A little bit of history

Project management is a composite activity with multiple dimensions. We should also be clear on what we
mean by project management, not in terms of the traditional definitions but in terms of the scope of this
management activity. For purpose of this article, I would like to state a distinction between technical
management and project management. Technical management is the business of managing the technology
of the project whereas project management is the business of managing the entire endeavor through its
project life cycle process. While we draw this distinction, in the real world the two must be fully integrated
but the combination varies between different project management application areas. There is a wealth of
information available on Project Management through different sources and various attempts have been
made to assemble “bodies of Knowledge” articulating the role and content of project management and/or by
enterprises for establishing corporate standards of practice. It has been a general belief that project
management is an overhead, and if it is not going to make the project more successful we shouldn't be
spending money on it. Because of this very conflict, has led to the enthusiasm for approaches such as Agile
and eXtreme programming. But now we have another problem -- what do we mean by Project success? On
time, under budget? Not necessarily. Customer satisfaction? Maybe. I suggest that the most compelling
instance of success is a product that brings far more benefit to the organization than the effort involved in
creating it. However, the meaning of project success, like a number of other key terms, is debatable. So,
in order to lay a foundation for this debate, we commence with the need to promulgate a set of
generally agreed fundamentals which I would call ‘Baseline Principle’s’ for effective Project Management.

Seven first principles of project management

• Everyone is working towards the same or similar project goals, whatever those might be.
• Everyone is clear and agrees on who the customer is.
• Appropriate levels of skill or experience are available as needed.
• Everyone wants the project to succeed.

1. The success principle

• The measures of project success, in terms of both process and product, must be defined at the
beginning of the project as a basis for project management decision-making and post-project
evaluation.

Project success is a multi-dimensional construct that inevitably means different things to different people.
Example:-

• Meet key objectives of the project, such as the business objectives of the sponsoring organization,
owner, or user
• Elicit satisfaction with the project management process -- i.e., that the deliverable is complete, up
to standard, is on time and within budget
• Reflect general acceptance and satisfaction with the project's deliverable on the part of the project's
customer and the majority of the project's community at some time in the near future

Project success is closely linked to opportunity and risk. Projects by their nature are risky undertakings and
some project hazards cannot be entirely avoided or mitigated even when identified. Since project success
may be impacted by risk events, it follows that both opportunity and risk should be shared among the
stakeholders. You should also note that success criteria can change with time, and just because certain
objectives were not achieved, this does not necessarily mean that the project was a failure.
However obvious and sensible the setting of project success criteria at the beginning of a project may seem,
regretfully, it is not currently a common practice. Without defining these success criteria, how can
agreement be reached on a particular project's priorities, trade-offs, the significance of changes, and the
overall effectiveness and efficiency of project management post-project? For this reason, I suggest that
many surveys of project successes are questionable. I believe that project success is much more than just
doing what you set out to do. It is also about whether what you are doing is the right thing to do.
The reality of life on many projects is that everyone on or associated with it does not have the same
aspirations and goals. As a result, "the project gets pulled in many different directions ... status, pride,
power, greed ... . "8 In most cases, this may be a little exaggerated. But even at the most elementary level,
the project owner will be interested in benefiting from the product, while the workers on the project will be
interested in benefiting from the process. This makes the definition of a project's success even more
important -- to provide a reference baseline for the correction of divergent progress.
2. The commitment principle

• An equitable commitment between the resource provider and the project delivery team must exist
before a viable project exists.

The provider of resources (money, and/or goods and services, and general direction) is typically called the
project's owner or sponsor. The project delivery team is responsible for developing appropriate strategies,
plans, and controls for applying the necessary skills and work to convert those resources into the required
deliverables or product. An equitable commitment means that both parties are sufficiently knowledgeable of
the undertaking, the processes involved, and their associated risks, and both willingly undertake the
challenge.
The owner of the project must understand that, even with appropriate management controls in place, the
risks involved must be shared. The attributes of both parties should encompass relevant skills, including
those of the technology involved, experience, dedication, commitment, tenacity, and authority to ensure the
project's success.
Of course, every project evolves through its life span, and the commitment and tradeoffs will similarly
evolve. Also, the players on a project usually change as it moves through its life span, simply to meet the
changing level of effort and skills required in each phase. Nevertheless, an equitable commitment can and
should exist for every phase of the project if the project is to remain viable.
3. The tetrad trade-off principle

• The core variables of the project management process -- namely, product scope, quality grade,
time-to-produce, and 4 total cost-at-completion -- must all be mutually compatible and definitely
attainable.

