...------------------------------------------------- What is a Project? Learning Objectives After completing this topic, you should be able to * recognize examples of a project * identify the characteristics of a project 1. Project characteristics Projects make up almost half of the work that most organizations do. Organizations use projects to help meet their strategic goals. In terms of strategic goals, projects may help an organization meet changes in market demands, customer requests, or organizational requirements. They may also help an organization make the most of technological advances or meet legal requirements. Select each strategic goal for examples. ------------------------------------------------- Market demands ------------------------------------------------- The goal of a project may be to respond to increases or decreases in market demands. For example, car manufacturers research and design fuel-efficient cars to meet market demands for greener products. ------------------------------------------------- Customer requests ------------------------------------------------- Projects may help organizations satisfy customer requests. A call center may use a project to upgrade its computer systems based on requests for faster response times. ------------------------------------------------- Organizational requirements ------------------------------------------------- Projects can help meet changes in organizational requirements. So a company...
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...current process of initiating projects within the organization? There are several functional departments that manage projects and have established standard processes and templates although these are not consistent across the organization. The PMO has developed a methodology and process, including standard tools and templates for project management to the implementation of the strategic programs of the company. 2. What is the operational relationship of the various locations vis-à-vis the implementation of strategies and execution of projects across these locations? Each strategic program has an assigned executive sponsor and is managed by a program leader. These program leaders are responsible for implementing the strategic projects across all Champion locations. 3. What type of organizational structure does Champion Technologies operate i.e. functional, projectized or matrix? The organization as a whole is largely functional, although as we continue to reorganize departments to better meet current and future challenges, we have some roles that have been matrixed. A matrixed organization has to be carefully monitored for conflicts where interdependencies lie so we follow a RACI model is these cases. In terms of the PMO, this is a small organization that reports to the President and CEO of the company. We serve as a functional interface with several executive leadership teams and the strategic Program Leaders. 4. What are...
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...how complex. Being able to carry out the organizational strategies out are important to the overall success of the company. Program management is one of the important tools that can help ensure that the organizational strategies that are properly executed. For a program management to be a success they need to have the ability to choose the project by an order of importance to come up with the optimal result. . Project managers must plan and budget projects and secure and coordinate the contributions of the project/program’s team members.(Gray & Larson) Program management is about pinpointing, qualifying, and dedicating time and resources to projects that tend to focus on the business strategy. Program managers are able to do this by being able to measure organizations resource demand, capacity, capability, and overall performance to help ensure that the projects strategies are being completed accordingly. Being able to measure these strategies being completed will help allow program managers to be able to identify and adjust them if they are not meeting business objective. Lastly a program managers help ensure that projects are meeting all of the company’s objectives by being able to set up effective communication and reporting system that will allow up to the minute decision making that are based on all the fact about the project. This way project/program managers can ensure...
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...people and organizations today have a new or renewed interest in project management. In the past, project management primarily focused on providing schedule and resource data to top management in just a few industries, such as the military and construction industries. Today’s project management involves much more, and people in every industry and every country manage projects. New technologies have become a significant factor in many businesses, and the use of interdisciplinary and global work teams has radically changed the work environment. 2.) A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. a. The attributes of a project are unique purpose, temporary, developed using progressive elaboration or in an iterative fashion, requires resources, often from various areas, should have a primary customer or sponsor, involves uncertainty. b. A project is different from what most people do day to day in that a project has a beginning and an end. c. The triple constraints are scope, time and cost. d. Other factors might include quality, risk and resources. 3.) Project management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. a. Framework is to help you understand project management. Key elements of this framework include the project stakeholders, project management process groups, knowledge areas, tools and techniques, project success...
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...Project Selection and Risks Miguel Rodriguez Project Management Integration Framework BA647 Grantham University Project Selection and Risks Project selection and project risks go hand in hand. Choosing or even not choosing a project, can create risks. Projects are designed to allow organizations to either develop something new or to improve on something already in place. Any given organization can have many good projects that can improve its products, but if the organization is lacking a good project management program and/or has a meager project portfolio, then project risks becomes an even bigger issue. The process for selecting projects can create several project risks; such as having too many projects with limited funds/resources, unforeseen external risks, inadequately trained staff, and multiple of unforeseen problems, causing changes and delays to the project. Some of these examples I just mentioned, can be avoided or minimize with a good project management program. This paper will discuss some of the things a good project management program would include. The overall purpose of a project management program is to help in identifying the unknown risks and to help minimize the known risks. “Without adequate analysis of projects, no one has much idea of what “going right” looks like, so it is not possible to identify and manage the risks – the things that may go wrong” (Kendrick page 20). Even with this knowledge, some organizations at different levels...
