1. Essentials of Project
Management
A Presentation To OTCTC 3/17/06
By Dan Reke, PMP,
MSPM Orange Belt

2. Presentation Scope
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What is a “project”?
What does it mean to “manage” a project?
Project Management Processes/Phases
Project Managers
– Skills
– Organization
– Training
– Certification
– Employment Market

3. What Is A Project?
• Let’s Play “Is this a Project?”

4. Cleaning My Garage
Every year (almost), I:
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Check the weather.
Pull everything out of my garage.
Sweep out the cobwebs.
Clean off the foundation
Sweep the floors.
Scrub the floors.
Let the floors dry.
Wash off the things that go on the shelves
Put everything back in the garage.
• Is that a “project”?
• Why?

5. Painting and Degreasing My Garage
• Two years ago, I decided that I should:
– Paint the inside of my garage, and
– Clean the gunk of the floor with a solvent called “Goof Off”.
• I couldn’t just pull everything out, because this would
take several days.
• So I had to plan out several steps to:
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Move things from one area of the garage to another,
Paint the walls,
Clean the floors with a solvent.
Move things to another area of the garage.
Etc.
• Was that a project?
• Was I managing a project?

6. Remodeling
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We are replacing flooring and remodeling our guest bathroom before our son’s
graduation:
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We did some refinancing for the funds.
We shopped (and shopped and shopped) for carpet and floor tile.
We placed an order for carpet and floor tile.
We requested a proposal/quote from a local contractor for repairing the bath/shower.
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The flooring store’s subcontractors will install the tile.
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It was too expensive, so we decided to be our own general contractor.
We ordered wall tile from a store that would also install it.
We ordered faucets for the tub and shower from a home improvement center.
We contracted with a plumber to install the new valve.
We scheduled the plumber to come the day before the wall tile was installed.
We removed the old wall tile before the plumber came.
He put in the new valve.
The tile contractor tiled the wall.
I finished the faucets.
Added: Replace cabinets.
Coordinated with cabinet installation.
The flooring store will install the new carpet.
We are coordinating the packing up of rooms for carpet installtion with painting.
Is that a project?
Are we project managing? Why?

7. Answer Key
• Cleaning the garage was not a project
because we do it repeatedly – it’s not
unique.
• Painting and degreasing the garage could
be called a project, but we didn’t
management it as a project.

8. Answer Key Continued
• The remodeling is a project and we had to
manage it as a project because:
– It is expensive and we have limited resources,
just like your organization.
– We have a limit on time.
– It involves several parties whose work had to
be coordinated.
– There are objectives we want to achieve – i.e.
there was a scope requirement.

9. Definition of “Project”
• Work can either be classified as operations or
projects.
• Operations are ongoing and repetitive.
• Projects are temporary and unique.
• “…a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken
to create a unique product or service. Temporary
means that every project has a definite
beginning and a definite end. Unique means that
the product or service is different in some
distinguishing way from all similar products or
services.”
– From the PMBOK Guide

10. What is project management?
• “The process of bringing a project to fruition in
as effective a manner as possible.”
– From “Managing Projects in Organizations” by ESI.
• Project management almost always involves
cross-functional teams.
Scope
Cost
Time

11. Project Processes
Initiating
Planning
Executing
Controlling
Closing

12. Project Management Phases
• Selection [Develop new accounts payable
system]
• Analysis [What does the organization need the
new A/P system to do for it in broad terms? Customer Requirements Analysis]
• Definition [What exactly will the A/P System do
and how will it function? – GUI appearance,
business rules, logical database design]
• Design [How will the A/P System work in detail?
– What’s behind the GUIs? Program flows, what
DLL’s or executables will need to be
constructed, and what will they do.]

