Project Management Flashcards
is a set of tasks that must be completed within a
defined timeline to accomplish a specific set of goals
project
These tasks are completed by a group of people known as the
project team
is anything we create from scratch or a major change to an existing system that requires major effort in terms of planning & delivery
project
can be simply defined as an endeavor that involves completing tasks to achieve an objective with a limited set of resources and a finite timeline
project
is a process that allows project managers to plan, execute, track and complete projects with the help of a project team
project management
is important because it helps organizations control all the moving parts of projects to bring them to successful completion
project management
is not just about tools and process, it is also about behavioral aspects of the people involved in project management
project management
plays a significant role in establishing relations, communication and teamwork
leaders
is the most common reason why project fails. Because project teams often comprise of professionals with a
diverse range of backgrounds and skills,
communication
is sensitive aspect for people, it means different
things to different people
cultural sensitivity
Effective project manager have a clear idea of where to go
and the ability to communicate it clearly to others
vision
The project manager should set and example for project
team.
integrity
ensures project managers act honestly and ethically
in all their interactions
integrity
Project Manager should exhibit a can do attitude.
This behavior will help them build followers
passion/energy
is key to the self-motivation. Tapping into your passions will motivate you to keep learning, develop new skills, and stay excited.
passion
is the duty to make decisions and act impartially and
objectively
fairness
Project managers are the project leaders and often the team leaders too
leadership
The project manager should be able to easily delegate
work to competent team members depending on their skill and expertise of handling tasks
delegation
Not to be confused with sympathy, an empathic project
manager understands that people have a life outside of the work and their emotions are important in delivering positive results
empathy
Only those project managers who are able to unify
their team together for common purpose and common goal are able to deliver results successfully.
team building
All project have an element of uncertainty. Despite the
most full proof plans, things may not go as expected
composure
The project manager should be capable a proactively identify issues or conflicts before they become fullfledged problems.
problem solving
are abilities that relate to how you work and interact with other people
soft skills
are the qualities and behaviors that help you successfully interact and work with other people
soft skills
are job-specific abilities acquired through education
and training, like programming for developers
hard skills
It typically takes a village to complete a project. The project manager is tasked with rallying team members around the project vision, coordinating tasks
collaboration
interpersonal skills
soft skills
Any project management skills list is sure to include communication near the top
communication
Every project manager will have numerous demands placed on their time — especially since they’re acting as the point of contact for so many departments and team members.
time management
Deadlines, resources, task dependencies — it’s enough to make anybody’s head spin, but a project manager views it as a fulfilling challenge.
organization
As much as you’d like to think that your project will go off without a hitch, unexpected issues are bound to crop up
problem-solving
Project managers need to be adaptable. While planning is a core skill, they can’t be so rigid with their strategies that everything runs off the rails the moment something unanticipated happens.
adaptability
Whether a project falls behind schedule or a necessary resource is unexpectedly unavailable, project managers will undoubtedly find themselves in a variety of tricky situations.
critical thinking
While a project plan might seem relatively straightforward, there’s actually a lot of back-and-forth involved in agreeing on deliverables, timelines, and everything in between
negotiation
You can think of a project manager as the glue that holds the entire team together
team building and interpersonal skills
When problems and disagreements arise, project managers will rely on their conflict resolution skills to stay cool, calm, and collected and help the feuding teams or people talk about their issues and agree on a mutuallybeneficial solution
conflict resolution
As a project manager, you’re the one leading the project, but you’re usually not the one actually rolling up your sleeves and doing the hands-on
project work
delegation
is a term to describe all of the industry and
role-specific knowledge and qualifications you need.
technical skills
It goes without saying, but proper project management
requires skilled planning.
Planning and forecasting
Every project has risks. Perhaps a resource won’t be available when you need it, or delayed approval from a client will set your timeline back a few days.
risk management
The truth is that a project can hardly be chalked up as a success if it comes in way over the initial budget
budgeting
Project management isn’t just about completing a project — it’s about completing a successful project
tracking and monitoring
There are numerous project management methodologies and approaches. These outline specific principles for overseeing and completing projects.
project management methodologies
Kickoff meetings, status updates, retrospectives — the typical project process has many meetings, most of which are led by the project manager
meeting facilitation
Project managers work in a variety of industries, from construction to IT to marketing and everything in between
subject matter expertise
Pretty much anybody can get a project over the finish line if they don’t careabout the quality of the work
quality management
From project plans to status updates, project managers do a surprising amount ofwriting. They need to be skilled at sharing written information in a clear, organized,
and digestible way
writing and reporting
While project management does involve some guesswork, those guesses are typically educated. Project managers ground their estimates and assumptions in past
experiences and data.
research
are enough to cue a horror movie soundtrack in the mind of any project manager. Projects can quickly balloon out of control, causing problems with the budget,
resources, and timeline.
scope management
are the limits within which a project must operate.