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...Level 6 Project Management Contents Introduction 3 Changes to legislation are reflective of broader social, economic and political trends. Mental health as a general public concern – and its role in the workplace – has garnered increasing attention over the past several years. One in five Canadians will experience a mental disorder in their lifetime. Whatever the reason for this new awareness, mental illness and poor mental health is now being recognized as a major business concern. 3 In order for workplace health promotion to be adopted, it must make a difference to the financial bottom line and be presented as a strategic priority to organizations. Taking a proactive approach to protecting employees’ mental health is the right move for organizations looking to keep a healthy staff team and a healthy budget. There this company, XYZ want to help improve the mental health of employees as it is beneficial in helping both the individual and the whole organization to achieve long-term excellence. As a result, a detailed project plan is described in the report that tells how the overall project will be carried out. 3 1 The Definition of Project 3 1.1 Project Objectives: 4 2. Business Projects: 4 Key Personnel Involved is: 5 2.1Assessment of costs relating to stress and psychosocial risks 5 2.2 Methodology for Carrying out the Project: 6 Creating a Healthy Workplace Committee 6 2.3 Conducting a Situational Assessment – Getting to the Root of the Problem 7 2...
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...Advance Project Management PM587, Week 3 quiz Keller Graduate School of Management Week 3 quiz covers material from Weeks 1 2 and 3 Grading Summary These are the automatically computed results of your exam. Grades for essay questions, and comments from your instructor, are in the "Details" section below. Date Taken: 7/28/2012 Time Spent: 58 min , 25 secs Points Received: 72 / 80 (90%) Question Type: # Of Questions: # Correct: Essay 4 N/A Grade Details - All Questions 1. Question : (TCO A) You work for company Bravo and have been asked to create a presentation for the Board of Directors to explain PPM. Your presentation is to include a comparison and contrast of project portfolio management, program management, and project management. The presentation should also include the benefits of PPM and why the company should implement this program. Below, in your own words, write the narrative for the presentation. Be sure to address all elements of the presentation. Student Answer: Bravo Board of Directors Presentation PPM A PPM stands for Project Portfolio management. It is a management process used to develop a series of projects that are grouped into a portfolio based upon similar strategic objectives of the organization. The Project Portfolio management does not actually manage the project; however the management group creates guidelines and processes, which are then enforced to select the proper projects that will allow the organization to capitalize...
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...What is the role of a Project Manager? Project managers are the point people responsible for coordinating activities of project team members to achieve project objectives. Whereas project team members tend to have narrowly focused skills and expertise, and are primarily concerned with day-to-day functions, Project Managers focus equal attention on near- and long-term activities. Historically the role of Project Manager focused on the larger, more technical projects. However, in recent years it is being applied to a variety of smaller, less technical projects as well. The Project Management function has received a lot of attention over the last 10 years and has become a highly desired competency in most organizations. Specifically, what are the responsibilities of a Project Manager? A true Project Manager is responsible for effectively and efficiently: • Defining the scope of projects; • Developing project schedules; • Estimating project costs; • Gaining stakeholders’ approvals; • Measuring project progress; • Controlling project changes; • Closing out projects. Why are soft skills important to being a great Project Manager? The common thread running through all the essential skills needed to be a great Project Manager is working with people. Whether it’s defining the scope of a project, exercising change control or closing a project out, the more comfortable Project Managers are with interacting with people the more successful...
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...XMGT/230 - Managment Theory and Practice June 2, 2013 Elaine McCarty Organizational Structure Paper At Burns & McDonnell engineering, several different organizational charges are used because of the size of the company. For individual projects, functional organizational charts are used to organize employees within that particular project. Functional organization is the departmentalization around specialized activities such as production, marketing, and human resources (Bateman & Snell, 2011). For the Maine Power Reliability Program, in which Burns & McDonnell functions as the Program Manager for this project, a functional organization is used. At the top of the organizational chart, the lead of the entire project, the program manager is at the top. Underneath the program manager is the assistant program manager, who reports directly to the program manager. From there, everyone else is grouped by functional group which the lead or project manager at the top of that functional group. There is one overhead project manager and underneath this position are the assistant project managers and the technical admins. The next group is led by the substation project manager and underneath him are substation assistant project managers and technical admins. The third functional group is procurement. There is a procurement manager and underneath him are the people who have been assigned to procurement and report to the procurement manager. A fourth group is stakeholder...
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...a company and defines ways of achieving those goals. Project management takes one of the goals and manages costs, schedules and resources to give the desired result. When small businesses use projects to make progress toward their strategic goals, they have to be aware of the differences between the two processes. While both corporate strategy and project management share planning and control characteristics, the details of their implementation and execution are not the same. Goals: The goals of corporate strategy and project management are different. Those of corporate strategy define the direction of the company and are not usually time limited. A strategic goal of excellent customer service is a continuous process. A project is designed to achieve its goals within a certain time frame. Its goals are to produce the desired result within budget and according to the schedule. Once the goals are met, the project is complete. Corporate strategy may use projects to further its goals, but the projects are steps in the overall process while the corporate strategy carries on. A project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.”Operations, on the other hand, is work done in organizations to sustain the business. Projects are different from operations in that they end when their objectives have been reached or the project has been terminated. A program is “a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control...
