What Is Project Management ?

       What is Project Management?

Shakhzod Ruzimov

Definition of project management during the first workshop

1. Project management is a way to get things done within requirement timeframe using knowledge, various tools and skills. It is composed of a team who works together towards achieving project goals.

2. The project management is a set of actions aimed at achieving the project targets within a limited budget, time and with satisfactory quality.

My early definition of Project Management had some aspects of the essentials of project management but did not entirely grasp all the essence of it.  After the course has been taken, I have substantially learned from it that I became confident of putting up my management using the lesson I learned in class.  I believe I can already forecast the outcome of the project applying the tools I have learned in this class.  After having so much learned from lessons, it would be appropriate to say there are two main conflicting definitions of project management. One is the deterministic and rational model which defines project management as ‘the process by which projects are defined, planned, monitored, controlled and delivered such that the agreed benefits are delivered.’ (Project Management Institute Global Standard, 2008). The other is the soft model approach where it is defined as an art and science offering flexibility in crafting its model which includes the integration of human factor in it. (Olinger, 2004) Being both an art and science, experts, however, have different perspectives and definition of Project Management.  The project is traditionally perceived in a deterministic perspective where it is based on the rational and deterministic model.  Others, however, perceive project management not to be limited in its deterministic model but also includes the human factor in achieving project aims.

After undertaking research, it can be believed that project is not only limited to its hard model but also includes the human factor in getting projects done.  After all, project management is just an effective marshalling of resources to realise the objective of a project.  And part of that resources that will be utilised and controlled in realising the objectives of a project are people.  Such, the insistence of project management to merely limit it to its hard model is inadequate as a tool for achieving the objectives of a project. (Fu-Wun and Kao-Shan 2010)

Project Management is often associated with the quantitative methods and techniques such as Critical Path Method (CPM), Programme Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT), Graphical Evaluation and Review Techniques (GERT) and Lean Six Sigma that help projects to be completed on time, on budget and according to specified quality (Fu-Wun and Kao-Shan 2010).  But project management is not only limited to hard techniques and methods.  It also includes some techniques and skills such as human skills.  Interpersonal skills, adaptability, cultural agility are among the skills that are as critical as hard techniques.  The absence of which would render the quantitative tools or any other techniques to be useless as projects will bog down when the people involved in a project cannot implement them.  It is also equally important to integrate risk mitigation measures to alleviate risk and enhance the probability of success of a project which is instituted by human resource (Turskis, gajzler and Dziadosz 2012).

The human factor in Project Management involves the the effective coordination between people and resources. Moreover, it requires soft skills that are beyond the reach of the deterministic model of project management. (Turskis, gajzler and Dziadosz 2012)  In a globalised working environment where teams are composed of people coming from the different socio-cultural background, the importance of soft skills in managing the human resource in projects are becoming more important than before.  The inability to deal effectively with human resource would mean project being bogged down or suffering delay due to conflict, miscommunication or lack of cooperation among its human resource.  It would also be safe to say that project management involves two categories which are the technical dimension of a project which is the materials and resources and human resource which provides the expertise and capability to make a project successful. (Newton, 2007)

Part of soft skills in project management is effective communication which is also a necessary means to relay the project’s objective and details that would contribute to the overall success of the project.  This communication exchange can either go lateral or downward to ensure that everybody in a project is geared towards the success of the project.  Again, effective communication rests in the province of the soft skill. (Newton, 2007)

Conflict in Project management is not only limited to its basis between the deterministic hard model and soft model but also in its application to the organisation.   Traditionally, project management is used non-routinary, and temporary projects but some organisation use it in their line management which is routinely in nature (Gray & Larson 2011).   This use of project management both in its traditional use a non-routinely method of control of the project as well as its use in routinely line management also presents a conflict. In the study of Thyssen and Gessler, they reported that organisations use project management both in its non-routinary and routinely application.  Organisations use project management in their line management which essentially is a routine activity since it involves the administration of a regular operation of a business organisation.  In the same study, Thyssen and Gessler argued that successful project managers need not approach this contradiction in a zero-sum or either or manner because there are ways to resolve this. This seemingly conflicting perspective about the application of project manager can be resolved by ignoring, sequencing, segmentation and balancing (Thyssen and Gessler 2012:213).  Project management itself can be used as an organisational strategy to resolve the contradictions in the application of project management.  As indicated by Thyssen and Gessler, seeing contradictions in the application of project management in an organisation is a“structural lack of competence” (2012 pg. 213) There are four ways to deal with the contradiction of routinely and non-routinary use of project management which is “ignoring, sequencing, segmentation and balancing”.  Ignoring meant the literal meaning of the word where ignoring the contradictions seems to be the simple solution to the issue as one would be engaged in finding solutions rather than dwelling on a seemingly problematic situation. Sequencing, on the other hand, is a way to deal with contradictions with the human resource in organisations.  As organisations are composed of more individuals, it meant that these individuals do not have to select a particular path or management and can do multiple roles.  It just means that individuals in an organisation can do both the non-routinary and routinely aspect of project management.  Segmentation suggests that people can follow contradictory interests at the same time which meant following both the line management and project management path.  It is consistent with sequencing where people can plan to do both the seemingly contradictory application of project management.  Ultimately, these contradictions can be resolved by balancing where it can be used as a coping mechanism with the contradictions in project management.