M A H Sazzad Shikder ∗

Chapter# Project Management

Chapter Outline:

Project Definition
Distinction among project, program, task and work packages
Classification of project
Characteristics of project
Project Stakeholders
Project Management
Project management life cycle
Importance of project management
Challenges of project management
Critical characteristics of project management
Project Management Knowledge Areas
Project Management Tools and Techniques
7s framework for project management

Project

Project is defined as a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.

Distinction among project, program, task and work packages

Program refers to an exceptionally large, long-range objective that is broken down into a set of
projects.

These projects are divided further into tasks, which are, in turn, split into work packages that are
themselves composed of work units.

Classification of project
A. Based on the Type of Activity
Under this category projects can be classified as industrial projects and non-industrial
projects. Industrial projects are set up for the production of some goods. Projects like
health care projects, educational projects, irrigation projects, soil conservation
projects, pollution control projects, highway projects, water supply projects etc. come
under the category of non-industrial projects. Investments in non-industrial projects
are made by the Govt. and the benefits from such projects are enjoyed by the entire
society of people.
B. Based on the Location of the Project
Under this category projects can be classified as national projects and international
projects. National projects are those set up within the national boundaries of a
country, while international projects are set up in the other countries. International

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projects may be either projects set up by the Govt. or by the private sector. The
following are the major forms of international projects:
i) Setting up fully owned subsidiaries abroad
ii) setting up of joint ventures abroad
iii) Setting up of projects abroad by way of merger and acquisitions
C. Based on the Project Completion Time
Based on the constraints on project completion time, projects can be classified into
two types, viz; normal projects and crash projects. Normal projects are those for
which there is no constraint on time. Crash projects are those which are to be
completed within a stipulated time even at the cost of ending up with a higher project
cost. For example, construction of canal lining with the condition that the work
should be completed before the monsoon starts is a crash project.
D. Based on Ownership
Based on ownership, projects can be classified into private sector projects, public
sector projects and joint sector projects. A private sector project is one in which the
ownership is completely in the hands of the project promoters and investors. Profit
maximization is the prime objective of private sector projects since the investors
invest their money in such projects only with the sole idea of earning better returns.
Private sector projects are those that are owned by the state. The evolution and
growth of public sector enterprises is the natural consequences of the efforts of
Governments for undertaking developments in a country.
E. Based on Size
Projects can be classified based on the size into three categories, viz. small projects,
medium sized projects and large projects. The size is normally expressed in terms of
the amount of investment required.
F. Based on Need
Projects can be classified under the following groups, based on the need for project:
i) New Project
A new project idea is conceived and implemented to meet customer needs. The
whole concept of business can be viewed as under:
a) Finding a gap in terms of customer needs for goods and services.
b) Filling the gap
ii) Balancing Project
Projects in general have many production units that are linked with one another.
The flow of material through different production units shall be much that the
output of one production unit exactly matches the input requirement for the
subsequent production unit. If this is so, the efficiency of the production line will
be maximum and there will not be any under utilization of production capacity.
However, if the capacity of any particular production unit is less, then this

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particular production units sets the maximum limit of production possible for all
other units.
iii) Expansion Project
An expansion project is one that is aimed at increasing the plant capacity for the
current product range. Assume that a company is engaged in the production of
wrist watches and that the plant capacity is 50,000 of wrist watches per annum. If
the company, anticipating further growth in the market demand for wrist watches,
plans and implements a project for enhancing the plant capacity from the present
level of 50,000 of wrist watches per annum to 75,000 per annum the company is
said to embark upon an expansion project. Expansion of plant capacity can be
done in two ways, viz.
i) by establishing additional plant capacity
ii) by acquisition of another organization in same line of activity
iv) Modernization Project
Technological innovation is a continuous process. When a new technology is
evolved and becomes commercially operative, the existing technology becomes
obsolete. Any project is set up with the latest available technology. However, with
the passage of the time, in view of continuing technological upgradation, the
projects become obsolete in technology.
v) Replacement Project
Replacement project involves replacing some of the old machinery with new
machinery of the same capacity. Due to aging and wear and tear of machinery, the
maintenance cost starts mounting up and a stage will come when it will be no
more advantageous to keep the worn-out machinery in the production line in view
of abnormally high maintenance costs, poor quality of output, reduction in
capacity of output, break-down etc. hence a replacement project is implemented
to reduce the maintenance cost of old machinery and to keep the production going
without any obstruction so that delivery schedules are met in time.

