Project management is the process of managing a project, which is the whole process of the project from start to finish.
A project can be a work activity to develop a product, an event to organize, or a process to improve. In this context, project management is a set of practices that define and manage a project.
Project management can be a part of the larger subject of management, which is the process of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling resources.
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The Project Management Process
A project is any task or series of tasks that are conducted to produce a deliverable or goal. The project manager oversees the completion of the project, from start to finish.
Project management consists of five major steps:
Planning
Planning is the first step in managing a project. It includes identifying what you need to do and when, performing an analysis of the problem, developing a plan to solve it.
It also includes writing a statement of work defining who will do it. Sometimes, planning involves preparing a project definition document and a project scope statement.
These documents communicate the details of the project to team members and management. They define what the project is supposed to accomplish and how much it will cost.
It should also include a description of any work that is not part of the project, including any work that has been left out because it’s not part of the scope definition.
Implementation
Implementation involves executing a plan. This means doing all of the required work, following steps in a procedure or process, and using resources as planned.
It may involve obtaining resources, such as equipment or people, and managing those resources throughout the life of the project. This can also include monitoring and controlling costs, evaluating performance against expectations, and managing risks.
Control
Control is ensuring that a project is proceeding according to plan by taking corrective actions if necessary. It may also involve verifying that work is progressing according to plans.
Control involves monitoring progress toward key milestones. Then, measuring performance against plans, quality standards, and other performance criteria throughout a project’s life cycle.
This step is critical because it addresses issues such as non-conforming materials or products that must be returned to suppliers. This step also identifies problems with vendors delivering defective material on time.
In fact, it is critical to achieving successful outcomes for projects. For one reason, it improves communication between parties in a project.
Communicating allows them to provide feedback on progress and identify issues before they become serious problems. It also helps managers adjust their expectations for how well a project should go compared with how well it actually is.
So, it helps managers make decisions about whether they need to do corrective action or adjust the plan. So, they can still meet deadlines without sacrificing quality or other objectives for a project
Conclusion
This step includes finalizing all documentation for a project after it has been completed. This will ensure reliable documentation exists going forward as well. So, projects don’t run into problems later from inadequate documentation.