Project Management Report: Characteristics, Stages, and Diagrams

This report provides a comprehensive overview of project management, encompassing key characteristics such as temporary nature, unique needs, and distinct aims. It delves into the five crucial stages of project management: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure, highlighting the benefits of effective project management like increased goal achievement and resource optimization. The report explores the impact of both good and bad teams on project success, emphasizing the importance of communication and direction. It lists and explains the significance of nine knowledge areas, with a focus on quality and procurement management. Furthermore, it outlines essential attributes of a project manager and elucidates the benefits of using network diagrams for time estimation, planning, and coordination. The report concludes with a discussion of reasons for project failures, such as lack of planning and poor communication, and provides relevant references to support the analysis.

Managing Projects

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................2
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................2
1. Define the key characteristics of any project...........................................................................2
1b. Explain the reasons why many projects fail and runs over budget........................................2
2. Discusses the Five Stages in Project Management and benefits of managing projects...........3
3. Briefly discuss the impact a good and a bad Team may have in terms of achieving and
managing project goals................................................................................................................3
4. List the nine (9) knowledge areas in Project Management and briefly explain the importance
of any two of them.......................................................................................................................4
5. List five attributes or characteristics of a project Manager.....................................................4
6. Explain some of the benefits of using a network diagram.......................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
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INTRODUCTION
Project management refers to a mechanism involving multiple organisations such as
supervision, initiation, preparation, and implementation and monitoring of activities to ensure the
timely delivery of the project (Alnaggar and Pitt, 2019). The project manager has a vital duty to
accurately identify the objectives as well as goals to complete project inside a given timeframe.
This report consists of two tasks, one of it focuses on basic project principles and the other one is
based on the case study of “Pandemic Center” which required to be built within the Docklands
area of London. This study offers insight into project management, project life cycle phases, etc.
In addition, the tasks related to this definition will also be demonstrated by the programmes, the
time required and the corresponding expenditure.
MAIN BODY
TASK 1
1. Define the key characteristics of any project
There are some important characteristics of any projects which are as follow:
 The organisation need to build strategies for its users so that they can be supplied with
ease in the sense of the services offered to them.
 Project design is typically of a temporary nature as it includes both a beginning and end
point to ensure that the appropriate objectives are achieved.
 This includes a unique series of needs that must be met within those project boundaries.
 Each project consists of distinct aims and priorities to be completed within the desired
timeline such that a particular result can be achieved.
1b. Explain the reasons why many projects fail and runs over budget
 Lack of Interest from Management
 Cost cutting Approaches
 Lack of Proper Planning
 Overstaffing of Projects
 Poor Communication among team members
 Data Migration by Unskilled Resources
 Little Testing or Skipping the Testing Phase
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2. Discusses the Five Stages in Project Management and benefits of managing projects
Five stages in project management:
 Project Initiation: This is the first step of the life cycle of project management, as it
includes beginning a new project. Key specifications of the project. A summary
development plan that provides a timeline and a financial review.
 Project Planning: It is the process of identifying your goals and scope , objectives and
milestones (deliverables) and assigning tasks and budgetary resources to each phase. A
successful plan is easily shared with all concerned, and is most useful when revised on a
regular basis.
 Project Execution: This is the process in which the strategy designed in the previous
phases of the life of the project is put into effect. The aim of the implementation of the
project is to achieve the planned outcomes of the project.
 Project Performance / Monitoring: It refers to the process of keeping track of all
project-related metrics, including the performance of the team and the length of the
mission, identifying possible issues and taking the corrective action required to ensure
that the project is within its scope, budgeted and meets specified deadlines.
 Project Closer: It is a mixture of a above phases when implemented to a project:
ensuring that all process has been done, ensuring that all accepted project management
methodologies have been carried out.
Benefits of managing projects:
 Boost the probability of achieving its objective.
 Get a fresh outlook on the idea and how it blends into the business plan.
 Prioritize the resources of the company to ensure that they are used effectively.
 Precisely describe the scale, the timetable and the budget from the outset.
 Stay on track and keep expenses and resources on the budget.
3. Briefly discuss the impact a good and a bad Team may have in terms of achieving and
managing project goals
Good team of any project helps the organization to achieve their project goals and
objectives. For this, team should have common goals, effective communication, proper
guidelines and directions from managers will helps in achieving and managing project goals
(COOK and MO, 2019). On the other hand, bad team become the reason of project failure
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because poor communication can cause the confusion or conflict among the team members. Lack
of direction during project also can impact the performance and final output.
4. List the nine (9) knowledge areas in Project Management and briefly explain the importance
of any two of them
There are nine areas in project management which are essential and these mentioned
below:
 Project Scope Management
 Integration Management
 Time Management
 Cost Management
 Quality Management
 Human Resources Management
 Communication Management
 Risk Management and
 Procurement Management
Importance of any two project management areas:
 Project Quality Management: This allows organizations to determine the needs of their
clients in an efficient manner. In the event that, the final product has any defects,
consumers would not be pleased, which ensures that daily reviews must be obtained.
 Project Procurement Management: This is related to the acquisition and purchasing of
resources and materials for the execution of the project inside an appropriate manner
(Grenci and Hull, 2020). This method must be transparent for better clarity.
5. List five attributes or characteristics of a project Manager
 Effective communication skills
 Strong leadership skills
 Good decision maker
 Technical expertise
 Inspires a shared vision
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Effective Communication: It is one the important and major characteristic of project
manager which is required. This skill required because project manager has to guide their staff
member and communicate with them regarding project.
String leadership skills: With the help of this skill, project manager able to motivate their
team members to perform well, guide them in well manner.
6. Explain some of the benefits of using a network diagram
There are some benefits for the organization to using network diagram and some of it
discussed below:
Network diagrams help in determining the estimated project time: Since the project
network diagram demonstrates how tasks are interlinked from start of the project to the end of
project. It would be very useful to measure the total time period of project. Once the critical path
of plan is established, the events along the critical path should give everyone the overall
period of project.
Network diagrams assist in planning, coordinating and managing: Since all project
tasks are seen in series with the related interrelationships, the project network diagram should
support the project manager and team mostly during preparation and coordination of the project.
The network diagram can also be useful throughout project implementation as it is an overview
of the project activities connected to the connections.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Alnaggar, A. and Pitt, M., 2019. Towards a conceptual framework to manage BIM/COBie asset
data using a standard project management methodology. Journal of Facilities
Management.
COOK, M. and MO, J.P., 2019, November. Enterprise Approach to Modelling of Risks in the
Project Lifecycle of Naval Aviation Asset Ship Integration. In Transdisciplinary
Engineering for Complex Socio-technical Systems: Proceedings of the 26th ISTE
International Conference on Transdisciplinary Engineering, July 30–August 1,
2019 (Vol. 10, p. 419). IOS Press.
Grenci, R.T. and Hull, B.Z., 2020. New dog, old tricks: ERP and the systems development life
cycle. Journal of Information Systems Education, 15(3), p.7.
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