1. Define ‘Project’. What are the main characteristics that identify and differentiate projects? Do you think that the specialized project management techniques can be applied effectively to non-engineering areas of organizational functions? Explain your answer with suitable examples.
Project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create unique product or service. Project is also defined as a unique set of coordinated and inter-related and inter-related activities undertaken by an organisation to meet defined objectives; that have an agreed start and finish time; is constrained by cost & resources and has specified performance requirements.
Characteristics of a project:
Project has a definite start and finish.
Project consists of a well-defined collection of jobs, activities, or tasks which when complete; mark the end project.
The jobs may be started or stopped independently of each other, within a given sequence.
The jobs are ordered – i.e., they must be performed in technological order.
Project management has become a proven approach to achieving specific objectives in time. If properly applied, project management techniques supply structure, focus, and control and help to drive a project team to the completion of work. Today, the definition of a project has expanded to include recurring situations, one time crisis, and dealing with difficult issues, so that projects and project management apply to various business situations that have to deal with complexity. Legal offices, hospitals and other services as well as traditional manufacturing firms have become enthusiastic about the ways in which project management is improving their delivery of services or creation of new products.
Some typical examples are:
Annual budgeting / auditing exercises
Introduction of new systems (ISO 9000)
Organizational restructuring
Software development & implementation
Development of new product
Campaign for new product