You hear the word ‘project’ several times a day. It has been used freely since the dawn of time; for instance – class project, side project, work project, home improvement project, Manhattan Project and even The Alan Parsons Project. However, not everyone knows how to successfully start and manage a project.
Before suggesting how you can apply this discipline in your daily life, here’s some fundamental terminology for the uninitiated, courtesy of the Project Management Institute, the foremost professional organization for project management
Project: Temporary activity designed to produce a unique product, service or result.
- Initiating
- Planning
- Executing
- Monitoring and Controlling
- Closing
- Project Integration Management
- Project Scope Management
- Project Time Management
- Project Cost Management
- Project Quality Management
- Project Human Resource Management
- Project Communications Management
- Project Risk Management
- Project Procurement Management
- Project Stakeholders Management
These names are somewhat self-explanatory, but the example shown below will give you a better idea of what each one means.
The ten knowledge areas are applied in each of the five project processes.
Plugging it in Everyday Life
- Initiating – What exactly are you looking for? What is the expected outcome of this project?
- Planning – What are your specific requirements? Do you have any priorities (must-have and nice-to-have)? How will you perform the search for the perfect apartment? What tools will you use? How long will you take?
- Executing – Search for the apartment. Make calls. Browse the internet. Set up visits with landlords.
- Monitoring and Controlling – Your search not so successful? Someone beat you to that great deal you found on OrangeHousing? You suddenly find yourself with less money and want to lower your expectations? Watch out for deficiencies and make changes as needed.
- Closing – You have successfully found the apartment of your dreams (with a reasonable compromise between scope, cost and time). Time to mark this project as ‘done’ and celebrate.
- Integration – How will you integrate all the other aspects of your project? Do you document everything? Or make a mental note of whatever you think is important?
- Scope – How much do you exactly need? Are your expectations set in stone or do you allow yourself some flexibility? For instance, do you absolutely need a hot tub in the bathroom, or leave it to chance?
- Time – How much time can you and do you want to spend on your apartment hunt? Do you dedicate a few hours week? Do you you give yourself additional time to catch up if you fall behind your plans?
- Cost – How much are you willing to spend on your search? Do you find driving around and spending money on gas worthwhile? Would you consider taking a couple of hours from work and forgoing some pay to look at houses?
- Quality – Do you want a newly renovated apartment, or can do with any decent place? Do you want only the best furniture, or can compromise on that?
- Human Resources – How do you manage the people involved in this project? Do you rope in your friends to help you? How do you keep yourself motivated to complete the search?
- Communications -How do you plan to communicate with the other people involved in the project? Do you email landlords, or call them to express your interest in their property? If you’re friends are helping you in your apartment hunt, do you ask them to give you updates every day?
- Risk – Always have a Plan B. What if you run out of money and have to settle for a lower quality apartment? What if the landlord double crosses you? Plan for the unexpected and know beforehand how you’re going to deal with it.
- Procurement – How will you procure the apartment? Do you sign a lease (of course you should). Are you happy with the terms of the lease, or negotiate it?
- Stakeholders – How do you manage the people involved in the project? Do you take your friends out to a drink to appreciate their help? Do you be extra nice to each landlord you meet, just so that they get a good impression of you?
Conclusion
Project management can provide you a framework to take a structured approach to problem solving. PM concepts can be applied to just about anything, irrespective of your area of expertise. There are project managers in almost every organization, and knowledge of project management will help you work better with these people and understand your own work better.
That said, project management as a tool will help you only to an extent. It can assist you building a house, or creating a software app, but it will not help you find love, comprehend the meaning of life, or find those keys you misplaced the other night in a drunken stupor.