There are two types of work performed by organizations: operations and projects. An operation is a series of tasks that are routine, repetitive, and ongoing throughout the life of the organization. Operations are typically necessary to sustain the business. Examples of operations are accounts receivable, employee performance reviews, and shipping and receiving.
Project
On the other hand, projects are not routine or ongoing. That is, projects are unique and temporary and are often implemented to fulfill a strategic goal of the organization. A project is a series of tasks that will culminate in the creation or completion of some new initiative, product, or activity by a specific end date. Some project examples include an office move, a new product launch, the construction of a building, and a political campaign.
One project might consist of 100 tasks; another, 10,000. One project might be implemented by a single resource; another by 500. One project might take two months to complete; another might take 10 years. There can be projects within projects, linked together with a master project consolidating them all. These subprojects, however, are all unique and temporary, and all have a specific outcome and end date.
What Is Project Management?
Project management is the coordinating effort to fulfill the goals of the project. The project manager, as the leader of the project team, is responsible for this effort and its ultimate result. Project managers use knowledge, skills, tools, and methodologies to do the following:
- Identify the goals, objectives, requirements, and limitations of the project.
- Coordinate the different needs and expectations of the various project stakeholders, including team members, resource managers, senior management, customers, and sponsors.
- Plan, execute, and control the tasks, phases, and deliverables of the project based on the identified project goals and objectives.
- Close the project when completed and capture the knowledge accrued.