Characteristics of project
i) Objectives
ii) Life Cycle
iii) Define Time Limit
iv) Uniqueness
v) team work
vi) Complexity
vii) Sub-contracting
viii) Risk and uncertainty
ix) Customer specific nature
x) Change

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xi) Responsive to environments

xii) Forecasting
xiii) Rational choice
xiv) Principal of Succession
xv) Optimality
xvi) Control Mechanism
xvii) Multidisciplinary
xviii) Conflicts
xix) Part of a large programme
Project Stakeholders

∗ Organizational stakeholders
● Executive officers
● Line managers
● Employees
● Unions

∗ Product/market stakeholders
● Customers
● Suppliers
● Local committees
● Governments (local, state, and federal)
● General public

∗ Capital market stakeholders

● Shareholders
● Creditors
● Banks

Project Management

In order to understand project management, one must begin with the definition of a project. A
project can be considered to be any series of activities and tasks that:

● Have a specific objective to be completed within certain specifications

● Have defined start and end dates
● Have funding limits (if applicable)
● Consume human and nonhuman resources (i.e., money, people, equipment)
● Are multifunctional (i.e., cut across several functional lines)

Project management can mean different things to different people. Quite often, people
misunderstand the concept because they have ongoing projects within their company and feel
that they are using project management to control these activities. In such a case, the following
might be considered an appropriate definition:

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Project management is the art of creating the illusion that any outcome is the result of a series of
predetermined, deliberate acts when, in fact, it was dumb luck.

Although this might be the way that some companies are running their projects, this is not
project management. Project management is designed to make better use of existing resources by
getting work to flow horizontally as well as vertically within the company. This approach does
not really destroy the vertical, bureaucratic flow of work but simply requires that line
organizations talk to one another horizontally so work will be accomplished more smoothly
throughout the organization. The vertical flow of work is still the responsibility of the line
managers. The horizontal flow of work is the responsibility of the project managers, and their
primary effort is to communicate and coordinate activities horizontally between the line
organizations.

The following would be an overview definition of project management:

Project management is the planning, organizing, directing, and controlling of company resources
for a relatively short-term objective that has been established to complete specific goals and
objectives. Furthermore, project management utilizes the systems approach to management by
having functional personnel (the vertical hierarchy) assigned to a specific project (the horizontal
hierarchy).

Functions or Skills Set in Project Management

Some researches has indicated that the following fifteen functions are essential for effective
project management which are listed below:

1. Define project scope

2. Identify stakeholders, decision makers and escalation procedures
3. Develop details of task list( Work-Break Down Structures - WBS)
4. Estimate time requirement
5. Develop initial project management flow chart
6. Identify required resources and budget
7. Evaluate project requirements
8. Identify and evaluate risk
9. Prepare contingency plans
10. Identify interdependencies
11. Identify and track critical milestones
12. Participate in project phase review
13. Assemble needed resources
14. Manage the change control process
15. Report project status

Project management life cycle

The Project Management Life Cycle has four phases: Initiation, Planning, Execution and
Closure. Each project life cycle phase is described below, along with the tasks needed to

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complete it. You can click the links provided, to view more detailed information on the project
management life cycle.

