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services. No matter what the reason for bringing about a project, most of them will fall

into one of the seven needs or demands described next:

Market Demand The demands of the marketplace can drive the need for a project.
For example, the proliferation of handheld devices has created a need for rechargeable
batteries that are capable of holding a charge for 12 hours or more.

Strategic Opportunity/Business Need Business needs often drive projects that
involve information technology solutions. For example, an organization’s accounting

system is outdated and no longer able to keep up with current technology. A new
system is implemented to help the organization become more efficient and create
reports in a timelier manner.

Customer Request Customer requests can generate an endless supply of potential
projects. For example, perhaps the discussions at a recent customer focus group
brought about the idea for a new product offering.

Technological Advance Technology and business needs sometimes strike us as a
chicken-and-egg scenario. Is it the technology that drives the business to think it needs

a new product or service, or does the business need drive the development of the new
technology? Both scenarios exist, and both bring about the need for new projects.

Legal Requirement Local, state, and federal regulations change during every
legislative session and may drive the need for a new project. For example, a city may
pass an ordinance allowing photos of red-light violations at busy intersections. The
new equipment must then be procured and installed. Federal regulations requiring the
encryption and secure storage of private data may bring about the need for a project to

fulfill these requirements.

Assessing the Impact of Regulations and Legal Requirements

Projects often have legislative, regulatory, or other third-party restrictions
imposed upon their processes or outputs. For example, suppose you are managing
a project that will create a new information technology system for a funds
management company, one that’s in the business of managing individual stock
portfolios. You can imagine that this company is heavily regulated by the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and that your new system, in turn,

will encounter several regulatory guidelines that you must follow. The security
aspect of your new system is especially pertinent. You must be able to assure the
SEC and your shareholders that the system is secure.

It’s important that a project manager be able to not only recognize the need to
investigate specific industry regulations and requirements but also communicate
this need and its associated impact on the project scope and project plan to the
stakeholders. Here are a few examples of the many external considerations you

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