Project Management in Budget Terms

Introduction

Project management in budget terms is the application of technical skills to non-technical matters, as a PRINCE2 Practitioner course teaches. This means that the project works on both technical and non-technical matters, such as human resources, procurement, and timing.

More specifically, project management addresses all projects that have entailed a structural change to the organization. Recognizing the limits and contributing factors of organizational structure, project management endeavors to manage structure and facilitate the transition between the previous structure and the new style of project methodology.

Managers incorporate sequential programs and tasks and use schedule sheets to calculate durations, which are used in producing end results. An organization’s success depends largely upon the ability to plan a well-defined project with a management system that proceeds without limit.

Any organization’s project productivity will depend on team work, time management, and enthusiasm. Without these, it is all but impossible to get ahead in the business sector. The managers responsible for the success of a project must also possess leadership skills, exhibit innovative attitude, and have the capability to foresee problems that would decipher through.

The knowledge of the project management is an interpretative journey involving many management competencies. One of them is to define the problem at hand using the following tools, as cited in PMBOK 4th Edition by Outdoor Management:

Business Objectives

The project manager will determine the objectives. The objectives may include a team goal or a departmental goal. The goal may include a final goal, such as increasing Efficiency and/or Productivity and a PDF copy of the entire plan, as seen under Objective Definition section.

Targeted Needs

The third-party project manager states where he sees the organization, at present, at its target needs, at the present time, and how it will be when the project is completed.

Thresholds

The project manager will establish levels as to the speed to be achieved. These levels might include obtaining a decision from management or seeing it through to completion.

Critical Success Factors and Risk Factors

The project management team must meet its goals to achieve success. This includes and may not include the resources that the project manager needs to complete the project. The project must deliver its intended results in the planned time and on budget.

Critical Success Factors

Critical success factors are organizational strengths that are identified when each team member recognizes a problem. The team must create and maintain a positive attitude with the goal of effectively managing the problem.

Risk Factors

Risk factors include the risk levels and the rewards of the project. By charting the “risk process”, the meeting team will know, among other things, how to work together to prevent, alleviate, or prevent any risks. The project team will be able to monitor risk factors, risk allocation, and its cost.

Conclusion

To provide a framework for new project objectives or to keep changes from happening, project managers need skills such as functional analysis, analysis of alternatives, and planning of activities.

The team participants need to be empowered and not feel as if they are on the “shoe string” of anyone’s orders.

With such skill sets at hand, it is clear that managers have a ladder position in managing a project. They also have the responsibility and ability to guide the project forward when issues come up.

Having structured project management programs in place will provide the organization with the tools they require to address strategic needs.

Within the project laden environment, projects must be implemented within specified time frames with business justification.

Project managers must also be skilled in the methodology that is accepted by the business and implement a system that will nurture its growth.