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4.0 Cisco IPT

6.0 Project Management Guidelines

6.1 INTRODUCTION

In today’s business environment, two factors have become common: change and
complexity. The nature of business has incorporated these factors into our everyday
lives. We work in an environment of constant change and increasing complexity, and
must be competitive, productive, customer-focused, and profitable.

Much has been written about change in the business community. Indeed, we all know
the one constant is the existence of change. Marketing strategies, technological
strategies, service strategies - all must accept the realisation that as soon as the details
are spelled out, factors in the marketplace will demand that the strategy be revisited.
Managing change has become a key ingredient for today’s successful business.

In executing operational activities, organisations often find it useful to make a distinction
between processes, the systematic execution of repetitive activities, and projects, the
one-time execution of more or less unique activities. In today’s new e- economy, the
second form of operations is gaining in importance as more and more activities are
carried out as projects. One can find many reasons for this shift of emphasis. The fast
pace of competition requires constant innovation. Better-informed customers require
solution customisation. In short, the current business environment requires constant
change, and implementing change entails the need to manage projects.

6.2 WHAT IS A PROJECT?

The main difference between project management and general management (or any
other form of management) relates to the definition of a project and what the project
intends to deliver to the client and stakeholders. Here is one well stated and eloquent
definition:

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Body of
1
Knowledge (PMBOK) :

“A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service or
result. The temporary nature of projects indicates a definite beginning and end.”
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