The Process of Managing ProjectsWhat is a Project?What is Project Management?The Project Life CycleProject Management in the Information AgeKey LessonsThe Process of Managing ProjectsWe all undertake projects but we rarely make conscious efforts to manage them-In manufacturing environments, project management focuses on standardization of repetitive production processes-In information-rich environments, project management focuses on flexibly coping with dynamically changing processes and proceduresWhat is a Project?Goal-orientedCoordinated undertaking of inter-related activitiesFinite in duration with beginnings and endsTo a degree each one is uniqueWhat is Project Management?Getting the job done-on time-within budget-according to specificationsThis is called the triple constraintThe Project Life CycleProject selection - arise out of needs and involve commitmentsPlanning - preplanning, milestones, revisionsImplementation - doing what’s spelled out in the planControl - monitoring and dealing with variancesEvaluation - periodic “stock-taking” by objective observersTermination - making sure loose ends are handledProject Management in the Information AgeWe have shifted from working with tangible stuff to less tangible informationThe character of projects has become quite differentKey LessonsAvoiding pitfalls - what can go wrong will go wrong-Organizational factors-Poorly identified needs-Inadequately specified requirements-Poor planning and controlLearning to make things happen-organization, interaction skills, flexibility, ability to