Something to Think About... "Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence." Bernard Montgomery

Project management as a profession strives to maintain high standards of practice. In order to do this, the Project Management Institute, PMI, was founded in 1969, and began offering the Project Management Professional, PMP, certification exam in 1984. PMI is accredited as an American National Standards Institute standards developer. PMI was also the first organization to have their certification program attain International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 recognition. Like other professional organizations, PMI maintains a standard body of knowledge which is known as PMBOK, project management body of knowledge. PMI's standard body of knowledge is an essential part of maintaining high professional standards and evaluating those standards through real world application and success.

What does all of this have to do with project management?

Project management tools, techniques, and terminology come from the body of knowledge of PMBOK. In other words, project management terms and tools, such as critical path, work breakdown structure, and Gantt charts are not various ideas dreamed up by someone with a lot of time on their hands. These tools, and others, represent years of refinement to ensure the tools and the methods for using them actually work to help project managers plan, implement, and evaluate project work.

As a project manager, this is important to know because if one is in the business of managing projects and chooses to work as a professional project manager, then it is essential to learn and use the standards associated with these tools and techniques of project management.

Essential Terms and Tools of Project Management

There are numerous terms and techniques associated with the standard practices of project management. In light of this, and for the purposes of this newsletter, only a few of the essential terms and tools are highlighted below.

1. Baseline Plan
   A measurement used to determine project process. A baseline is usually the original approved project plan determined during the planning process. The plan consists of WBS, tasks and deliverables, Gantt chart, budget, risk management plan, resource loads, and roles and responsibilities. As the project progresses, measurements are made to determine how close the project is performing to the baseline.

2. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
   A deliverable/ task oriented hierarchy that identifies the total work of the project. Each WBS level has more detailed information than the previous level.

3. Critical Path (CP)
   The longest path through the project that consists of activities with zero float.

4. Deliverable
   An output that must be produced to bring the phase or project to completion. Deliverables are tangible and can be measured and easily proved.

5. Dependency or Logical Relationship
   A dependency between two project activities whereby one activity must do something (finish or start) before another activity can be performed (start or finish). Logical relationships can also exist between an activity and a milestone.

6. Float or Slack
   The amount of time you can delay the early start of a task without delaying the finish date of the project. This is also known as slack time.

7. Gantt Chart
   A method of displaying scheduled activities. Gantt charts also show activity sequences, activity start and end dates, resource assignments, activity dependencies, and the critical path.

8. Milestone
   A key event in the project used to measure project progress.

9. Project Integration Management
   Project Integration Management involves coordinating all aspects of the project and includes these processes: Project Plan Development, Project Plan Implementation, and Integrated Change Control.

10. Risk Management
    Project Risk Management is concerned with identifying and planning for potential risks that may impact the project. Its processes include Risk Management planning, Risk Identification, Qualitative Risk analysis, Quantitative Risk analysis, Risk Response planning, and Risk Monitoring and Control.

Leading and Directing Project Teams

Project managers are asked to do more than just define and plan projects-they must manage and lead their project teams. Much has been written about the differences between managing and leading. Good management brings about a degree of order and consistency relative to various dimensions of quality and products. Core management processes involve:

1. Planning and budgeting
2. Organizing and staffing
3. Controlling and problem solving.

The ability to establish order and consistency is important, but order and consistency must have meaning within the context of the project and the broader vision of the organization. In other words, establishing order and consistency for its own sake is meaningless. It must be connected to goals and objectives that have meaning to an organization and project.

The good news about project management tools and techniques is that they provide a solid foundation for managing project work and teams. There is no need to reinvent the wheel when project management tools and techniques have been shown time and again that they provide project managers with sound management tools.

Leadership

Leadership, unlike management, is about producing movement. It is not meant to produce consistency and order. When a leader is only producing consistency and order, then in actuality, he or she is acting as a manager. A true leader is one who knows how to establish direction and alignment. An effective leader does the following:

1. Establish where a group of people should go.
2. Align them in a particular direction.
3. Gain commitment to the direction and movement.
4. Energize people to overcome obstacles encountered along the way.

Good leaders inspire others to a place where they and those who depend on them are truly better off. Good leaders do this without isolating or trampling over others. Good leadership is about developing a way to provide constructive and adaptive change.

Developing a vision is one thing, but the ability to communicate that vision and get others to cooperate with it is what makes a good leader effective. Without effective communication, one travels alone. An effective leader must be able to communicate vision and direction to those whose cooperation is needed in order to build a solid and productive coalition. People cannot commit to something they do not understand.

A good leader is one who is able to keep people moving in the right direction despite political, bureaucratic, and resource barriers. One of the ways leaders can help people move in the right direction is by understanding and appealing to human needs, values, and emotions.

A top-notch project manager must be able to continuously emulate both management and leadership qualities.