MAPM511: Project Management Fundamentals

• American College of Technology (ACT) offers a Master of Project Management (MAPM) degree
• The course MAPM511 covers Fundamentals of Project Management, taught by instructor Belay Tizazu.

Course Content

• Chapter 1 introduces project and project management
• Chapter 2 covers the project management framework in terms of project lifecycle and process groups
• Chapter 3 involves project identification and preparation
• Chapter 4 covers the planning that is necessary for projects
• Chapter 5 discusses project implementation (execution)
• Chapter 6 encompasses project monitoring and evaluation
• Chapter 6 also explains project closing
• Chapter 7 includes project management knowledge areas

Course Objectives

• The overall goal is to provide project management students with breadth and depth
• Students will become familiar with knowledge areas as defined by the Project Management Body of Knowledge 6th edition
• They will understand the context in which projects function
• Students learn the required project management process groups
• They learn how to manage the knowledge areas in project management through understanding of implementation, available resources, and stakeholder communication

Suggested Readings

• PMI's "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)," 6th edition (2017)
• PMI's "A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge," 5th edition (2013)
• Kim Heldman's "Project Management Jumpstart," 3rd edition (2011)
• Wysocki and McGary's "Effective Project Management (3rd ed.): Traditional, Adaptive, Extreme" (2003)

Assessment

• Quizzes account for 20% of the grade
• Individual projects account for 30% of the grade
• A final exam accounts for 50% of the grade

History of Project Management

• Project managers suggest humanity has achieved a lot through history
• Early achievements include the Egyptian Pyramids, Great Wall of China, and the Axumite Civilization
• How these achievements were managed is unclear
• Project management now is very different than it used to be
• Early achievements relied on many people

Evolution of Modern Management

• Drivers of modern management include: the development of management thought, creation of special tools/techniques, and development of communication technologies
• Other drivers include socio-economic/political influences and the expanding scope of project management

Development of Management Thought

• Early management thinkers shaped modern business practices
• Influential figures include Frederick Taylor, Henry Gantt, and Henri Fayol

Frederick Taylor

• He was an American mechanical engineer and sought to improve industrial efficiency
• Taylor was one of the first management consultants
• Scientific management includes replacing rule-of-thumb with scientific study of tasks
• It also includes scientifically selecting, training, and developing employees
• Scientific management provides detailed instruction/supervision and divides work between managers and workers

Henry Gantt

• He was an American mechanical engineer and management consultant
• He developed the Gantt chart in the 1910s

Henri Fayol

• He was a French engineer who developed Fayolism, a general theory of business administration
• He is a founder of modern management methods
• Fayolism analyzed and synthesized the role of management in organizations

Fayol's Principles of Management

• Division of work involves dividing work among people to focus effort
• Authority means managers must be able to give orders, with responsibility arising from authority
• Discipline requires employee obedience and respect for organizational rules, which results from leadership, understanding, and judicious penalties
• Unity of command means each employee receives orders from only one superior

Additional Principles

• Unity of direction means activities with a shared objective are managed by one manager using one plan to achieve one common goal
• Subordination of individual interests means the organization's interests as a whole take priority
• Remuneration means workers are paid a fair wage
• Centralization refers to the degree of employee involvement in decision making

Even More Principles

• Scalar chain refers to the line of authority
• Order concerns systematic arrangement of people, machines, and materials
• Equity means managers are kind and fair
• Stability of tenure refers to personnel meaning turnover is inefficient
• Initiative means employees can originate and carry out plans to exert effort
• Esprit de corps means promoting team spirit builds harmony

Creation of Special Tools and Techniques

• The US Navy led to the emergence of project management in the 1950s and 1960s
• This led to operations research plus new tools/techniques, including Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and the Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Project management journals schedule project activities and resources to reduce uncertainty and increase productivity/reliability/quality

PERT vs. CPM

• PERT and CPM are tools used in project management
• CPM is a diagram including a list of activities, the lengths of time for activities, and dependencies between activities

Development of ICT

• The ICT revolution in late 1960s to 70s gave project management a new impetus
• Computers improved project management due to computational power
• Wide range of operational tools/techniques have been made over the last 20 years
• ICT shortens distance and enables geographically diverse teams to work together