1. Project Initiation

Project Initiation is the first phase in the Project Life Cycle and essentially involves starting up
the project. You initiate a project by defining its purpose and scope, the justification for initiating
it and the solution to be implemented. You will also need to recruit a suitably skilled project
team, set up a Project Office and perform an end of Phase Review. The Project Initiation phase
involves the following six key steps:

a) Business Case

A Business Case justifies the start-up of a project. It includes a description of the business
problem or opportunity, the costs and benefits of each alternative solution, and the recommended
solution for approval.

This Business Case Template will help you build a Business Case for your project or
organization.

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By completing the sections included within this template, you can document the return on
investment for your solution, thereby creating a compelling Business Case for approval by your
sponsor.

It will help you identify the detailed benefits and costs of your solution, giving your sponsor
confidence that the solution recommended is the most viable solution available. This will help
you to gain approval of the business case and secure the funding you need, to get started.

b) Feasibility Study

A Project Feasibility Study is an exercise that involves documenting each of the potential
solutions to a particular business problem or opportunity. Feasibility Studies can be undertaken
by any type of business, project or team and they are a critical part of the Project Life Cycle.

This Feasibility Study Template will help you to conduct feasibility studies in your organization.

It takes you through the process of completing a Feasibility Study by defining the business
problem / opportunity, the alternative solutions available and the recommended solution for
implementation.

You can use this Feasibility Study sample to assess the feasibility of any type of solution, within
any type of business environment.

c) Project Charter

A Project Charter outlines the purpose of the project, the way the project will be structured and
how it will be successfully implemented. The Project Charter describes the project vision,
objectives, scope and deliverables, as well as the Stakeholders, roles and responsibilities. The
Project Charter is also known as a "Terms of Reference" or "Project Definition Report".

This Project Charter Template will help you to define the scope of your project.

Writing the Project Charter is typically one of the most challenging steps in the Project Life
Cycle, as it defines the parameters within which the project must be delivered.

It sets out the project vision, objectives, scope and implementation, thereby giving the team clear
boundaries within which the project must be delivered.

d) Project Job Description

A Project Job Description defines the objectives and responsibilities of a particular role on a
project. Completing a Job Description Template ensures the skills, experience and qualifications
needed to fulfill the role are clearly defined. A Job Description may also be referred to as a
"Position Description".

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This Project Manager Job Description template lists all of the responsibilities of a Project
Manager role within a project.

Although it has been completed for a Project Management role, you can use this template to
write a Job Description for any role within an organization.

Completing a Project Job Description is actually a time consuming and challenging task, as it
defines the targets for a role. It also defines how those targets are going to be measured and how
the performance of the role will be assessed. This template will help you to create Job
Descriptions for your organization, faster than ever before.

e) Project Office Checklist

The Project Office Checklist lists everything you need to do, to set up a Project Management
Office. A Project Management Office is the physical premises within which project staff (e.g. the
Project Manager and support staff) reside. The Project Office also contains the communications
infrastructure and technologies required to support the project. By using this 'Project Office
Checklist' you will ensure you have all of the tools needed to operate your Project Office today.

This Project Office checklist helps you to set up and run a Project Management Office (PMO)
within an organization.

It lists the roles, equipment, standards and processes needed to run a Project Management Office
today.

Establishing a Project Management Office is a challenging task. You need to put in place the
right PMO tools to support projects adequately and ensure project buy-in. This checklist helps
you do that, by listing each of the critical items needed to set up and run a Project Management
Office quickly and efficiently.

f) Project Review Form -Initiation Phase

A Project Review is an assessment of the status of a project, at a particular point in time. The
first time in the project life cycle that a project review is undertaken is at the end of the first
project phase, called "Initiation". During this project review, a decision is made as to whether or
not the team has met the objectives and is approved to proceed to the next project phase, being
the "Planning" phase. Performing a project management review at the end of each phase is
critical to the success of the project, because it allows the Project Sponsor to control the progress
of the project and make sure that it passes through each Project Phase smoothly.

This Project Review Form is completed at the end of the Initiation project phase to tell the
sponsor whether the project has achieved its objectives to date.

