Project Management Accreditation Project Management

A project is a temporary group endeavor, with an agreed beginning and duration time frame, organized to produce a unique product, service or result. (PMI 2011) A distinguishing characteristic of a project is that it is progressively detailed as the project is better understood by the people working on it. Another characteristic of a project is that it is not a routine operation, although a project may be assembled for the purpose of establishing the procedures that ultimately become routines. Owing to the temporary nature of projects, managers, team members and specialists are assembled for a stated period of time; they often have never worked together before as most of the team members are drawn from regular operating units. Examples of projects are software development, the construction of a building or bridge, a disaster relief effort, or a drive to expand a sales territory in a new geographical market. (PMI 2011) Malcolm Wheatley has determined that projects in the United States account for expenditures of $2.3 trillion annually, which equates to one-fourth of GDP. He estimates that, globally, the number approaches $10 trillion. Special management techniques are required to deliver the desired results, on time and on budget. (ProjectSmart 2011)

Project Management, then, is the application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently. It is a strategic competency for organizations, enabling them to tie project results to business goals -- and thus, better compete in their markets. (PMI 2011)

Deriving from the growing importance of project management to enterprises, large and small, a demand for a way to determine the competency of project managers has arisen. Four groups have been established to issue certificates of accreditation, most of which are accepted on a world-wide basis: Project Management Institute, International Project Management Commission, PRINCE, and Agile SCRUM.

Project Management Institute

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is the premier certifying body worldwide. It has 500,000 members from 184...

(PMI 2011) PMI publishes its principles and guidelines for managing projects in its Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide.) The recurring elements of the PMBOK relate to managing under the "triple constraint" of scope, time and cost. These three elements have been expanded to include quality, customer satisfaction and risk. (PMI 2011)
According to PMI, the Project Management Process consists of five process groups: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing. The professional Project Manager (PM) must have the authority and take the responsibility to complete all the process groups to produce the required result. (PMI 2011)

Before starting a project, the PM needs to know the nature of the business opportunity, the overall goals, the likely stakeholders, assumptions, risks, conflicts, existing contracts, and any external conditions that would affect the outcome. The Project Charter and Preliminary Scope Statement are re-iterated until the PM and sponsors agree on the work to be done and the sponsors agree to fund the project. Once agreed, the Planning for the project can begin. (PMI 2011)

In the Planning process group, the PM leads the preparation of separate management plans for scope, time, cost, quality, staffing, communications, risk, and procurement. Each management plan is tailored to the specific needs of the project and is consolidated into the Project Management Plan. The PMP must be as complete as possible before the Execution process group starts. The most critical element of the PMP is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) which subdivides the project into manageable pieces called "work packages," which are further subdivided into schedule "activities." Activities cannot be logically subdivided further, can be realistically and confidently estimated, have meaningful conclusions and deliverables, and can be completed without interruption. (PMI 2011)

In the Executing and Monitoring & Controlling process groups, the PM leads the team in the execution of the Project Management Plan as approved, seeks out defects, measures the project progress against the Performance…