Project Management | Strategy | Management Styles | Leadership | Goals
A Project’s Tale: Journey or Process?
A delicate balancing act
Project management fundamentally aims to achieve specific goals, but it inherently involves following a structured process to reach those goals effectively and efficiently.
This dual focus highlights the different skill sets that a project manager must possess, as the relationship between achieving a goal and following a process is complementary.
Achieving a Goal
The primary purpose of project management is to complete projects with specific objectives. These goals can vary widely, including launching a new product, constructing a building, implementing a new business service, or organizing a major event. A project’s success is often measured by how well it meets these goals, delivers value to stakeholders, and adheres to constraints of time, budget, and quality.
Following a Process
Project management methodologies provide a structured process that guides the project manager through various stages of the project. This encapsulation of project work (which, due to the one-time nature of projects, does not belong to ongoing operational processes) is organized into distinct phases and knowledge areas, such as financial management and risk management.