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First, a Project Management Review is conducted to measure the deliverables produced by the
project, then the results of the review are documented on this Project Review form which is
presented to the sponsor for approval.

Project Phase reviews are conducted at the end of the Initiation, Planning and Execution phases
within a project. This form helps you to complete a project review for the the 'Initiation' project
phase.

2. Project Planning

After defining the project and appointing the project team, you're ready to enter the detailed
Project Planning phase. This involves creating a suite of planning documents to help guide the
team throughout the project delivery. The Planning Phase involves completing the following 10
key steps:

a) Project Plan

A Project Plan sets out the phases, activities and tasks needed to deliver a project. The
timeframes required to deliver the project, along with the resources and milestones are also
shown in the Project Plan. Using this Project Plan Template, you can quickly and easily create a
comprehensive Project Management Plan for your project, as it already lists the commonly used
tasks needed to complete projects from start to finish.

This Project Plan Template will help you to quickly and easily create a Project Plan for your
project. You can use it to create your own customized project management plan for delivering
your project on time and under budget.

If you want to create a Project Plan for your project within a few easy steps, then this project
plan template will tell you how to do it.

Each project planning step is described in detail and is accompanied by a suite of practical tips
and hints.

b) Resource Plan

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A Resource Plan summarizes the level of resources needed to complete a project. A properly
documented Resource Plan will specify the exact quantities of labor, equipment and materials
needed to complete your project. This Resource Planning template also helps you gain approval
from your Sponsor, ensuring their buy-in.

This Project Resource Management Plan helps you to identify all of the resources required to
complete your project successfully.

Using this Resource Plan, you will be able to identify the quantity of labor, equipment and
materials needed to deliver your project.

You will then create a resource schedule, which enables you to plan the consumption of each
type of resource, so that you know that you will have enough resources to complete the project.

c) Financial Plan

A Financial Plan identifies the Project Finance (i.e. money) needed to meet specific objectives.
The Financial Plan defines all of the various types of expenses that a project will incur (labor,
equipment, materials and administration costs) along with an estimation of the value of each
expense. The Financial Plan also summarizes the total expense to be incurred across the project
and this total expense becomes the project budget. As part of the Financial Planning exercise, a
schedule is provided which states the amount of money needed during each stage of the project.

This Financial Planning Template will help you to quickly and easily create a Financial Plan for
your project.

A Financial Plan enables you to set a "budget", against which you measure your expenditure. To
deliver you project "within budget", you need to produce the project deliverables at a total cost
which does not exceed that stated in the budget.

Using this financial plan template, you can create a detailed budget against which to measure the
success of your project.

d) Quality Plan

A Quality Plan helps you schedule all of the tasks needed to make sure that your project meets
the needs of your customer. It comprises two parts; the Quality Assurance Plan lists the
independent reviews needed and the Quality Control Plan lists the internal reviews needed to
meet your quality targets. By using Quality Assurance and Quality Control techniques, you can
create a comprehensive Quality Management Plan for your project.

Create a Quality Assurance Plan and Quality Control Plan, using this quality management plan
template.

It will help you to set quality targets for your project to ensure that the deliverables produced,
meet the needs of your customer.

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You can then use it to schedule quality control and quality assurance activities, to assure your
customer that the quality targets will be met.

e) Risk Plan

A Risk Plan helps you to foresee risks, identify actions to prevent them from occurring and
reduce their impact should they eventuate. The Risk Management Plan is created as part of the
Risk Planning process. It lists of all foreseeable risks, their ranking and priority, the preventative
and contingent actions, along with a process for tracking them. This Risk Plan template will help
you perform these steps quickly and easily.

This project Risk Management Plan helps you to identify risks and implement a plan to reduce
them.

It helps you do this, by giving you a complete risk management plan, showing you how to take
action to reduce risk in your project.

