Project management activities

Project management is composed of several different types of activities such as:

• Analysis and design of objectives and events
• Planning the work according to the objectives
• Assessing and controlling risk (or Risk Management)
• Estimating resources
• Allocation of resources
• Organizing the work
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_(project_management)
• http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/introduction-to-project-management.html
  
• Acquiring human and material resources
• http://www.businessballs.com/freeonlineresources.htm
  
• Assigning tasks
• Directing activities
• Controlling project execution
• Tracking and reporting progress (Management information system)
• Analyzing the results based on the facts achieved
• Defining the products of the project
• Forecasting future trends in the project
• Quality Management
• Issues management
• Issue solving
• Defect prevention
• Identifying, managing & controlling changes
• Project closure (and project debrief)
• Communicating to stakeholders

Project management artifacts

The following documents serve to clarify objectives and deliverables and to align sponsors, clients, and project team's expectations.

• Project Charter
• Preliminary Scope Statement / Statement of work
• Business case / Feasibility Study
• Scope Statement / Terms of reference
• Project management plan / Project Initiation Document
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Change Control Plan
• Risk Management Plan
• Risk Breakdown Structure
• Communications Plan
• Governance Model
• Risk Register
• Issue Log
• Action Item List
• Resource Management Plan
• Project Schedule
• Project Status Report
• Responsibility assignment (RACI) matrix
• Database of lessons learned
• Stakeholder Analysis
• Document Management

These documents are normally hosted on a shared resource (i.e., intranet web page) and are available for review by the project's stakeholders (except for the Stakeholder Analysis, since this document comprises personal information regarding certain stakeholders. Only the Project Manager has access to this analysis). Changes or updates to these documents are explicitly outlined in the project's configuration management (or change control plan).

Project Management tools

Project Management tools include following:

Financial tools

• Earned value management
• Monte Carlo methods in finance

Risk Management tools

• Cause-and-effect diagram
• Risk register
• SWOT analysis

General management tools

• Online tools to run a Project Health Check (Ph-Check tool), take a baseline or checkpoint, or to generate highlight, or status reports.

Scheduling charts

• PERT charts
• Gantt charts
• Event Chain Diagrams

Communication aids for teams

• Responsibility assignment (RACI) matrix
• Run charts
• Project Cycle Optimisation (PCO)
• Participatory Impact Pathways Analysis (An approach for developing common understanding and consensus amongst project participants and stakeholders as to how the project will achieve its goal)
• Logical framework approach

Related lists

• Glossary of project management
• List of management topics
• List of production topics
• List of project management software
• List of Theory of Constraints topics
• Timeline of project management