Lesson 1: Modern Project Management
Lesson Overview
Introduction
“The most successful project managers have perfected the skill of being comfortable being uncomfortable.”
- ProjectSteps.com, retrieved June 1, 2015
Lesson 1 introduces you to project management. Differing from routine work, projects follow a life cycle. Projects can create concrete products or services. The assigned textbook chapter covers such topics as the importance of project management, the exponential growth of the discipline, the diverse nature of projects, and the integrative approach to project management. In addition, the chapter introduces you to many new terms, a feature that you will notice throughout this course.
For guidance in completing this lesson, read Working Through the Lessons.
Learning Objectives
By the end of Lesson 1, you should be able to
explain why project management is crucial in today’s world. 1.
define project and differentiate projects from routine operations. 2.
explain what a project is and what the term project management means. 3.
explain the importance of projects in implementing organization strategy. 4.
show how managing projects is an act of balancing the technical and sociocultural sides 5.
of the project.
identify the project life cycle stages and deliverables. 6.
Adapted from the instructor's companion website that accompanies Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2014). Project management: The managerial process (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Key Terms
Here are the key terms covered in this lesson. Definitions for some of these terms can be f ound in the textbook glossary and in the Online Learning Center. The key terms in this list will be bolded in the lesson notes.
business case
closing stage (delivering, closure) defining stage
deliverable executing stage
lessons learned (project review) phase gating (stage gating) planning stage
program project
project charter
project execution plan (PEP) project life cycle
project management
project management professional (PMP) project plan
project sponsor scope statement stakeholders trade-offs
yin and yang of project management
To test your understanding of these key terms, try the interactive key terms activities, once before you complete the lesson and again at the end of the lesson. All activities contain the same key terms.
In these activities, some definitions include a reference to several lessons; these are the definitions of the important terms covered in more than one lesson as well as the terms that relate to the project stages and deliverables. Definitions that do not have references to lessons are for terms that are covered only in the assigned chapter for this lesson.
A PDF containing all the key terms and their definitions is provided below.
ADMN205KeyTerms.pdf ADMN205KeyTerms.pdf
Learning Activities
Mandatory Activities
Chapter 1 Multiple-Choice Quiz. (At the Online Learning Center.) Choose Chapter 1
from the drop-down menu and click on the quiz. Try this quiz before you begin this lesson and again after you have completed the lesson. This quiz is for self-assessment purposes only; do not submit your results to Athabasca University.
Lesson 1 Interactive Key Terms Activities. (On the Key Terms page in this lesson.)
Try the activities before you begin this lesson and again after you have completed the lesson.
Reading: Textbook, Chapter 1; Lesson 1 lesson notes.
Video: “Project Management at Six Flags, New Jersey.” This clip is approximately 11
minutes long.
Optional Activities
Chapter 1 PowerPoint Presentation. (At the Online Learning Center.) Choose
Chapter 1 from the drop-down menu.
Video: “Coyote and Road Runner.” In this video, which is approximately 1 minute long,
Wile E. Coyote (the accidental project manager) tries desperately to catch the Road Runner using a bow and arrow, yet fails (again). Will he ever learn? Maybe he would benefit from a project management course.
Lesson Note 1.1: Introduction
What were some of the first impressions you had about project management when you looked at the cover of the textbook? Perhaps some of your impressions included the idea that project management involves focus, motivation, talent, practice, teamwork, and flexibility.
Now watch the video “Project Management at Six Flags, New Jersey” and think about what this video adds to your first impressions of project management and what a project
manager does. Perhaps some of your impressions now include the idea that project management
is like being on a roller coaster!
involves a lot of planning.
takes patience.
is complicated.
involves tight schedules.
is technical.
involves safety issues.
involves tight budgets.
can be weather dependent.
involves logistics management.
is stressful.
delivers results.
could be very interesting and rewarding.
As mentioned on the Working Through the Lessons page, project management involves a new vocabulary. You are not expected to learn it all at once, nor are you tested on all of the chapter content—focus on the lesson notes.
Lesson Note 1.2: What Is a Project?
The textbook provides a variety of answers to this complex question. You should be able to explain what a project is, describe its characteristics, and identify projects as different from routine work (see textbook, Table 1.1). The key elements to keep in mind are that a project
is temporary (meaning that it has a start date and an end date).
creates something (i.e., there is something to show for the work done, such as a
product, service, or result). For example,
a project could create a new process for handling customer complaints in a o
Apple could develop new applications for iPhone users. o
a new blood test procedure could give more accurate blood sugar results for o
diabetes.
is unique (i.e., what it creates is quite different from what other projects create). A
project is unique, just as snowflakes are unique.
