Question 1

1.1 Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to
satisfy stakeholder
expectations from a project (PMBOK Guide, 2004:8).
Project m anagement is achieved by applying and integrating project management
processes which
include: initiating, planning, executing, control and monitoring, and closing. These are
referred to as
process groups and they dictate the life cycle of a project.To accomplish management
and control, du and Huawei use the Organizational Project Management Maturity Model
(OPM3) as part of the process. Organizations turn to OPM3 as it helps bridge the gap
between strategy and individual projects. It provides a way to advance strategic
interests by applying principles and practices of project management. This creates
consistently successful, high-quality projects that are timely in achieving their goals.

A programme is a group of related projects clustered together with the programme

manager taking overall
group management responsibility.
Programmes use a coordinated approach to manage projects and they exploit resource
synergies across
the projects, thereby reducing the overall costs.

A portfolio is a collection of projects or programs and other work that are grouped
ogether to facilitate b effective management of that work to meet strategic business
objectives (PMBOK Guide, 2004:16).
Unlike a programme, the projects or programmes in a portfolio may not necessarily be
related or interdependent.
The two companies decided to work together to exchange methodologies, concepts,
tools and techniques of best practice in the industry, while also defining concepts,
processes and techniques of best practice portfolio management.

Portfolio managers must always ensure that projects and programmes included in a
portfolio
support the business strategy and improves profitability of an organisation. Portfolio
managers are likely
to be senior managers or senior management teams and they focus on the big picture
of the organisation.
The difference between Portfolio management and Programme management is that
projects or
programmes in a portfolio do not have to be related to each other compared to a
Programme where
projects are related or inter-dependent.

Project programmes and portfolios are tactics used by organisations to implement their
corporate and
business strategies. The objective of programmes and portfolios is to breakdown
business strategies into
manageable chunks so that specific resources can be allocated to them. Following that,
Programme
Managers and Portfolio Managers are assigned to take charge of these initiatives.

1.2 Like any human undertaking, projects need to be performed and delivered under
certain constraints.
Traditionally, these constraints have been listed as "scope," "time," and cost". These are
also referred to
as the "project management triangle" or the Triple Constraint, where each side
represents a constraint.
One side of the triangle cannot be changed without affecting the others. A further
refinement of the
constraints separates product "quality" or "performance" from scope, and turns quality
into a fourth
constraint.

Question 2

2.1According to Clements and Gido (2012: 324-334) the project manager must have the
following skills
• Leadership ability
This is getting things done through others. It involves inspiring people/project team to
work as
a team and achieve the project objectives. This is done via the empowerment and
involvement
of the project team.
• General management skills
These include financial management, marketing management, human resources
management, operations management, strategic management, contracts and
commercial law,
logistics, supply chain and procurement, information technology, health and safety
practices.
The general management skills enable a project manager to have the capacity to make
prompt
decisions in the interest of the project.
• Interpersonal skills
A project manager must be able to work with people because he/she spends a large
percent of
his time communicating with stakeholders. He/She therefore needs to communicate
effectively,
resolve conflicts and problems timeously, negotiate contracts, allocate resources,
persuade
people to buy into the project, influence stakeholders, motivate the team, and play an
overall
leadership role for the project.
• Communication skills
A project manager must be a good communicator and be able to communicate regularly
to the
project team. Communication needs to be timely, honest and unambiguous.
• Able to handle stress
A project manager must be able to handle stress effectively. Stress can arise when the
project
is in jeopardy of not meetings its objective due to cost overrun, a schedule delay or
technical
problems. According to Clements and Gido (2012: 324-334) the project manager must
have the following skills
• Leadership ability
This is getting things done through others. It involves inspiring people/project team to
work as
a team and achieve the project objectives. This is done via the empowerment and
involvement
of the project team.
• General management skills
These include financial management, marketing management, human resources
management, operations management, strategic management, contracts and
commercial law,
logistics, supply chain and procurement, information technology, health and safety
practices.
The general management skills enable a project manager to have the capacity to make
prompt
decisions in the interest of the project.
• Interpersonal skills
A project manager must be able to work with people because he/she spends a large
percent of
his time communicating with stakeholders. He/She therefore needs to communicate
effectively,
resolve conflicts and problems timeously, negotiate contracts, allocate resources,
persuade
people to buy into the project, influence stakeholders, motivate the team, and play an
overall
leadership role for the project.
• Communication skills
A project manager must be a good communicator and be able to communicate regularly
to the
project team. Communication needs to be timely, honest and unambiguous.
• Able to handle stress
A project manager must be able to handle stress effectively. Stress can arise when the
project
is in jeopardy of not meetings its objective due to cost overrun, a schedule delay or
technical
problems. • Problem solving skills
He/she needs to be a good problem solver by identifying the problems early.
The project managers need to encourage the team to identify problems early
and solve them on their own.
• