Project Management Institute (PMI) defines project as a temporary endeavour embarked upon to create a unique product, service or result. Project management is an application of knowledge, skill tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. Project management passes through five stages to produce its product. I will highlight these stages as follows:
Initiation Stage
The initiation stage begins when a project is selected among a number of proposed projects and the first process of project management at this stage is the development of a project charter, a document that establishes the existence of the project and authorizes the project manager to use the resources of the organization to carry out the activities of this project. Project is often selected after carrying out series of feasibility studies on a number of proposed projects to determine each project’s business case. A Business case is a document that justifies that the investment in the project is a worthwhile venture. The process of stakeholder identification is carried out during this stage and the power/interest level of each stakeholder analyzed to create a stakeholder register. High-level planning begins at project initiation. The two main outputs of project initiation are Project Charter and Stakeholder Register.
Planning Stage
The low-level planning stage comprises of the processes leading to the development of a comprehensive project management plan. This is the plan used to implement the project and carry out the evaluation of the project. The project management plan is made up of many subsidiary management plans from all the knowledge areas. The project management plan also contains the project performance baselines (scope baseline, schedule baseline and cost baseline). As soon as the development of the project management plan is completed, all the stakeholders are invited for a kick-off meeting to signed-off the project management plan to make it a baseline document. Until the project management plan is signed-off by all the stakeholders, the project is not worth implementing.
Execution Stage
The implementation of the project is when the work of the project is carried out. This is the execution stage of the project. This is the stage when the project deliverables are produced. The project work must be executed according to the project management plan. At this stage, the project manager must ensure that the right process is followed in order to assure quality, acquire the required project team, develop the members of the team by providing the required training to enhance their competencies, engaging them in team building exercises and establishing ground rule to keep them focus on the project work. The project manager also manages the project team to ensure that all conflicts are resolved early enough to avoid unnecessary escalation. The project manager manages communication between his project team and project stakeholders, conduct procurement by soliciting for the sellers, inviting them to bidder conference to determine all the qualified sellers to be awarded contracts. The project manager manages the stakeholder engagement throughout the project.
Monitoring and Controlling Stage
As the deliverables of the project begin to roll out, the project enters into monitoring and controlling stage to evaluate the deliverables. The deliverables pass through the quality control inspection for verification and the verified deliverables pass through customer inspection for scope validation to secure customer acceptance. In most cases, when the project status is measured against the project performance baselines, it can result in change requests by the affected stakeholders. These change requests are passed through the integrated change control process to secure the approval of the change control board, after which the project baselines are updated and the change requests implemented.
Closing Stage
Now that all the project deliverables are completed to create the final product of the project, and the final product validated by the customer, the project enters into closing stage. This final product is then archived and the lesson learnt meeting held to serve as historical information to be documented in the organizational process assets to improve on future project implementation. This is who project is done from start to finish.
Oluseyi Macaulay B.Sc, M.Ed, PMP
He is the president of dreamyouths International, a certified project management professional (PMP)
and educational management consultant. He is a seasoned PMP trainer and consultant management.
Contact him:
E-mail: dreamyouthinternational @gmail.com and Website:www.dreamyouthinternational.org
Tel: 08038442940, 08052563006