Introducing this course
08-December-2024
Where do projects come from?
09-December-2024
1 – WHAT IS A PROJECT?
Any project needs to make sense in terms of the organisation’s vision, mission and strategy. And we need to be clear about defining what is a project to address that.
The world is changing faster than ever, which creates huge opportunities (and threats). Projects are about delivering change successfully, and few projects will succeed if the strategy behind them is not clear and sensible.
Understand how a project is a mechanism to help an organisation deal with the changes is it facing. I part that means clearly definition of what a project is. The JCB Dieselmax story is a perfect example of a classic project.
Also recognise why any project needs to make sense in terms of the organisation’s vision, mission and strategy.
See how a confused strategy sets a project up for failure right at the start. Learn the basic process that will ensure the right project is being done for the right reasons.
Vision, mission and strategy
1.1 – Strategy and projects
Know the difference between an organisation’s vision, mission and strategy.
Learn how projects can deliver change successfully, and why few projects will succeed if the strategy behind them is not clear and sensible.
The success of firms like Southwest Airlines shows the value of having a clear view of what an organisation wants to achieve and how to go about achieving it.
You will learn:
- What trends are transforming business.
- What big changes are affecting organisations.
- Why organisations need to address change.
- What causes an organisation to fail.
- Why an organisation needs a vision.
- What is a vision for an organisation.
- What is a mission for an organisation.
- What is a strategy for an organisation.
- How a vision leads to a mission.
- How an organisation defines its strategy.
- How to develop a strategy.
- How a mission leads to a strategy.
- What are the different kinds of strategy for an organisation.
- How a strategy leads to a project.
- What a project produces.
- What is the definition of the output from a project.
- What is the project outcome.
- How the output leads to the outcome.
- What is the difference between project output and outcome.
Getting the outcome you desire
1.2 – Benefits
Learn how projects produce outputs that helps an organisation achieve the outcome it seeks. Thus the re-roofing of The Vyne shown on the title video titles was intended to protect the building into the future and also increase its value to the National Trust.
You will learn:
- How an organisation can prove it has achieved the outcome it desires.
- What is the definition of a benefit.
- Why benefits are so important in a project.
- How benefits measure how well an organisation has achieved its desired outcome.
- What are the different kinds of benefits.
- How to trade-off risks, costs and damage against benefits.
- What happens if a project follows the wrong strategy.
- How the wrong project can destroy an organisation.
- What can be the drawbacks or disbenefits from a project.
Understanding project benefits
1.3 – Project definition
Our first job here is defining what is a project. There are lots of opinions about this, but here is a pretty comprehensive definition.
See how benefits should be the way you can measure to what extent, and how well, you have achieved your desired outcome. We’ll look at how to define benefits, and later how to use them to help justify a project.
You will learn:
- The definition of what is a project.
- What the difference is between a client and a customer.
- How a project converts inputs into an output?
- What are the different types of project.
- What are the different sizes and shapes of projects.
- What kind of characteristics a project can have.
- What are the sources of projects.
What makes a project a project? (Defining what a project is)
1.4 – Projects are different
Look at how even though projects come in all shapes and sizes, the basic principles remain the same even though some bend the basic definition.
Understand why projects are different from everyday operations.
Every project follows a life cycle. Learn about the life cycle design used in these programmes. This is clearly illustrated in the story of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars IT system project.
You will learn:
- What is the difference between operations and projects.
- How projects and operations interact.
- What is projectisation.
- What are the elements of a project.
- What are project phases, stages, tasks, milestones, and gateways.
- What is a project life cycle.
- What is a good project life cycle model.
- How the project life cycle works.