Question

This unit explores project management and its distinguishing characteristics from other management disciplines. You have been appointed the President of Toastmaster Club in your institution, how would you explain to your members, the key characteristics of project management and the principal reasons project management has become such a popular tool in recent years?  

Answer 1

project is basically a desired goal which an organization or a team plan to achieve with defined set of resources having a defined start point and a define end stage as well.

Tools and ways used for effectively implementing or developing that project is known as Project Management.

Key Characteristics of Project Management are:

1. Consistency: is very important characteristic in terms of Project Management, irrespective of the type of project you're trying to deliver or the type of client you're working for, every project needs to be held to identical standards for what has to happen for it to be considered a success, as the same will allow you to identify certain areas of your process that may be repetitive and can be eliminated, as well as avoid errors or redundancy in future.

2. Flexibility: this enables Project managers to deviate from standard process in case of need and also an important element to be used in case deviation is required as certain types of issues will always arise unexpectedly, regardless of how detailed your plan is. Without that certain degree of flexibility, you don't have a hope of surviving the unexpected.

3. Transparency: one of the most integral characteristics of the project management process is transparency. This is particularly true when it comes to how resources are being used by team members at any given time. A successful project manager will know how to optimally utilize its resources and schedule the Project completion.

Principal Reasons why Project Management has become a popular tool in recent years is because it helps Project Managers in;

• Increasing productivity
• Effective Utilization of resources
• Reducing costs
• Reduce work overhead off the executives's shoulders
• Better Employee Satisfaction
• Clear/Defined Process Flow
• Reducing Errors
• Implementing Standardization