Principles of Project Management
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Institution
Principles of project management
“What areas of the PMBoK are affected by the Project Management Lifecycle the most and how do we ensure alignment between the lifecycle of the project and the implementation of PMBoK in projects?”
A project is a transient attempt that is undertaken by project managers to achieve a new result. Although management of projects has been in existence for longer, it started to emerge as a distinct profession in the mid-20th century. This led to the Project Management institute publishing a manual to identify the recurring elements of the project management process. This Journal was titled “A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge” (PMBoK Guide). The vital knowledge areas in the PMBoK include integration, coverage, time, cost, quality, procurement, human resources, communication, management of risks and management of stakeholders. ( Elhameed, 2018).
Project Management Lifecycle is a series of steps or phases to maximize the efficiency of project management. Seasoned project managers have broken down the phases to Initiation of the, planning of the project, execution of the project, monitoring and control ending with closure.
The first phase of project management life cycle is project initiation. (Artto & Vartiainen,2016). Here the value and feasibility of the project are established. Feasibility entails evaluation of the project’s goals, cost and timeline to establish whether the project should be carried out. At this stage the scope of the project is determined. This is part of the defined project scope management as detailed by the PMBoK.
The next phase in the project management lifecycle is the planning phase. This stage seeks to provide a detailed roadmap towards the achievement of the project goal. This stage identifies the project timelines, phases, estimating budgets, creating workflow diagrams, gathering resources as well as anticipating risks. It ensures that possible risks are evaluated, analyzed and response to risks is planned. The planning phase gives guidance when sourcing for finance for the project. It is also in the planning stage that teams are built and allocated their roles in completing the project. Here in line with the PMBoK the procurement planning with the required suppliers is done. This entails understanding tendering, purchasing and delivering processes to ensure they are put into account in the time planning.
After the planning phase next is the project execution stage. After your project is approved and a solid plan is laid down, the plan is now put into action. In the execution phase the project manager keeps track of the budget allocated to the project and controls the cost of the project, creating and organizing workflows, conducting briefs as well as monitoring the quality of work. The project manager ensures that teams adhere to the planned timelines, maintain the planned quality of work, In the execution phase the project is also monitored and controlled. This is to ensure that the project performs as guaranteed as well as track performance variation. This is part of stakeholder management to make sure the project stakeholders are satisfied as well as rectify any misunderstandings. Clear communication channels are also kept between the people implementing the project and the stakeholders.
The last stage of the project management lifecycle is the closure phase which entails provision of the final deliverables, releasing the project resources and determining the success of the project. Post implementation reviews are also conducted in the closure phase. In closure the budget allocated to the project is also accounted for. Following the PMBoK while breaking down the project is a way that the project management lifecycle aligns with the PMBoK implementation. Well defining the scope of the project during initiation as well as extensive planning helps ensure smooth flow of the project management lifecycle while also putting into account the main knowledge areas of the PMBoK. Proper and efficient communication is also paramount to ensure the success of project management lifecycle while also ensuring that PMBoK is followed in the project management process.
Critique of another student’s opinion.
I agree that the project manager is accountable for starting and running a project. This is because they initiate the project cycle by identifying a suitable opportunity depending on the context of the project. They also determine the feasibility of the project depending on the cost, goals and timeline in which a project should be carried. In addition, they identify the scope of the project. In my opinion however, the project managers should identify and access a reliable team which will ensure smooth operation of the project. A good team can help the project manager in coming up with appropriate goals for the success or limitation of the project. The whole authorization of this team should however not be in the hands of the project manager. The project manager can appoint team leaders who will oversee the whole process. Breaking down the duties will enable the project manager to successfully implement the project. Successful implementation of the project is reliable on proper communication too.
I think that the position of the project manager should not be terminated with certain limits. They should carry out the entire task from initiation to execution. A reliable and determined project manager can easily enable proper completion of the task from project initiation to project execution..
References
Abd Elhameed, A. T. (2018). Analyzing the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) through theoretical lenses: A study to enhance the PMBOK through the project management theories. PM World Journal, 6, 1-31.
Artto, K., Ahola, T., & Vartiainen, V. (2016). From the front end of projects to the back end of operations: Managing projects for value creation throughout the system lifecycle. International Journal of Project Management, 34(2), 258-270.
Farokhad, M. R., Otegi-Olaso, J. R., Pinilla, L. S., Gandarias, N. T., & de Lacalle, L. N. L. (2019, September). Assessing the Success of R&D Projects and Innovation Projects through Project Management Life Cycle. In 2019 10th IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Data Acquisition and Advanced Computing Systems: Technology and Applications (IDAACS) (Vol. 2, pp. 1104-1110). IEEE.
Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., & Mantel Jr, S. J. (2017). Project Management: A Strategic Managerial Approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Turner, R. (2016). Gower handbook of project management. Routledge.
Villanova University. (2019, December 5). Five phases of the project management lifecycle. Retrieved from https://www.villanovau.com/resources/project-management/5-phases-project-management-lifecycle/