Project Management is a carefully planned, organized and managed effort to successfully accomplish a specific objective. It includes developing a project plan that defines and confirms the project goals and objectives, identifying tasks to achieve the goals, quantifying the resources needed and determining budgets and timelines for completion of the project.

PM or Project Management also includes managing the implementation of the project plan in various phases or stages including feasibility, definition, project planning, evaluation and support or maintenance. It involves constant monitoring and operating regular controls to ensure accurate and objective information on performance relative to the plan so as to implement recovery actions wherever necessary. India is one of the fastest developing countries today and so, undergoing massive developments across all industries. It, therefore, has plenty of project management Jobs to offer to the skilled and experienced professionals.

Jobs in project management are available in fields from software to construction and architecture in real estate sectors. Not only in India but companies abroad also need large number of project managers for their mega projects. Both Indian and international companies are facing a crunch of the project managers as there is a shortage of people capable of looking after large-sized projects. There is, thus, large number of jobs available for project managers both in and outside India. Project Management is the most significant primary requirements to implement it effectively but the potential remains unexplored. The need for project managers is now well realized and companies will soon tap the project managing talents of the professionals.

Project Management has been evolving with the changing requirements of the time, from the traditional approach to the contemporary one. It has become synonymous with quality assurance as it avoids ‘self-managed’ and ‘self-created’ project managers from taking the advantage. Well trained and qualified project managers are expected to bring the big picture view to the projects they manage especially large ones. In these, smaller development teams work on individual modules and project managers need to coordinate the efforts of such teams. He is required to analyze the risks, mitigate them and ensure that the deadlines are met as well as that deliverables conform to the specifications laid down in the initial analysis, satisfying the end users.

The forte of a skilled and trained project manager involves maintaining a “big picture” view while fighting daily fires and ensuring the focus of the team. One of the foremost project management bodies in the industry is PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) prescribed by the Project Management Institute (PMI). It qualifies candidates in formal project management methodologies and conducts a formal certification exam. PMI certified project managers continue to be in high demand across the countries.The new focus on project management brings positive hopes for Indians and Indian companies. After the slump of last few years, project management is on the path of becoming a rage. The real estate sector has been developing tremendously in India with hundreds of property builders developing residential, commercial and retail properties across the country. The demand for project managers is extremely high in realty and technology sectors, thus, generating plenty of jobs in project management.

A project manager should have qualities of team building, leadership, problem solving, decision making, conflict management, enabling face-to-face discussions and management meetings along with others. One who possesses these skills is able to smoothly manage and implement the objectives of the project.

India has a large pool of talent to manage projects which can even be exported to international markets like that of US, China, Ireland and other hotbeds of IT outsourcing and real estate developments.

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Project management is not a very easy task. People who are into project management will tell you what hardships they have to undergo. Most project managers who are working with team members across the globe have several problems in coordination and getting the tasks done. As a project manager, you will ideally want to drive the project and get the work done on or before time. If you are a project manager working out of Los Angeles and you have your team members located in the UK or India, you will have a harrowing time in managing the team members. 

Ideally, most project managers have regular communications with his or her team members and this happens on a daily basis. When project teams are located at various locations, getting the project rolled out is a great challenge. In addition to project management, project managers have to manage the tasks at regular intervals. Some tasks are dependent on other tasks so getting the first task is very important. To help these project managers do their project management efficiently and effectively, many software companies have developed project management software that also help in task management. 

These software have all the features that help the project manager do his or her job. When you have a team that is close to you, you can manage them and the tasks with any good project management software. However, if the team is located at some other place, project managers have to use some kind of online tool that can help them track the project and the tasks. The project manager can use the online project management tool to assign tasks and close tasks.

Since the project manager uses the online project management tool he can get an up-to-date status of the ongoing tasks. Do you have a feeling that only project managers use online management tools then you are completely wrong? Even the team members will be using the online project management tool. The main duty of the team member is to update their status of the work hence they use the online management tool to update their status. The other main work of the project managers is always to keep a track of the projects in which work in is going on. 