Notice that programs are groups of related projects. For example, Apple could label all of their “apps for students” a program and all of the “apps for working out” a different program.
In the textbook, the “Snapshot from Practice: Project Management in Action: 2013” provides an overview of a number of projects that are vital to companies and their future directions. Notice how this snapshot helps expand your understanding of the types of projects that people manage.
What is project management? Project management is more than the tools and
techniques. Project management is more than getting things done on time, on budget, and within scope (performance). Project management involves planning, teamwork, and
flexibility. Recall from the textbook section called “The Project Manager” that the project manager does a lot of work and faces many challenges. The project manager has to have a number of competencies, including leadership and interpersonal skills as well as juggling skills. Project management involves constantly juggling things, including the changing expectations from project stakeholders. As the Six Flags video indicated, project management involves hard work; yet it can be a very rewarding role.
When you work on a project, you report to a project sponsor who makes executive level decisions. For example, ADMN 205 is your project and you are the project manager. Your Academic Expert is your project sponsor because you report to your Academic Expert for direction and guidance.
Lesson Note 1.3: The Project Life Cycle
Whereas the following diagram shows a project as ideally progressing from start to finish in a linear fashion (point A to point B), the reality is that most projects follow lines such as A to E, or A to C, or A to D.
Figure 1A: The project path
Projects follow a path and the path is often called a life cycle. Figure 1.1 (in the textbook) shows a general linear life cycle of project management. The project stages are defining,
planning, executing, and closing. Here is another way of thinking about the life cycle: you start a project, work through the steps of the project, and then finish it. The term life
cycle is appropriate to use because a project starts in its infancy, grows, matures, and then ends. Deming’s quality management stages of plan-do-check-act (PDCA) also apply to project management because project management involves quality improvement work. Figure 1.1 also shows, for example, that at the defining stage, the project involves
working on goals, specifications, tasks, and responsibilities. Think of the defining stage as a way of getting more clarity on the project. The project definition becomes clearer in the
planning stage. This is why the figure shows the stages as overlapping. In this course, we focus on higher level project management work at each stage, as shown in the next figure. The life cycle stages and deliverables provide a useful, generic way of thinking of what a project manager and team do at each stage.
Figure 1B: Project stages and deliverables
In the figure above, the deliverables are typed in black. For example, one of the
deliverables that the “workout app” software development project team might work on is to develop the technical specifications for the software so that the app counts the steps, repetitions (reps), crunches, and push-ups that you do in an exercise workout. This work would occur in the planning stage.
Figure 1B is an important diagram. You will have a fuller appreciation of this diagram by the end of the course, and you should be able to place the stages into the proper sequence as well as identify the deliverables.
In the above diagram, the red flag is a phase (stage) gate. For example, if all the work that the “workout app” software development project team and other teams had to do at the planning stage was done well and met with approval, then the project manager would get the “green light” to have his or her teams work on the executing stage of work. Later in the course, we will discuss how monitoring and control occurs throughout all the stages so that the project manager can keep a close eye on the schedule, budget, and work underway.
As you progress in this course, you do not need to know all the detailed nuances of project management. The lesson notes will indicate what to focus on. For example, you already know that the defining stage is the first stage in the project life cycle. And you saw from Figure 1B that the business case and scope statement are completed in this stage. See? You have already learned some new terms and concepts! And the terms and concepts will make more sense as you move through the course, reading the material and
completing the exercises and assignments.
Lesson Note 1.4: The Birthday Party
Let’s say you were hosting a birthday party for a friend and you approached it like a project. The following shows what might take place at each stage. Notice how this project follows the life cycle stages.
Purpose (goal): Plan and hold a fun birthday party for Gabriela! 1. Defining Stage
1.1. Business Case (the brilliant idea for the project—it’s a friend’s birthday) 1.1.1. We should have a birthday party for Gabriela! She’s going to be 23. 1.2. Project Scope Statement (the approval, funding, and description of what the
finished project will look like)
1.2.1. Time: Let’s do it. Today’s Wednesday and her birthday is on Sunday, so we could have it on Saturday. It might take us an hour to get it organized.
Cost: We have about $45.
1.2.3. Scope (performance): Not a surprise party, just a small birthday party for about 10 people, even though Gabriela has many friends.
2. Planning Stage
2.1. Project Plan (the plan of action)
2.1.1. Time: We have three days to plan it. We don’t have a lot of time and it might really take us two hours to get ready for it.
2.1.2. Cost: Hmmm, now that we have counted our money, we have exactly $50 in cash. We need beverages, snacks, and cake. Where are we going to have the party?
