CE 301: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Project: definition, characteristics & life cycle

Project
Project management as a discipline was spawned in the mid-
20th century
An academic writer in 1930s proposed the use of a
coordinator who might be used to administer a task involving
several functional areas
According to Morris this addition of a separate mechanism to
integrate the various entities making up a project as the
inception of modern project management
Project
The rise of modern project management between the 1930s
and 1950s is related to
Development of system engineering in the U.S. defense and aerospace
industry
Engineering management practices in process engineering
Developments in management theory, particularly in organization design
Evolution of the computer, enabling mane project management tools
Literature on project management reflects the need for
flexibility and the changing context in which project exists
The phrase “management by projects” may best capture the
situation today
Project
Evolution of Design toward collaboration and integration
Modern Postmodern
Taylorism Systems Engineering
Hierarchical/vertical Flat/layered/horizontal
Specialization Interdisciplinary
Rational order Messy complexity
Centralized control Distributed control
Experts Meritocracy
Tightly coupled system Networked system
Micro-management Blackboxing
Hierarchical decision Consensus-reaching
making
Bureaucratic structure Collegial community
Incremental Discontinuous
Closed Open
Project
Definition
A project is an endeavor that is undertaken to produce results
expected from the requesting party.
To be more specific, a project is an endeavor that will
Accomplish a specific client need or goal
Include related activities guided by a leader or project manager
Be composed of cross-departmental personnel or unique experts capable
of providing unique services to the project
Be performed for a fixed duration of time
Project
Generally the requester or owner does not have the expertise
or the time (or both) to take on the endeavor on their own
The project will likely have a fixed or estimated life
Once the project is complete, the operating component &
maintenance will likely revert to the owners
However, some contemporary engineering projects owners
offer the builders to provide services for short-term start-up
operation & occasionally long-term facility operation
Project
Scope-Schedule-Budget triangular relationship
A project’s scope of work is a definition of the tasks required to
complete the project to meet the client’s need
The complete scope of work for a project requires a schedule
and budget
This relationship of scope, schedule, & budget can be thought
of
as a connected triangle where each side represents an essential
component of the project managed by the PM ( Project Manager)
the connected sides of this triangle enables the PM to see these three
components are interrelated and that one side cannot move or be adjusted
without affecting either of the other two components
Project

Scope, schedule, and budget relationship

Project
Quality during this stage of project is another important
issue that needs to be addressed
The client will likely have an idea about quality of the project
and will include their thoughts on quality in scope details
The important point is that quality should connect the scope,
schedule, and budget
If the final project does not meet or exceed the owner’s
expectation for quality, the project likely will rejected
Project Life Cycle
Projects are undertaken for the purpose of developing a
system
The natural life cycle of systems gives rise to a similar life
cycles in projects called the project life cycle
Each project has a starting point and progressed toward a
predetermined conclusion during which the state of the
project organization changes
Projects are characterized by a buildup in “activity” that peaks
eventually and then declines until project termination
This activity can be measured in various ways
Project Life Cycle

Level of activity during the project life cycle

Project Life Cycle
Besides changes in the level of activity, the nature and
emphasis of this activity also vary
Clients and planners dominate during early stages of the project
Designers, builders, and implementers are in charge during
middle stages
Users and operators take over in later stages
Despite changes in level and mix of activity, three measures
of project activity that apply throughout a project’s full span
are
Time
Cost
Performance
Project Life Cycle
Time refers to the
temporal progress of activities
extent to which schedules and deadlines are being met
Cost refers to the
rate of resource expenditure as compared to budgeted resources
Performance refers to
outputs of the project as compared to objectives, specifications, and
requirements
ability to meet performance requirements is one measure of the quality of the
project output
The project organization attempts to achieve time, cost, and
performance requirements as it advances through phases of the
project life cycle
Project Life Cycle
Managing the project life cycle
It requires special treatment
Most thins in project –resources, schedules, tasks, etc.-are somewhat
unfamiliar or in a constant state of change
Little that is done in a project can be considered repetitive or even
routine
Work schedules, budgets, and tasks must be tailored to fit each phase
and stage of the project life cycle
All life cycle contain an element of uncertainty
Unforeseen obstacles, some virtually inevitable, can cause
Missed deadlines
Cost overturns
Poor project performance
Project Life Cycle
Managing the project life cycle
Management must
Anticipate problems and plan for them
Then re-plan activities
Shift resources as unforeseen problems occur
Often organization undertake several projects at once and at a
given time, the projects are at different stages of their lifecycle
Some are just being started while others are underway or are being closed
out
Management must be able to continuously balance resources
among the projects so
Each gets what it needs
Yet the sum does not exceed the resource available
Project Characteristics
Projects have a purpose
Projects have clearly-defined aims and set out to produce clearly-defined
results.
Their purpose is to solve a "problem”, and this involves analyzing needs
beforehand. Suggesting one or more solutions, a project aims at lasting
social change
Projects are realistic
Their aims must be achievable, and this means taking account both of
requirements and of the financial and human resources available
Projects are limited in time and space
They have a beginning and an end
They are implemented in (a) specific place(s) and context.
Project Characteristics
Projects are complex
Projects call on various planning and implementation skills
They involve various partners and players
Projects are collective
Projects are the product of collective endeavors.
They involve teamwork and various partners and cater for the needs of
others.
Projects are unique
Projects stem from new ideas.
They provide a specific response to a need (problem) in a specific
context.
They are innovative.
Project Characteristics
Projects are an adventure
Every project is different and ground-breaking
They always involve some uncertainty and risk.
Projects can be assessed
Projects are planned and broken down into measurable aims, which must
be open to evaluation
Projects are made up of stages
Projects have distinct, identifiable stages (figure in next slide)
Project Characteristics

Various stages of a project