NGO Project Management
Anytime a new project arises, it can seem like a daunting task. There are many components to consider that will help ensure that a project is brought to successful completion. The steps needed to complete a project are known as the Project Management process.
What is a Project?
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements (A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition, 2004). The first step in the Project Management process is to identify what a project is. Projects are different from operational processes in that they are temporary and have measurable results, products or services as a direct output. An operational process is ongoing, such as invoice processing or meeting scheduling. Operational processes keep business moving on a day-to-day basis. A project may help improve an operational process, but the main word to remember is “temporary”. If the work is temporary, it’s a project. Once a project has been identified, a project manager must break the project down into it’s components—timeline, resources, desired results, budget and phases.