The six main project constraints are time, cost, scope, quality, resources, and risks.
project constraints
refers to individual task and project deadlines. Project managers usually manage time with such tools as calendars and scheduling software
time
refers to the financial costs of your project, including labor, materials, equipment, and more
cost
refers to all tasks that the project does and does not cover.
scope
refers to the level of quality required for satisfactory completion of a project
quality
refer to any resource you need to complete a project. These include those you have available and those you still need to acquire
resources
refer to all possible circumstances that might affect your project, both positively or negatively
risks
financial capital your company has available to spend determines the budget for your projects.
cost
An organization chooses the methods it will use to get
the job done.
organizational decisions
Company leaders set both the desired level of quality and
the methods for determining that quality
quality
The resources available for use on your project are
determined by the allocation and acquisition strategies of your organization.
resources
Internal project risks can refer to finances, organizational
strategy, or performance
risks
Project stakeholders and managers determine a project’s
scope internally
scope
An organization’s commitment to sustainability might
be related to external factors such as legislation and public approval
sustainability
Executives and project managers determine project schedules and deadlines internally
time
exist outside the control of an organization and its employees
project constraints
relate to the changing global or local economic environment as a whole
economic constraints
New legislation or shifting public opinion might
create environmental constraints, which means they are closely related to social and legislative limits
environmental
Legislative constraints are rules and regulations you must
operate within to remain on the right side of the law
legislative
refer to the need to protect sensitive data and materials
security constraints
include the likes of customer satisfaction
and public opinions of your brand, policies, and products
social
can refer to any equipment or software
you use to get your work done
technology
a framework designedtohelpproject managers guide their projects successfullyfromstartto finish. The purpose of the project life cycle is tocreateaneasy-to-follow framework to guide projects.
project life cycle
is whenyou meet with clients and stakeholders to understand their goals, motivations and hopes for the project.
initiation stage of the project management lifecycle
the aim is to hash out the high-level goalsthatmust be met for you to consider the project a success.
initiation stage of the project management lifecycle
The key project management steps for theinitiationstage includes
Identifying project objectives and deliverables
* Outlining project risks, dependencies, constraints andpriorities
* Establishing project scope based on deadlines andavailable resources
* Submitting a project proposal for approval
:Create a comprehensiveprojectblueprint outlining tasks, timelines and resourceallocation.
project planning stage
The project planning stage is when you create a comprehensive project plan, which involves
- Translating your proposal into a series of actionable tasks andscheduling them in a project roadmap
- Documenting processes or workflows that your teamwill use(youcould try using a process infographic for this)
- Creating measurable short-term goals fromhigh-level project goals
- Addressing potential issues that could derail your roadmap
is one of the more important project management life cycle steps, crucial for organizing your teamand keeping work on track
Creating a project roadmap
are a great tool for project road mapping,
because they can show the duration and timing of a number of dependent tasks
gantt charts
commonly used in project management, isoneofthe most popular and useful ways of showing activities (tasks or events)displayed against time.
gantt chart
the last stepof theplanning stage is to assemble your teamand holdaprojectkickoff, launching you into the next stage of theproject life cycle
the execution stage
is the true start of the project, when you carry out all of the tasks and activities you mappedoutinthe planning stage
project execution stage
As a project manager, your main responsibilities of theprojectexecution stage are to:
- Monitor and control the execution process, reviewing thequalityof the team’s output
- Adjust and update tasks, goals and deadlines to meet changingconditions
- Communicate between your team and the project stakeholders* Create status reports to communicate execution progress
throughout the project management process
is a critical phase that ensures project activities align with the predeterminedobjectives and milestones
monitoring and controlling stage of a project
During the monitoring and controlling stage of a project, thekey project management steps include:
- Measure and assess the project’s progress against the project planand key performance indicators.
Identify and manage potential risks that could impact project objectives, and implement strategies to mitigate theserisks. - Monitor and evaluate the quality of project deliverables toensurethey meet predefined standards and client expectations
Once you’ve achieved your project goals and the results havebeen signed off on by your stakeholders, it’s time for the
project closure stage
in the project closure stage of the project management process,you
Hand off deliverables
* Release team members and project resources
* Analyze project performance in a project retrospective
as much about reviewing the successof the project as it is about extracting learnings that can apply to future projects. Projects will never go without obstacles and therewill always be things to learn that will ease the progress of other projects
project retrospective