Part 1 practical theory
1 the project
1.1 types of activities, types of work
within an organization there are all kinds of activities:
1. improvised activities
2. routine activities
3. project-based activities
1. improvised activities
There are 2 options for improvising
1. to new activities
2. when something unforeseen occurs and needs immediate response
ad hoc reaction: not according to a laid down plan, but decided on as events unfold
-predicting the outcome is hard
+new situations can be met in a flexible manner
-risks and chaos, the organization and employees are under pressure
+freedome
2. routine activities
= activities that are repeated frequently and are relatively predictable
- done according to predeterminded patterns
- work procedures or instructionsmade to be effective
- most activities in an organization
sales, purchasing, administrative
3. project-based activities
= non- recurring and have a limited duration, but reasonably predictable
midway between improvised and routine activities
- a way of structuring activities that are less predictablethan others and that are out of the
scoop normal activities
- increase predictability by:
1. work according to a plan
pans gradually illuminate each phase of the process
2. work on ‘what are the aims’ and ‘how to achieve them’
large projects are divided into phases. After each phase the aims and procedures can
be adjusted
- project plan: formulated before starting the project.
- Projects often have an organization of their own, crated to deal wit needs of the project
can involve a departmental reorganization, moving into new quarters or introduction of a
new computer network
1.2 examples of projects
construction projects
, = building a shopping centre
projects involving developments by companies
= merging 2 businesses
projects involving company plans
= marketing plan
projects to do with IT systems
= website
projects with in the healthcare sector
= reducing waiting lists
projects within the education sector
= electronic learning
projects within the sport & recreation sector
= theatre production
1.3 what is a project?
Project: a group of people, usually from various field of expertise, collaborating temporarily with the
aim of reaching a predetermined project result within a predetermined budget and timeframe.
A project should have the following features:
1. start-up or kick-off: a clear starting point
2. a finishing date, because a project has a limited duration
3. a unique and clearly defined goal
predetermined project result: the project’s outcome/ the end product
4. project goal: tells why the client has commissioned the project
project result: the outcome of the project and contributes to the project goal
5. a client/sponsor (usually): who has commissioned the project and who pays for the project.
the person who has an interest in the project result, provide the project team wit clarity
on the project and make important decisions
6. budget: money for funding the project and paying the project’s staff. It is determined in
advanced.
A project without a financial budget should at least have a time budget applicable for
those participating in the project
7. project group usually consists of people from various fields of expertise working together as
a temporary team
each member is familiar with the terminology of his/her own field and has his own
perspective on things
8. organizational set-up: an employee who is temporarily relieved of his normal duties to take
part in a project will have a different person to be accountable to: the project manager
9. initiated as a purposeful move, a project never starts spontaneously
1.4 From improvised activities to project to routine
Improvises, project-based and routine activities can be part of the same work sequence
- Improvisation: new task initial improvisation
- Project: As it becomes obvious that the task will have to be repeated, a greater degree of
organization will become necessary
- Routine: at the end of the project working procedures have been developed
,1.5 Types of projects
According to their character, projects fall into one of several different categories:
1. Technical projects: the aim is to effect some change in technology or to come up with a new
product
- Easy to plan
- End result is obvious
- “hard projects”: building a bridge, building road
2. Social projects: deal with the way I which people work together, because people tend to
resist changes, social projects are more difficult to exicute
- End result is not quite as evident
- “soft projects”: change corporate culture or organizational structure of a company
reorganization, adaption of work procedures
3. Commercial project: earn money
- Conducting market research, developing a new product or introducing a new product
4. Mixed projects: combine aspects of technical and social projects
- The design, programming and installation of an extensive computer program
can be complicated since the members of the project team come from a wide variety of
areas of expertise and don’t always speak each other’s language
Events: are a special kind of project, as the end result only appears at a certain point in time
Projects can also be categorized in different ways based on:
- content: internal/ external sponser
- providing a service: course, event
- yield a product: building
1.6 Things to remember
As a project manager there are number of things you have to keep in mind
1. Request planning time from the sponsor
- A project plan is essential to work systematically.
