Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Project Management - Essay ExampleIt has been defined as the achievement of project objectives through people and involving the organisation, planning and control of resources delegate to the project (Harrison & Lock, 2004, p. 6). However, one can trace the ideology or roots of project management to the earliest human civilisations. The Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the papistical Colosseum, and others are few examples from ancient civilisations where these early project managers, mostly, officials of the kingdom and the monarchy, handled projects according to the practices of that period (Loosemore, 2003, p. 352). Today, project management has emerged as an indispensable aspect of modern backup management due to changing work environment and dynamics of the modern day business era. In this competitive business world of the 21st century, individuals deep down an organisation are expected to perform their formal job responsibilities, as well a s many projects that go hand in hand with their space and duties (Walker, 2007, p. 183). Thus, there was a need for innovation within the business world, which resulted in a matrix organisational structure, one that is still being used in unlike leading businesses around the world. The principle of this structure is to create harmony among demands of project managers and line managers (Frigenti & Comninos, 2002, p. 25). Much of the literature regarding project management discusses three main constraints faced by project managers time, cost and quality, which are often referred to as the iron triangle principle. The role of the project manager is to create a vestibular sense between these three factors in any project. This paper attempts to discuss the application of these constraints on the project of construction of Hindhead Tunnel that began in the first month of 2007 and terminate in the summer of 2011. Furthermore, the paper will briefly discuss aspects of managing risks, managing costs and managing human resources, which are the three main factors that contribute to success of the projects out of the ix elements contained in the project management body of knowledge (Lewis, 2010, p. 169). Discussion Considering the importance and scope of this project, it was imperative for the project managers to ensure that they make the right trade-off between the constraints of cost, quality, and time. Quite understandably, if the project managers had center oned all of their attention on reducing costs and meeting the deadlines, they would digest compromised much of the quality or performance factors, something that is not acceptable when it comes to constructing a high profile tunnel, which would be used by millions of people every month (Meredith & Mantel, 2008, p. 49). In the same manner, too much focus on reducing costs and meeting the quality standards would have eventually led to the situation where the project would have failed to meet deadlines since it would need more time to use the resources effectively and efficiently. Lastly, the project managers could have lost sight of their budget if they had start placing too much importance on meeting deadlines and maintaining the quality (Walker, 2007, p. 183). They would have to hire more experienced and skilled workers at higher pays to motivate them to work harder, quicker and better, something that would compound the costs associated with the project (Wysocki, 2011, p. 74). Thus, as these