PMP free course - Introduction &the
environment in which project operate
what is mean by Project, Program, Portfolio and PMO
We will explain in this article the below subject:-
1- Project.
2- Operational Work.
3- Project Management.
4- Program.
5- Portfolio.
6- Project Management Office (PMO).
1- Project
- Definition of project.
A project is temporary end-over with a beginning and end date.
This is important, project should have a beginning and should have an ending . Project can
not go over time periodicity.
Project also should create a unique product, service, or result.
If project is not unique, for example , if you are producing he same product in a simple line
you are not working in a project.
- Why are projects initiated?
There are the several reasons for initiated projects, but we will list the most common reasons
* Marked demand
For example, car factories producing a small cars for women because women like a small
car in a traffic.
car in a traffic.
* Strategic opportunity / Business need.
For example, in the phone industrial there are a harsh competition between Samsung and
Apple and there are trying to beat other and in order to do so they will release a new smart
phone
phone
with extend features and functionality frequently. So, this might be a project for Samsung or
Apple.
* Social Need.
For example, UNICEF might start a project to deliver food to Africa.
* Environmental Consideration
For example, the project for reducing the pollution in cities inside the world such as a green
building projects.
* Customer Request.
For example, in the telephone communication vendors if operator asking for a new system
in a network is example for customer request in vendor point of view.
in a network is example for customer request in vendor point of view.
* Technological Advance.
A new project can initiate in order to do an existing activity or a process better.
* Legal Requirement.
2- Operational Work
- Definition of operational work
Most of the work being done in organization. For example, using a registration in a
company, fixing a technical problem, maintenance for bridges or street.
The operational work difference from a project in term of: -
* ongoing
* Repetitive
so, the result of a operation work is not a unique or they do not have definite end.
3- Project Management
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and technique to project
activities to meet the project requirements.
There is a scope of work that need to be done, a timeline that a customer expect to finish
and of course, there will be quality requirements. Briefly the project management ensure that
the scope of these requirements are work and delivered on time as per quality
requirements.
Project management profession growing rapidly, main reason for this is a competition in the
market.
market.
Project management follows systemic process. For each topic or area project management
has processes that have input, tools, technique and outputs these to ensure to deliver the
successful result.
has processes that have input, tools, technique and outputs these to ensure to deliver the
successful result.
* Processes group of project management
We have 5 major group
- Initiating
- Planning
- Executing
Monitoring and controlling
- Closing
And we have processes of project management belong to the knowledge area which is: -
- Integration Management.
Mainly aim to control all process and cohesive executions of the project in accordance to all
the project management process.
- Scope Management.
Mainly aims to defined boundaries of the work that will be delivered in the project and helps
to protect this scope till the end of the project.
- Scheduled Management.
Mainly aims to complete the project on time.
- Cost Management.
Target to deliver agreed scope based on planed budget.
- Quality management.
Help to ensure that the project meets the quality requirements.
- Resource management.
Mainly aims to manage people and other resources of the project.
- Communication Management.
There will be a several stakeholders will be in a project; each stakeholder will have varying
interests of the project and each stakeholder will be required different state of information.
Communication management ensure the effective and efficient communication in a project.
interests of the project and each stakeholder will be required different state of information.
Communication management ensure the effective and efficient communication in a project.
- Risk Management.
Ensure to keep the update the status of the risk and response strategy of the risk if occur.
- Procurement Management.
To control purchasing or leasing for tools, equipment, and resources of people
- Stakeholder management.
It is aimed to treat each stakeholder accordingly to meet the balance stakeholder
requirements in the project.
If project to somehow not related to each other or not affect each other then there is no
need to group these projects under a program.
Example of program , Manufacture new Boeing Airplane as example of program . Under
this program it can be a several projects such as:
- Avionic systems.
- Communication system.
- Entertainment system.
Security system.
-......
All these projects are interrelated to each other because the airplane will be completed only
if all these systems are merge and working properly.
requirements in the project.
4- Program
* Definition of program
Program is a group of projects. So, several projects can come together to can execute the
program but note that, these projects should be into-related and program can execute in
order to mange the into-related projects better.
need to group these projects under a program.
Example of program , Manufacture new Boeing Airplane as example of program . Under
this program it can be a several projects such as:
- Avionic systems.
- Communication system.
- Entertainment system.
Security system.
-......
All these projects are interrelated to each other because the airplane will be completed only
if all these systems are merge and working properly.
5- Portfolio
* Definition of portfolio
Portfolio is a group of programs to achieve a business goal.
In order to achieve the strategical objective of the company, several programs can come
together to can executed the portfolio. However, these programs might not be related.so, all
the programs might not be direct related to each other if it is servings for the same business
goal these programs can be grouped under the same portfolio.
Example of portfolio.
Boeing will devolve 3 new airplane versions in 6 years. so, the development of each version
of these airplanes can grouped under a portfolio. now we can ask about what is the
strategical goal of this portfolio?
The answer is to be the world's most passenger carrying airplane company.
- Interrelationship between project, program and portfolio
Comparative overview project, program, and portfolio as per below: -
5- Project Management Office (PMO)
The main role for this department is centralizes the management of projects. This
mean that are a several projects that a company executes at a time. PMO ensure the
successful management and coordination of these several projects with its processes and
tools, information, documents, coordination, management, and done mainly with a help of
PMO department.
mean that are a several projects that a company executes at a time. PMO ensure the
successful management and coordination of these several projects with its processes and
tools, information, documents, coordination, management, and done mainly with a help of
PMO department.
Depending on the size of the company, number of projects and the size of the projects, size
of hierarchy of the department might changes well.
These are three structure for PMO
1- Supportive
Supply templates, best practices, training, lesson learned ,..etc. to other departments or
projects. Act as repository and like archive of the company and given information and
documents, as necessary. this type of structure has low degree of control.
2- Controlling
Supports and requires compliance to tools and methods. They follow whether required
documents or submitted in the project or relevant steps or executed based on the process.
this type of structure have a moderate degree of control.
3- Directive
Directly manages the projects and it is the sole accountable from the successes of the
projects. They do a strong position in the company. Directive PMO have the highest
degree of the control.
* PMO duties in the organization.
There are a lots of tasks and activities there are done by a PMO in the company such as : -
- PMO may manage interdependence between projects.
They are might be a several projects on going in a project and one project might be effect
another. for example, project A might be started only if project B is finished. These kind of
(or even more complex in) dependencies of project are manage by PMO.
- PMO may help providing resources to the projects.
- PMO may terminate projects.
- PMO will monitor compliance with organizational processes.
- PMO may gather lessons learned from projects.
- PMO may provide templates such as, budget template, planning template , risk
register template,..etc. in order to have standard type of documents .
- PMO may provide guidance
If a project face a problem or there is a conflict that need to escalate, the PMO will guide
in this case.
- PMO may provide centralized communication about the projects
Coordination and management of projects in a company are centralize in a PMO.
Therefore, PMO may provide centralize communication about the projects as well.
- PMO may be a part of change control board.
-PMO may be a stakeholder.
In this article, we start the free PMP course and discussed the 1st part of Introduction &the environment in which project operate.
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