One of the good feature in the project management software is the alert feature. These project managers are to keep missing out some important meetings or events most of the time. The project management software has instant alerts which will help the project manager to get them reminded about the meetings or other events. During the project life cycle, a project manager has to create realistic project schedules by adding tasks in a priority order. Project manager needs to investigate project performance 

Not only the execution of the project, the other important thing is that the project manager will have to make sure the project is completed on time. Be it of any project the time management is very important. The project managers are expected to meet their deadlines in a timely manner. When they are in the project life cycle, a project manager has to keep all this team mates informed about the latest deadlines or milestones. This message is usually sent as an email. But if the team is at a different location then the project manager needs some tool that he or she can use to share the timelines. 

Online management software or tools can be used as dashboard software that tells a lot about the project. If you are a project manager and you are struggling to manage recourses who are spread across the globe, you should surely purchase some online management software that can be used to keep total control on the resources. When you are planning to purchase a new project management software, you will need some training on that software. Such training is generally provided by the software company that develops that software. 
Project management software are very intuitive and easy to understand in the recent days. Project managers would generally have the expected self training on the project management software for them to get started of with their work. Several things have to be learnt by the project managers when they work on any new project management software. Project managers have the responsibility to educate all his team members on the features of the project management software who are going to use that software. These training sessions can be either hands-on or instructor-led.

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Project Manager Wheel: demonstrates the organic nature of Project Manager, with interdependencies connecting goals, resources, and processes.

Among responsibilities that fall to project managers are the following:
Setting realistic timelines, objectives, and expectations
Determining the best approach for accomplishing project goals
Developing and defending budgets
Facilitating communication among project participants, including outside vendors
Monitoring production, quality, and costs
Looking beyond project’s end

As a Operational professional active in many industry circles, I meet a lot of people, and most of them assume I’m a designer. When they ask what kind of work I do, I say, “Actually, I’m a project manager for a electronics firm.” That’s when I get the blank stare, furrowed brow, discouraging grimace or some combination of the three.

“So you’re an account person,” they say.
“Well, kind of, but not exactly,” I reply.
“Are you a production manager?”
“No, I’m really not that good at production. But I help keep track of deadlines and schedules.”
“So do you use Gantt charts and Microsoft Project?”
“Sometimes, but it’s a necessary evil and not really my favorite part of the job.”
“Well, then, what do you do?”

It’s a tough question to answer. Especially because in many electronics firms the project manager is still an emerging position. The positions like Sr. Project Executive/ Sr. Project Leads acts as a Project Manager.

I have worked as a project manager for several electronics firms—officially and unofficially—and it’s a role that I find challenging, engaging and different from one day to the next. One of the reasons I love what I do is because it is so hard to define. That lack of definition is both a beauty and a peril, but mostly it keeps the work fun and interesting. And when it comes down to it, I love to help people to work better together.

So what does a project manager do?
Most of the time a project manager is a project owner. He or she is responsible for the leadership of the project from inception to completion. The project manager leads the team and helps negotiate the multiple relationships within any project—whether with clients, team members, firm principals or any variety of partners (such as freelancers, contractors or even civic committees)—and functions as the hub of a project.

With most projects, the project manager will begin work after a contract is signed or negotiated. Although a project manager can be involved in business development, he or she is usually not the person chasing deals and developing new relationships. Instead, he or she works to maintain a healthy client relationship throughout the course of the project. This often turns into a long-term business relationship, but the project manager does not usually initiate it; that’s because business development requires a very different set of skills and significant time away from the office, which is not ideal for the project manager. 

Once the contract is signed, the project manager will assemble a project team, considering the multiple dynamics and logistics that go into any mid-to-large-sized project. Skill sets are important, but personalities are just as vital. Personality management is a huge part of any project manager’s job, and it’s crucial to assemble a team that can play well together.

Once the team is assembled, projects can take any number of directions. Although most projects start with a team kickoff meeting, that may differ depending on the goals and scope of the work. It is up to the project manager—with the team’s input—to decide what the best approach to the work should be and to make sure it is an effort he or she can own or direct. Although the project manager needs to be careful to lead and not dictate (especially with senior team members), he or she needs to have a vision and an approach decided before the project starts, as well as have a thorough understanding of the goal in sight.

