Project Management Unit 1: Crash and Disaster Projects

Project Management Introduction

• Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.
• It enables organizations to execute projects effectively and efficiently.

Types of Projects

• Crash Projects: requires additional costs to gain time, encourages maximum overlapping of phases, and prefers simultaneous work through subcontracting.
• Disaster Projects: undertaken due to unexpected natural calamities, allows anything needed to gain time, and involves round-the-clock work at the construction site.

Definition of Project Management

• Project management is a controlled process of initiating, planning, executing, and closing down a project.

Benefits of Project Management

• Meet business objectives
• Satisfy stakeholder expectations
• Increase predictability
• Increase chances of success
• Deliver products on time
• Resolve problems and issues
• Respond to risks in a timely manner
• Optimize organizational resources
• Identify, recover, or terminate failing projects
• Manage constraints (scope, quality, schedule, costs, resources)
• Balance the influence of constraints on the project
• Manage change effectively

What is a Project?

• A project is a scientifically planned work devised to achieve a specific objective within a certain time frame.
• It involves investment of resources for a specific objective and causes irreversible change.

Characteristics of a Project

• Has a beginning, middle, and end
• Involves capital investment for developing facilities to provide goods and services
• Is a proposal, plan, or blueprint for action-oriented activities of an organization
• Examples include manufacturing, power, refinery, health, educational, social, construction, and information technology projects.

Obstacles in Project Management

• Project complexities
• Execution of customer's special requirements might result in time delay
• Co-ordination with many agencies
• Organization restructuring
• Project risks
• Statutory changes
• Changes in technology needing highly qualified teams
• Forward planning and pricing

Project Manager

• Is a pivot where the entire team performs its activities
• Has overall control of the project and is responsible for its execution and performance
• Is involved in planning, monitoring, directing, and leading participants to reach the project goal
• Should be flexible, adaptable, and have certain qualities such as being a multi-faceted person with diverse interests.