We covered in the previous
post, project management isn't something done, just for fun and it
actually has a very important purpose. I'm sure by now you
understand what this purpose is. If not, then I'll remind you; it
is to avoid project failures through careful planning.
Just so you understand, it
doesn't necessarily mean that a planned out and managed project will definitely
be successful, there's always an element of risk in any project and we can never
foresee everything that can cause failure within a project. However, through
the necessary skills and planning techniques learned in project management
we can try to overcome and avoid failure.
If you search online
for failed projects, you'll see tons of these examples. Take a look
at some in the link below:
So, can
project management help our projects succeed? Of course! but in order to understand this,
we need to understand the question below.
What does project management involve?
Project management can involve a whole load of activities, these
are covered thoroughly in the PMBoK Guide for your reference. However, I'll
touch upon three of the important activities I myself have learned
and feel are a backbone to planning.
The first activity and most important of them to me is the 'defining of objectives' activity.
This is important because I believe that if the objective is defined and
specific, then it's easier to achieve a specific desired outcome. When it's general,
then it's harder to measure your success accurately.
The second activity that plays an important role in a projects success, is the 'development of budgets and estimating
costs'. This activity is
very important as the organisation, will most likely have hired you to save
them some money while you execute their project. Not planning for a budget
beforehand can get you in a very tricky situation (a lot trickier than that
trip of yours).
The third activity that is
important and I feel an organisation will be very keen on defining, is the 'time to completion'. This is because each important
stages of the project will need to fall on the given dates and the organisation will need to identify whether the progress is being met.
These are some of the activities undertaken in project management;
please refer back to the PMBOK Guide for a more extensive list.
Like usual, feel free to leave a comment or suggestion.
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