Getting Started With Project Management: A Beginners Guide.📝
Hello! I am Debbie and welcome to my world of Project Management.
If you’re reading this right now, you must be interested in finding out what Project Management is all about. Join me, as I take you through this journey.
Don’t worry, it won’t take much of your time, you just need a few things😉; A glass of wine, a pen, a Jotter and your attention.
Super easy right? Let’s roll🚀
What Is A Project?
A project is a unique endeavor, and usually includes a set of unique deliverables.
According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), the term Project refers to ” any temporary endeavor with a definite beginning and end”.
A project is a set of tasks that must be completed in order to arrive at a particular goal or outcome.
Projects have the following characteristics:
- A clear start and end date.
- A project has boundaries.
- A project creates something new.
Examples Of A Project:
- Construction
- Developing a new software.
- Installation of machinery in a factory
- Developing a website. Etc.
Activities that are not temporary and not unique cannot be considered a project.
For example:
Constructing a new Factory is a project. But building 50 items everyday in that factory is not considered a project but an operation. Operations are day to day activities carried out.
So, now that we have understood what a project is, we need to ask ourselves the next big question🤔
What Is Project Management?
Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to meet the project requirements and achieve the desired outcome.
It is valuable to Business because it helps ensure that a project delivers that expected outcomes.
Now, we’ve known what a project is and what project management means. But, what exactly is the importance of project management?🤔
⏸️Take a little moment to think about it, why would I need project management skills or knowledge in my company/organization/business?
I bet you thought of a few reasons right?😉▶️
The importance of project management in organizations can’t be overstated. When it’s done right.📌
Project management help teams organize, track, and execute work within a project. Think of a project as a collection of tasks to accomplish a specific goal. Project management can help your team plan, manage, and execute your work to meet your project’s requirements on time.
It helps every part of the business run more smoothly. It allows your team to focus on the work that matters, free from the distractions caused by tasks going off track or budgets spinning out of control.
The main objective of project management is to achieve project goals and targets while keeping in mind the project scope, time, quality, and cost. It facilitates the project workflow with team collaboration on a single project.
Okay, hold up! Let’s do a little recap before we continue on our journey. Don’t worry, we’re almost at our destination.😁
So far, we have been able to go through what a project is, and we got to see that a project must have a defined start and end date. We also got to know what project management is, we learned that it’s the application of knowledge and skills to meet the project requirements and achieve it’s goal. We also went further to answer the “Why" Question on Project Management.
As we approach our final destination, we would be getting to know the Project Management life cycle. How does this project management work? What are the processes involved?✅
The Project Management Life Cycle is made up of 4 stages;
- Initiate The Project: Here we define project goals, determine the resources, people and other project details and get project approval.
- Make A Plan: Here we create a budget, set the schedule, establish a team, determine each role and responsibilities, plan for risk and change and establish communication.
- Execute And Complete Tasks: Here we manage the progress of the project, communicate, and make adjustments.
- Close The Project: Here we ensure that all tasks have been completed, confirm acceptance of the project outcome, reflect on the lesson learned, communicate results with stakeholders, celebrate completing the project, and finally formally move on from the project.
Easy-peasy right?😉
Well, these are just the basis, project management is quite broad. But don’t fret, it’s very interesting and exciting to learn.
Okay, so we’ve come to the end of our journey! Hope you enjoyed the ride.😊
Thank you so much for joining me on this short journey, I hope you’ve been able to understand what project management is all about and its importance.
P.S.: If you have any questions or contributions, please feel free to let me know. You can drop a note here on this article. Thank you so much.
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