A project manager needs to be able to plan, monitor and control project activities and manage resources and people, as well as collect and disseminate information and look ahead for potential problems. If a project manager lacks the technical expertise to deliver a project product they would have to rely on an expert for input. In many organisations such an expert is given the same status as a project manager.

The project manager is responsible for coordinating and integrating activities across multiple, functional lines. The integration activities performed by the project manager include:

Integrating the activities necessary to develop a project plan
Integrating the activities necessary to execute the plan
Integrating the activities necessary to make changes to the plan

These integrative responsibilities are shown  where the project manager must convert the inputs (i.e., resources) into outputs of products, services, and ultimately profits. In order to do this, the project manager needs strong communicative and interpersonal skills, must become familiar with the operations of each line organization, and must have knowledge of the technology being used.

An executive with a computer manufacturer stated that his company was looking externally for project managers. When asked if he expected candidates to have a command of computer technology, the executive remarked: “You give me an individual who has good communicative skills and interpersonal skills, and I’ll give that individual a job. I can teach people the technology and give them technical experts to assist them in decision making. But I cannot teach somebody how to work with people.”

The project manager’s job is not an easy one. Project managers may have increasing responsibility, but very little authority. This lack of authority can force them to “negotiate” with upper-level management as well as functional management for control of company resources. They may often be treated as outsiders by the formal organization.

In the project environment, everything seems to revolve about the project manager. Although the project organization is a specialized, task-oriented entity, it cannot exist apart from the traditional structure of the organization. The project manager, therefore, must walk the fence between the two organizations. The term interface management is often used for this role, which can be described as managing relationships:

Within the project team
Between the project team and the functional organizations
Between the project team and senior management
Between the project team and the customer’s organization, whether an internal or external organization

To be effective as a project manager, an individual must have management as well as technical skills. Because engineers often consider their careers limited in the functional disciplines, they look toward project management and project engineering as career path opportunities. But becoming a manager entails learning about psychology, human behavior, organizational behavior, interpersonal relations, and communications. MBA programs have come to the rescue of individuals desiring the background to be effective project managers.

In the past, executives motivated and retained qualified personnel primarily with financial incentives. Today other ways are being used, such as a change in title or the promise of more challenging work. Perhaps the lowest turnover rates of any professions in the world are in project management and project engineering. In a project environment, the project managers and project engineers get to see their project through from “birth to death.” Being able to see the fruits of one’s efforts is highly rewarding.

The project manager is actually a general manager and gets to know the total operation of the company. In fact, project managers get to know more about the total operation of a company than most executives. That is why project management is often used as a training ground to prepare future general managers who will be capable of filling top management positions. 

A project manager facilitates and manages personalities.
As a mentor of mine continually tells me, “It’s all about the relationships.” In a collaborative project setting, successful relationships between team members are the baseline, and the job of sustaining that baseline often falls to the project manager. Conflict and friction can be an important part of the creative process, but it’s important that it doesn’t derail the project.

A project manager can facilitate this harmony in multiple ways. One tactic is to take extra effort to make sure that every member team feels valued and that they are an important part of the overall process. This includes making sure that team members are effectively coached and praised throughout their work, especially during challenging phases. Regardless of how challenging certain situations or work may be, it is the project manager’s job to care about the quality of work and the quality of the working environment, even when no one else seems to.

Sometimes tensions require the project manager to conduct challenging conversations between team members and the client. It’s not that team members always have to go through the project manager. But it may make those tough discussions more palatable, knowing that they have a person to help facilitate. Although this can often be the most difficult aspect of client relations, it is key to keep relationships positive—because no one wants to work with someone that they don’t feel respected by, and the quality of the work will suffer along with the working environment. Maintaining a positive working environment also builds rapport among the team and keeps enthusiasm levels high, which is crucial on a challenging project. 

Project managers are strategic leaders.
A project manager must have a vision for the course and goals of the project. This should apply not only to the process, but also to the strategy. Because the project manager keeps an eye on the big picture from day one, he or she should be able to effectively lead the project’s strategy as well. And the advantage that the project manager has over any other team member is that he or she is not participating in the creation of the work.

