What is project management?

A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to achieve a particular aim and to which project management can be applied, regardless of the project’s size, budget, or timeline.

As defined in the 2000 edition of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of a particular project.

Project management is comprised of 5 processes – Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and Closing – as well as 9 knowledge areas. These nine areas center on management expertise in Project Integration, Project Scope, Project Time, Project Cost, Project Quality, Project Human Resources, Project Communications, Project Risk Management and Project Procurement.

The phrase “project management” began to emerge in the late 1950s and early 1960s when the size, scope, duration, and resources required for new projects began to deserve more analysis and attention. Today, project management is used globally by multi-billion-dollar corporations, governments, and smaller organizations alike as a means of meeting their customers’ or constituents’ needs by both standardizing and reducing the basic tasks necessary to complete a project in the most effective and efficient manner. As a result, project management leadership is a highly desirable and sought-after skill as intense global competition demands that new projects and business development be completed on time and within budget.

Modern organizations are finding that project management provides many advantages – not the least of which is improving the bottom line! Savvy customers demand more and better products and faster services. Time-to-market pressures force greater efficiency. Professional project management has found its place in today’s competitive, global business arena.

The application of project management principles enables us to:
• Establish measures of success;
• Enable customer focus and alignment;
• Quantify value commensurate with cost;
• Optimize the use of organizational resources;
• Incorporate quality principles;
• Put strategic plans into practice;
• Ensure fast time-to-market;

OE’s Project Management Teams ensure that there is a solution suited to each project, we work on behalf of our clients to secure and manage the most appropriate resources, supported by leading-edge project design, planning and management techniques.

Our goal is to provide the best conditions so that any given project can evolve from a simple idea to tangible results.

We have the basic understanding of the processes and knowledge areas that are common to all projects and leading multi-disciplinary teams is our only concern.