A discussion of the definition of project management from some of
my earlier works might be a useful foundation for some of the blogs I intend to
provide over the next couple months. I hope you enjoy and participate in this
process.
Russ
“Project management is the application of
knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project
requirements” (Project
Management Institute, Inc. p. 2013) . This simple
definition represents a compromise that resulted from intense discussions
within the Project Management Institute (PMI) during the 1980’s. One of the
priorities of PMI during this time was the development of project management as
a profession. Although debate continues on whether project management is a
profession with an enforceable code of conduct and other traditional criteria
for recognition as a profession, the development of the Project Management Body
of Knowledge and the project management certification that derived from these
efforts, helped promote the understanding and development of the project
management field.
The discussion about what should be included in the definition of
project management included debates about the purpose of project management. Is
the main purpose to meet client’s expectations or is the main purpose to meet
the written specifications and requirements? This discussion around meeting
project requirements was not easily settled. If it is assumed that the project
client is the one that defines project requirements, then maybe project
management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to
meet client requirements or client expectations. PMI’s definition of project
management does provide a good understanding of project management but it does
not help us understand project success. For that, we must include the client.
Meredith and Mantel (2000) discussed project management in terms of
producing project outcomes within the three objectives of cost, schedule, and
specifications. Project managers are then expected to develop and execute a
project plan that meets cost, schedule, and specification parameters. According
to this view, project management is the application of everything a project manager
does to meet these parameters. This approach to defining project management
shares PMI’s focus on the project outcomes in terms of requirements.
Meredith and Mantel added a fourth aspect of project management—the
expectations of the client. One client-centered definition of project
management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to
meet or exceed the expectations of the client. This definition focuses on
delivering a product or service to the client that meets expectations rather
than project specifications. It is possible to meet all project specifications
and not meet client expectations or fail to meet one of more specifications and
still meet or exceed a client’s expectation.
Meredith and Mantel discussed a tendency noted by Darnall ( 2007) that
expectations often increase during the life of a project. Meredith and Mantel
suggest that this is a form of scope increase. A project scope is a carefully crafted
document that reflects the performance specifications of the project
deliverables. Defining the project scope and managing scope change is a very
different process than developing an understanding of a client’s expectations
and managing those expectations. Darnall focused on defining and managing
client expectations as a critical project management skill that is distinct
from scope development and management.
Client expectations encompass an emotional component that includes
many client desires that are not easily captured within a specification
document. Although closely correlated with project specifications, client
expectations are driven by different needs. It is possible for a project team
to exceed every project specification and the project end up with an
unsatisfied client.