Evaluating the role of projects in the management of projects. ( Tariro Gwete)

There is no single role or process that makes management of projects successful rather it is the careful orchestration of a number of different elements. Projects assist in the management of projects as a package of investment designed to remove or alleviate non development constraints or taking advantage of a perceived development opportunity. Akroyd (2003) It also principally works as an introduction and management change. Lokyer and Gordon (1996) Projects also play a pivotal role in the management of project by providing quick fix solutions, acting as an economic way of allocating resources, a cutting edge to development, way of mobilising funds, lowest level of policy making, it is also an instrument through which plans and programs are implimented.

There is no universally accepted definition of the term project. However, the host of definitions contain the same subject matter but expressed differently. A project is “an investment activity in which financial resources are expanded in order to create capital assets that produce benefits over a period of time.” Gittinger (1982) It can also be defined as “a discreet package of investment, policies, institutional and other actions designed to achieve a specific goal. Baum and Tolbert (1988) A project is a co-ordinated series of activities undertaken by individuals or organisations with definite starting and finishing points to meet specific objectives within a scheduled period, costs and defined parameters. Arizona (2000)

In contemporary business and science a project is also defined as a collaborative enterprise, involving research or design which is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can further be defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems or work systems that are constituted by teams within or across organizations to accomplish particular tasks under time constraints. Hamilton (1997) A project is a unique, transient endeavour, undertaken to achieve planned objectives, which could be defined in terms of outputs, outcomes or benefits. A project is usually deemed to be a success if it achieves the objectives according to their acceptance criteria, within an agreed timescale and budget. Conyers and Hill (1984) A project is a temporary group activity designed to produce a unique product, service or result with a defined beginning and end in time, scope and resources designed to accomplish a singular goal.

Project management is the planning and organization of an organization's resources in order to move a specific task, event or duty toward completion. Project management is a methodical approach to planning and guiding project processes from start to finish. Alkin (1969) Project management typically involves a one-time project rather than an ongoing activity and resources managed include both human and financial capital. Project management is often closely associated with engineering projects, which typically have a complex set of components that have to be completed and assembled in a set fashion in order to create a functioning product. Hamilton (1997) Project management is one of the critical processes of any project and it is the core process that connects all other project activities and processes together. Project management, then is the application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently to achieve the project objectives. Kerzner (2006) It is a strategic competency for organizations, enabling them to tie project results to business goals thus better compete in their markets. Project management processes fall into five groups that is, initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing.

Project management has achieved almost universal recognition as the most effective way to ensure the success of large, complex and multidisciplinary tasks. The success of project management is based on the simple concept that planning, resource allocation, and the direction and control of a single time and budget is done by sole authority. This single point authority and responsibility constitutes the greatest strengths as well as weaknesses of project management. The pressures for the completion of an often almost impossible task must of necessity be focused on how effectively the project manager carries out his or her job. http://www.project-management-software.org/

Projects are separate to business-as-usual activities, requiring people to come together temporarily to focus on specific project objectives. As a result, effective teamwork is central to successful projects. Project management is concerned with managing discrete packages of work to achieve objectives. The way the work is managed depends upon a wide variety of factors. A good distinguishing factor is often to look at the nature of the objectives.Objectives may be expressed in terms of outputs, outcomes, benefits or strategic objectives. Investment in effective project management will have a number of benefits to both the host organisation and the people involved in delivering the project. It will provide a greater likelihood of achieving the desired result; ensure efficient and best value use of resources and satisfy the differing needs of the project’s stakeholders.

A project is an instrument through which plans and programs are implimented. Relating to project management it gives the project manager to work with the project sponsor, stakeholders and beneficiaries thus it gives a leeway to plan and impliment projects for the benefit of the community. The project manager lists all activities or tasks, how the tasks are related, how long each task will take and how each tasks is tied to a specific deadline. At this phase on project management it also gives a scope to the project manager to list of project deliverables and the outcome of a specific set of activities. A project is also of paramount importance in that it helps in the management of projects by project activities which will be used by the project managers in the management process. So the role of a project is to provide the activities thus it then allows the project manager to define relationships between tasks as well so that, for example, if one task is x number of days late, the project tasks related to it will also reflect a comparable delay. Likewise, the project manager can set milestones dates by which important aspects of the project need to be met.