13. PM Phases Continued
• Construction [Do the programming, unit
testing, integration testing.]
• Testing/User Acceptance [Beta or
Acceptance Testing]
• Implementation [Put the system into
production.]
• Close out [Lessons Learned]

14. Project Management
Knowledge & Skills
• Knowledge of project life cycles
• Project selection
– Cost/Benefit Analysis
• Discounted cash flow analysis (NPV, IRR)
– Business Analysis
– Strategic Alignment
– Political Savvy

15. •
PM Skills Continued
Planning
– Scope Definition
– Work Breakdown structure (decompose tasks)
1
"Single Family House - Architect Design (3,000 square feet with full basement)"
1.1 General Conditions
1.1.1"Finalize plans and develop estimate with owner, architect"
1.1.2Sign contract and notice to proceed
1.1.3Apply for Permits
1.1.3.1 Secure foundation permit
1.1.3.2 Secure framing permit
1.1.3.3 Secure electrical permit
1.1.3.4 Secure plumbing permit
1.1.3.5 Secure HVAC permit
1.1.3.6 Secure miscellaneous permits
1.2 Site Work
1.2.1Clear and grub lot
1.2.2Install temporary power service
1.2.3Install underground utilities
1.3 Foundation
1.3.1Excavate for foundations
1.3.2Form basement walls
1.3.3Place concrete for foundations & basement walls
1.3.4Cure basement walls for 7 days
1.3.5Strip basement wall forms
1.3.6Waterproof/insulate basement walls
1.3.7Perform foundation inspection
1.3.8Backfill foundation

16. Planning Continued
– Human resource needs
– Time and cost estimating
– Scheduling
• Gantt Chart
• PERT/CPM

17. Gantt Charts

18. Critical Path Method (CPM)

19. CPM Continued
• CPM diagrams are seldom used, but they
are helpful for illustration and training.
• CPM concepts are used constantly.
– The critical path is the longest path.
– It determines the length of the project.
• They could be used even more
– Focus attention on critical path activities.

20. Scheduling
• Schedules are almost always essential.
– They help PMs to make sure that the required
resources are available at the right time.
– They help everyone focus on those tasks that
can cause the entire project to run over.
– They are useful in making decisions about
scope or quality changes.

21. Planning Skills Continued
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Microsoft Project Schedule ≠ Plan
Communications Planning
Contingency Planning
Risk Analysis

22. PM Skills & Knowledge Cont’d
• Leadership/People Skills
– Managing people without authority – See next
• Political Skills
– To get the needed resources and support.
• Both are needed because the project team
members seldom report directly to the
Project
• Ability to track details

23. PM Skills & Knowledge Cont’d
• Leadership/People Skills
– Managing people without authority
• Political Skills
– To get the needed resources and support.
• Both are needed because the project team
members seldom report directly to the
Project
• Ability to track details

24. PM Skills & Knowledge Cont’d
• Contracting
• Computing skills
– Project Specialists (coordinators) vs. Project
Managers
• Industry or discipline knowledge
– Some industries prefer to take people who
know the industry an make them into PM’s.
– E.g. Most construction PM’s are Civil
Engineers

25. Project Management Organizations
• In some organizations, project managers can be
found in many different departments, e.g.
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IT
Product Development
Engineering
Facilities Management
• In other organizations, the PMs are all grouped
together in a Project Management Office (PMO)
• Project Coordinators

26. Project Manager
Training and Certification
• Most often come from the field in which
they are working.
– Engineering degree.
– Construction Management.
– Software Development
• General education in a variety of areas:
– Business
– I/T
– Finance

27. PM Training & Certification Cont’d
• Additional Training in Project Management
• ESI International & George Washington
University have a Master’s Certificate in
Project Management
– Areas of specialization
– Many other organizations have similar
programs.

28. PM Training & Certification Cont’d
• Certification by the Project Management
Institute:
– Project Management Professional. (PMP)
– Requires passing a lengthy test and satisfying an
experience requirement.
• The questions are based on the PMBOK – Project
Management Book of Knowledge
• Heavy on phases and processes.
– Continuing education and applying for renewal are
needed for maintenance.
– There are several PMP Examination Preparation
Courses of about 20 hours/each.

29. PM Employment Market
• Department of Defense
• Information Technology Organizations
• Construction Companies
– Typically hired from the ranks of civil
engineers or people with muddy boots (i.e. job
site experience)
• Universities