all about PROJECT MANAGEMENT

What is a Project?

As a student of a university, I can apparently say that it is a very common word which in fact it’s the students most fear of. Because the only thing that come in the mind of like student is that a project must be pass on time and be made almost perfect to get a high grade. For me, a project is anything that has a limited time to end of. Project is an assignment, a task or a couple of task that is allotted only on a short span of time to finish. These said projects are something that is usually made partially.

Project is defined in freedictionary.com site as follows:

A plan or proposal. When we say a plan, it is an idea or a set of ideas, a conception or abstraction. It maybe somehow can be initializing as a suggestions for innovation of something. Recently, we just had a project proposal SAD 1. I noticed that there is always a time for accomplishment. Just like the building plan, you see establishments in any areas of the world and yet all need to be done in a short span only. All of those building gone in a long process of planning – from materials to different aspects of making a building.


A piece of study or research. When talks about study or research, from the word itself. It is a methodical investigation into a subject in order to discover facts, to establish or revise a theory, or to develop a plan of action based on the facts discovered. It is a kind of project that talks about gathering information in order to form a string foundation of knowledge to engage with to have a deep understanding about the subject matter. From my past ;earning, I had my experiences of researching when I was in high school and even up to now college days. We gather information through passing questionnaires on respected areas.


Any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted. In this kind of project, we made attempts through making asset of planning in accordance to the chosen subject matter. Like we did last semester in System Analysis and Design, we did fast framework analysis that determined what our project planned for. I, myself can say that it is an attempt for we made sample picture that might be a product of our plan. It is said attempted because all are just in paper works without implementations involved. All are plain planning.
A task or planned program of work. A project like this requires a large amount of time, effort and planning to complete. Though it is stated that it requires a long time allotted to be done, perhaps it is considerable as a limit to finish for. According to the author, it is a project that suits to the application of project management.


But according to the Project Management Book, they defined project in three simple phrases.

(1.) TEMPORARY. This means that every project has a definite beginning and definite end. We can only say that it is the end of the project when the project objectives reached already. This temporary means that a project is finite and it is not an ongoing activity.

(2.) Unique products, services and results. Stated are the products of the deliverables of the projects. Product can only be considered as product when it is unique, all project must be unique in its own simple ways, and;

(3.) Progressive Elaboration. According to the author of the Project Management book, it is the characteristic of the project that accompanies the concepts of temporary and unique. From the word progressive elaboration, it’s the process of developing in steps and continuing by increments.

A sample of project is the most common project of road making or developing. The road making should have a limited, designated time to finish with. Someone is knowledgeable to control to do the task within the time allotted for it.


What is Management? 

A management for me is something to do with managing and making rules. It is the management who made project finish on time. In this matter rely with how you handle task and make it successfully made. For me it a sort of controlling and organizing things by abiding the rules that aims to finish the task oriented. Or maybe apparently I can say that management is a core of managing people. An example of management is the management body of an institution or organization. They are the one whom relied on things which imposing rules to their people to do the task manageable.

In order for me to understand truly and deeply what a management really means is, so I gathered information of it. Management defines in IndianChild.com – Management is a term encompasses an array of different functions undertaken to accomplish a task successfully. According to them management is all about ‘getting things done’. I’ve seen the management as the acts of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives efficiently and effectively within specific project. It is once said in one of the sources on the internet that management also designed to us as human action, including design, to facilitate the production of useful outcomes from a system. This view opens the opportunity to 'manage' oneself, a pre-requisite to attempting to manage others. And also management can be referring to us as the person or people who perform the act or acts of management.


I was a bit confused when suite101.com emphasize that management is not actually or necessary mean to manage people. It says there that we can only manage ourselves or the material assigned to us at work. If we managed a project very well on your own, it would mean that you did the job in a well-organized, efficient manner, making good use of all resources at your disposal. From that source of definition, I can say that it can defend the managing aspects of management.

