LECTURE NOTES ON PROJECT MANAGEMENT

CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Overview of a project

A project is any sort of planned undertaking or it’s a temporal endeavour undertaken to create a unique

product, services or result. The temporary nature of projects indicates a definite start and an end.

The end is reached when the projects objectives have been met or when the project is terminated because

its set objectives will not or cannot be me or when the need for the project no longer exists. However, a

project may also be defined as a means of moving from a problem to a solution via a series of planned

activities. Thus a project is being managed by a project manager.

Because of the diverse definition of what project is and in understanding the aspects of project

management, it is important to determine whether what you are dealing with is in fact a project. Confusing

projects with ongoing operations happens often and it’s therefore important to understand how to

define a project and know its characteristics.

Characteristics of a project

The characteristics of a project are stated below:

 They are temporary in nature

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  They have a definite start and end dates

 They produce a unique product, service or results that did not exist.

Project examples

Everyone have been involved in projects, whether they be our personal projects or in business

and industry. Examples of typical projects are for example:

 Personal projects: obtain an HND, write a midterm report/final year research/project,

plan a wedding, plant a garden, build a house extension, organize a party, etc

 Industrial projects: construct a bridge, provide an electricity supply to an industrial

estate, build a motorway, design a new car, etc

 Business projects: develop a new course, develop a computer system, introduce a new

product, prepare an annual report, set up a new office etc

Operations

Operations are ongoing and repetitive, involving work that is continuous and without and end date.

Often operations involve repeating the same processes and producing the same results. The purpose of

operations is to keep an organization functioning.

However, in order to determine if an activity is a project or ongoing operation, it passes through the

following test to make the determination by answering a YES or NO to the following questions:

 Is it unique?

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  Does the activity have a limited time frame?

 Is there a way to determine stakeholder satisfaction?

If you answer ‘YES’ to each question, then it is a project

Exercise: Bring out the differences between a project and an operation.

Classification of a project

Generally projects are classified into simple and complex. The classification is based on factors such

as time, scope and time. Projects can be of any size and duration. They can be simple, like planning a

party, or complex like building a ship.

Stakeholders

A stakeholder is a person, group or organization that has interest or concern in an organization (project,

entity etc). Such interest could be negative or positive. Stakeholders can affect or be affected by the

organization’s actions, objectives and policies. Some examples of key stakeholders are creditors,

directors, employees, government, owners (shareholders), competitors, suppliers, unions and the

community from which the business draws its resources.

The following are characteristics of stakeholders:

 They are individuals or organizations with a vested interest in the project

 They are actively involved with the work of project

 They have something to either gain or lose as a result of the project.

Overview of project management

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Project management has been looked upon as a theoretical and practical course from different point

of views in attempt to provide a concise definition. But according to the project management Body

of Knowledge, 4 th Edition (PMBOK Guide), project management is the application of skills, tools and

techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

In other words it refers to the planning and controlling of events that together comprise a project. It

requires the use of techniques and skills in planning and controlling tasks and resources needed for a

project, from both inside and outside of organisation. Project management is aimed at ensuring the

effective use of resources to achieve project objectives on time and within cost constraints.

Project managers are individuals responsible for managing the project processes and applying the tools

and techniques used to carry out the project activities. It is therefore the responsibility of the project

manager to ensure that project management techniques are applied and followed.

Project management is accomplished through appropriate application of the 5 processes i.e.

initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closure

Project management itself can exist beyond the management of a single project. In some

organizations, programs and portfolios are also managed.

Programs

Programs are groups of related projects that are managed using the same techniques in a coordinated

fashion allowing them to capitalize on benefits that would not be achievable if the projects were managed

separately. They have similar or the same goals to be achieved. Each sub project within the program has

its own project manager who reports to the program manager

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Portfolios

Portfolios are collections of programs and projects that support specific business goal or objectives.

Other programs and projects could be within this portfolio as well and are not necessarily related to

one another in a direct way. However, the overall objective of any program or project in this portfolio

is to meet the strategic objectives of the portfolio, which in turn should meet the objectives of

organization as a whole. Note that portfolio management is generally performed by a senior manager

who has significant experience in both project and program management.

Project management office (PMO)

The PMO is a centralized organizational unit that oversees the management of projects and programs

throughout the organization. The PMO is responsible for the following:

 Managing the objectives of a collective set of projects

 Managing resources across the project

 Managing interdepencies of al the project within the PMO’s authority

 Maintaining and archiving project documentation for future reference

 Measuring project performance of active projects and suggesting corrective actions

 Evaluating completed projects for their adherence to the project plan

 Suggesting corrective actions pertaining to projects and programs as needed.

Properties of a successful project:

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A successful project is one which:

 Has been finished on time,

 Has been finished within its budget and

 Has been performed to a technical/performance standard which satisfies the end users.

