What Makes Up Project Management? Components and Characteristics

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What Makes Up Project Management? Components and Characteristics

System Analysis and Design · Chapter 9: Project Management, Scheduling, and QualitySection 9.1 · lesson 60 of 696 min · free with a free account

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In this lesson

Projects vs. operations, the triple constraint, knowledge areas, the life cycle, and key roles.

  • Explain what distinguishes a project from ongoing operations
  • Describe the triple constraint, and how it affects quality
  • Identify the project management knowledge areas
  • Describe the project life cycle, and the key roles in a project

Transcript

Everything said in the video, section by section (819 words). Read along, or search it.

Project Management, Scheduling, and Quality

What Makes Up Project Management?

Every system in this course was built as a project. This final chapter is about managing that work. This section sets out what a project is, the three constraints every project balances, and the knowledge areas a project manager plans for. Then the phases of the project life cycle, and the key roles that carry a project through them.

Defining a Project

Temporary and Unique

Not every piece of work an organization does is a project. A project has two defining characteristics. First, it is temporary, with a defined beginning and end. Ongoing operations have no planned end date. Second, it produces a unique product, service, or result. Operations produce repetitive, standardized output. Building a company's new website is a project. Running daily customer support is operations. So an I T help desk answering tickets every day, with no end date, is not a project. Temporary does not mean short. Some projects run for years. It means the work has a defined endpoint. And unique means that even a project resembling a past one involves new circumstances, with details refined as the work proceeds.

Figure 1

The Triple Constraint

Every project is bounded by three interconnected factors, often called the triple constraint. Scope, what the project will and will not deliver. Time, how long it has. And cost, how much it can spend. Changing any one of the three puts pressure on the other two. And the balance among all three shapes the quality of what the project finally delivers. Suppose a stakeholder asks for significant new functionality, without extending the deadline, or increasing the budget. The team has no extra time or resources to absorb the work. So it usually comes at the expense of quality.

Knowledge Areas (1 of 2)

What a Project Manager Plans For

Project management is commonly broken into knowledge areas. Each covers a distinct part of what a project manager plans for and coordinates. Integration coordinates all of the other areas into one coherent, unified project. Scope defines and controls what is, and is not, included in the project. Schedule sequences the activities, and manages the timeline. Cost covers estimating, budgeting, and controlling spending. And quality ensures the deliverables meet the standards the project is expected to meet.

Knowledge Areas (2 of 2)

People, Information, and Uncertainty

Five more areas deal with people, information, and uncertainty. Resource management identifies, acquires, and manages the people and materials a project needs. Communications makes sure the right information reaches the right people, at the right time. Risk management identifies, and plans responses to, events that could affect the project. Procurement acquires goods and services from outside the organization doing the work. And stakeholder management identifies and manages the expectations of everyone with an interest in the project.

Figure 2

The Project Life Cycle

A project moves through a series of phases, from start to finish. Four phases form the backbone, in sequence. Initiating, planning, executing, and closing. The fifth activity is different. Monitoring and controlling sits beneath planning and executing, spanning both. It runs alongside them, rather than taking its own turn in the sequence. It checks progress against the plan throughout both phases, and makes corrections as needed.

The Phases

What Happens in Each Phase

Here is what happens in each phase. In initiating, the project is authorized, its purpose is defined, and the first stakeholders are identified. In planning, the scope, schedule, budget, and other plans are developed in enough detail to guide the work. In executing, the planned work is actually carried out. Monitoring and controlling tracks progress against the plan, all through planning and executing, and corrects course when needed. And in closing, the project is formally completed, deliverables are handed over, and lessons learned are captured.

Key Roles

Who Does What

Three key roles carry a project. The sponsor provides authority and resources for the project, and champions it at the executive level. The sponsor also makes the decisions that are beyond the project manager's authority. The project manager plans, executes, and closes the project. That means balancing scope, time, cost, and quality, while coordinating the team's work. And the project team performs the actual work that produces the project's deliverables.

Key Terms

The Vocabulary of This Section

Let's lock in the key terms. A project is a temporary undertaking, with a defined beginning and end, that produces a unique result. The triple constraint is the interconnected relationship between scope, time, and cost, which together shape quality. The project life cycle is the set of phases a project passes through, from initiation to closing. And the sponsor provides authority and resources for a project, and champions it at the executive level.

Key Takeaways

What to Carry Forward

To pull this together. A project is temporary and produces a unique result, which sets it apart from the ongoing, repetitive work of operations. The triple constraint of scope, time, and cost pulls against itself. Changing one pressures the other two, and affects quality. The knowledge areas, from integration to stakeholder management, cover everything a project manager has to plan for. The life cycle runs through initiating, planning, executing, and closing, with monitoring and controlling running alongside planning and executing. And the sponsor provides authority, the project manager coordinates, and the team carries out the work.

About System Analysis and Design at UPI Study

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Universities that work with NCCRS

System Analysis and Design carries a NCCRS credit recommendation. These universities work with NCCRS; some are UPI Study's signed partners. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.

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FAQ

Questions students ask us

About What Makes Up Project Management? Components and Characteristics

What is the difference between a project and operations?
A project is temporary, with a defined beginning and end, and produces a unique product, service, or result, while operations are ongoing and produce repetitive, standardized output. Building a new company website is a project; running daily customer support or an IT help desk is operations. Temporary does not mean short, since some projects run for years; it means the work has a defined endpoint.
What is the triple constraint in project management?
The triple constraint is the interconnected relationship between scope, time, and cost that bounds every project. Changing any one puts pressure on the other two, and the balance among them shapes quality. If a stakeholder adds significant new functionality without extending the deadline or budget, the team has no extra time or money to absorb it, so quality usually suffers.
What are the phases of the project life cycle?
The project life cycle runs through initiating, planning, executing, and closing, with monitoring and controlling running alongside planning and executing. Initiating authorizes the project and defines its purpose. Planning develops scope, schedule, and budget. Executing carries out the work while monitoring and controlling tracks progress and corrects course. Closing hands over deliverables and captures lessons learned.
What is the role of a project sponsor compared with a project manager?
The project sponsor provides authority and resources, champions the project at the executive level, and makes decisions beyond the project manager's authority. The project manager plans, executes, and closes the project, balancing scope, time, cost, and quality while coordinating the team. The project team then performs the actual work that produces the deliverables.

About the System Analysis and Design course

How many college credits is System Analysis and Design?
System Analysis and Design (Computer Science 390) carries a NCCRS credit recommendation for 3 semester credits. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
How much does System Analysis and Design cost and what is included?
$250, paid once, with lifetime access: all 69 video lessons, a practice quiz after each, the graded work and final exam, and an official transcript when you finish. Students who want several courses choose UPI Study PRO instead.
Which universities accept UPI Study credits?
UPI Study has signed partner agreements with universities such as Thomas Edison State University, University of the People and Charter Oak State College, and works with universities such as Penn State, SNHU and SUNY. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities. Use "Find my college" on this page to check yours.
How long does System Analysis and Design take?
It is self-paced with no deadlines. The 69 lessons total about 9 hours of video; most students add reading and practice time and finish in a few weeks to a few months, on their own schedule.
How are the exams done?
Quizzes and assignments are online in the course. The final exam is taken online with proctoring; a person on the UPI Study team checks assignments, usually within two days.
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