Project Management Basics

This section reviews a few of the basic building blocks for the other sections of the toolkit.

Project = defined objective with a start and a finish Project Management = application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to carry out a project Project Manager = person who oversees the full project lifecycle

Project must have a defined objective (product, service, result) with a start and a finish (not ongoing work, not portfolio management or program management). Project Manager oversees the project lifecycle (planning, scheduling, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing). There should only be one project manager per project (vs. teams, functional or operations manager). PM characteristics: knowledgeable, performance-driven, and personable. Project Phases: Initiation, Planning, Implementation, and Closing Triple constraint: Scope, Time, and Cost; also consider Quality and Risk

Project Management provides a framework and best practices (PMBOK)

Example: Formula breaks down work into simpler ta

Three-Point Estimate = Simple formula to estimate time Determine: -optimistic value, D(o) -pessimistic value, D(p) -realistic value, D(r) Then: Duration = (D(o) + 4D(r) + D(p)) / 6

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