Activity/WORK:

Think of a problem in your community/village/neighbourhood that affects more than 80% of the

people. Begin the processes of designing a project to address that problem by;

1. Proposing a topic for the project,

2. Setting an objective(s) for the issue (SMART)

Functions of a Project Manager

To succeed in its role, a project manager must do following:

1. Activity Planning and Sequencing (time, scope, resources, cost): must thoroughly plan and

organize all aspects of the project, soliciting the active involvement of all stakeholders

2. Monitor and control: the PM has to monitor and control the organization of manpower and resources

needed by the project.

3. Manage the basic technical definition of the project, ensuring that "technical" versus "cost" trade-offs

determine the specific areas where optimisation is necessary. This is the overall standard by which

performance of the project manager is evaluated.

4. Lead the people assigned to the project at any given point in time. Strong positive leadership must

be exercised in order to keep the many personnel moving in the same direction in a co- operative

manner.

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5. Reporting progress: must monitor the implementation of project activities, exercising judgement

and good leadership. Progress must also be communicated to stakeholders for necessary corrective

actions.

6. Risk analysis and management: the manager must forecast accurately and manages all the risk

associated with the project to ensure its timely completion

7. Controlling Quality: above all, the PM ensures that qualities are met as specified in the project

document.

8. Project evaluation and closure: the project manager is responsible for the post project evaluation

and closure of a project. Remember we said a project has a definite start and end time. When it is

ended, the manager closes all the accounts.

In today’s society, project management means more than ensuring that a set of activities is completed

on time. Project managers also have to do with issues arising that are critical to the success of the

project such as motivating people, resolving conflicts, management of budget etc.

Why do projects go wrong? /constraints on project completion

Sometimes the planning process involved in project implementation and management does not really

help as the reality on the ground often deviate significantly from the paper plans. There can be

many reasons to justify this statement and the most common ones can be summarized as follows:

 Vaque project goals and objectives (not clearly defined-lacking the SMART principles).

Not understanding the project by the manager

 Short time scale

 Delay in resource availability/insufficient resources

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  Deployment of low quality factors of production (capital, land, ...)

 Poor quality human factors (less qualified, less skilled, ...)

 Technical challenges arising from project stakeholders in the form of collaboration,

commitment,

 Lack of sufficient and clear legal framework/backing

 No risk mitigation/management

 Poor communication

 Poor/bad weather condition

 Failing to Get Everyone on the Team Behind the Project

 Projects may be highly complex and may have a number of objectives that conflict each

other

What to do when project is not moving

Experienced managers must attest to the fact that from time to time projects experience significant

difficulties. Despite all the planning, it is never possible to predict all the eventualities and therefore

foreseeing all risks in advance. Projects are by nature more risky than other business activities. It

is always useful to apply a few techniques to help in such situations.

1. Show leadership

This is something that is hard to explain in terms of action. When things go wrong there are plenty

of nerves in the project team. Project team members often struggle to think beyond their immediate

problem as senior executives get worried about contractual obligations. Showing leadership in this

context is to ensure this uncertainty does not spread into panic. Thus the project

manager must lead a clear course; and stopping any blame game.
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2. Avoid spending more resource

A common reaction for most managers in struggling project is to put more resources in it. If the project

is of high visibility and management is not able to provide subject matter expertise, they will feel they

need to contribute somehow to correct it. Managers have to be careful because “more cooks do not

equate to a better dish”. You may need to do some mentoring for project team members or even

yourself.

3. Avoid pretending; face the fact;

There is a temptation to play things down as they start going wrong to avoid creating panic. It is more

important to be transparent about a project. Late surprises may compromise integrity of the project

manager like no other. While your stakeholders are likely to be upset with you, it will get you more

respect in the long run. You need to be clear with communication internally.

4. Undertake review

Very often when a troublesome project is completed, people are so pleased to close it, no learning

takes place. This is one the worst thing you can do as a project manager. You have to make sure that

such problems do not occur in the future by reviewing it. Wait for a reasonable period after project

closure to undertake review. While things are still bad, people are more likely to be defensive and

the value you get from the exercise will be limited. When you review, structure it so everyone has the

ability to come forward with what they could have done better. The aim of this exercise is to avoid

a repeat, not to be punitive.

5. Follow up

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Do not leave the review in a document and expect the next project to pick up on it. Use the information

from your review to recommend training plans. Present these to someone who can influence the

organization. After some time follow up on progress of the recommendations.

The project life cycle

This consists of the path followed by a project from start to finish. It involves the various stages through

which a project passes from conception/initiation to completion and closure. It may vary from few days

to several years depending on the type of project and the complexity involved in it. E.g. while giant

engineering project such as ship building may last hundreds of years, a project to set up a family

garden may last for few days only.