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...What is the role of a Project Manager? Project managers are the point people responsible for coordinating activities of project team members to achieve project objectives. Whereas project team members tend to have narrowly focused skills and expertise, and are primarily concerned with day-to-day functions, Project Managers focus equal attention on near- and long-term activities. Historically the role of Project Manager focused on the larger, more technical projects. However, in recent years it is being applied to a variety of smaller, less technical projects as well. The Project Management function has received a lot of attention over the last 10 years and has become a highly desired competency in most organizations. Specifically, what are the responsibilities of a Project Manager? A true Project Manager is responsible for effectively and efficiently: • Defining the scope of projects; • Developing project schedules; • Estimating project costs; • Gaining stakeholders’ approvals; • Measuring project progress; • Controlling project changes; • Closing out projects. Why are soft skills important to being a great Project Manager? The common thread running through all the essential skills needed to be a great Project Manager is working with people. Whether it’s defining the scope of a project, exercising change control or closing a project out, the more comfortable Project Managers are with interacting with people the more successful...
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...Infrastructure Group Carl Grieser PJM 500 – Project Management Colorado State University – Global Campus Dr. Chiji Ohayia February 28th, 2016 Proposal and Analysis of the Global Infrastructure Group Introduction The Global Infrastructure Group, a subsidiary of the Global Financial Corporation, is an international conglomerate specializing in developing technologies and solutions for the Global Financial Corporation. This proposal for the Global Infrastructure Group will advise on what requirements the organization can best implement for a comprehensive project management system that can be used in a global organization that has small-, medium-, and large-scale projects. This proposal will address the following: The principal components of a project management system for a large-scale organization. These components will include: •Project Selection •Prioritizing Projects •Project Organization •Program Management •Planning and Scheduling •Estimating Cost •Monitoring and Controlling •Communication, Metrics, and Project Updates •Risk Management •Role of Information Technology Recommendations will include how Global Infrastructure Group can use project management principles to meet their goal of improving efficiency and empowering management to make better and informed decisions through the use of processes, tools, and standards in completing projects. Additionally, this proposal will discuss how an effective project management system contributes to organizational...
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...Running head: STRATEGIC PROGRAM MANAGEMENT WORKSHEET Strategic Program Management Worksheet University of Phoenix MMPBL/510 August 28, 2010 Strategic Program Management Worksheet |Concept |Application of Concept in the Scenario |Reference to Concept in Reading | |Project Considerations |The question is how much autonomy the project needs in order to be successfully |“Many firms that are heavily | | |completed. John Thomas, Chairperson, Board of Directors, gave attention to the |involved in project management | | |status of individual projects and the major impact affecting revenues, costs and |have created a flexible | | |operating metrics, such as student-to-teacher ratio. |management system that organizes | | | |projects according to project | | | |requirements” (Gray & Larson, | | | |2006, pg. 54). | |Project Management |Both Nancy Anderson, Executive Director and Jeff White, Business Development |“One functional area plays a | |Structure:...
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...How Strategic Portfolio Management relates to Project Management Derilene McCloud CPMGT/301 January 11, 2016 Michael Koma How Strategic Portfolio Management relates to Project Management Strategic portfolio management is the centralized management of one or more portfolios. A portfolio is a collection of programs, projects and operations managed as a group. These programs, projects, and services may not necessarily be related or interdependent, however, they are managed together as a group to achieve the strategic objectives of the organization. Strategic portfolio management includes selecting the right programs and projects, prioritizing the work, assigning resources, authorizing, managing, and controlling other related work to achieve the organization's strategic business objectives (Kerzner, 2013). Conversely, project management develops and implements plans to achieve a particular scope that is driven by the goals of the program and portfolio that aligned to the specific organizational strategy. While both strategic portfolio management and project management need to align with the organizational goals and objectives, it is important to understand the similarities and differences between the two disciplines, and how each one contributes significantly to the organization's strategic objectives. Project management is focused solely on achieving specific deliverables that support key organizational objectives. The deliverables could be to create a unique...
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...format. 1. What is the purpose of this letter of intent? Whom is it being sent to, and what is the fit? 2. What year was our organization founded? What year was it incorporated? 3. What is the mission of our organization? 4. What are the long-term goals for our organization? 5. What programs do we provide that support these goals? 6. What community need are we seeking funding to address? 7. In our opinion, how is this need related to our programs, long-term goals, and mission? 8. What do we propose to do about this need? 9. What outcome do we anticipate after the first year of funding? 10. What is the total cost of our proposed idea for the first year, or multiple years if we plan to request multiple-year funding? How much do we want from this funder? 11. Who is contacting the funder to determine its interest and when? Whom must the funder contact for more information? B. Cover letter (limit one page) 1. The organization making the request 2. The support of the board of directors for the project 3. The specific financial request being made C. Title page (Please use this information to create a one-page cover sheet) Organization Name: ____________________________________________________________ Proposal Writers: ______________________________________________________________ Tax exempt status: ________________ Year organization was founded: __________________ Date of application: _____________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________ ...
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