For the hands-on designer, the profession and the work consist of big ideas and small details. It is not enough to have a great concept—you have to be able to execute against it, and this often means sorting through painstaking minutia and multiple iterations of a concept until you get it right and the work sings.

It is up to the project manager to keep an eye on the goals and objectives of the project—both for the client and the design team. Clients are just as easily seduced by sexy layouts as their creators are, but it is the project manager’s job to avoid those temptations and make sure the project meets its objectives.

Another way in which the project manager holds the team to its objectives is through documentation of the creative process, which can take many forms. Concepts are developed in many ways, but there is always a source: a client interview, a hands-on collaborative team session, industry research or an informal jam session about what we’re trying to accomplish. Once this information is gathered, most designers are itching to start and let the creative juices flow. Where the project manager helps is by producing the documentation behind the big ideas, perhaps via an idea board, a scrapbook recapping a brainstorming session or an even more formal creative brief. These documents can help demonstrate the thinking behind the big ideas without handicapping the designers to document their process every step of the way. 

Do all projects or firms need project managers?
Although lots of firms and projects can benefit from a project manager, it is not always required, especially if a firm has many seasoned, experienced planning professionals on staff.  Project managers usually fare best in mid-sized to large firms with at least 25 people or more. The role also works best with teams of three members (plus the project manager) or more, when there is a fair amount of detail involved, multiple deadlines and frequent communication to be managed either between the team and the client or within the team itself.

An experienced project manager can also fill in for a studio principal. In a medium-to-large studio environment, there are still usually only two to three principals and/or creative directors, and these people usually have such multi-faceted roles that they have little time for creative guidance or perhaps not as much guidance as projects usually need. This is where an experienced project manager, especially one with design experience, can help. Always follow four eye principle, as Siemens PMA+ states that two eyes always must be on commercial aspects, and the other tow eyes on Technical aspects.

Although there is still a need for creative direction or support, particularly at the inception, a project manager can provide the additional steering and/or hands-on guidance required for a project to meet its objectives. The planning creative director may be involved in the beginning, for assistance with conceptual development, but once a project has this general direction the project manager can step in to continue to steer it in the right direction. 

What are the qualifications?
Different firms will require different types of project managers, but some skills are inherent.

Have a sense of ownership/leadership. When it comes down to it, the project manager is the person most responsible for the project’s success or failure. It can be a weighty burden to shoulder, but it is important for this sense of ownership to occur in order for the project to have direction. With multi-faceted, compartmentalized teams and/or skill sets, the project manager needs to be the one person to bring everything together and take responsibility for the work’s success. This also requires tenacity, determination and confidence—all essential traits in a project manager.
Work collaboratively. Because the project manager needs to bring together complex, often multidisciplinary teams, he or she needs to be able to facilitate a collaborative work environment. Project managers are responsible for fusing the work skills and styles of individuals into a team focused on project tasks and goals, rather than their individual role in the project’s success.
Use both sides of the brain. Because the project manager needs to balance the details and the big picture, he or she needs to have creative problem-solving skills as well as a head for numbers and schedules. The best project managers usually have hands-on creative experience—either as writers or designers—and understand how to work through project challenges based on past experiences. When faced with difficulties, the project manager needs to guide the team to make adjustments or changes with all of the pieces in perspective. Be creative, analytical and tactical.
Have writing and design skills (and a technical understanding). The project manager does not need to be an award-winning writer or designer, nor does one need to be a programmer, signage fabricator or printing press operator. But he or she needs to have a strong understanding of all of the roles in the process, particularly those most related to the skills of the core team. And it helps to have direct experience in these areas, even if it is minimal. If the project manager does not have a strong design sensibility or is unable to communicate, he or she will not be able to judge the success of the project in meeting its objectives.
Be able to facilitate. Facilitation is an entire discipline in itself, but project managers should have some training in this area. Skills developed in facilitation include leading meetings, negotiating conflicts, building teams and group dynamics, and enabling creative thought processes—all of which are necessary for a strong project manager and team leader. And a strong team leader and facilitator can also train other project team members in this discipline, increasing opportunities for leadership throughout your firm.