Using this risk plan, you can monitor and control risks effectively, increasing you chances of
achieving success.

f) Acceptance Plan

An Acceptance Plan (also known as an "Acceptance Test Plan") is a schedule of tasks that are
required to gain the customers acceptance that what you have produced is satisfactory. It is more
than just a task list though. An Acceptance Plan is in fact an agreement between you and the
customer, stating the acceptance tasks that will be undertaken at the end of the project to get their
final approval. The Acceptance Plan includes a list of the deliverables, the acceptance test
activities, the criteria and standards to be met, and the plan for their completion.

This Acceptance Plan helps you to gain the customers acceptance for the deliverables produced
by your project.

Creating an Acceptance Plan (or 'Acceptance Test Plan') is an important part of any project, as it
allows the customer to accept the deliverables you have produced for them.

By using this acceptance plan template, you can gain customer acceptance for your deliverables,
quickly and efficiently.

g) Communication Plan

A Communication Plan (or Communications Plan) describes how you intend to communicate the
right messages to the right people at the right time. Within a Communication Plan, the
communication goals, stakeholders and strategies, activities and timeframes are described. A
Communication Plan helps you keep everyone informed so that you can communicate a
consistent message to your target audience.

∗ Lecturer in Finance; DBA; IIUC; E-mail: sazzad.amzad@yahoo.com

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This Communication Plan template will help you to communicate the right information, to the
right people, at the right time.

It will also help you create a schedule of communications events to ensure that your stakeholders
are always kept properly informed, ensuring their continued buy-in and support.

h) Procurement Plan

A Procurement Plan defines the products and services that you will obtain from external
suppliers. A good Procurement Plan will go one step further by describing the process you will
go through to appoint those suppliers contractually. Whether you are embarking on a project
procurement or organizational procurement planning exercise, the steps will be the same. First,
define the items you need to procure. Next, define the process for acquiring those items. And
finally, schedule the timeframes for delivery.

This Procurement Plan helps you procure products and services from external suppliers. It
provides you with a complete project procurement plan template, to help you to quickly and
easily create a Procurement Plan for your business.

By planning your procurement carefully, you can ensure that you buy the right products for your
business, at the right price.

i) Supplier Contract

A Supplier Contract or "Supply Contract" is an agreement between a business and an external

supplier for the delivery of a defined set of products and services. A Supplier Contract is a legal
agreement and is used as the basis upon which to measure the supplier's performance. In addition
to listing the items to be supplied, the Supply Contract states the timeframes, responsibilities,
pricing and payment clauses needed to administer the relationship. By putting a Supply Contract
in place, it helps you to get the most out of the supplier relationship.

This Supplier Contract template helps you create a Supplier Contract for your business.

It includes all of the sections, standard terms and conditions that should be included within a
typical supply contract between a business and a supplier.

You will save time and effort by using it to create your supplier agreements, as it has been
formatted and pre-completed for ease of use.

3. Project Execution

With a clear definition of the project and a suite of detailed project plans, you are now ready to
enter the Execution phase of the project.

This is the phase in which the deliverables are physically built and presented to the customer for
acceptance.

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While each deliverable is being constructed, a suite of management processes are undertaken to
monitor and control the deliverables being output by the project.

These processes include managing time, cost, quality, change, risks, issues, suppliers, customers
and communication.

Once all the deliverables have been produced and the customer has accepted the final solution,
the project is ready for closure.

a) Time Management Process

Project Time Management is all about recording the time spent by people on a project. To record
time spent, the team implement a Project Time Management Process (or "Time Process"). This
time process involves recording the time spent on tasks, using Timesheets. The time process
helps the manager know which tasks has been worked on, when and for how long.

This Project Time Management Process describes how to monitor and control time spent within
a project.

It describes each of the Time Management procedures step-by-step, explaining how to use
Timesheets and Time Management Logs to record time spent.

∗ Lecturer in Finance; DBA; IIUC; E-mail: sazzad.amzad@yahoo.com

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By using this Time Process, you can control the amount of time that it takes staff to build
deliverables within a project, increasing your chances of delivering "on time" and to schedule.

b) Cost Management Process

A Cost Management process helps you control expenses within an organization. By purchasing
the Project Cost Management process advertised here, you can ensure that all expenses are
approved before they are paid. Using this project Cost Management process, you can ensure that
your project is delivered within budget.

