Core Project Management Concepts and Models
PMO Models and Roles
The PMCOE Model
Project Management Offices (PMOs) can adopt various models based on the organizational context. The model that best characterizes the Project Management Center of Excellence (PMCOE) involves:
- Acting as an advisory body.
- Disseminating methodology and project management experience throughout the organization.
The PSO Model
Another PMO model is the Project Support Office (PSO). The alternative that best characterizes the PSO model is:
- Assisting project managers by providing tools that facilitate time and cost management.
Project Characteristics: The Uncertainty Cube
According to Sabbag (1999), every project can be represented by the Uncertainty Cube, defined by three variables: complexity, uniqueness, and accuracy of goals.
Example: Supersonic Aircraft Development
For a project like developing a supersonic passenger aircraft (e.g., the Concorde), the features are typically:
- High complexity
- High uniqueness (or specificity)
- Low accuracy of goals (initially)
Critical Factors for Project Success
Several factors are critical to achieving project success. Key examples include:
- Risk Prevention Planning: Implementing planned actions for the prevention of risks.
- Communication Channels: Developing and maintaining effective channels of interpersonal communication.
Core Project Management Processes
Project management typically encompasses five key process groups: Initialization, Planning, Execution, Control, and Closure, each involving specific activities.
Initialization Process Activities
An essential activity during the Initialization process is:
- Obtaining commitment from top management regarding the need for the project.
Planning Process Activities
Key activities during the Planning process include:
- Refining the project scope.
- Defining and sequencing project activities.
Organizational Structures for Projects
The choice of organizational structure significantly impacts project execution.
Structure for Competitive Product Development
For an organization like Beta SA, operating in a highly competitive sector and constantly developing new products via projects, the most appropriate structure is often the:
- Matrix structure
Structure for Large Infrastructure Projects
When Beta Organization SA undertakes a project to build a new headquarters, the best-suited organizational structure approach is typically the:
- Projectized structure
PMBOK Knowledge Areas
Project management, following the PMBOK® methodology, incorporates several knowledge areas.
Project Scope Management
Scope Management involves:
- The processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully.
Project Quality Management
Quality Management involves:
- The processes required to ensure that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken (meeting quality requirements).
Understanding Project Complexity
Considering project characteristics and their interrelationships, greater project complexity generally implies:
- A greater number of project activities and more intricate interrelationships between them.
Essential Project Management Tools
Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule)
The Pareto principle is used in project management primarily to:
- Identify and prioritize tasks or causes (focusing on the vital few).
Ishikawa (Fishbone) Diagram
The Ishikawa diagram (also known as the Fishbone or Cause-and-Effect diagram) is a tool used to:
- Identify the potential root causes of nonconformities, defects, or problems within a project.