Overview of the Diploma of Project Management

A project is unique in every circumstance and can be classified as a series of tasks that must be completed to reach an outcome. Projects can range from simple to complex within all industries and can be managed by one or many people.

A project will have a clear beginning-to-end structure and short- and long-term goals for the team to meet. An example of a project may include the construction of a bridge within the local city. This project will be considered quite complex and will have hundreds of people involved up until its completion. They will all have different roles; however, the project manager's main role is managing the team to ensure the completion of the bridge not only allows citizens to travel across but also to ensure all safety requirements are passed, and standards have been appropriately met.

Other examples of projects throughout different industries may include:

• Installing a new system within the company
• Office relocation
• Developing a training course
• Developing a website
• Renovating or building a home
• Running a marketing campaign

Project managers are the leaders of every project. They coordinate, manage, plan, train and resolve conflict and issues until the project is completed. They are key players in ensuring that resources, budgets, and the team are utilised to their full potential.

Their key responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Team organisation
• Time management
• Monitor project progress
• Develop and manage reports
• Project budgets and cost estimates
• Dealing with conflict appropriately
• Resolving issues/concerns
• Reporting progress
• Accountability for any failures
• Team building

If you are curious to know more about what project managers do on an everyday basis, check out the following video

A project cycle typically goes through four (4) phases which include the following:

1. Initiate
2. Plan
3. Execute
4. Close

These stages will provide a clear path for project managers to follow when working through a project. This can save time, money, resources, and problems if followed from beginning to end.

Firstly, to initiate a project, you will need to identify a need, problem or opportunity for your company or client. During this phase, you will focus on identifying the objective and benefits if the project is to go ahead.

Once the project is approved, you will move onto the planning phase, where project managers will strategically map the project. They may use documents such as a project or work breakdown structure plan to help organise the plan and schedule. Throughout this phase, it is important to break the project into smaller tasks making sure they are achievable with appropriate timelines and resources. Within the planning phase, you must ensure you have:

• A project plan with agreed objectives
• Identification of all stakeholders involved
• Identifying team members and their specific roles for the project
• A structure with steps, deadlines and tasks
• Estimated budget
• Anticipated risks and strategies to mitigate these

The next phase is the execution phase, where you will now put your plan into action. This is where the Project manager will ensure the project is staying on track, timelines are followed, resources are used effectively, and the team is completing work according to standards and deadlines. Steps for executing a project may include the following:

• Organising and monitoring workflow
• Briefing team members on tasks and providing them with guidance and support throughout the process
• Organising training if needed
• Providing open communication with team members, clients, and other stakeholders to ensure transparency.
• Monitoring quality assurance
• Managing and overseeing the budget to ensure resources, time and assets remain on track.

Lastly, once you have executed the tasks, you will close the project. Within this phase, you will focus on providing the final product/s and determining the project's success. This is still a crucial phase for the project manager as they need to complete a few more important tasks. These include:

• Evaluating what worked and did not work within the project for future improvements.
• Analysing the performance of the project by asking themselves and the team questions like were the project's goals met? Were tasks completed on time and on budget? Did we use appropriate plans and templates to support the team throughout this process? This helps the team reflect on performance and finds ways to improve for future projects ahead.
• Conducting team evaluations. Did the team perform? How was their quality of work? What are some areas of improvement for the next project?
• Provide documentation to ensure all aspects of the project are completed with no loose ends.
• Provide reporting and final documentation to all stakeholders, including resources and budget

By following these four steps, you will be able to stay on track, stay organised and help accomplish all tasks within the project within deadlines and budget requirements.

Project management methodology is known as a clear road map that provides a set of principles, tools and strategies required to deliver a successful project. They are extremely useful in ensuring that projects are planned, managed, and executed effectively.

There are different types of project management methodologies, and they all have their own pros and cons depending on your industry and the type of project you are looking to work on.

Throughout the course, you will become familiar with the various types of Project management methodologies which will be used to help you work confidently and efficiently.

Some of the popular ones may include:

• Waterfall methodology
• Agile methodology
• Lean methodology
• Scrum methodology
• Critical path method

Let us take a brief look to learn more about these different methodologies.

Waterfall Methodology

This is the most straightforward and traditional methodology used within some organisations. The Waterfall methodology is a process in which the project phases flow downward. Tasks are executed one after the other in a particular order, which allows more room to control each phase of the project until it has been completed.

It looks a little like this

Agile Methodology

Agile, on the other hand, is a more collaborative approach that encourages self-organisation across teams. This method allows for a more adaptive nature and is always open to change if it leads to further improvements. Agile methodology focuses on breaking down the project cycle into smaller segments which allows room for any changes if needed.

1. Analysis of concepts and requirements definitions; Determine current state and your expectations.
2. Arrange teams and tools needed to optimize production.
3. From the beginning of the process, the end user’s involvement and feedback is critical.
4. Frequent develop delivery through sprints. Feedback on testing & appropriate changes are imperative.
5. Ensure that you are reviewing and monitoring key metrics for success.

Lean Methodology

Lean methodology focuses on continual improvement through regular assessing processes with the main objective of eliminating waste to maximise efficiency and productivity.

It focuses on customer satisfaction and the continuous improvement of the development process.

Scrum Methodology

Scrum methodology is most suited to small teams, ideally for teams with less than 10-15 people. They are cycles often occurring every 2 weeks with short daily meetings where team members will discuss what they are working on and whether they are having any issues. This allows any problems to be resolved efficiently and progress to be reviewed on a daily basis.

Critical Path Method

Your choice of methodology will dictate the impact on your approach and how this affects your project, this however will all depend on the project scope, and the kind of project you are undertaking. Throughout this course you will learn in more detail about how these can be applied within your role. If you are interested in learning more feel free to check out the following video.

The units in this course can help you prepare for your career journey within Project management. If you are inspired by leading a team and working through projects effectively to meet stakeholder needs, then this course will give you the skills and knowledge required. Upon successful completion of this course, your avenues are quite diverse.

Earnings and salary will vary across positions, if you are looking into the earnings of a Project manager, you may wish to conduct your own research to establish that understanding. If you are unsure where to start, click the following link to Seek, and spend some filtering through positions of your choosing to observe some salary profiles within project management.

Some of the career opportunities may include (but are not limited to):

• Project manager
• Assistant project manager
• Director of project management
• Team leader
• Project scheduler
• Project Coordinator

Project managers must be mindful of their duties and obligations under legislation. They must comply with the law and the practices of their particular industry. These are often known as standards and are followed to ensure accurate records are kept and any misconduct is avoided.

Legislations

Careers in Project management require in-depth knowledge of legislation. It is integral you are familiar with the relevant legislation in this role, as much of it sets the foundations for the policies, procedures, code of conduct and practices within the workplace.

The following table outlines some of the relevant legislation you will need to familiarise yourself with as your progress through the course.