Project Management is the application of skills, tools and methodologies with the aim of delivering a project to the project objectives and requirements.
Project Management includes all the different processes involved in running with the execution of the project activities with the purpose of meeting the project goal. The activities involved in Project Management might commence before the actual start date of the project, and might continue till after the end product is released (the period after the product release is often called the Warranty Period).
A project is an effort taken to create or enhance a product or service, within a definite or fixed duration of time. It is temporary and not permanent. The project should have a definite start date and a definite end date, even though the end date could be several years, or a few weeks or months after the start. A project is not an ongoing activity, so the emphasis is again on the definite end date of the activity. Operational activity on the other hand, would be a repetitive on going effort, and that is where one differentiates between a Project and an Operation.
PMBOK® Guide stresses on the fact, that the product, service or result produced by the project, must be unique. The product, capability, enhancement or the result must have a sense of uniqueness in itself. While the end product might not be irreplaceable or inimitable, the fact that a distinct project team developed the product would be sufficient to show the uniqueness in the endeavor.
PRINCE 2 mentions that a successful project is output oriented and not activity oriented. It further says, the set of agreed products defines the scope of a project and provides the basis for planning and control.
Project Manager is a strategic, knowledgeable professional within the project management team. He / She is responsible for executing the project management processes and principles with the objective of meeting the project objectives within the agreed cost, time and scope.
The project manager is a person who is overall accountable for the successful delivery of the project. In turn, the Project Manager would be reliant on other project resources for the successful delivery of the project tasks at various stages of the project. The manager would have the authority to run the project on behalf of the Project Board, and would remain focused on the day-to-day management of the project.
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