Problem solved?
Hiring a project manager will not solve all of your firm’s management issues. But allowing for leadership of your projects and your firm’s work will enable smoother processes and better workflow, and encourage leadership within your organization.

Finding the right team, giving appropriate direction and managing the working environment—while maintaining a strategic focus and staying on top of deadlines and deliverables—are all part of a project manager’s role. It’s a challenging task for the right individual. But if you can find someone who loves it, you can build your firm’s business and improve the quality of your work. Hopefully you’ll have more fun doing it, too.

POME Case Study

Retaining Final Authority in Hiring — Case Problem: ‘‘The Long-Distance Hire”

Overview

This is the fourth time over the past two months that Ed, the new drafter, failed to carry out his assigned duties. Mickey, the chief of mechanical engineering, has had it with Ed’s ineptness, lack of professionalism and poor attitude toward the rest of the staff.

After disciplining Ed and warning him that such behavior would not be tolerated, Mickey called his senior drafter, Bob, into his office.

‘‘Okay, Bob,” Mickey said. ‘‘Where did you find that new guy? Two months ago, when I was on vacation, I trusted you to hire a competent drafter for me. And this is what you give me? I can’t go on vacation for one week without something like this happening.”

‘‘Hold on just a minute,” Bob replied defensively. ‘‘Two months ago, you left me holding the bag—instructing me to fill that vacancy—while you went to Tahiti for a week.”

‘‘Well, I should be able to trust you with something as important as a hiring decision,” asserted Mickey. ‘‘You are my senior drafter, and you have been here longer than anyone else. You know the operations inside and out, and you should have done a better job in selecting a new person.

‘‘Let’s face facts. You didn’t even ask anyone else in the department for an opinion about the three applicants you screened. You did a rush job and let me down!”

Case Analysis

Since Bob is the senior drafter and a trusted staffer, he could have been involved in the hiring process. However, it was wrong for the head of the group to fully delegate such a crucial management task to anyone else. The chief of mechanical engineering should have interviewed the candidate as well and made the final decision himself.

Solution:

The selection and hiring of staff are responsibilities that must be handled by the manager—not delegated entirely to another individual in the department. In his or her team, the manager is ultimately accountable for the effectiveness of each member and should keep these points in mind:

Retain the authority to make the final hiring decision.
Be personally involved in the selection and hiring process.
Get input from other members of the team regarding a candidate’s credentials.
Clearly explain the job specifications and required credentials to any staffer involved in the interviewing of job candidates.

POME LIGHTER VEIN:

Project Managers are a fortunate lot, for, as everyone knows, a project manager has nothing to do; that is, except…

To decide what is to be done;
to tell somebody to do it;
to listen to reasons why it should not be done,
why it should be done by somebody else,
or why it should be done in a different way;
and to prepare arguments in rebuttal that shall be convincing and conclusive.

And then:
To follow up to see if the thing has been done;
to discover that it has not been done;
to enquire why it has not been done;
to listen to excuses from the person who did not do it;
and to think up arguments to overcome the excuses.

And then:
To follow up a second time to see if the thing has been done;
to discover that is has been done incorrectly;
to point out how it shall be done;
to conclude that as long as it has been done it might as well be left as it is;
to wonder if it is not time to get rid of the person who cannot do a thing correctly;
to reflect that in all probability any successor would be just as bad, or worse.

And finally:

To consider how much more simply and better the thing would have been done had he done it himself in the first place; to reflect satisfactorily that if he had done it himself he would have been able to do it right in 20 minutes and that as things turned out, he himself spent two days trying to find out why it is that it has taken somebody else three weeks to do it wrong. To realise that such an idea would have a very demoralising effect on the project team, because it would strike at the very foundation of the belief of all employees that a project manager has nothing to do.

Gautam Koppala,
POME Author

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Training in project management is an important investment of your time, money and effort. The quality of your learning depends on several key factors. The right questions in advance, you can choose the best provider for your training. The most important factors are:

1)      Level of pre and post course support and logistics?
2)      Quality of the venue and number of delegates?
3)      Quality of the material?
4)      Quality and experience and trainer?
We recommend asking the following questions to evaluate the quality of your potential provider.

