What is the project

What is the project? Whether we realize it or not, projects are literally part of our everyday lives. Some projects are relatively small, such as planning a weekend getaway; and when it’s something fun and exciting as planning the trip, we may not even realize, that we, in fact, are part of planning and carrying out the project. On the other hand, some projects may include much larger objectives such as building of the railway station or a new shopping mall. Both; small or large, are indeed projects. What we collectively agree whether the project is small or large, the essential pillars and tools are needed for the project to be successful in the end. Without careful planning, timing and budgeting, your weekend getaway may turn into a weekend nightmare; as well, as the new mall supposed to be opening soon will not open this year. Both projects require clear objective, a plan, time, cost and step by step organizing.
In the project management terminology, a project typically concludes following important stages: Project Initiation, where clear business issue is identified to begin with; in my case, this would be an approach towards my research topic. My idea was based on the topic and theme itself. Once the idea is approved, the aim, objectives and scope must be outlined in this first stage of Project Management Cycle. The second stage is called Planning Stage, which includes the most essential attention to detail, as indicated by the name of this stage. As you can see from my table below; a project plan, timeframes, dependencies, identified resources, material, a budget is needed to carry out the project. In this stage, I had to identify my stakeholders, such as target group, to collect research materials and determine what supplies and resources I will be needing to effectively execute my project. A Project Plan should outline specific task and timeframe, a quality, risk and communication plan. Every project, as much as we want it to be successful, carries a certain level of risk. Some risks are clearly predictable from the start and some are not. This is where Project Management comes into place to identify risks, document all processes and checklist, and outline an effective communication between all stakeholders.
Each project is unique; the purpose of the project varies from project to project; however, the idea and concept agrees that in the end the project the objectives should be benefiting the organization or organizational goals. My goal of small-scale business project was to answer the topic of assignment, by capturing ideas, developing progress, using project management tools, conducting research, applying analysis, reflecting and giving recommendations. Every project; in order to run smoothly, needs timeframe, resources, budget and a person who is responsible for entire process and stages. In my case, completing a research is what I needed for my project plan; my research has a defined started and finish date, objectives, deliverables and output of the research results and findings. Once the planning stage was established in detail, execution of the Project Plan and tasks is needed; in my case this would be a data collection, questionnaire and data analysis. After this stage is completed, a Project Closure comes into place, where you submit your results, research report ; recommendations and outline your personal reflection of the value of the project.