Lecture 1

1. Introduction
Bibek Ropakheti
Outline
• Project • Classifications of Projects
• Project Definitions • Project Life Cycle
• IT Projects • IT System Development
• Challenges in IT Projects • Project Proposal – Key Elements
• Project Management • Efforts and Tasks during Project
Life Cycle Phases
• Project Objectives
• SMART Goals/Objectives • References
• Project Characteristics
Project
• Latin word projectum from the Latin verb proicere, "to throw
something forwards“
• pro-, which denotes something that precedes the action of the next
part of the word in time and iacere, "to throw"
• Project is a specific job which is non routine and temporary job with
specific objective which uses to serve a certain purpose uniquely.
Project Definitions
• Management Institute of USA defines project as a temporary
endeavor to create a unique product or service
• According to Cleland and King, a project is a combination of human
and non human resources pulled together in a temporary
organization to achieve a specified purpose
• According to Harold Kerzner, a project is any series of activities and
tasks that have a specific objective to be completed within certain
specifications, have defined start and end dates, have funding limits
and consume resources
Project Definitions
• Dr. Govinda Ram Agrawal in his book, “Project Management in Nepal”
described project as, a set of one time only activities designed to
attain specific objectives within the constraints of time, cost and
quality performance in a dynamic environment, through the planning
use and control of a variety of resources to create a unique product or
service within a temporary life span in a dynamic environment
• Harvey Maylor defined project as any non repetitive, low volume,
high variety activity which is a temporary endeavor undertaken to
create a unique product or service with a start and a finish, done by
any individual or an organization to meet the specific performance
objective within defined schedule, cost and performance parameters
Project Definitions – Model of a Project

Environment

Time Quality
Time Objectives Cost performance performance

People

Quality Performance Cost

performance
Project Definitions
• The engineering project is a particular type of technological system,
embedded in the context of technological systems in general.
Engineering projects are, in many countries, specifically defined by
legislation, which requires that such projects should be carried out by
registered engineers and/or registered engineering companies. That
is, companies with license to carry out such works as design and
construction of buildings, power plants, industrial facilities,
installation and erection of electrical grid networks, transportation
infrastructure, gadgets, robots, software, and the like.
IT Projects
• IT Projects Success & Failure
• Successful Projects : 12% in 1994, 46% in 2001 & 36% in 2004
• Failed Projects: 37% in 1994, 51% in 2001 & 13% in 2004
• Nature of Failed Projects
• Complex & Technology Driven
• Ambiguous and Have Poor Change Management
• Lack of Experts Involvement
• Nature of Successful Projects
• Small Scale, Well defined Objectives, Modular
• Better Infrastructure and Management Support, Better Tools, Methodology
• Proper Testing and QA
Challenges in IT Projects
• Communication
• Staff Turnover
• Information Security and Privacy
• Visibility
• Political & Cultural Risks
• Environmental & Infrastructural Risks
• Connectivity Problems
• Brain Drain & Loss of Institutional Knowledge
• Regulatory Requirements
Project Management
• Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing,
controlling and managing every aspect of the project to bring about
the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives
• Successful project management can be defined as having achieved
the project objectives within time and cost at the desired level of
performance and technology while utilizing the assigned resources
effectively and efficiently
Project Management
• According to Harold Kerzner, project management is the planning,
organizing, directing and controlling of company resources to
complete specific goals and objectives
• Dr. Govinda Ram Agrawal gave the definition of Project management
as, the task of getting the project activities done on time, within
budget, and according to specifications by a project team in a
dynamic environment
Project Management - Model
Customer Focus