- The decision-making process can slow things down. Make sure that the sponsor allows
enough time for planning the project.
in small organizations people are often asked to start immediately
2. Consult everyone involved
- Make arrangements about the contribution expected of every worker
- The project needs to be talked over with all parties involved
3. Work from the top down
- Start with setting out the main lines of the project (not the details)
- Dividing a project into phases is a way of keeping it manageable:
1. Preparation (think)
2. Realization (act)
3. aftercare (maintain)
4. Thinking thing through: from start to finish and from finish to start
, - Determine what exactly needs to take place when carrying out the project
- If you overlook things in the beginning stages, it will return with a vengeance later on
1.7 Doing things in phases
Measures to keep a project manageable:
1. A project plan (plan of approach)
- Should be made at the commencement of the project
- Contain a clear description of the project
- Describe the project’s objectives and the desired end products
- Shows the available funds
- Shows the schedules for the activities
2. Divide the project in phases
- Each phase will be shorter in duration than the project as a whole
- A phase can be regarded as a series of project activities that have a logical
connection to each other
- They minimize the risks associated with the project
Common and usefull project phases:
Concept: the idea that sparks it off
- Often results in a project proposal
if the proposal is approved by management(sponsor), the next phase may
commence
Definition: defining the end result(objectives) of the project and what needs to be
done to achieve it.
the result of the definition is a project plan(=project defined in detail)
At the end of this phase you need to be able to answer: what will have been
achieved when the project has been completed?
- Sub-projects: each has its own project plan, common with complicated projects
- Formal objectives: have to be met, it is mandatory
- Wishes of those involved: it is desirable to achieve this, but there is no necessity
Design: the definition phase establishes what the project’s objectives are, the design
phase establishes a way of resolving the problem.
Prototype= a simplified version of the real thing, it can be used to test the demands
that are likely to be made of the design.
Made to determine whether the proposed solution conforms to the
requirements as laid down
this phase results in the design report
At the end of this phase, there should be a design that does the following:
shows the sponser exactly what he will be getting
shows those who will be actively involved in the next phase exactly what has to be
produced
Preparation: detailing how to do it
- The product itself is not produced during this phase.
1 the project
1.1 types of activities, types of work
within an organization there are all kinds of activities:
1. improvised activities
2. routine activities
3. project-based activities
1. improvised activities
There are 2 options for improvising
1. to new activities
2. when something unforeseen occurs and needs immediate response
ad hoc reaction: not according to a laid down plan, but decided on as events unfold
-predicting the outcome is hard
+new situations can be met in a flexible manner
-risks and chaos, the organization and employees are under pressure
+freedome
2. routine activities
= activities that are repeated frequently and are relatively predictable
- done according to predeterminded patterns
- work procedures or instructionsmade to be effective
- most activities in an organization
sales, purchasing, administrative
3. project-based activities
= non- recurring and have a limited duration, but reasonably predictable
midway between improvised and routine activities
- a way of structuring activities that are less predictablethan others and that are out of the
scoop normal activities
- increase predictability by:
1. work according to a plan
pans gradually illuminate each phase of the process
2. work on ‘what are the aims’ and ‘how to achieve them’
large projects are divided into phases. After each phase the aims and procedures can
be adjusted
- project plan: formulated before starting the project.
- Projects often have an organization of their own, crated to deal wit needs of the project
can involve a departmental reorganization, moving into new quarters or introduction of a
new computer network
1.2 examples of projects
construction projects
, = building a shopping centre
projects involving developments by companies
= merging 2 businesses
projects involving company plans
= marketing plan
projects to do with IT systems
= website
projects with in the healthcare sector
= reducing waiting lists
projects within the education sector
= electronic learning
projects within the sport & recreation sector
= theatre production
1.3 what is a project?
Project: a group of people, usually from various field of expertise, collaborating temporarily with the
aim of reaching a predetermined project result within a predetermined budget and timeframe.
A project should have the following features:
1. start-up or kick-off: a clear starting point
2. a finishing date, because a project has a limited duration
3. a unique and clearly defined goal
predetermined project result: the project’s outcome/ the end product
4. project goal: tells why the client has commissioned the project
project result: the outcome of the project and contributes to the project goal
5. a client/sponsor (usually): who has commissioned the project and who pays for the project.
the person who has an interest in the project result, provide the project team wit clarity
on the project and make important decisions
6. budget: money for funding the project and paying the project’s staff. It is determined in
advanced.
