PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project Management



Project Management

Introduction

A project is a non-routine, one-time effort undertaken to create a specific measurable outcome, namely a product or service. Project management has been described as both a discipline and a process concerned with the successful completion of a defined project from inception to completion. The process involves planning, coordinating, and executing all project tasks and associated resources with specific attention to time, cost, scope, and quality. (Lientz 2002) This research paper describes the background and principles of project management. Large or small, funded or unfunded, research projects involve significant planning from initial proposal design to data collection to publication of results. Increasingly, large external research grants and contracts are requiring project-management expertise as a condition of funding. Qualitative researchers would benefit from adopting project-management techniques as an integral part of their research. (Lientz 2002)

Background

Although not formally labeled examples of project management, evidence of successful project management throughout history ranges from the building of the pyramids to the construction of the Eiffel Tower to advances in the industrial world. During the previous century, the main disciplines engaged in adopting and popularizing project-management practices came from the construction, manufacturing, engineering, and defense industries. The establishment of the Project Management Institute (PMI) in 1969 was instrumental in promoting the profession of project management and working to standardize terms and processes across a spectrum of corporations and organizations. In recent decades, information and technology, computer system development, pharmaceutical, and financial companies have contributed to advances in the discipline of project management. Today, project management is rapidly being adopted across a wide spectrum of industries, both large and small. Project management is also being adopted for personal use such as planning a vacation or a wedding. For qualitative researchers, project management could be used to coordinate tasks such as budgeting, hiring research assistants, obtaining appropriate certifications and approvals, collecting and analyzing data, submitting reports to agencies, and preparing presentations and publications. (Lientz 2002)

Project Management Phases

Typically, the process of project management involves five phases. The labels used to describe these five phases vary somewhat in the literature; however, the generally agreed principles of project management according to the PMI are initiating processes, planning processes, executing processes, monitoring and controlling processes, and closing processes. During Phase I, initiating processes, the project objectives are defined. Details concerning the overall scope of the project are documented in order to keep the project manageable. At this phase, qualitative researchers may determine the size of the project (regional or national focus) as well as general timelines (e.g., expected deliverables at the completion of a 3-year research grant). Phase II, the planning process, involves detailing all of the activities to be accomplished in order to successfully complete the project. Work breakdown structures are created to illustrate the hierarchy of all work units, subprojects, tasks, subtasks, and the interdependencies among these components. Time estimates and cost factors are carefully considered as well. During this phase, qualitative researchers plan all tasks, responsibilities, and time estimates associated with the ...