What is Project Management?

From my own understanding, a project management is a process of organizing the project to be properly done on time, within scope and budget. For me it is the way of processing the task in accordance with and abiding so the rules and it may considerable as a technique for matching available resources that are use in such project. For an instance, a project management can be a project in school. Like the SAD Project I had in SAD subject, it is the kind of project that needs planning and organizing and so managing time usage to finish the project.

The Project Management defined the project management as the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. The managing movement of the Project management involves (1.) identifying requirements, (2.) establishing clear and achievable objectives, (3.) balancing the competing demands for quality, scope, time and cost, and (4.) adapting the specifications, plans and approach to different concerns and expectations of the various stakeholders.

Project management define in Wikipedia as the discipline of planning, organizing, securing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific engineering project goals and objectives. It was stated also there the two primary challenges of project management, the (1) achievement of project goals and (2) to optimize the allocation and integration of inputs necessary to meet pre-defined objectives. The first challenge is design to meet the settings of objectives made by the project against the respected upcoming constraints of the project. Typical constraints distinct are time, scope and budget of the project. While the second one is desire to improve, enhance the apportionment or distribution of the projects.

The project management is pre-defined also in the site of MPG-you.com as the science (the art) of organizing components, whether a project is a development of a new product, the lunch of a new service, or marketing. It is said that no matter what kind of project it is trying to design to design with, it always follows the same pattern as what the PM Book also described.


Definition. This the stage of defining the project, here the project is define what really is it and what the users hope to achieve by undertaking the project.

Planning. In this stage the project is planned wherein all the project activities is defined. It includes lists of activities or tasks, how these tasks related to each other, how long each task will take, and how each task is tied to a specific deadlines.

Execution. The stage is all about executing the project. This includes the involvement of the project budget on how much budget to work with for the project. Through this, the project can now be started when the entire budget is already allocated in various tasks.

Control. This stage is the controlling stage the project. Hence, the updating sessions will now take in to reflect actual time elapsed for each task. This can be done by keeping up with the details of progress.


My reflection/learning's on the first day of class.


During our first day of class in subject Project Management, I don’t really have a clear idea of what are we got to talk about. But as time goes by, the sharing of what we had in our first quiz that talks about project management made my mind set hints of the subject matter. For us to deeply comprehend what project management is, together with our professor we made a short discussion through sharing of ideas. First, we define the word project, next is the word management and lastly the project management. Each of us has our own definition. At that time, I learned that project word defines only at a task that has a limited time to end with. The different aspects of project management and so on and I came to realize that the words project management is a very broad word to tackle within a semester.


Throughout the course of discussion about introducing the subject, I learned so many things such as the definite meaning of project. Project is define as a sequence of unique, complex and connected activities having one goal or purpose and that must be completed by a specific time, within the budget and according to specifications. We also define the project management as an application of knowledge, skills and technique to project activities to meet project management.


I also learned that management has an aspect of directing, planning, organizing and controlling. It is considered as a strong foundation of management.(1.) Directing represents the idea of giving instructions to somebody to be done. (2.) Planning involves simply planning or setting up an idea or a preparation of something. (3.) Organizing is to consolidate, utilize in uniform manner, and while; (4.) Controlling implies on exercise power or authority of something, or to limit or to restrict the areas of managing something.

The most interesting words I learned in the discussion are the acronym of SMART that was shared by our professor that was also shared to him by his professor too. The SMARTconcept of making project objectives, it represents as follows:

S – Specific
M –Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Reliable
T – Time bounded

Though these words, I learned that a project objective must be in specific form, this means that its scope must be define properly. Measurable in the sense that the project is manageable to be measured in its scope, attainable – a project is designed to be accomplish and within specifications as seen as it is when it is said as temporary. Reliable means that a project is dependable, it implies that a project is able to be trusted of to do what is expected to. And finally, time bounded – its only means that a project is just temporary and has an allotted time to end for. It is not an ongoing activity unlike of operational works.

