Definitions

A project is a temporary effort to create a unique product, service, and or result. It must have a definite beginning and end. The end of the project is met when the result is achieved.

Project management is the application of skills to meet the project requirements or the result. Project management utilizes five (5) processes from the beginning to the end:

• Project initiating phase
• Planning
• Project execution
• Monitoring and control
• Project closure

Stakeholders are people or organizations who are directly or indirectly involved in the project. They have interests that can influence positively or the project negatively. Their influence can vary the result or project deliverables. The project manager must identify stakeholders at the beginning of the project. He or she must also manage the positive and negative influence they may have on the project team. 

Users’ requirements are usually documented and agreed on by stakeholders. They are the starting point of the project. It is the result that the project must perform at the end of the project. The needs must be well designed, known to all stakeholders, and communicated to the project management team. If not properly defined or if lack of input by end users sometimes during design may cause project failure. 

It is a time frame of what needs to be done and which resources (human/financials/materials) must be optimized to meet the project’s goal. In project management, we often refer to the Work Breakdown Schedule (W.B.S.) A project schedule is a tool that MUST be updated frequently to better understand the project status.

When planning project management, the manager must consider the organization process and environment around the project. Since every project is unique so is the process of managing it. Since many factors may constrain the project, you must consider:

• Specific approach for meeting project requirements
• Environment
• Stakeholders’ requirements and expectations

In other words, are you going to choose project management or a product-oriented process? 

Are you going to use a waterfall, lean, Kanban, Six Sigma, etc? 

You don’t usually change the process halfway through the project. Although when planned correctly, some processes can be mixed and add value to the project.

Is a document that defines how the project is executed monitored and controlled. This document should be available to all project management teams. It could contain:

• Brief description of the project
• Scope
• Restraints
• Possible solutions
• Stakeholders
• Client or end users
• Mandate/Representative
• Schedule
• Cost estimates
• Quality process
• Communication process
• Supply chain