Introduction to Project Management

1. Why is there a new or renewed interest in the field of project management?

There is new/renewed interest in the field of project management because the information and communications technology market to almost $3 trillion in 2010, which is a growth of 6 percent. Because of this growth there is a tremendous amount of IT related work being done and project management is essential to the completion and success of these efforts. In fact the U.S. IT workforce has grown to more than 4 million workers in 2008, and the unemployment rate for IT professionals is half the rate for the overall labor market. Furthermore, IT project have a bad history of going over budget, taking too long to complete and it is for this reason that qualified project managers are need. For this reason this field seems to have job security and long term stability. Individuals who undertake a career in the field of project management are getting paid anywhere between $105,000/ year in the United States.

2. What is a project, and what are its main attributes? How is a project different from what most people do in their day-to-day jobs? What is the triple constraint? What other factors affect a project?

As defined by the text a project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.” It is the fact that a project is temporary and is completed when it has met its objective that it differs from what most people do in their day to day. Most people have a function that they work on in an ongoing fashion to support the operations of the corporation they work at. A project has a specific goal that will be complete when that goal is attained. The text explains that project management strives for “The triple constraints” which is the concept of assuring that three goals are met. The project attains and stays bound by the planned scope; it is completed “on time” and “on budget.”

3. What is project management? Briefly describe the project management...