This Project Cost Management Process helps you to monitor and report all expenses within a
project.

Costs (or "expenses") are recorded by team members, using Expense Forms. These forms are
reviewed and approved by the Project Manager, prior to the expense items being purchased.

The project cost management process steps you through this process, to ensure that all of the
costs within your project are accurately recorded and tracked.

c) Quality Management Process

A Quality Management Process is a set of procedures that are followed to ensure that the
deliverables produced by a team are "fit for purpose". The start of the Quality Management
Process involves setting quality targets, which are agreed with the customer. A "Quality
Assurance Process" and "Quality Control Process" are then undertaken, to measure and report
the actual quality of deliverables. As part of the Quality Management Process, any quality issues
are identified and resolved quickly.

This Quality Management Process will help you to improve the quality of your team
deliverables.

It also helps you to implement a Quality Assurance Process, to boost confidence in the quality of
your outputs.

By implementing quality management in your organization, you can boost the quality of your
deliverables and achieve total success.

d) Change Management Process

A Change Process, or Change Management Process, is a set of procedures that help teams to
control change effectively. It's not that you have to prevent change from happening; it's how you
manage change once it occurs that really matters. This is where a Change Process is invaluable.
The Change Process allows you to record change requests, and review and approve those
requests, before implementing them. This Change Process makes change management easy.

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This Change Management process helps you to manage all requests for change within your
project.

By putting this change process in place, you'll easily be able to monitor and control the amount
of change that takes place.

Within the Change Management Process, each of the key steps for managing change are
included. It also tells you how to implement control change, through change approvals and
reviews.

e) Risk Management Process

A Risk Process, or Risk Management Process, describes the steps you need to take to identify,
monitor and control risk. Within the Risk Process, a risk is defined as any future event that may
prevent you to meet your team goals. A Risk Process allows you to identify each risk, quantify
the impact and take action now to prevent it from occurring and reduce the impact should it
eventuate.

This Risk Process shows you all of the steps you need to take to implement Risk Management in
your organization.

By using this risk process to monitor and control risk, you can ensure you meet your team
objectives.

Within this risk process, all of the steps need to mitigate risk are described in detail.

f) Issue Management Process

An Issue Process, or Issue Management Process, is a set of procedures that help you manage
issues as they occur. Whether you're part of a project or operational team, issues will occur on a
regular basis affecting the ability to meet your team goals. That's when an Issue Process is
invaluable. An Issue Process helps you record each issue and identify the actions needed to
resolve it. As part of the Issue Process, an approval step is included to ensure that the right
actions are taken, at the right time.

Issues Management is the process of identifying and resolving issues in a project or organization.

Using this Issue Management Process, you can identify and resolve issues quickly, before they
have an undesirable impact.

Whether you experience staffing, supplier, equipment or other issues, this process will guide you
through the steps towards their speedy resolution.

g) Procurement Management Process

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A Procurement Management Process, or Procurement Process, is a method by which items are

purchased from external suppliers. The procurement management process involves managing the
ordering, receipt, review and approval of items from suppliers. A procurement process also
specifies how the supplier relationships will be managed, to ensure a high level of service is
received. This is a critical task in Procurement Management. In essence, the procurement process
helps you "get what you have paid for".

This Procurement Management process will help you to purchase goods and services from
external suppliers.

It gives you a complete procurement process and procurement procedures, which explain step-
by-step, how to purchase from suppliers.

You will learn how to issue Purchase Orders, receive and approve deliveries, endorse supplier
payments and manage suppliers against their contracts.

h) Acceptance Management Process

An Acceptance Management Process is a series of steps that you take to complete User
Acceptance Testing. When a project is nearly complete, one of the final steps is to perform User
Acceptance Testing with the customer. As part of the User Acceptance Testing process, the
customer will be asked to review the project deliverables and confirm that they are "fit for
purpose". By using this User Acceptance Testing process, you can confirm that your customer is
happy and sign off the project as complete.

