COST AND SCHEDULING BASICS

Project success

Project success is defined most simply as the achievement of initially set goals within the agreed or specified time and without exceeding the intended budget earmarked for the project . It is an indicator of good project management and best practices in the execution of a given project . Project success is what you get when at the end of the day the project manager has done a good job delivering the required features and functions of the project

Generally , project success appears to be on the rise with there being a

br 13 rise between 1994 and 2004 according to the Standish 's CHAOS study The establishment of Covenant University in Nigeria is a good case of project success to mention . That of the 2006 Census Online and My Account ' in Canada was also successful . And failures abound in the likes of J . Sainsbury running into a loss of 526million in the automated supply chain management system project . Again , the Florida welfare system lost 260milion due to computational errors

Some of the corrective measures involved in bringing an unsuccessful project to success would include ensuring that best practices in the specific field are adhered to at all times , re-defining and adhering strictly to the whole scope of the project . A thorough review of the project plan , which would include the team members , roles , departments and their interrelationships etc . then there should be an effective communication of change (s , if required , to the project team

Role of the project Manager

Usually , the particular roles and responsibilities of a project manager would depend on the particular company in question . However , the primary duty of all project managers is project success . Defining the scope time of delivery and cost of project is also within his purview . When the project commences , he is to ensure the good management of involved risks and at the same time ensure that the set milestones are reached as planned . The project team and individual duties are also decided by the project manager . He ensures good communication of expectations to them and ensures that motivation for the job is preserved throughout the project 's life span . This is how he ensures that there is no redundancy thereby keeping within the budget and that the demands of the project schedule are met . Perhaps the most important of his roles would be to ensure that standards are adhered to and that the intended features and functions of the project are achieved at the end of the day

One of the skills of the project manager I the ability to get an overview of the project from the outset and as such , he is well placed to detect defects in the course of its implementation

The knowledge of the project manager in the use of project management tools like the PERT charts , Gantt charts , event chain diagrams , RACI diagrams , and run charts amongst others , also stands the project manager in good stead when it comes to the control of cost and schedule...