How many public training courses do you cancel or reschedule?
Many training providers advertise a large portfolio of training courses and cancel or reschedule course because they are not economic to run. Having your course re-scheduled is highly inconvenient. You will have to re-arrange your diary and re-schedule your work plans and lose the momentum of your pre-course preparation. Ask your provider how may courses they have re-scheduled in the past 6 months to get an indication of how often this happens?

What pre-course material is provided?
Training is not just about want you learn in the class room, modern course should provide significant pre-course support with e-learning, study material in advance and on-line tutor support. This means that you arrive on the course well prepared and ready to learn.

Ask about arrangements for lunch?
This may seem a rather un-important issue but like airlines the quality of the food is a measure of the values of the training provider. No lunch or a sandwich in the room indicates that low cost is more important to the training provider than your learning experience. On a full week course you will learn better if you take a break and visit an on-site restaurant for lunch. Getting out of the training room for an hour at lunchtime significantly improves your ability to learn post lunch.

What is the average and maximum number of delegates on a course?
The best size for a course is between 6 to 12 people. This is because you get good group dynamics but also enough attention from the trainer. If the maximum class size is over 12 then you may not get the attention that you need. If the average group size is less than 5 then you won’t have the opportunity to learn from others.

Who is the trainer and what experience do they have?
The quality of the trainer is crucial to the success of your learning experience. Ask your training provider who will be teaching the course? What is their experience of project management? Ask if you can speak to the trainer? Any good training provider will arrange a call back from you trainer. This is important because many training providers outsource the course delivery to the cheapest freelance trainer.

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PRINCE2 is a process-based approach for managing projects. It helps to work out who should be involved in a project, their role and their responsibilities. PRINCE2 has a set of processes to work through and it explains what information needs to be gathered. The method is the de-facto standard for project management in the UK and is practiced globally.

The majority of organisations that wish to use PRINCE2 as their chosen project management methodology start with accredited training. Training is a necessity as it is a complex system with many processes and angles; and the training will provide everyone with the knowledge they need to manage a project with an understanding of the terminology used.

PRINCE2 is very adaptable and can be applied to all sorts of projects, no matter how big or small the project is; even projects lasting a few days will benefit from selective application of PRINCE2 guidelines. In a training environment the principles sound logical, but putting theory into practice can be a different story. Sometimes users of PRINCE2 struggle with fully understanding how the method can enhance a project. This can lead to a fervent adherence to unnecessary levels of formality and detail – therefore giving the impression PRINCE2 is bureaucratic and filled with rules and regulations. Equally it could lead to inappropriate short cuts being taken in projects, which can undermine the integrity of the method and the control and management of risk it provides.

How to Ensure PRINCE2 is Implemented into the Workplace

An organisation may need help with implementing PRINCE2 if, for example:

* It is the first time PRINCE2 will be used within the organisation or team

* PRINCE2 has already been implemented into the organisation but business benefits are not being fully realised.

* The business wants to ensure they are PRINCE2 compliant (using the Project, Programme and Portfolio Management Maturity Model)

* The business is interested in gaining a recognised accreditation for its project management processes

To implement PRINCE2 the process can be treated as a project, which has been completed by many organisations. An alternative option is a PRINCE2 business mentor/coach. The objective of mentoring/coaching is to ensure the embedment of PRINCE2 concepts that were learnt during training so that full transference of skills can be transferred into the workplace.

PRINCE2 mentors/coaches specialise in assisting organisations with the management of change that is required to implement PRINCE2 successfully. They can provide guidance and support during the implementation of PRINCE2 through a combination of coaching, mentoring and training and ensuring the appropriate skills are nurtured. They also provide one-to-one sessions with individuals to support them in their new or enhanced role, give briefings or workshops for small groups with specific roles or responsibilities, and/or remote support by telephone or email.

The role of mentor and coach do differ. Mentoring is ‘a process in which the mentor serves as a role model, trusted counsellor, or teacher who provides opportunities for development, growth, and support to less experienced individuals. ’ Mentors often take a ‘hands-on approach’ and have specific knowledge and expertise in one or more areas. A coach ‘is a person who supports people (clients) to achieve their goals, with goal setting, encouragement and questions. . . a coach rarely offers advice.

