What is project? What is project management?
Projects arise due to the needs of people, institutions or organizations,
developments in science and technique, or legal responsibilities. The concept of
the project can be defined as a study that determines what needs to be done in
order to reach the previously determined goal within the time determined with the
available resources. There are three elements for each project. These elements are
scope, budget and time elements. The aim of all projects is to reach the targets by
using the resources in the most effective way under the determined budget and
time constraints. The concept of project has also other definitions. A project can be
defined as a non-repetitive set of specific activities that must be completed within a
specified time with specified resources and it is usually less than 3 years old. A
project is the sum of efforts to eliminate an existing problem. Defining the
problem correctly affects the success of the project positively.
Project management is a collection of functions of initiation, planning,
executing, control and closing the activities of material and human resources that
are brought together to achieve a determined goal. All projects need to be
successfully managed in order to achieve the desired results. In case of failure of
project management, expected profits disappear, losses incurred due to increased
costs and delays or compensations paid cause loss to the business. The main
purpose of project management is to provide full control of the project. There are
two important elements in achieving this goal. The first of these is to gather all the
responsibility in a single point and the project manager to be appointed for this
purpose assumes an integrative role in various efforts. The second is the
implementation of an integrated planning and control system and the effective use
of methods and techniques developed for this purpose. Examination of various
projects will show that some basic features are common to almost all of them.
Common features that are important to management include:
Every project has a well-defined, common purpose.
Every project must have a defined start and end point.
The project arises from a need and the goal is to meet this need.
The project begins with a clear definition of a goal and ends with the realization
of the goal.
What is the role of the project manager in projects?
The project manager is a professional title given to the person who manages the
process from the beginning to the end of a project. It can be said that the project
manager is responsible for every detail in the project production process. He/she
establishes the teams to work on the project, ensures the coordination between the
teams and has the ability to take all responsibility for the successful completion of
a project. As a project manager, you will be successful when you:
Have goals and to achieve these goals
To be able to determine the necessary plans well,
Coordinate people, ideas and resources effectively.
To be able to comprehend the scope of the project and its importance in the
success of the company and to transfer this to all project group members,
To be able to eliminate intra-group disagreements and personal conflicts,
To motivate the whole team to conclude the project successfully
To monitor the progress of the project within the framework of the plans, to take
corrective actions if necessary.
We talked about the job description of the project manager simply, but it should
be noted that the job description of the project manager varies according to the
sector. For example, the responsibilities of a project manager in the construction
industry are different, and the responsibilities from a project manager working in
an advertising agency are different. The following roles and responsibilities are for
general information only:
To provide communication between the customer and the project,
Reviewing the contract and job request before starting the project and reaching
a consensus with the customer about the requests,
To establish the temporary organization that will deal with the project, to
determine the duties, authorities and responsibilities of those who will take part in
the organization,
Determining project requirements and activity plans,
To provide the necessary coordination for the supply of the staff and materials
to be used in the project and to take the floor from the management,
To continuously monitor and evaluate the development and results of the
project,
To inform the client and senior management about the development of the
project and the problems encountered.
Observing the compliance of the project activities with the contract and plans,
To guarantee the adequacy, accuracy and timeliness of the answers given to the
customers' problems,
Timely reporting changes in workforce, time and materials to senior
management and other affected departments.