A project without a financial budget should at least have a time budget applicable for
those participating in the project
7. project group usually consists of people from various fields of expertise working together as
a temporary team
each member is familiar with the terminology of his/her own field and has his own
perspective on things
8. organizational set-up: an employee who is temporarily relieved of his normal duties to take
part in a project will have a different person to be accountable to: the project manager
9. initiated as a purposeful move, a project never starts spontaneously
1.4 From improvised activities to project to routine
Improvises, project-based and routine activities can be part of the same work sequence
- Improvisation: new task initial improvisation
- Project: As it becomes obvious that the task will have to be repeated, a greater degree of
organization will become necessary
- Routine: at the end of the project working procedures have been developed
,1.5 Types of projects
According to their character, projects fall into one of several different categories:
1. Technical projects: the aim is to effect some change in technology or to come up with a new
product
- Easy to plan
- End result is obvious
- “hard projects”: building a bridge, building road
2. Social projects: deal with the way I which people work together, because people tend to
resist changes, social projects are more difficult to exicute
- End result is not quite as evident
- “soft projects”: change corporate culture or organizational structure of a company
reorganization, adaption of work procedures
3. Commercial project: earn money
- Conducting market research, developing a new product or introducing a new product
4. Mixed projects: combine aspects of technical and social projects
- The design, programming and installation of an extensive computer program
can be complicated since the members of the project team come from a wide variety of
areas of expertise and don’t always speak each other’s language
Events: are a special kind of project, as the end result only appears at a certain point in time
Projects can also be categorized in different ways based on:
- content: internal/ external sponser
- providing a service: course, event
- yield a product: building
1.6 Things to remember
As a project manager there are number of things you have to keep in mind
1. Request planning time from the sponsor
- A project plan is essential to work systematically.
- The decision-making process can slow things down. Make sure that the sponsor allows
enough time for planning the project.
in small organizations people are often asked to start immediately
2. Consult everyone involved
- Make arrangements about the contribution expected of every worker
- The project needs to be talked over with all parties involved
3. Work from the top down
- Start with setting out the main lines of the project (not the details)
- Dividing a project into phases is a way of keeping it manageable:
1. Preparation (think)
2. Realization (act)
3. aftercare (maintain)
4. Thinking thing through: from start to finish and from finish to start
, - Determine what exactly needs to take place when carrying out the project
- If you overlook things in the beginning stages, it will return with a vengeance later on
1.7 Doing things in phases
Measures to keep a project manageable:
1. A project plan (plan of approach)
- Should be made at the commencement of the project
- Contain a clear description of the project
- Describe the project’s objectives and the desired end products
- Shows the available funds
- Shows the schedules for the activities
2. Divide the project in phases
- Each phase will be shorter in duration than the project as a whole
- A phase can be regarded as a series of project activities that have a logical
connection to each other
- They minimize the risks associated with the project
Common and usefull project phases:
Concept: the idea that sparks it off
- Often results in a project proposal
if the proposal is approved by management(sponsor), the next phase may
commence
Definition: defining the end result(objectives) of the project and what needs to be
done to achieve it.
the result of the definition is a project plan(=project defined in detail)
At the end of this phase you need to be able to answer: what will have been
achieved when the project has been completed?
- Sub-projects: each has its own project plan, common with complicated projects
- Formal objectives: have to be met, it is mandatory
- Wishes of those involved: it is desirable to achieve this, but there is no necessity
Design: the definition phase establishes what the project’s objectives are, the design
phase establishes a way of resolving the problem.
Prototype= a simplified version of the real thing, it can be used to test the demands
that are likely to be made of the design.
Made to determine whether the proposed solution conforms to the
requirements as laid down
this phase results in the design report
At the end of this phase, there should be a design that does the following:
shows the sponser exactly what he will be getting
shows those who will be actively involved in the next phase exactly what has to be
produced
Preparation: detailing how to do it
- The product itself is not produced during this phase.