Moreso, a project provides with a budget this helps the project manager to identify how many people often referred to as resources and how much expense or cost is involved in the project, as well as any other requirements that are necessary for completing the project. The project manager will also need to manage assumptions and risks related to the project. The project manager will also want to identify project constraints. Constraints typically relate to schedule, resources, budget, and scope. A change in one constraint will typically affect the other constraints. For example, a budget constraint may affect the number of people who can work on the project, thereby imposing a resource constraint. Rossi (1998) Likewise, if additional features are added as part of project scope that could affect scheduling, resources, and budget.

Gittinger (1982) argues that projects are the cutting edge of development. To many scholars of development as well as practitioners, this means that development is primarily achieved through the execution of projects and programmes. In trying to achieve development at their specific levels, communities, organizations, regions and nations undertake projects and programmes of various kinds and scale. In defining ‘development’ Todaro (2003), states that the process of development “should be perceived as a multi-dimensional process involving the reorganization and reorientation of entire economic and social systems”. It is therefore not just about economic growth but also more importantly about people’s lives. Therefore, projects pave a way for development and this helps in the management of projects to plan and organise resouces for the project and to ensure that it is people driven and also benefits a community at large.

Projects also get into existence when there is need to compliment other investments such as providing rail and port links to a mining project. Kezner (2006) Project ideas also emanate from abroad as a result of investment proposals by multinational firms.The influence of investment strategies adopted by other developing countries. Projects also create opportunities created by international agreements to improve the welfare of people or even the infrastructure thereby alleviating poverty through the initiation of project which will be eventually be supervised and guided by project managers thus enabling them to manage the projects.

Projects are also an economic way of allocating resources. This helps in the management projects on how to allocate resources and how much budget he or she has to work with for the project. The project manager then assigns those resources and allocates budget to various tasks in the project. Now the work of the project begins and this is called the execution of projects in the management of projects. The rationale of any management system is to achieve results in the most effective manner in terms of efficient use of material, financial and human resources.  The assumption here is that the key considerations in project planning and execution are effective, economic and efficient.  This is illustrated in process of project management in that it involves taking responsibility in decision making, controlling and supervising personnel and other resources. Project management ensures systematic co-ordination and integration of tasks and procedures for better control and productivity. Arizona (2000) It then defines specific output in terms of quality, quantity and time frame and involves management techniques and tools including work breakdown structures and scheduling.

Projects assist in the project management processes in that it gives or provides project requirements such as scope, budget and timelines. Details of a project are generally unknown at the beginning, so part of project management is estimating what activities and tasks are needed in order to execute the project. The scope is made up of these various activities and tasks and ultimately produces the actual item that you will deliver. The project scope will also help in determining the time and budget needed to finish the project. A good way to begin building a project scope is to simply start writing down what you think is needed to complete the task. Consultation with others to gain a comprehensive view of all activities to include is needed. Depending on the budget and the schedule, the resources are then allocated to the project. This phase is the most important phase when it comes to project cost and effort. Project management is a responsible process and connects all other project activities together and creates the harmony in the project.

Once an initial scope is established, assigning time to each activity and task will begin. During this time there is also need to look at the projects bigger picture. Can some activities happen at the same time or will each activity or task have to happen sequentially.  Also, paying close attention to how many people will need to review the project activities as this can affect the time it will take to complete a step. After calculating the time it will take to complete the cumulative activities and tasks, you can create a project schedule for the project team to follow.

Much like calculating time for a project, you will often have to consult others, including department leads to generate an accurate budget. The budget will be comprised of multiple considerations including, people and materials that are affected by what activities or tasks they are performing (scope) and how long they will be needed (time) to complete them.This involves the planning, organising, directing, co-ordinating and controlling of resources in order to achieve specific goals and objectives. (Kerzner, 1983) It is also the application of the systems approach to the management of complex project activities whose objectives are explicitly stated in terms of time, cost and performance parameters (Cleland and King 1983).The term project management mean “getting things done with and through people.”Charvat (2003) So for this to be fulfilled it is the role of the project provides the scope for things to be done through people and latter it will be supervised by project managers thus the management of projects. 

In conclusion, projects play a pivotal role in the management of projects by providing with activities, mobilising funds, acting as a development aspect and way of allocating resource to people. While Project management, by itself is a discipline that can apply to any project intended to deliver solutions for any purpose, it is often tailored to accommodate the specific and repeatable needs of different and highly specialized industries. For each type of project management, project managers develop and utilize repeatable templates that are specific to the industry they're dealing with. This allows project plans to become very thorough and highly repeatable, with the specific intent to increase quality, lower delivery costs, and lower time to deliver project results. As a resullt this makes the roles of project very important in the management of project by the project managers.