The project life cycle model

Effort
Termination
Develop
proposed (Review and
solution documentation)
Need identification
(planning)
(Initiation phase)
Implementation

(M&E, control)

time

The first phase of a project life cycle involves the identification of need, a problem or an

opportunity and can result in a stakeholder requesting a proposal from individuals, project team

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or organization to address the identified need or to solve the problem. This is always presented in a

document called Request for proposal (RFP).

 Develop a Business Case (transforming problem into project idea)

 Undertake a Feasibility Study-a technical study that defines exactly what, how, how

much, timing, etc necessary to realize the business case

 Establish the Project Charter (framework)

 Set up the Project Office

 Appoint the Project Team

 Perform Phase Review

The second phase in the project lifecycle is the development of a proposed solution to the problem

or identified need. This phase results in the submission of a full project proposal to the sponsor. Project

owners may spend several weeks/months developing approaches on how to solve the problem

identified in stage 1 above. This stage is never complete without answering the “how”, “how much (cost)”

and the “time elements” necessary for addressing the problem. Given the tight competition for funding

in the market, not all proposals are always selected. The sponsor will normally identify the best

proposal on scientific basis and economic merit.

 Create a Project Plan (technical plan)

 Create a Resource Plan (material+HR need)

 Create a Financial Plan

 Create a Quality Plan

 Create a Risk Plan

 Create an Acceptance Plan

 Create a Procurement Plan

 Contract the Suppliers

 Define the Tender Process

 Issue a Statement of Work

 Issue a Request for Information

 Issue a Request for Proposal

 Perform Phase Review

The third phase is the implementation of the proposed solution. This stage which is also reffered to

as “performing the project” results in the accomplishment of the project goals, leaving the stakeholders

satisfied that the scope of work was completed in a quality way, within budget and on time. It

involves doing the detail planning for the project and implementing the plan to achieve the project

objectives. This phase is completed when the beneficiary is satisfied with the outcome of the project.

During the project implementation phase, lots of other activities take place such as project monitoring

and evaluation (audit), risk management, progress/performance management, amongst others.

 Build Deliverables

 Monitor and Control

 Perform Time Management

 Perform Cost Management

 Perform Quality Management

 Perform Change Management

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  Perform Risk Management

 Perform Procurement Management

 Perform Communications Management

The final phase is project termination. Certain close out activities are usually performed such as confirming

that all deliverables have been accomplished and accepted by the beneficiaries, all bills have been

paid, etc. An important aspect in this phase is to ensure that final project evaluation is conducted so

as to learn from past mistakes. This is to ensure that if similar projects were to come up in the future,

similar errors should not be made. It also involves obtaining feedback from beneficiary and project

team to get their level of satisfaction and whether it met their expectation.

 Perform Project Closure

 Review Project Completion

NB: We must admit that though this simplified model looks very realistic, not all projects go through

the four phases listed above and in that order. Some projects may skip one or two phases and some

may completely take on a different model. A group of people who decided to fund their own

project may jump into stage 3 directly (e.g digging a quarter road by simply planning and carrying it

out). This format is followed when a project is structured in a business setting and to meet a business

case.

Setting project goals and objectives

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Successful projects begin with a clear mission and vision. A project may encounter problems simply

because the objectives are not well stated. A project goal is a larger focus of a project while the

objectives narrow down the goal into more specific and achievable targets.

Project goals and objectives must follow the SMART criteria to increase the chances of success.

S-specific (Well defined) e.g. extension of pipe born water to 100 communities in mile 20

M-measurable e.g. Know if the goal is obtainable and how far away completion is; Know when it

has been achieved (at least over 1000 household to benefit (qti) or make at least majority of the people

happy (qli)

A-achievable (Agreed Upon): Agreement with all the stakeholders what the goals should be

R-realistic (within available resources, knowledge and time) must be founded)-don’t take what is

not applicable in a setting. Don’t say u want build ship yard in Bamenda.

T-enough time to do it (not too much; not too little) within time bound e.g. should be ready by the

31st of December 2016.

Any deviation from the “SMART” principles may cause projects to go wrong

S - Specific, significant, stretching

M - Measurable, meaningful, motivational

A - Agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented

R - Realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented

T - time-based, time-bound, timely, tangible, trackable

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To better understand project objectives, the project manager may ask his or herself the following key

questions;

 What is it that the project is set out to achieve or is being asked to achieve?

 Will the suggested activities contribute in achieving the objective?

 Have all the alternatives been considered and is the chosen option the best one available?

Once this is done, the manager can proceed now to prepare project overviews (project brief). The brief

takes into account the objectives set out and translating them into key targets and goals. Any key

constraints should also be identified and stated at this stage. This brief should be agreed by the

stakeholders and communicated to the project team.

