Understanding Project Management 3
Understanding Project Management
In this chapter
Why Use Project Portfolio
Management?
Your Role in the Organization
Project Management Process
Overview
Planning, Controlling, and
Managing Projects
Primavera software products are designed to support the project management needs of organizations that manage large numbers of projects at one time.
These integrated applications use project portfolio management (PPM) to support the management needs of project teams in different locations and at varying levels of the organization.
This chapter provides an overview of PPM, the roles used in PPM, and the basic concepts for planning, managing, and controlling your projects.
Primavera - Project Management
4 Part 1: Overview and Configuration
Why Use Project Portfolio Management?
Large businesses typically have hundreds—even thousands—of projects underway at one time to create the new products and services that build their future. These projects cross normal business hierarchies and chains of command, making project portfolio management (PPM) an organization-wide challenge. The pressure to complete projects on time and within budget, and maintain a competitive edge, is driving corporations to develop and implement PPM processes. They are moving away from a traditional functional structure to a multiple-project organization that must achieve clear, but urgent goals, using limited, shared resources, and they need the fastest business payback from those projects to realize potential revenue and increase shareholder equity.
PPM provides comprehensive information on all projects in an organization, from executive-level summaries to detailed plans by project. Individuals across all levels of the company can analyze, record, and communicate reliable information and make timely, informed decisions that support their corporate mission. By putting the right tool in the right hands, PPM enables an organization to
■Make strategic business decisions
■Control the minute detail that is necessary to finish projects
■Understand current resource demands, set priorities, and evaluate long-term staffing requirements
■Use skilled resources effectively and productively
■Reorganize projects to fit shifting priorities without sacrificing quality
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Understanding Project Management 5
Your Role in the Organization
By definition, PPM must meet the needs of several types of users. The following section describes the roles as they typically apply to the Primavera applications. Roles may vary or overlap depending on the organization.
Network administrators Network administrators configure an organization’s network environment (localand wide-area networks) for optimal performance with Primavera applications. They install and maintain the server and client components of the applications. In addition, they manage user access to data and develop and maintain a comprehensive security policy to ensure that PPM data are protected from unauthorized access, theft, or damage.
Network administrators ensure that the hardware and software supporting
Primavera applications function reliably by
■Setting up and maintaining the network to ensure reliable connections and the fastest possible data transfer
■Creating and maintaining accurate lists of network resources and users so that each has a unique network identity
Database administrators Database administrators (DBAs) are responsible for setting up, managing, and assigning access rights for the Primavera database. They set and oversee rules governing use of corporate databases, maintain data integrity, and set interoperability standards.
Database administrators ensure reliable access to the Primavera database by
■Installing, configuring, and upgrading database server software and related products as required
■Creating and implementing the database
■Implementing and maintaining database security, including creating and maintaining users, roles, and privileges for the database
■Monitoring database performance and tuning as needed
■Planning for growth and changes and establishing and maintaining backup and recovery policies and procedures
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6 Part 1: Overview and Configuration
Operations executives Operations executives are responsible for strategic planning and ongoing performance analysis. They use the Project Management module and Primavera’s Web Portfolio Management application to analyze schedule, resource, and cost data across projects.
Senior executives may be responsible for
■Prioritizing projects
■The profit/loss for a specific business entity
■Funding and go/no-go decisions about projects
■Strategic planning over the future of the business or division
Project controls coordinators Project controls coordinators are responsible for ensuring that Primavera applications are implemented properly and operate smoothly. They play a key role during implementation by
■Working with operations executives and program/project managers to set up methodologies in the Methodology Management module
■Working with operations executives and program/project managers to structure project, organizational breakdown structure (OBS), and resource hierarchies, set up basic calendars, and define organizationwide custom fields and codes in the Project Management module
■Working with the project administrator to create user accounts and user groups for the Project Management module
■Assigning security rights to users in the Project Management module
Program managers Program managers oversee several high-level project managers; they are responsible for multiple projects and use the Project Management and Methodology Management modules, along with Primavera’s Web application to:
■Perform cross-project analysis
■Manage projects to on-time and on-budget completion
■Prioritize resources across projects
■Plan projects before they are funded
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Understanding Project Management 7
Project managers Project managers manage multiple small, repetitive projects or a single, complex project. They are responsible for on-time/on- budget completion of the projects and use the Project Management module and Primavera Web application to
■Allocate specific named resources to a project in conjunction with the functional manager of those resources
■Communicate project information both up and down the chain of command
■Manage resources related to the project
Resource/cost managers Resource managers allocate resources across projects and distribute their workloads. They are responsible for resource planning, including recruiting, hiring, and training resources, and they may be responsible for loading resource information in the Project Management, Methodology Management, and Web Resource Management modules. Cost managers perform detailed financial analysis of projects, handle project billing, and integrate financial information within the company.
Team leaders Team leaders manage the work for a portion of a larger project. They are managers who produce work and manage a team, and they often use the Project Management and Timesheets modules, and the Primavera Web application, to prioritize short-term tasks or objectives, typically when the duration is less than the planning period of the project.
Team members Team members are trained in a specific skill required on a project. They work with their manager to develop activities and durations for incorporation into the schedule. Once activities are added to the schedule, team members update them using the Timesheets module to indicate the work they performed during designated accounting periods. Team members may also use personalized dashboards in the Primavera Web application to quickly access their projects, activities, documents, and events.
Primavera - Project Management