Project administration: concept, principles and processes

Project administration is an essential part of the work of any modern organization aimed at obtaining a result. The success of program implementation and the speed of achieving the organization's set goals depend on the quality of its implementation.

Project Administration - what is it

Any activity needs strict control and coordination. In particular, this applies to the implementation of various kinds of ideas and programs. Project administration is a manual using material, intangible and human resources to achieve optimal performance in relation to financial, time and quality indicators. Its need is due to such factors:

• Without control, a timely and harmonious solution to a large number of tasks is impossible. To unite the efforts of specialists and give them a single direction, a coordination system is needed - this is project administration.
• Achieving goals is possible with the availability of resources from internal or external sources. The search for funds is another task of the head.
• The implementation of actions to achieve the goals requires the development of a management structure and a clear organization of the process.

Essential elements

The concept of project administration can be divided into the following basic elements:

• Goal. This is the final result that is planned to be obtained as a result of the project. Expressed in a numerical time value.
• Complexity. This is a list of tasks that must be solved to achieve the ultimate goal, as well as the relationship between these processes.
• Uniqueness. The project is a one-time undertaking, which in the future should not be repeated unchanged. Even duplicate ideas can vary significantly in terms of implementation and resource structure.
• Time frame. Each plan has start and end points, which are characterized by calendar parameters.
• Life cycle. These are stages characterizing the degree of achievement of goals.

Principles of Administration

Managers should be guided by the following basic principles of project administration:

• a clear statement of goals and planned results, taking into account the likely risks;
• determination of responsibility centers not only for the project as a whole, but also for its individual components;
• creation of an effective system of work planning and parameter forecasting;
• regulation of implementation;
• creating an effective team that will be motivated by common interests.

Types of tasks

In the theory of project administration, there are three types of tasks. Namely:

• Detailed. These are the tasks of the lowest level, they ensure the functioning of the project.
• Compound. Relate to the intermediate and higher levels. Directly relate to the subject area of ​​the project.
• Milestone. This is a task with zero duration, which is the date of completion of a particular stage of work.

Classification

The organization of administration of the project may vary slightly, depending on what type it belongs to. By fields of activity distinguish:

• Technical (building construction, the introduction of new production technologies, software development, and so on).
• Organizational (creating a new enterprise or reorganizing an existing one, introducing new management systems, and so on).
• Economic (the introduction of new budgeting systems or central planning and the like).
• Social (reforming the system of social security and social protection of employees, as well as environmental responsibility).
• Mixed.

In terms of size, they distinguish:

• Monoprojects (have a specific purpose and purpose).
• Multiprojects (consist of several monoprojects).
• Megaproject (targeted programs consisting of a complex of monoprojects and multiprojects).

For the intended purpose, there are:

• Investment (creation or updating of fixed assets with financial resources from outside).
• Innovative (development and implementation of new technologies or control systems).
• Research (development of new products or methods of production).
• Educational (staff development).
• Mixed.

What does the project administration department do

At large enterprises, administration issues are assigned to specialized departments. In small organizations, the manager or CEO is involved in this. Project administration involves the following activities:

• organization of meetings, their recording and monitoring of the implementation of decisions;
• collection of reporting information;
• preparation of references and presentations;
• selection of information for the manager's speech;
• execution of project schedules;
• organization of reception of project participants;
• coordination of meetings;
• fulfillment of instructions of the project manager;
• adjustment of calendar plans;
• informing stakeholders and sending out documentation;
• project documentation support.

Key Project Participants

In matters of project administration, its participants play an important role. Here are the main stakeholders of the project :

• The customer is the future owner of the project results. It defines the requirements for parameters and performance. He also provides financing using his own or borrowed funds.
• The initiator is an employee who, realizing the need for a project, makes a proposal for its implementation. This person can work in the organization or be invited from outside.
• The curator is a person who monitors the process of project implementation and directs it. He exercises general control and supports the project.
• Manager - a person who is directly responsible for the administration of the project and its implementation.
• Leader - provides daily management of the team that works on the implementation of the project.
• Investor - a person or organization that provides the project with financial resources.

Main procedures

In the process of project administration, a number of procedures are performed. Here are the main ones:

• determination of the characteristics of the internal and external environment;
• statement of the essence of the project;
• definition of requirements;
• setting clear, measurable and realistic goals;
• balancing quality parameters and project execution time;
• planning activities for the implementation of the project;
• adaptation of plans to the interests and needs of stakeholders;
• technical performance;
• monitoring activities.

Project life cycle

Project administration is a complex, versatile process that includes several stages that are related to the project life cycle.

Administration Errors

The concepts, principles and processes of project administration provide a clear understanding of the direction in which to move in order to obtain the expected results. Nevertheless, managers often make mistakes that become an obstacle to achieving goals. This is what it is all about:

• large time costs for finding alternatives and evaluating the correctness of the decisions made;
• top-down planning;
• insufficiently detailed development of the plan leads to the fact that "pitfalls" are overlooked;
• the beginning of work without obtaining sufficient volumes of detailed and relevant information;
• work tracking instead of monitoring key indicators.

The difference between modern administration and legacy management systems

The project administration system is constantly being improved. A comparison of the current and past situation is given in the table.

US Administration Laws

Modern administration trends have come to us from the West. Therefore, it would be appropriate to consider American "laws." Here are the key ones:

• Do not be afraid of changes in the process of project implementation. As practice shows, none of the important projects ends on time, within the budget and without changing the management team.
• Projects are implemented quickly enough to 90% level of readiness. The implementation of the remaining 10% is stretched over time.
• Vague goals do not allow a clear calculation of cost estimates. This eliminates the annoying factor associated with the large amount of costs for the implementation of the project.
• You can never deceive yourself that things are going “like clockwork." At any moment, an obstacle may appear or a crisis may ensue.
• The system cannot be eliminated from errors. Moreover, attempts to correct one oversight will lead to the emergence of new ones.
• The more detailed the project implementation plan is, the more chances there are to “fit in” with the deadlines.
• Project teams are skeptical of interim reporting, as it is a demonstration of a lack of results.

Successful Administration Factors

Successful implementation of the project is facilitated by such key factors as:

• Clear statement of goals. This allows you to set the direction for the working group, and also helps to avoid double interpretations.
• Competent Supervisor. The administrator must possess a sufficient level of knowledge and skills, as well as high qualifications and significant work experience in order to realize the ideas formulated.
• Support for top managers. The administrator and the working group should feel the interest of the top management of the organization.
• Endowment with resources. Before the start of the project, the administrator should be provided with full and unhindered access to material and human resources.
• Full information. The administrator and his team should have constant access to the full amount of information that relates to the goals, current status and conditions for the implementation of the idea.
• Feedback. All interested parties should be able to communicate with the administrator in order to obtain relevant information, as well as make suggestions.
• The invariability of the staff. The administrator must make every effort to maintain a permanent team until the end of the plan.