This principle is an extension of both the commitment principle and the success principle. The core variables
of product scope, quality grade, time-to-produce, and total cost-at-completion -- often loosely referred to as
scope, quality, time, and cost, respectively -- are measures of internal project management efficiency. If
these variables prove not to be mutually compatible and definitely not attainable, the commitment is neither
equitable nor are key success criteria likely to be met.9 The interrelationships of these four separate
variables are somewhat similar to a four-sided frame with flexible joints. One side can be secured and
another moved, but only by affecting the remaining two.
The merit of viewing the four as a tetrad rather than selecting only three to form a triangle is that it gives
greater prominence to quality. Of the four, the quality of the product is obviously, and in fact, the most
enduring.
4. The strategy principle

• A strategy encompassing first planning then doing, in a focused set of sequential and progressive
strategic phases, must be in place.

The genesis of the project life span process, in its most basic form, is to be found in the very term "project
management" itself. A project has, by definition, a start and a finish. The essence of management is to
"plan" before "doing." Hence the most fundamental project life span process consists of four sequential
periods of "start," "plan," "do," and "finish." Of course these four periods can be expanded into separate
phases -- each with their own interim deliverables and "executive control points" (or "gates" or "emergency
exit ramps.") These can be designed to suit the control requirements of every type of project in every area
of project management application. Indeed, this sequence is, in effect, generally applicable at every level
and branch of the project management structure. It is also just as relevant whether a "fast-track" strategy is
adopted, or an iterative approach is necessary, such as in software development.10
The importance of this life span process and its influence on the management of the project cannot be
overemphasized. This relatively short-term life-to-death environment, and the consequences that flow, is
probably the only thing that uniquely distinguishes projects from non-projects.11
5. The management principle

• Policies and procedures that are effective and efficient must be in place for the proper conduct and
control of the project commitment.

This principle is an extension of the "Strategy Principle." The Strategy Principle determines what will be done
and when. The Management Principle establishes how it will be done and who will do it. The attributes of this
management control encompass the project's assumptions, its justification, and a reference baseline in each
of the core variables as a basis for progress measurement, comparison, and course adjustment. The
attributes of good policies and procedures encompass clear roles and responsibilities, delegation of authority,
and processes for maintaining quality, time, and cost, etc., as well as managing changes in the product
scope and/or scope of work.
6. The single-point responsibility principle

• A single channel of communication must exist between the project sponsor and the project team
leader for all decisions affecting the product scope.

This principle is an extension of the management principle and is necessary for effective and efficient
administration of the project commitment. For example, the owner of the eventual product, if represented
by more than one person, must nevertheless speak with one voice through a primary representative with
access to the sponsor's resources. Similarly, the project's delivery team must always have a primary
representative. However, this only applies to the decisions affecting the product scope and hence the
project's overall cost and schedule. In all other respects, free and transparent communication is
indispensable for the coordination of a complex set of project activities. Therefore, this principle must not in
any way inhibit the proper exchange of information through the network of project communication channels
that is required to integrate all aspects of a complex project.
7. The cultural environment principle

• Management must provide an informed and supportive cultural environment to ensure that the
project delivery team can work to the limits of their capacity.

The ability of a project delivery team to produce results both effectively and efficiently is highly dependent
upon the cultural environment. This cultural environment encompasses both internal and external project
relations and values.12 Internally, the management style of the team leader must be suited to the type of
project and its phase in the project life span. Externally, the management of the organization in which the
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project takes place must be supportive and the environment must be free of obstacles. Unfortunately, the
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reality in many organizations is that many managements do place obstacles in the way of project progress,
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perhaps unwittingly because of management's functional heritage.
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to
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Conclusio
n
The final point
above further
emphasizes
the need to
establish a
solid set of
generally
applicable
project
management
first principles,
such as those
described in
this article. I
believe these
will serve as a
theoretical
underpinning
for generally
accepted
project
management
practice.