What is Project Management?
We have been asked many times to explain what "project management" is...or what "risk management" is. Or why someone would need to know these things. This page tries to briefly explain these concepts.
Project = a plan with a defined start and finish, a defined goal, a list of activities to accomplish that goal, and measurable elements to ensure quality. You could say that a "project" is a fancy list of things to do, usually with limits on how much time you have to complete it, limits on how many people are involved, and some degree of quality.
Project Management = defining the goal of the project, then planning the project, then controlling and reporting on the project's progress, then collecting information on how the project went. Other elements include risk analysis and risk management, procuring of needed resources, managing the money, and managing expectations. Managing deadlines; managing money; managing people.
Project Manager = the poor soul who has to try to coordinate all elements of the project. This person usually has all the responsibility and has to take all of the blame, yet very rarely has the authority to truly control the situation. Because these people are stuck between a rock and a hard place, they usually want (and need) to know any trick or technique to improve their chances of success. That is what we communicate in our workshops, and what we try to help with in our consulting.
Risk Management = identifying possible problems in the project and project plan, before it even starts. Then you continue looking for possible problems throughout the running of the project. Risks are not only problems, but also potential "success factors" (or "good risks") that could lead to a faster/better/cheaper completion to the project. Risk Management also includes the quantification of risk (how bad is it?), developing contingencies (plan B), and figuring out how much the risk would cost verses the cost of trying to prevent the risk.
Executive Briefing = a top-level summary of something, pointing out only what a medium to high-level executive would need to know. These are usually short, concise, and build on the knowledge that an executive already has. Spanitz Consulting has a self-study Executive Briefing software package for project management, and also a face-to-face Executive Briefing presentation on project management.
Estimating = making an educated guess on how much money, how much time, and how many people are needed to complete a project. There are many good, sound techniques for increasing your likelihood of getting close to the true value, without just pulling a number out of thin air.
Procurement = defining what you need, figuring out your options for getting it, using the best method for payment and contracting, checking the delivery, and ensuring quality. Procurement is more involved than just "buying something."
Project management simulation = this is a workshop which uses specially-developed software that puts each participant in the position of actually being a project manager. This hands-on experience gives the participants immediate feedback for each of their actions. Within the five-day workshop, the participants gain over a year's worth of real-life experience. This is a safe way to actually test and use the skills presented in the other workshops.
PMI = stands for the Project Management Institute. This worldwide organization has collected information and best practices about projects and project management. They have been around for over thirty years, and their publications are considered industry standards. The workshops and material produced by Spanitz Consulting are fully compliant with the standards put forth by the PMI.