Socioeconomic, Natural and Political Influences

• Project management is driven by political and socio-economic forces
• The Manhattan Project required new techniques due to being a mega project
• Putting people on the moon plus creating new weapons/defense systems are huge projects that demand special techniques
• Responding to disasters puts pressure on organizations and governments to deal with uncertainty

Expanding Scope of Project Management

• Project Management Standards include ISO 5188 and ISO 10006
• PMBoK serves as an American National Standard and project management is gauged against elements indicated within
• The scope of Project Management expands due to the complexity of businesses, including size, division of labor, conflicting groups, and controls
• These factors require efficiency in management using sound management concepts/principles

Value of Studying Project Management

• Studying project management gives knowledge and skills to plan, implement, and close projects, this improves project implementation
• Project management makes money
• It enhances business performance
• A project can optimize resources in an organization and save time/costs
• It serves as a personal development/leadership tool
• It is important for the development of resources, incorporates innovation, helps integrate varied interest groups, and brings stability to society

Meaning of a Project

• A project is a word used at work and at home
• A project provides a solution to a problem or takes advantage of an opportunity, such as COVID-19
• Projects require intervention through a set of activities to achieve objectives with a budget and a period of time
• Projects bring clearly specified objectives within a defined time-period and budget

Definition Parameters

• Project definitions require answering basic questions
• Who are the parties?; Why is the project needed?; What are the parties interested in?; Which way achieves activities?; What resources are required?; and When does it have to be done?

Defining a Project

• Projects have a start and finish
• A project is an exception/unique and is not a routine
• Projects involve investigation, compilation, arrangement, and reporting of findings to provide value
• Project processes fall outside the "normal" range of activities/functions

Unique Activities

• Project activities are unique and have not happened before under those conditions
• Projects differ regarding time, space, deliverables, or outputs, plus other characteristics

Progressively Elaborated

• Projects are developed in steps
• Scope is described early and becomes more explicit as project teams develop better goals/deliverables
• New information is learned as a project goes on, so decisions are made to keep it on track

Specific Goals and Deadlines

• Well defined projects have a specific result

Connected Activities

• There is a logical or technical relationship between pairs of activities
• Activities must be completed in a sequence
• An input could depend on the output of another activity
• Interrelated activities are performed sequentially/in parallel

Project Budget

• Projects are limited and dedicated to the specific activity
• Fixed resources are adjusted by the project manager

Specifications

• Functionality and quality from deliverables is always expected

High Risk

• Projects are considered risky because of dependency on outside agencies to be completed

Team Work

• Projects require teams with different skills to create the final result

Project Creation

• Projects can create a product, a service, or an improvement in service/product lines

Reasons for Creating

• Projects reduce cost, increase revenue, eliminate waste, and grow productivity
• Projects enable market opportunities, fulfill social needs, and improve services
• They respond to competition, new technology, government initiatives, and natural calamities

Examples

• Examples of projects include constructing a road or building, or expanding education
• Organizing an event or restructuring a system are also example of project work

Differences

• Projects can be different between the following aspects:
  • Size and number of separate activities
  • Number of various skills, departments and people involved
  • Amount of time involved
  • Number of different activities involved
  • Amount of money involved
  • Impact on the organisation and customers
  • Control procedures
  • Communication procedures

Exercise

• A portfolio, program, project, and operation activities should be classified as either projects or operations

Project Parameters

• Parameters are vital, and they affect the project
• Six constraints can affect every project, scope, quality, cost, time, resources, and risk
• Since the constraints are interdependent, any change can affect another element
• These parameters must be addressed for the project to succeed

Project Scope

• Scope defines the elements needed, plus inclusion/ features
• Project must tell what should/should not be done
• Scope in IS is known as fucntional specifications
• The engineering professions refer to this concept as the statement of work

Quality

• Two types of quality are part of every project, product and project management
• The management process will measure continuous improvement for the product

Cost

• Involves how much is put into a project versus how much is thought to be the end budget
• Cost should be known from the beginning to determine value

Time

• Requires the specification of a deadline
• Involves managing trade-offs to have a productive time

Resources

• Refer to outside assets that help complete a project

Risk

• This parameter involves managing uncertain situations
• Risk also indicates events occurring in negative ways of completing a project
• Plans should be made to address any potential challenges