Title: Introduction to Project, Portfolio, and Program Management
Course: MAN 2582 Intro to Project Management > Section: Module 1

Introduction

Project management is normally regarded as an organizational skill. It's one that today's managers are required to have.

Most believe that project management is simply the attainment of a goal while manipulating the constraints of time, money, resources, risk and quality. They believe that finishing on time or on budget is successfully completing the project. Project management does involve a some team management and meeting management, but most believe that it consists of end-user expectation management, i.e., pleasing the boss. Project managers may use terms such as milestones, deliverables, and critical paths. Some even believe that project management involves training the team, in addition to possessing project management skills and job skills. These misconceptions characterize the unsuccessful project managers for the most part.

One of the biggest myths surrounding project management is that it is a fixed formal methodology sprinkled with audits and risk management. Yes, there are five general phases to a project; initiating the project, planning the project, implementing the project, monitoring it and closing it out. However, project management is people management more than anything else.

Successful completion of a project is more than the product, it is more than the process, it is the people who accomplish the successful completion of a project. Efficacious project managers have excellent communication skills. They work at ensuring that everyone knows what's going on. They make no assumptions.

Successful project managers have developed excellent interpersonal skills. They have the ability to be a team leader while still being a team player. They know how to negotiate and see differences not as a threat but as an opportunity to make the project better. They develop superior negotiation skills.

Although this course will focus on the technical aspects of project leadership and project management, the successful project manager never loses sight of the most precious resource - people.

Look over the objectives for this particular module as we get a 30,000 foot view of project management.

Objectives

Upon completion of this module, the student will be able to:

- Argue the growing need for better project, program, and portfolio management
- Analyze what a project is, provide examples of projects, list various attributes of projects, and describe project constraints
- Paraphrase the definition of project management and apply key elements of the project management framework, including project stakeholders, the project management knowledge areas, common tools and techniques, and project success factors
- Discriminate between project, program, and portfolio management and their contribution to enterprise success
- Examine the project management profession, including suggested skills for:
  - project, program, and portfolio managers,
  - the role of professional organizations like the Project Management Institute,
  - the importance of certification and ethics, and
  - the growth of project and portfolio management software

Readings & Video Resources

An Introduction to Project Management, 4th Edition

- Chapter 1

The following videos are also available in the MAN 2582 Course Resources folder.

- The Basics of Microsoft Project
  - Introduction to Microsoft Project
  - Screen Orientation
  - Opening An Existing Project
  - Creating and Saving a New Project
  - Project Information
  - Microsoft Project Calendars
  - Microsoft Project Step-by-Step