Lesson 2: Fundamental Project Concepts: Part 1
Project Management
I promise that I am not being unnecessarily stuffy by subjecting you to a section devoted to an explanation of project management.
Really, I know that you know what a project is, and I also know that it will not take a gigantic leap of inferential logic to figure out that project management is, in fact, managing a project.
But this basic understanding might not capture the heart of what project management is about; and since that is the reason why we’re all here in this course, I feel we should dive further into this definition. We can do this with a little help from our friends, the Project Management Institute and James P. Lewis:
The PMBOK offers a solid definition of project management with:
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.
James P. Lewis fleshes this definition out a little more with:
Project management is the planning, scheduling, and controlling of those activities that must be performed to achieve project objectives.
There are two basic parts to this definition which we can play with here: process and objective.
Process: Project management requires coordinating a series of processes, which typically include planning, scheduling and controlling.
Objective: Project management manages those processes towards the achievement of the specific goal of the project.
As we can sense, the goal of the project (what it wants to do) is directly linked to its processes (how it wants to do it), and vice-versa. And the dynamic interrelationship between the what and the how of a project is the essence of project management.
Keep the above description in mind always, and it will serve you well for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, it will help you steer your project and keep it focused.
Secondly, and rather interestingly, this description will really help you explain just what it is you do. You may know it, and some other project insiders may know it, but all the people who will populate your project may know you as the Project Manager, but kind of look at you funny, wondering what you get paid for. Just tell them the above, and feel the harmony and affection blossom.
References used in this section (these books are available for order via the Resources link above):
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, by the Project Management Institute. Chapter 1.
The Project Manager’s Desk Reference, by James P. Lewis. Chapter 1.