By using this Acceptance Process, you can ensure that every deliverable produced by your team,
fully meets the needs of your customer.

An acceptance process helps you to achieve this, through rigorous user acceptance testing.

During the user acceptance testing process, each deliverable is reviewed by your customer and
formally "accepted" as meeting their needs.

i) Communications Management Process

A Communication Process, or Communications Management Process, is a set of steps that are

taken every time formal communications are undertaken in an organization. A Communications
Process is undertaken as part of Communications Management and helps to ensure that your
stakeholders are kept regularly informed. For example as part of the project life cycle, the team
implement a Communication Process to make sure that the entire team is kept informed of the
status of the project.

This Communication Process helps you to undertake Communications Management for your
team.

It does this by taking you through the Communication Process, step-by-step.

∗ Lecturer in Finance; DBA; IIUC; E-mail: sazzad.amzad@yahoo.com

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If you want to keep the right people informed with the right information, at the right time, then
this process will help you.

4. Project Closure

Project Closure involves releasing the final deliverables to the customer, handing over project
documentation to the business, terminating supplier contracts, releasing project resources and
communicating project closure to all stakeholders. The last remaining step is to undertake a Post
Implementation Review to identify the level of project success and note any lessons learned for
future projects.

a) Project Closure Report

A Project Closure Report describes how you intend to close your projects. The Project Closure
Report confirms that the objectives have been met, the deliverables have been handed over to the
customer and that project closure can commence. Every Project Manager needs to complete a
Project Closure Report to gain agreement from their Sponsor that the project is ready for closure.
Once the Project Closure Report has been approved, the Manager can proceed with the actions
needed to close the project swiftly.

This Project Closure report helps you take the steps needed to formally wind-up your project.

The report helps you undertake the Project Closure phase within a project, by documenting all of
the tasks needed to complete your project and hand over the deliverables to your customer.

It is critical that you complete the Project Closure phase properly, as the manner within which
these closure steps are taken will determine the final success of your project.

b) Post Implementation Review

A Post Implementation Review, or Post Project Review, is performed after a project is complete.
The purpose of a Post Implementation Review is to determine whether the project was successful
and identify any lessons learned. A Post Implementation Review also looks at whether the
project produced the required deliverables within the agreed timeframe. The overall
achievements are also documented in the Post Implementation Review report.

This Post Implementation Review template will help you to perform a post project review for
your project, soon after it has finished.

∗ Lecturer in Finance; DBA; IIUC; E-mail: sazzad.amzad@yahoo.com

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 M A H Sazzad Shikder ∗

By performing a post project review, you can identify the project successes, deliverables,
achievements and lessons learned.

The post project review is the last critical step in the project life cycle, as it allows an
independent party to validate the success of the project and give confidence to the stakeholders
that it has met the objectives it set out to achieve.

Importance of project management

Challenges of project management

Project Management Knowledge Areas

Project management knowledge areas describe the key competencies that project managers
must develop. The four core knowledge areas of project management include project scope, time,
cost, and quality management. These are core knowledge areas because they lead to specific
project objectives. Brief descriptions of each core knowledge area are as follows:

• Project scope management involves working with all appropriate stakeholders

to define, gain written agreement for, and manage all the work required to
complete the project successfully.
• Project time management includes estimating how long it will take to complete
the work, developing an acceptable project schedule given cost effective use of
available resources and ensuring timely completion of the project.
• Project cost management consists of preparing and managing the budget for the
project.
• Project quality management ensures that the project will satisfy the stated or
implied needs for which it was undertaken. The four facilitating knowledge areas
of project management are human resources, communications, risk, and
procurement management. These are called facilitating areas because they are the
processes through which the project objectives are achieved.

