Project Management Step by Step

The step-by-step guide

STEP 1 – Understanding the basics

Step 1.1 What is a project?

A project is really a very simple concept that many professional and

academic books spend pages and pages defining. Essentially, a project is

a task with a known end point. For example, building a new house is a

project, the end point being when the house is built. Similarly, creating

a new piece of computer software is a project, as is launching a new

product for a business. Projects can be used to complete many different

types of tasks.

Usually the term ‘project’ is applied to tasks with some degree of

complexity. So whilst you could argue that cooking yourself some toast

is a project, with the end point being buttered toast on your plate,

usually the term is not applied to such simple activities which do not

need to be managed with the rigour of a recognised project.

Projects fulfil some clear pre-defined objective, in a planned period of

time, and to a planned cost. Once the project is complete something will

have changed – for example, you have a new house, a new computer

system or a new product.

Step 1.2 What is project management?

What is your role?

Project management is a formal discipline for managing projects.

Project management has been developed over the past few decades as it

has become apparent that without a structured approach, people are not

very good at completing projects successfully. The aim of project

management is to ensure that projects are completed and that the end

point (the new house, computer system or new product) is achieved.

More than this, project management is about reaching that end point

predictably, which usually means to a given cost and within a planned

amount of time.

STEP 1: UNDERSTAND THE BASICS

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