). ISEC 11 Indian Software Engineering Conference. Kerala, India. Dalchell, D. (2009) Software project success: Moving beyond failure. The European online Magazine for the IT professional, 10(5): 42-50 Freedman, R. (September, 8, 2010). Comparing traditional and agile project management estimation techniques. TechRepublic Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/tech-manager/comparing-traditional-and-agile-project- management-estimation-techniques/4357 Orlando, D. (July 18, 2009). Traditional Project Management vs. Agile Development with Software as a Service projects. FlashPlatformist. Retrieved from http://danorlando.com/ ?p=406 Woodcock, M. (2010) Software engineering systems using a business-focused service framework. 5th International Conference on Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering: Athens, Greece. Schwaber, K. (2009). Agile Project Management with Scrum. Madison, NY: Routledge- Cavendish. Shah, V. (2005). Modern Project Management. Hoboken, NJ. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Stephen, M. (2007). Project management. Essex, London. Oxford University Press. William, K. (2008). Risk Management Approaches. Palo Alto, CA. Stanford University Press Wysocki, R. (2010). Effective Software Project Management. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. Cadle, J. and Yeates, D. (2007), Project Management for Information Systems (3/e), FT Prentice Hall, Harlow, England., All Saints Library 658.4038PRO Cleland, D.I. and Ireland, L.R. (2007), Project Management: Strategic Design and Implementation (5/e), McGraw-Hill, USA. All Saints Library 658.404CLE Gardiner, P., (2005), Project Management: A Strategic Planning Approach. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke., All Saints Library 658.404GAR Highsmith, A. (2004), Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products. Addison- Wesley, London., All Saints Library 005.12 HIG. Post, J., 2008. Modern Technology. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Read More