What are the distinguishing features of projects Essay

What are the distinguishing features of projects - Essay Example Project management is management of creation, be it a new facility or improvement of the existing one, across the human need spectrum. It is a deliberate response of an individual or an organization to meet a requirement or need in planned manner. It has a planned start and planned finish dates with a set of resources deployed. The key to management of projects is like other management, managing the required inputs and resources optimally to add value. Project management is associated more with the developmental part of activities of organizations or societies rather than maintenance aspect.There is an interesting history of evolution of the discipline Project Management. "Project management was not used as an isolated concept before the Sputnik crisis of the Cold War. After this crisis, the United States Department of Defense needed to speed up the military project process and new tools (models) for achieving this goal were invented. In 1958 they invented the Program Evaluation and Review Technique or PERT, as part of the Polaris missile submarine program. At the same time, the DuPont corporation invented a similar model called CPM, critical path method. PERT was later extended with a work breakdown structure or WBS. The process flow and structure of the military undertakings quickly spread into many private enterprises"(www.bambooweb.com/articles)Till recently project management used to be referred to management of time, cost, quality, scope and resources associated with large size capital projects. But in the era of discontinuous change the essence of project managed has got integrated to routine working of the organizations in the form of improvement projects carried out by cross functional teams. This instrument is able to create higher level of energy and synergy among the team and challenging goals are achieved. What are the different types of projects There are various ways to classification of projects based on the output of the project, industry sector, geographical location etc but the classification of projects based on outcomes i.e. product of project management process is the commonly applied classification such as software project, building project, process improvement project etc. What are the keys to success in project management Project management is no longer limited to huge capital projects but it is becoming a way of life in organizations and priority goals are being achieved through improvement projects under various terminologies viz. six sigma breakthrough projects, cross functional teams around a project, Quality improvement projects etc. Looking carefully around the trends in organizations, following factors may be considered as key elements of successful project management: KM concepts in project management: A project can be broken down into many elements like sub projects, processes, activities, and performance of individuals, learning from both success and failure. Information/knowledge stored under different headings will go a long way in creating higher success rate. The Community of Practice concept deployed among the people engaged in project management will facilitate knowledge sharing and bonding leading to better performance with time. Focus on Thinking: Thinking is basically searching for something beyond existing and projects are having many facets, which need solution beyond existing ones. A culture of individual or shared thinking may result in beneficial result as compared to an approach where project management is synonymous with actions at breakneck speed. Leadership: Leadership has a more crucial role to play in project management than in routine jobs, as challenges are more formidable needing those extra energy levels from the team to make it extraordinary efforts. The essence of leadership i.e. influence on fellow human beings is needed. Thus the selection of project manager is crucial for the project success. Investment in planning: In the planning vs execution, planning aspect has to