Time Cost
Objectives

Quality

Best Resource Use

Project Management
• Project management involves project planning and monitoring and
include such items as:
• Project Planning
• Definition of work requirements
• Definition of quantity of work
• Definition of resources needed
• Project Monitoring
• Tracking progress
• Comparing actual to predicted
• Analyzing impact
• Making adjustments
Project Objectives
• Objectives are the ends towards which the activities of an
organization are directed. These are project delivery.
• A project has a desired objective. It is result directed. It ceases to exist
when object has been achieved.
• A project without objective is unthinkable. Hence, the first step of
your project is to define your objectives.
• How should project objective be?
• SMART
Project Objectives
• You need to define your objectives in order to be able to
• Make sure that you have identified your objective/s.
• Focus in the other member of the project team about what the project is
about.
• Create team commitment and agreement about the project objectives.
• Ensure that you involved all interested parties in achieving a successful
project output.
SMART Goals/Objectives
• S: Specific, clearly defined, not vague.
• M: Measurable, so that the project achievement can be measured,
compared and controlled.
• A: Agree, by all the members of the team. Agreed goals raise the
sense and commitment.
• R: Realistic considering the given possible resources, experience,
knowledge and time available.
• T: Time bound, if there is no time to complete the process it will
never be completed.
Project Characteristics
• Specific Objective: A project clearly defines objectives, on
achievement of which a project succeeds. Objects are the
deliverables of a project and the end results. Objectives are
predetermined and outputs are measurable.
• Temporary (Life Span): A project cannot continue endlessly. It is a
temporary endeavor. It has beginning and end from its birth to death.
It passes through various stages i.e. formulation, planning, design,
construction, operation and termination.
• Non-routine and Non-repetitive: A project is non routine and non-
repetitive in nature.
Project Characteristics
• Constraints: A project operates within constraints of time, cost and
quality.
• Uniqueness: No two projects are exactly similar. There are complex
set of activities involved within a project which doesn’t go with some
other case.
• Flexibility: A project operates in a dynamic environment, so project
needs flexibility to provide rapid response to changing environment.
Risks and changes are inevitable and project needs to address these
issues for which a project needs to be flexible.
Project Characteristics
• Resource Integration: Every project uses resources such as man,
machine, money and minutes. So, integration of these resources is
necessary for efficient use of these resources.
• Team Work: A project normally consists of diversified personnel
specialized in their respective area. They work from a various
discipline so the coordination among them is called team work. A
manager leads the team to accomplish the goal of the project.
• Planning and Control: each project has an effective planning and
control system in order to efficient and effective completion of the
project.
Project Characteristics
• Contracting and Subcontracting: Most projects are contract based.
Complexity of a project increases the need of contracting and
subcontracting. Contract may be of various types such as, lump-sum
contract, unit price contract, negotiated coat plus fixed fee contract
and turnkey contract.
• Beneficiaries: The ultimate users of the project are the project
beneficiaries. Each project has certain community of beneficiaries
who are directly associated with the project outputs.
Classification of Projects
• On the Basis of: • On the Basis of:
• Sponsorship of Project • Objectives
• Nature of Project • Sectors
• Orientation of Project • Number of Key Purposes
• Speed of Project • Type of Relationship
• Funding Source of Project • Nature
• Technique of Project
• Size of Project
Classification of Projects
• Sponsorship • Nature
• Customer • Individual
• Organization • Staff
• Contractor • Special
• Government • Complex
• Donor
• Speed
• Orientation • Normal
• Product • Crash
• Process • Disaster
Classification of Projects
• Funding Source • Size
• Indigenous • Mega
• Foreign • Major
• Joint Venture • Medium
• Bilateral
• Small
• Multilateral

• Technique
• Labor Intensive
• Capital Intensive
Classification of Projects (Alternate Approach)
• Objectives • Type of Relationship
• Social Development • Independent
• Economic Growth • Dependent
• Mutually Exclusive
• Sectors
• Nature
• Number of Key Purposes • Emergency
• Single Purpose • Fixed Budget
• Multi Purpose • Fixed Time
 • Formulation
Project Life Cycle • Identification
• Formulation
• Project has fixed life span. • Planning
• It has beginning and end points. • Feasibility
• Appraisal
• Approval
• The phases are: • Design
• Implementation
• Implementation
• Monitoring & Control
• Termination
• Operation & Evaluation
• Handover
Project Life Cycle

Termination Formulation
Phase Phase

Implementation Planning
Phase Phase
Project Life Cycle – Alternative Approach
• Define the project • Conceive
• Design the project process • Develop
• Deliver the project (Do it!) • Execute
• Develop the process • Finish
IT System Development
• Communication • Modelling
• Requirement Analysis • Analysis
• Feasibility Analysis • Design
• Project Proposal Development • Construction
• Planning • Coding
• Scheduling • Testing
• Cost Estimation • Deployment
• Quality Management • Maintenance
• Change Management • Feedback
• Risk Management
Project Proposal – Key Elements
• Rational for the Proposal
• Project Planning Matrix
• Presentation of goal, purpose, inputs and outputs of the project
• Solution of the Problem
• Project Implementation Plan
• Estimates, Cost Benefit Analysis, Resources, Schedule, Risk & Contingency
Plan, Milestones and Deliverables
• Logistic Support and Administration Plan
• Budget or Financial Plan
• Relevant Past Experiences
Efforts and Tasks during Project Life Cycle Phases
References
• Project Management, Harvey Maylor, 2003, Pearson India.
• Project Management in Nepal, Dr. Govind Ram Agrawal, 2005, M.K.
Publishers, Nepal.
• Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling
and Controlling, Harold Kerzner, 1987, CBS Publishers, New Delhi.
• Lecture Notes of MSTIM, Pulchowk Campus by Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Adhikari.
• IT Project Management, NAAS, 2009.
References
• http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Efforts+and+Tasks+during+Project+Life+Cycle
+Phases&hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=miEQAQpn
VC7VaM:&imgrefurl=http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/interop-
focus/gpg/ProjectManagement/&docid=RCoB_rt64B4fsM&imgurl=http://www.u
koln.ac.uk/interop-
focus/gpg/ProjectManagement/lifecycle.gif&w=428&h=291&ei=UP6sULWAN6ew
iQepnIGIAQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=379&sig=106593812662220274195&page=1
&tbnh=129&tbnw=202&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:87&tx=58&ty=81
• http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Efforts+and+Tasks+during+Project+Life+Cycle
+Phases&hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=iJN-
D8qTVj5rMM:&imgrefurl=http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/century21/lifec
ycle.htm&docid=fsoffEsY_nTV2M&imgurl=http://www.maxwideman.com/papers
/century21/figure3.gif&w=503&h=435&ei=UP6sULWAN6ewiQepnIGIAQ&zoom=1
&iact=hc&vpx=147&vpy=323&dur=4597&hovh=209&hovw=241&tx=147&ty=57
&sig=106593812662220274195&page=1&tbnh=150&tbnw=173&start=0&ndsp=2
0&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0,i:108
Thank You
Let us Discuss Now!