Project Fundamentals

Name: Project Fundamentals
Author: Derrick Walters

Discover the foundations of project management.

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Course: On-Demand

What does project management involve exactly? Let's define what a project actually is. We'll also discuss the difference between project management and operations management, organizational structure and culture, and explore the definitions of enterprise environmental factors and organizational process assets. Then we'll discuss the five process groups, the project sponsor and the project charter. What exactly is a project? The Project Management Institute, otherwise known as the PMI describes the project as a temporary undertaking to create or produce a unique product, service or results. Projects have certain characteristics that set them apart from other work carried out, performed or completed within a company. A project has these five distinct characteristics. It requires doing something different that's never been done before. It has a definite start and end date. It begins in steps and the work gradually unfolds. People who work on projects have multiple disciplines and it needs money to be completed. Project management and operations management are two disciplines that could be a point of frustration and anxiety in some circles due to a lack of understanding of where one ends and the other begins. So let's take a closer look at what project management actually is. Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to bring projects in on time, under budget and within quality standards. In their textbooks, authors Clifford Grey and Eric Larson consider project management from a two dimensional perspective, the technical dimension and the social cultural dimension. The technical dimension includes project scope, the work breakdown structure and the schedule while the social cultural dimension includes leadership, problem solving and teamwork. Operations management is the set of activities that create value in the form of goods and services by transforming inputs into output. For example, every time you go to a fast food restaurant and cashiers take your order to pass along to the cooks that's operations and operations management. Project management is different from operations management because project management is a discipline in which we apply knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to have an activity that has a definite start and end date, but it hasn't been completed before. Operations management includes operations or repetitious work that's repeated on a daily, weekly and or monthly basis. Project management also includes the use of cross-functional resources from different disciplines and operations management doesn't. We can definitely say that projects produce end results that are used in operations and operations typically develops a business need, problem or opportunities that require the project's initiation to solve or take advantage of.

Beginner Provider : Derrick Walters 6 Lessons · 19m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

This module covers the fundamentals of a project and explores how to manage one. It discusses project and portfolio management, the different types of organizational structures, project management factors and assets, process groups, project sponsors, and project charters.

What You'll Learn

Define what a project is and distinguish project management from operations management
Describe the activities involved in program management and how project and portfolio management relate
Identify the three major types of organizational structures and their culture
Differentiate internal and external Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs) and the types of Organizational Process Assets (OPAs)
Explain the five major project management process groups
Outline the duties of a project sponsor and the three conditions of a project charter

Key Takeaways

The module covers the fundamentals of a project and how to manage one, including project and portfolio management.
Project management is distinct from operations management, and program management involves its own set of activities.
There are three major types of organizational structures, each with an associated organizational culture.
Enterprise Environmental Factors can be internal or external, and Organizational Process Assets come in different types.
Project management is organized into five major process groups, with defined duties for the project sponsor and three conditions for a project charter.

Frequently Asked Questions

What topics does this Project Fundamentals module cover?

It covers the fundamentals of a project and how to manage one, including project and portfolio management, the different types of organizational structures, project management factors and assets, process groups, project sponsors, and project charters.

What will I be able to do after completing this module?

You will be able to define a project, distinguish project management from operations management, identify the three major types of organizational structures, understand internal and external Enterprise Environmental Factors and Organizational Process Assets, explain the five major process groups, and identify the duties of a project sponsor and the three conditions of a project charter.

How is the module structured?

It is organized into six lessons: What is a Project?; Program and Portfolio Management; Organizational Structure and Culture; Project Management EEFs and OPAs; Project Management Process Groups; and Project Sponsor and Project Charter.

Does this module explain the difference between project management and operations management?

Yes. One of its learning objectives is to teach you to distinguish project management from operations management.

Professional Certifications and Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

Project Management Institute (PMI®)

Professional Development Units (PDUs): 0.5

Certification Program Categories:

Ways of WorkingPower SkillsBusiness Acumen

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