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PRINCE2 is an enhanced version of the initial PRINCE methodology, which in turn was based on PROMPT, a project management method, introduced by the CCTA (Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency). PRINCE was developed in 1989, as a UK government standard for IT project management, and later published as PRINCE2 in 1996. While the initial model had a restricted adaptability, PRINCE2 is suitable for all types of management projects.

Methodological Overview

PRINCE2 as a method entails forty five sub processes, categorised into eight headings i. e. Starting Up a Project (SU), Planning (PL), Initiating a Project (IP), Directing a Project (DP), Controlling a Stage (CS), Managing Product Delivery (MP), Managing Stage Boundaries (SB) and Closing a Project (CP). As evident from the stated classification, PRINCE2 as a process driven methodology, focuses on a project’s organised start, continuation & completion. It renders the much desired standardised approach to the project, thus drafting a common platform for all concerned to proceed.

Moving over to the stage description, the SU stage undertakes the vital tasks relevant to appointing the project team, preparing the outline and thus defining the aim of the exercise. This also logically results in preparing a business justification case. The second stage i. e. PL begins with product identification & analysis. Successful completion of this task prepares grounds for a closer estimation of the overall effort required for goal achievement. The stage ends with finally deciding upon the relevant plan formats.

IP is the third stage of PRINCE2 methodology, which is an augmented level of the earlier SU level. This stage aims at preparing a substantial business case. Another key focus at this stage is planning the quality aspect and thus setting up the requisite project controls. Once this is accomplished, the stage also prepares the project files and assembles the initiation documents. The fourth stage, i. e. the DP level, dedicates attention towards the pertinent controlling aspect. This stage defines the authorisation process and more importantly provides scope for an additional plan, in case of a misfit. All relevant board guidance terms are covered at this level of PRINCE2.

Next is the CS step which defines the procedures to control individual stages. Work progress is assessed at this level to capture and examine the key project issues. Other tasks at this level include, reviewing stage status, reporting, planning corrective actions, escalating the experienced issues and receiving the completed work. CS is followed by the MP stage which accomplishes the acceptance, execution & delivery aspects of the work package.

The last two stages of PRINCE2 are the SB and CP. The former precisely defines the tasks which should be contained within various stages and includes defining the end of a stage, next stage planning, maintenance of log files and amendment tools. The CP stage is responsible for the final decommissioning of a project. The evaluation exercise and follow up action steps are included at this level.

Successful application of the PRINCE2 and thus the above elucidate stages, imparts a structured approach to an intricate project. Coordination becomes simpler and adjustment nuances are much better handled. With the PRINCE2 methodology appropriately executed, a project can be reasonably divided into various sub tasks and therefore successfully completed.

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Project management is the well-designed and well-organized planning to handle a project to fulfill its goals and produces adequate results related to it. This critical activity of handling and planning involves great brains to think the pros and cons of a situation ahead of the time and find out relevant solutions to tackle the arise complicacies. Basically, in a project management deal activities including version upgrading, customization, enhancement, code continuance are managed and carefully planned to produce desired results with demanded quality.

Project Management Consulting

With the introduction of newer technologies in the market, the importance of product development companies that plan and support different projects to fulfill the users’ demands and requirements. These companies also take great care of post project management activities for any product so as to make quick and effective changes while dealing with the quality of the product.

Project management consultants are specialized people who understand and realize the requirement of the project. These experts plan the skillful management of a product lifecycle and create some wonderful results. Consultancy can be availed for various purposes including sales and marketing, operational handlings and others. This bunch of people also takes care of the increasing demand of the market so to maintain the applicability of the produced product.

The project management consulting services includes a number of specialized services in order to deliver the best product on time. Some of the activities are mentioned below:

Knowledge transfer

Sharing of responsibility

Service Level Agreements

Quality compliance

Language incompatibility

Why do you consider project management consulting?

As already stated, project consulting is a serious work which involves several intricacies about process that may affect the market and the user’s needs. By griping the extended hands of consultants, a company is entitled to have adequate software needs in comparatively cost effective prices providing a gaining competitive advantage.

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