Summary MG2 project management

Project management
1.1 types of activities, types of work

Types of activities:

 Improvised activities:
- Happens usually when something unforeseen that requires an immediate
response occurs.
- Ad hoc reaction: not according to a laid down plain, but decided on as
events unfold.  the outcome is hard to predict with any accuracy.
- Advantage: new situation can be met in a flexible manner.
- Disadvantage: risk of chaos and could put the organizer under a lot of
pressure.
- Workers work under a certain amount of strain.

 Routine activities:
- Activities that are repeated frequently and are relatively predictable.
- Work will be carried out according to predetermined patterns.
- work procedures or instructions have to be developed to work efficiently.

 Project-based activities:
- Non-recurring and have a limited duration.
- Reasonably predictable.
- Work should be down according to a plan.
- To work effective projects are usually divided into a number of phases.
After these phases the aims and procedures may be adjusted.
- Before starting the project, a project plan is formulated.
- By working with a project plan based on fixed criteria you five some
routine to the project  more chance of success.
- Project organization: organization created specially to deal with the
needs of the project.
- Is a way of structuring activities that are less predictable and that fall
outside the scope of normal activities  become easier to mange and
monitor.


1.2 examples of projects
not important

1.3 what is a project?

A group of people, usually from various fields of expertise, collaborating
temporarily with the aim of reaching a predetermined project result within a
predetermined budget within a predetermined time frame.

A project should have the following features:
- kick-off: clear starting point.
- Finishing date (because of the limited duration).
- Unique and clearly defined goal. Tells why the client commissioned the
project.
- predetermined project result = outcome

, - client/sponsor: commissioned the project and pays. Has an interest in
the project result, provide the project team with clarity on the project and
makes important decisions.
- Budget: determined in advance. Funds project and pays staff.
Financial/time.
- People from various fields.
- Organizational set-up: different person to be accountable to.
- never spontaneously. It has to be initiated and organized consciously.

Members of the team have to work together and they have to know what is
expected of them. They must make mutual arrangements. It is essential that they
can work in a result-oriented fashion.

1.4 from improvised activities to project routine

improvised activities, projects based activities and routine work can be part of
the same work sequence.
New task  improvising  task will have to be repeated  more organization 
standard working procedure is developed  activities can be carried out as the
standard routine.

1.5 types of projects

 technical projects:
- Aim: to effect some change in technology or to come up with a new
product.
- Easy to plan.
- ‘Hard’ projects.
- End result is obvious.

 Social projects:
- Aim: to change the corporate culture or organizational structure of a
company.
- Deal with the way in which people work together.
- Difficult because people resist change.
- ‘soft’ projects.
- Outcome not evident
- Include reorganization of a firm or an adaptation of work procedures.

 Commercial projects:
- Aim: to earn money.

 Mixed projects:
- Mix of technical and social.

Events are a special kind of project  end result only appears at a certain point.

Projects can also be categorized based on:
- Content: internal vs. external sponsor.
- Provide service vs. yield a product.

1.6 things to remember