I was amazed when, our professor said that SMART can be extended into SMARTER. He said that he got 1.0 grade when he stated the word SMARTER in the midst of their discussion. SMART is just have the same description but he just added two letters to made it SMARTER – the E and R. For him E represents the word enjoyable and R for rewarding. I agreed on what my professor said that the project must be enjoyable. And at the end of the project you are expected to have a reward. I can relate it on my previous final project on Network Technologies 1, me and my partner passed the project on time so we got a reward. We got the reward of passing grade that time. it seems that it a big accomplishment for me and for my partner in crime for we made it despite the hectic time we have in making the project.


I have also the idea now what is the difference between the leadership and management. I knew already that a project must be done in an influence by the leader not but managing and controlling people. I know to realize in the first place that controlling somebody is not the key to success to have a project successfully done. Because when we manage people, we were also controlling them. A leader must be an influence to do the job; the making of the project must be one to first give a guide on what his/her people must do. And also while his people working; he too must do the same. I’ve read some articles on internet that stated the difference of management and leadership that suits to the topic. It emphasized in one of the articles that leadership is setting a new direction or vision for a group that they follow, this means that the leader is the spearhead or the leading light of the project. While management is intended to controls or directs people/resources in a group according to principles or values that have already been established; these only signifies that a management follows sort of rules in providing directions to its people.


I learned also the keys how to be a project successful. First is the essence of deliverable, we all known that what deliverable means and somehow we do also have individual’s perspective about it. For me, deliverable is a long way process or a step by step implementation of the project. Like what I did experience in my SAD 1 subject. We had undergone phases that represent the description of the project. These deliverables will help to have a clear view and definition of what the project is all about. Second is in terms of project budget. I learned that a project must have a reasonable project resources budget to get through the progression. This means that a project must have an equal resources budget to be use in the project. The budget must not be overestimated nor underestimate, it must be as what it is expected to have for. The last one is the time management of the project. I learned that all of the failure of the project do have the same reasons, it is the incorrect or in appropriate time management of the people behind the project. I’m not saying that time is the only aspects that affects the project development, hence it is just one if the aspects why projects/project do fail. Our professor concluded that a project must be properly planned to be successful, it means that all of the structures and description of the project must be study properly and well-done as it should be.

We have a short discussion about one of the common tool of project management development – the GANTT CHART. This chart was introduced to us by one of our classmate. Other than that moment, I already have a background about it. I came to reality that a project needs to have a time management tool that triggers each task on when it will be done or started. It gives a great idea of having an on-time passing of projects. Through these, the task will now be determined easily, it includes what task is in next in line.

Furthermore, I learned about the ideal project manager – management and people skills. I got to know that a project manager should have the characteristics of (1.) leadership, (2.) negotiation, (3.) selling, (4.) team building and motivation, (5.) communications, (6.)meeting management, and (7.) problem solving and decision making. Though we are already engage in the thought that a manager is the one who manages the project, now my mind setting is transformed into managers as the leaders. Once we become a leader, we must not control anybody but rather than we must be knowledgeable to lead the way to do the task of the project.


Also I learned the primary types of information that a project must have, these are the tasks, duration, task dependencies, resources and costs of the project. All of this represents the significant of project components such as time, budget and scope. In fact we made jokes at that time to intend changes the subject description to Project Leadership as we all agreed on it. We agreed for the reason that none of us is willing to be control of by someone. All of us wanted to have a freedom in everything we do. All over the discussion, it was interesting to hear others say what is on their minds about project management. Though we have separate, autonomous, many to mention definitions or ideas, but we made as one when our professor launched the truth about project management really is. That first day of class is an out of the ordinary class of the subject. Just in one day I already have lot things learned. All in all, project management topic is a very broad discussion to have for. It takes several aspects that do affect the effectiveness and efficiency of a specific project. Though the process is so long but in the end, somehow the project will be made successfully.