One of the ways forward is to establish success criteria for the project. If you want the project to

succeed, then you have to know when you have succeeded.

Project success criteria

These are parameters put in place to judge whether a project has succeeded or will succeed or not.

They may be described as hard or soft.

Hard criteria are often the most obvious criteria that are tangible and measurable and can be expressed

in quantitative terms. They tend to pose the question "what?” that is "what should be achieved?" For

example, number of patients, number of floors completed, and volume of transactions processed or

the number of enquiries treated, meeting deadlines and budget requirement.

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The above criteria are relatively easy to establish and should also be quite easy to specify in a project

document.

Soft criteria are usually less obvious, but not necessarily less important. They are often intangible

and qualitative in nature. Consequently they may be difficult to measure. They would tend to ask

the question "how?" E.g. showing that the project team could work together effectively and without

a degree of conflict, presenting a positive image: this may also be important but obviously can be

difficult or impossible to quantify, etc.

CHAPTER TWO
PROJECT PROPOSAL
A proposed documented solution to a problem, an opportunity and stating clearly how such problems

will be resolved. A document showing what intends to be done within a project. It set out the

justification. It is mostly requested by sponsors but increasingly, unsolicited proposals are growing in

number.

Components parts of a project proposal

1. The project tile (most be captivating, localize, short and straight to the point. Maximum 10-

15 words)

2. The executive summary (maximum ¾ page summary of key elements of the project)

3. Project introduction (must be carefully situated within historical, environmental, socio-

cultural, geographical, location, etc)

4. Statement of problem and justification (what is at stake that need attention?)

5. Project goal and objectives (what do we want to do?)

7. Project time frame (work plan)

8. The logical framework

9. Project personnel

10. Justification for other project resources (movables and non movables)

11. Proposed budget (based on activity)

12. Expected results (what do we want to achieve?)

13. Expected outcome (how will output solve the problem?)

14. Sources of finance/potential sponsors

15. Risk management plan

16. Monitoring and evaluation framework

17. Project beneficiaries

18. Sustainability plan

19. Communication plan (reporting and information dissemination)

20. Conclusion

21. Appendix (Organigram, legal status, maps, conventions with stakeholders (local

population, chiefs, etc) etc may be attached to give more credit)

Types of Proposals

Preliminary proposals: This is also known as pre-proposals, or letter of intent, or expression of interest.

It may be requested by a sponsor to ascertain interest in a project. If the preliminary proposal makes

a financial, space, or cost-sharing commitment, the full proposal may be requested by the sponsor.

This saves time by screening proposals that do not fall within scope

and priority.
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New proposals are submitted for initial funding of a project. It can either unsolicited or solicited.

Unsolicited proposals are client initiated projects submitted to a sponsor but not in response to a specific

call for proposal. The area of activity should be of interest to the sponsor. Some new proposals are

submitted for competitive review by the sponsor and peer review and may be announced though an RFP

(Request for Proposal), RFQ (Request for Quotation), RFA (Request for Application), Funding

Opportunity Announcement (FOA), or a Program Announcement (PA). Proposals submitted in

response to these specific work statements may contain specific terms and conditions and formatting

requirements.

Continuation proposals/funding are non-competing progress reports required to continue support

for a subsequent budget period within an approved project.

Renewal proposals: an approved project may not be implemented because of rising threat to its

implementation of technical difficulties on the ground. Once these threats are completely dealt with,

the client may request the funding body to renew the proposal and allow for continuation of the

project. Renewal applications are subject to the same sponsor review criteria as new proposals.

Revised proposals: they are resubmitted in response to an indication by the sponsor that a project

may be funded, but with the stipulation that specific changes in the proposal must be made. The

revised proposal should carefully follow the sponsor instructions with respect to the identification of

changes made in response to the reviews of the original proposal.

Supplemental proposals request additional support of a funded project (things left out or emerging

to help realize the objective).

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Consortium/Joint Proposals and Subcontracts these are submissions or project that involves more

than one organization. In general, one institution will be designated as the lead at the time of

proposal submission. The lead institution accepts full funding and responsibility for the performance of

the project from the sponsor. Sub award agreements are then negotiated to transfer part of the

work and appropriate funds to the other participating institutions. Generally, all conditions imposed

by the sponsor on the lead institution are also imposed on the subcontractor(s).

Type of Project Product of Project (Examples)

1. Administrative installing a new accounting system

2. Construction a building or road

3. Computer Software Development a new computer program

4. Design of Plans architectural or engineering plans

6. Event or Relocation Olympiads or a move into a new building

7. Maintenance of Process Industries petro-chemical plant or electric generating station

8. New Product Development a new drug or aerospace/defense product

9. Research a feasibility study or investigating a chemical

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