Philosophies, Philosophies
Project management, Tools & Technologies
& Tools
Project Attributes &
Characteristics
Dr Myriam Mallet
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
Session Aims
Review of what a project is
Discuss characteristics of
contemporary project management
Identify projects characteristics /
attributes
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
What is a project? (review from practical)
Sequence of interconnected activities
Complex / simple projects / activities
One goal but big projects can be divided in
smaller interdependent projects
Do not confuse ‘
Project’ with ‘Business as Usual’
Projects are finite: beginning / end
Project budget is linked to resources needed
Project specifications (from no change to ….
a lot of changes)
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
ACCORDING TO YOU WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF
CONTEMPORARY PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
Contemporary Project Environments
Modern project environments are characterised by
Need for speed to completion
Ability to change and adapt to new
requirements
Need to keep costs at their lowest
Need to efficiently utilise scarce resources
Increasing complexity of needs and solutions
Increasing degrees of uncertainty
Variety of influencing factors
e.g. eco-friendliness, economy, competition
...which indicates the potential for change is high
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
Contemporary Project management
Is an evolving field
Example of Research in the field at
the moment
https://www.apm.org.uk/blog/a-surprise-factor-diversity-as-a-condition-for-project-success/
project-management-dynamic-collaborative-social-practice.pdf (pmi.org)
Look at latest publications to stay up
to date with what is going on in the
field
Ideas for MSc dissertation or PhDs? 6
Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
CHARACTERISING PROJECTS
What are the key attributes of a project?
What makes one project different from
another?
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
Think of the following terms for a project
Time
Cost
Resources
Scope
Quality
Risk
These factors describe or characterise a project
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
“IRON TRIANGLE”
risk The Scope Triangle is a
system in balance.
The lengths of the three
time cost sides exactly bound scope
scope and quality.
quality Change in the variables
will cause the system to be
out of balance.
resources
These factors describe or characterise a project
They are interdependent... a change in one has
consequences for others.
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
Applying the Scope Triangle
The scope triangle can be used:
To build a problem resolution
strategy by prioritizing importance
of characteristics
To assess scope change impact
analysis
Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
Managing Project Change
“... critical component of an effective project
management methodology is the scope
management process.”
Wysocki op.cit.
Critical 1 2 3 4 Flexible 5
Scope X
Quality X
Time X
Cost X
Resource Availability X
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
Types of Creep
Things that happen during project execution
SCOPE Any change in the project not in the original plan.
Project team member (s) falls behind schedule but reports is
HOPE on schedule – hoping to recover
Project team member is working but not making as much
EFFORT progress as planned
Project team members arbitrarily add features and functions
FEATURE to deliverables they think client will like
Needs proper change management
The only constant is change!
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Philosophies, Tools & Techniques
Managing Project Change
Projects do not run smoothly and are
prone to change
Analysis of change requests must be
documented
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
Example Projects
Application | Software Development
Communications Network Installation
Updating Corporate Procedures
Business Process Re-engineering
Civil Engineering Works
road building
building a reservoir
building a bridge
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Philosophies,
Project management, Tools & Techniques
Philosophies & Tools
Project Types
Big questions
Should projects be classified?
Does project type matter in
terms of managing a project?
How would you classify | type
projects?
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