Transcript The roots of project management

Project Management
John Potter
Plymouth Business School
University of Plymouth
The quality, cost, time triangle
• Projects usually have three main areas of
objectives
•Function, performance, specification and quality
•Containment of expenditure within budget
•Timescale
•We term this the quality, cost and time triangle.
The organisational context of the project
• As well as the internal objectives of the project a
number of organisational issues are relevant
•Organisational politics often come into play
•Individuals may have their own agendas with
regards to the success or failure of the project
•Commercial pressures, competition and advances
in technology may have an impact on the project
and how it is organised
•Other factors such as environment issues may
impact on the project
•Interactions between the major stakeholders in the
project may have an impact.
Where project management started in
earnest – the PERT approach
•Program evaluation and review technique
•Identify activities needed to be undertaken
•Assign estimated timescales
•Identify milestones by which each activity is to be
completed
•Identify which activities can be undertaken in
parallel
•Consider resourcing issues which may mean the
project may take longer but use less people and
resources at any one time
•Identify the critical path, that is the minimum time
needed for completion of the project.
Introducing the Gantt Chart
• One of the simplest ways of creating a project plan is the
Gantt Chart.
•The Gantt Chart is a simple bar chart showing the activities
and their relationship
•Take the following seven activities involved in building a
wooden storehouse from a construction kit
•Collect brochures
•Visit suppliers and compare products
•Construct concrete base
•Accept delivery
•Assemble tools required
•Construct building according to plans
•Paint building
•Fit out the inside with shelves and electrical power.
Simple Gantt Chart for the previous
slide
Week number
Activity
1
2
3
4
5
Days of the month
Collect
brochures
Visit
suppliers
Construct
base
Delivery
process
Assemble
tools
Construct
building
Paint
Fit out
interior
6
7
8





We have a ready made tool to create Gantt Charts
with Excel in Microsoft
A Google search of ‘Gantt Charts in Excel’ will reveal
many references – here are three excellent ones
office.microsoft.com/.../excel.../create-a-gantt-chartin-excel-HA001034605. aspx
www.brighthub.com/office/project-management
www.projectsmart.co.uk/creating-a-gantt-chartusing-excel.html
Applying the core leadership
capabilities to project management
• We can identify ten core leadership capabilities for
effective project management
•Setting direction
•Setting an example
•Communicating effectively
•Bringing out the best in people
•Delivering results on time
•Self awareness of the effect you have on your team
•Creating emotional alignment
•Handling crises
•Accommodating change
•Handling uncertainty and ambiguity
The practical impact of leadership
style
• There are many ways we can describe leadership
style
•Communication process is one such approach
•Autocratic
•Democratic
•Laissez-faire or covert
•The mixture of task related behaviour and
relationship related behaviour
•Whether your emphasis is on achieving the task,
building a team or working with individuals.
Emotionally intelligent project
leadership
•In recent times the importance of emotionally
intelligent leadership has been recognised
•Emotionally intelligent leaders understand their
own emotions, manage their emotions, understand
others’ emotions and build good working
relationships.
•In operational settings five styles of leadership tend
to be observed
•The most effective are vision based, coaching,
promoting cross functional working and inclusion or
democratic
•The least effective are coercive and pace-setting.
References
Examples:
Daft, R.L (2008) Leadership. Cengage
Goleman, D. (1998) What Makes a Leader? Harvard Business Review
Goleman, D. (2000) Leadership That Gets Results? Harvard Business Review
Tannenbaum ,R, & Schmidt , W.H. (1973) How to Choose a Leadership Pattern. Harvard
Business Review
Adair, J . (1983) Effective Leadership. Gower Publishing: England
Create a Gantt chart in Excel. Available at:
www.office.microsoft.com/.../excel.../create-a-gantt-chart-in-excel-HA001034605.aspx
How to Create a Gannt Chart Using Microsoft Excel. Available at:
www.projectsmart.co.uk/creating-a-gantt-chart-using-excel.html
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Author
John Potter
Institute
University of Plymouth
Title
handing over the project, close down and knowledge capture
Date Created
10/06/2011
Educational Level
Level 5
Learning from WOeRK Work Based Learning WBL Continuous
Professional Development CPD leadership and management UKOER
LFWOER
Keywords
Text for audio commentary
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