Quang Regan

Private companies and government organisations involved in running large projects, or many smaller projects at the same time, already recognise the benefits of formal project management but as the amount of experience and knowledge gleaned from such tasks has increased so project management has become more complex. And as it has become more complex so the tools and methodologies have had to evolve to keep pace.   Formal methodologies are commonly used for software development, manufacturing, engineering, and construction projects to plan, schedule and control all of the tasks and activities required. More and more they are also being used by services and solutions companies in order to add discipline and control to their projects.   Consequently, managing projects is now a fundamental part of many businesses and the role of project manager is now a professionally recognised one, which involves not only planning, scheduling and controlling activities but also expertise in the ma

Introduction   Large business and Government have been using project management for years as a way to deliver critical business outcomes. But project management is not just for the big end of town. Small business can also benefit by using project management tools and techniques to drive the achievement of their objectives.   What is a project?   PMBOK defines a project as "A temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product or service". A project, like business, requires the use of scarce resources to achieve a pre-determined set of objectives. Large or small, most organizations now refer to key actions, activities or tasks as 'a project'.   But what is project management all about and how does it apply to small business?   Project management, is exactly that: the management of a project. It requires the identification and management of a number of key elements. You need to determine:   What you need to do (the scope) Why you are doin

Project management skills are becoming increasingly sought after by managers across all fields of business. Employees are increasingly being called upon, in this competitive business world, to ensure that time spent is productive, realistic and cost effective. Training and knowledge can add value to any worker seeking to develop new skills and talents. Therefore attending high-quality project management training is imperative for anyone whether they want to be a project manager who seeks to go on to advanced training or for those who just want to hone their skill set. Public training courses are very convenient as they can fit in with student's schedules.   Essential Training Topics   What is a project?   Often we can make assumptions about people or situations and it is the same with projects, everyone can have different ideas about what is a project is or is not. This in itself is worth defining and it can vary from company to company depending on the size and scope o

Project management is a system of knowledge, skills, and tools that a manager can make use of to deliver his projects effectively. Projects often take place in an unstructured environment where the involved parties have to deal with new information every day. Clashes with outdated information further complicate the matter because of miscommunication.   Projects also often require the manager to deal with a wide range of challenges which can include solving technical issues, making sure that it complies with regulations and conducting sufficient stakeholder engagement. An untrained manager could probably survive one such project and manage to deliver satisfactory results. When the number of projects and/ or complexity increases, sending an untrained manager for the job might jeopardise the projects. Managers equipped with proper skills can deal with such unstructured environment, by ensuring that proper systems in place.   As a project professional, I personally find that the sy