2.1.2.1 Darlene: I can use the cash to pick up chips and pop. 2.1.2.2 Vince: I can make a chocolate cake.
2.1.2.3 Carmen: I can make a vegetable tray. I can also book the party room in our complex.
2.1.3. Scope (performance): So it’s a fun birthday party with 10 of us there. 3. Executing Stage
3.1 Project Executing Stage (the work gets done)
3.1.1. This is where everyone does the work to get ready for the party, the party takes place, and then....
4. Closing (Delivery, Closure) Stage
4.1. Lessons Learned (How did the project turn out?)
4.1.1. That was so much fun! We had 20 people there! The music and food were great.
4.1.2. It actually took us six hours to organize.
4.1.3. Vince, Carmen, and I spent two hours on Sunday cleaning up the party room and the carpet because someone accidentally dropped the dip bowl.
4.1.4. Everyone: So much for our project management skills. We did not take into account the cleanup or the possibility that twice as many friends might show up. The party actually cost $100. Darlene, we’ll pay you back $50 for the extra pop you had to run out and get during the party. You missed out on the cake.
Lesson Note 1.5: The Project Management Institute® and the
Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®
Guide)
TheProject Management Institute®(PMI®) is one of the largest professional associations for project management. PMI® offers project management certification, such as the
Project Management Professional (PMP®) designation. As we learn in this course, beyond certification, it takes experience and education to be a good project manager. The
project management designations are based on bodies of knowledge. PMI® developed the PMBOK® Guide. The vocabulary in the PMBOK® Guide can be confusing at first.
Other than what the course material covers in a cursory way, you are not expected to learn the PMBOK® Guide material for any of your assignments or examinations in this course. The PMBOK® Guide is a 500-plus–page book that uses an input-process-output model involving five processes (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing) that span nine knowledge areas. These knowledge areas are discussed again in Lesson 2.
Whereas the PMBOK® Guide presents monitoring and control as a separate process, we view it as a process that takes place throughout the project as shown in the project life cycle diagram in this lesson (see Lesson Note 1.3).
Lesson Note 1.6: The Importance of Project Management and
Project Management Today—An Integrative Approach
The textbook outlines the many reasons that more and more companies are using project management. Figure 1.2 (in the textbook) shows how project management is integrated into the management practices of a company. We will cover these topics later in the course.
Lesson Note 1.7: The Yin and Yang of Project Management
With roots in ancient Chinese philosophy and science, the concepts of yin and yang are widely used in many areas, such as Chinese martial arts, medicine, and meditation. You may be familiar with the symbol for yin and yang. The symbol is interpreted with such words as balance, complementarity, interdependent sides, duality, and opposite sides . What does it mean to have a yin and yang of project management? Using a yin-yang diagram, Figure 1.3 (in the textbook) reflects an overarching theme in this course: project management is both an art and a science, or in other words, project management involves a balance of the technical dimension (i.e., left-brained or “hard” skills) and the sociocultural dimension (i.e., right-brained or “soft” skills).
It’s Your Project Management Tool Kit: What Do You Want to Put in
It?
Note: All the lessons include this section so that you can start to build a useful tool kit. You will demonstrate your application of these tools in the assignments and examinations. As you review the tools and techniques covered in each lesson, think about whether each one primarily fits the technical dimension of project management or the sociocultural dimension, or both. Try to reflect on why.
A project management tool kit is the set of useful resources that can help you be more effective in your project management role. Just as a carpenter, chef, paramedic, or medical doctor might have different items in their tool kits, so will a project manager. Just as two paramedics may not have the same items in their tool kits, neither will two project managers.
Figure 1.1 (in the textbook) outlines specific project management work that takes place at each stage involving a variety of techniques and tools (such as schedules, budgets, and status reports, to name a few).
Here, for example, is a list of some items that a project manager might have in his or her tool kit: a vocabulary of the terms and concepts used in project management
the Project Management Institute’s website
a project notebook and/or a personal hand-held device to keep track of such things as project
details, personal reminders, and personal notes on meetings
a Microsoft Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or software such as Microsoft Project 2007 (to
develop a project schedule)
meeting tools such as Meeting Wizard
a budget spreadsheet
an electronic calendar such as the calendar on this course website (on the right side of the
course home page).
By the end of this course, you will have a very full and useful project management tool kit to work with! What might you want to start adding to your tool kit from Chapter 1?
To help develop a Community PM Tool Kit, you are encouraged to share a specific project management resource that you found especially useful by adding it to the General Discussion Forum.