Brief descriptions of each facilitating knowledge area are as follows:

• Project human resource management is concerned with making effective use of

the people involved with the project.
• Project communications management involves generating, collecting,
disseminating, and storing project information.
• Project risk management includes identifying, analyzing, and responding to
risks related to the project.
• Project procurement management involves acquiring or procuring goods and
services for a project from outside the performing organization.

∗ Lecturer in Finance; DBA; IIUC; E-mail: sazzad.amzad@yahoo.com

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 M A H Sazzad Shikder ∗

Project integration management, the ninth knowledge area, is an overarching function that
coordinates the work of all other knowledge areas. It affects and is affected by all of the other
knowledge areas. Project managers must have knowledge and skills in all nine of these areas.

Project Management Tools and Techniques

Thomas Carlyle, a famous historian and author, stated, “Man is a tool-using animal. Without
tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.” As the world continues to become more complex, it is
even more important for people to develop and use tools, especially for managing important
projects. Project management tools and techniques assist project managers and their teams in
carrying out work in all nine knowledge areas. For example, some popular time-management
tools and techniques include Gantt charts, project network diagrams, and critical path analysis.
A 2006 survey of 753 project and program managers was conducted to rate several project
management tools. Respondents were asked to rate tools on a scale of 1– 5 (low to high) based
on the extent of their use and the potential of the tools to help improve project success. “Super
tools” were defined as those that had high use and high potential for improving project success.
These super tools included software for ask scheduling (such as project management software),
scope statements, requirement analyses, and lessons-learned reports. Tools that are already
extensively used and have been found to improve project performance include progress reports,
kick-off meetings, Gantt charts, and change requests. These super tools are bolded in Figure 1-
4.7Of course, different tools can be more effective in different situations. It is crucial for project
managers and their team members to determine which tools will be most useful for their
particular projects.

Knowledge Tools and Techniques

Area/Category
Integration management Project selection methods, project management methodologies,
stakeholder analyses, project charters, project management plans,
project management software, change requests, change control
boards, project review meetings, lessons-learned reports
Scope management Scope statements, work breakdown structures, mind maps,
statements of work, requirements analyses, scope management
plans, scope verification techniques, and scope change controls
Time management Gantt charts, project network diagrams, critical-path analyses,
crashing, fast tracking, schedule performance measurements
Cost management Net present value, return on investment, payback analyses, earned
value management, project portfolio management, cost estimates,
cost management plans, cost baselines
Quality management Quality metrics, checklists, quality control charts, Pareto diagrams,
fishbone diagrams, maturity models, statistical methods
Human resource Motivation techniques, empathic listening, responsibility
management assignment matrices, project organizational charts, resource
histograms, team
building exercises

∗ Lecturer in Finance; DBA; IIUC; E-mail: sazzad.amzad@yahoo.com

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 M A H Sazzad Shikder ∗

Communications Communications management plans, kickoff meetings, conflict

management management, communications media selection, status and
progress reports, virtual communications, templates, project Web
sites
Risk management Risk management plans, risk registers, probability/impact matrices,
risk rankings
Procurement management Make-or-buy analyses, contracts, requests for proposals or quotes,
source selections, supplier evaluation matrices

7s framework for project management

THE SOFT S’s

Skills: the capabilities and competencies that exist within the company. What it does best.

Shared values: the values and beliefs of the company. Ultimately they guide employees towards
'valued' behavior.

Staff: the company's people resources and how they are developed, trained and motivated.

Style: the leadership approach of top management and the company's overall operating
approach.

THE HARD S’s

Strategy: the direction and scope of the company over the long term.

Structure: the basic organization of the company, its departments, reporting lines, areas of
expertise and responsibility (and how they inter-relate).
Systems: formal and informal procedures that govern everyday activity, covering everything
from management information systems, through to the systems at the point of contact with the
customer (retail systems, call center systems, online systems, etc).

∗ Lecturer in Finance; DBA; IIUC; E-mail: sazzad.amzad@yahoo.com

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