Masters of Business and Operations Management

MODULE: Managing Projects

SIBM 004-08-A
Assignment No: 1
Title: Critically examine the Purpose & Importance to the Project manager and th
e subsequent success of a Project of clearly establishing & identifying the Purp
ose, Scope & Objectives
Session: 2008/09
Compiled By:
Mohammed Ahmed

Declaration: I hereby declare that this piece of writing is my work and has neve
r been done or submitted anywhere else.
The globally changing world of business with increasing competition and the emer
gence of new products daily has made organisation continuously search for ways i
n doing business at reduced cost that is affordable to the consumer or end-user.
The production of goods and services at reduced cost requires the efficient uti
lization of resources (human and materials), processes and products. Many organi
sations set up project teams under the supervision of a project manager to coord
inate the activities in meeting operational requirement at reduced cost. The pro
duction of goods and services are usually classified as projects related by task
s with specific goals requiring concerted efforts (Ensure, 2008). According to H
arvard (1991), a project is a temporary task embarked on by an organisation to a
chieve a predetermined specification within budget on time. Projects are tasks t
hat are undertaken by individuals or groups with specific skills and knowledge t
o achieve goals within a certain timeframe (Academicresourcecenter, 2008).
However, to successfully actualise projects, specific skills in managing project
s are necessary. Project management is therefore the efficient use of resources
and material to achieve products and services. Richman (2002) defines project ma
nagement as a set of values, methods and techniques used in planning and control
ling task based on available resources, decision making and scheduling in accord
ance with specifications. PMBOK (2004), on the other hand defines project manage
ment as the integration of processes for initiating, planning, executing, monito
ring, controlling and closing a project. Conversely, the coordination and integr
ation of the processes required to achieve projects involves the use of a projec
t manager.
Project manager is therefore an individual assigned with the responsibility of m
anaging specific projects to meet approved objectives including project scope, b
udget, and schedule. A project manager leads a project team with directed plans
to meet business requirements (Lewis, 2007). The job of a project manager is the
ability to effectively pool resources together skilled enough to achieve projec
t specifications. This could be done by setting up special project teams guided
by a project charter explaining the purpose, scope and objectives of the project
to suit the overall business plan of an organisation. To the project manager, p
lanning is essential in achieving project specifications and deadlines from conc
eption to completion as agreed by the stakeholders (Kerzner, 2003). Yeates (1986
) is of the opinion that planning a project helps to deliver it on time within b
udget at the predetermined quality level. It helps a project manager to resolve
and work around unforeseen problems that may delay project completion. Some of t
he project specifications needed to achieve the purpose, objective and scope for
executing a project are usually performance-based. The purpose, scope and objec
tives of a project are important to the client or customer, the project organisa
tion and the project manager. The successful implementation of the purpose, scop
e and objectives leads to the successful execution of a project. It is important
for every member of a project team to understand the purpose and objectives for
which a project is undertaken.
The purpose of a project is measured based on its contribution to the overall bu
siness strategy (Shenhar and Dvir, 2007). A well planned project may fail if not
designed in accordance with the organisational business perspective because it
may not be supported by top management whose overall aim is making profit.
Project objectives must follow a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, reali
stic and traceable) approach to avoid any ambiguity in delivery projects on sche
dule. It is significant for every member of the project team to be familiar with
the objectives of a project as would be communicated by the project manager reg
arding quality and its effects on organisational reputation. The objectives of a
project are defined statements explaining the reason for the projects as well a
s milestone to be achieved. Setting project objectives makes the job easier for
the project manager to coordinate the overall activities that benefit the busine
ss purpose. The objective allows the project team to concentrate on priorities b
y clearly defining the critical and non-critical path to be followed to actualis
e the project aims. The objectives of a project are the desired result set out t
o be achieved on specific dates which are measured as the project advances. When
clearly defined, the objective of a project can motivate members of a project t
eam especially when the project manager promotes team work (Yeates, 1986).
Pyramid of project objectives, goals, scope, and requirements (Tomczyk, 2005).
According to Tomczyk (2005) the pyramid above represents the nature of projects
and their importance to different organisations with every level carrying more d
etails than the level preceding it. The project pyramid determines the overall o
rganisational business purpose regarding executing projects. Project objectives
may not necessarily align with business goals, but the knowledge of the organisa
tion would help connect the purpose of the project with the business. For exampl
e, maintaining machinery to help the sales department meet sales target for a cl
ient.
The scope of a project is the sum total of the work needed to complete a project
. Establishing an effective project scope is the first step in ensuring project
success (Richman, 2006). Projects are easily overrun when the scope is not clear
ly defined from the outset of the project planning. The duration and budget are
exceeded when scope is not aligned with planning. This leads to scope creep. Sco
pe definition must involve performance measurement, budget and time. It also inc
ludes areas such as project definition, planning, verification, control, and qua
lity.
Project quality is therefore ensuring that the projects are designed and execute
d with the purpose of meeting or exceeding customer requirement through continuo
us performance improvement (Deming, 1986). Poor scope management leads to rework
and high cost of project which leads to delays. This can be avoided by the proj
ect manager by ensuring that any feature that was not originally part of the pla
nning are not included as the project is being executed. Scope creep is a conseq
uence of not adhering to project scope, objective and purpose. In order to avoid
scope creep, the project manager establishes work-break-down structure (WBS) su
ch that all the activities are broken into their respective areas leading to com
pletion. It is important to subdivide project into manageable units assignable t
o professional who would take ownership till the project is completed. Similar w
ork are grouped together to improve efficiency (Burke, 2003). WBS facilitates th
e process of integrating the small units that make up the project and encourages
communication among the project team especially when the project is deliverable
-based (Rad & Anantatmula, 2005).
In conclusion, project risk must be avoided by adhering to project scope, object
ives and purpose. Such risks may be uncertain and considerable in its impact on
project performance if not well handled (Chapman & Ward, 1997).
Reference
Burke, R., 2003. Project management, planning and control techniques, 4th Editio
n
Chapman, C. & Ward, S. 1997. Project Risk Management processes, Techniques & Ins
ights.
Deming, W. E., 1986, Out of the crisis, Quality, productivity and competition po
sition
Harvard business review, 1991 Project management, No. 90053.
Kerzner, H., 2003. Project management, a system approach to planning, scheduling
and controlling, 8th Edition
Lewis, J. P., 2007 Fundamentals of project management 3rd Edition
PMBOK Guide, 2004. A guide to project management body of knowledge 3rd Edition.
Rad, P. F., & Anantatmula. S., 2005. Project planning techniques
Richman L., 2006. Improving management skills
Richman L., 2002. Successful project management 2nd Edition.
Shenhar, A. J. and Dvir, D., 2007, Reinventing project management: the diamond a
pproach to successful growth and innovation
Tomczyk C. A., 2005. Project managerâ s spotlight on Planning.
Ensure, 2008, http://www.ensure.org/guidebook/glossary.htm#P : accessed on the 2
5th Oct., 2008
Academicresourcecenter, 2008,http://www.academicresourcecenter.net/curriculum/gl
ossary.aspx: accessed on the 25th Oct., 2008