Review Activities
Along with each lesson’s required readings, you are strongly encouraged to complete the review activities related to each lesson of the course. These activities will help you assess your knowledge of the concepts you are learning and help you determine which concepts you should review.
Remember that the multiple-choice quizzes (at the Online Learning Center), the interactive key terms activities (on the Key Terms page of each lesson), and the textbook review questions for each assigned chapter will all help you prepare for the examinations. The examinations include questions similar to those found in these three review activities.
Review Activity 1: Try the review questions at the end of Chapter 1 in the textbook. Compare your answers with the Suggested Answers to Textbook Review Questions.
Review Activity 2: Go back and retry the Chapter 1 Multiple-Choice Quiz at the Online Learning Center (as mentioned in the Lesson Overview section of this lesson, under Learning Activities).
Review Activity 3: Go back and retry the interactive key terms activities for this lesson. They will increase your confidence as you prepare for the midterm and final examinations.
Review Activity 4: If necessary, refer back to Figure 1B in Lesson Note 1.3 to complete this interactive Project Stages and Deliverables activity.
Suggested Answers to Textbook Review Questions
Define a project. What are five characteristics which help differentiate 1.projects from other functions carried out in the daily operations of the organization?
A project is a complex, nonroutine, one-time effort limited by time, budget, resources, and specifications. Characteristics that differentiate projects from routine, repetitive daily work are below:
a defined life span
a well-defined objective
involvement of people from several disciplines
a project life cycle
specific time, cost, and performance requirements
What are some of the key environmental forces that have changed the way 2.
projects are managed? What has been the effect of these forces on the management of projects?
Some environmental forces that have changed the way we manage projects are the product life cycle, knowledge growth, global competition, organization downsizing, technology changes, and time-to-market. The impacts of these forces include more projects per organization, project teams responsible for implementing projects,
accountability, changing organization structures, need for rapid completion of projects, linking projects to organization strategy and customers, prioritizing projects to conserve organization resources, alliances with external organizations, etc.
Why is the implementation of projects important to strategic planning and the 3.
project manager?
Strategic plans are implemented primarily through projects—for example, a new product, a new information system, a new plant for a new product. The project manager is the key person responsible for completing the project on time, on budget, and within specifications so that the project’s customer is satisfied. If the project is not linked to the strategic plan of the organization, resources devoted to the project are wasted and a customer need is not met. This lack of connectivity occurs more in practice than most would believe.
The technical and sociocultural dimensions of project management are two 4.
sides to the same coin. Explain.
The system and sociocultural dimensions of project management are two sides of the same coin because successful project managers are skilful in both areas. The point is that successful project managers need to be very comfortable and skilful in both areas.
What is meant by an integrative approach to project management? Why is this 5.
approach important in today’s environment?
An integrative approach to project management is one in which all the parts are interrelated. This approach is important because it can give an organization a
competitive edge in today’s environment. An integrative approach includes two parts. First, projects must have a strong link to the organization’s strategic plan, which is directed toward meeting the customer’s needs. A project priority system reinforces this linkage by prioritizing projects according to their contribution to the strategic plan and then allocating resources by the priorities set. Second, an integrative approach provides an integrated system for the actual implementation of the projects. This includes an information system which supports decision making and a sociocultural environment which creates a positive, active contribution from team members responsible for completing the project.
Adapted from the instructor's companion website that accompanies Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2014). Project management: The managerial process (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Summary and Assessment Tips/Reminders
Summary
The first chapter covered a lot of ground on terms, concepts, and trends in project
example, the project manager may decide that out of all three features, and given the advantages of each, the schedule (time) is most important. In doing so, the project manager bears in mind that a change in one feature impacts the other two.
Remember that you are practising project management as you manage this course. Hypothetically, let’s say that someone (not you)
rushes through the course to finish it faster (time) without doing the work
then falls behind and possibly fails the course because the scope of work (performance)
was not done
then spends more money (cost) on extensions to do what should have been done from
the start of the course!
Think how an understanding of project management and the necessary trade-offs between time, scope, and cost could have prevented this student from ending up in this regrettable situation.
As you read more about project management and try some of the tools and techniques, you will develop a comfort level with the language as well as the tools and techniques involved.
At the end of this lesson, you are encouraged to
treat the course like the important project it is and practise your skills as you go
through the material. After all, this course is your Mission Possible! review the requirements for Assignment 1 and start working on it.
contact the Student Support Centre if you have any questions. It won’t be long before
you get the hang of the new language you are learning.
practise your project management skills by checking your Suggested Course Schedule
to ensure that you are on track with your course timeline and scope of course work in relation to your other commitments.
