Project Management – you’ve heard the term before but do you really know what it is?

Let’s start with the basics…the formal definition given by the Project Management Institute (PMI) is below (PMI is the organization responsible for creating and maintaining the global standard in Project Management methodology).

Project Management - “is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet project requirements.”

(PMI*, Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 4^th Edition, p. 6)

Now let’s put it in layman’s terms…when Project Management is applied correctly, it’s a lot like cooking a great meal. To do it well, you need to know what ingredients to add, how much of each, what temperature to set the oven or stove, how long to cook it, when to stir it, turn it,  or baste it, in conjunction with the correct timing to do so, and so on.  The cook did not just slop together whatever was lying around the kitchen; they took calculated steps at precise times to ensure the food tasted, looked, and smelled exactly as one would ideally expect it to.

It’s no different with project management – there are specific steps and processes that must be utilized at specific times.  For instance, you have to get the right people in the room before you can gather requirements. You have to gather requirements before you can write the scope. The scope of the project must be written up before you can faithfully estimate the material and labor required to achieve your goals. Of Course, you have to estimate the material and labor to set the budget…and it goes on.

In essence, like cooking, Project Management is as much an art as it is a science. 

Hopefully this has sparked your interest.  Stay tuned for the next installment when we’ll cover what makes Project Management important for customers as well as providers.

- Steve K.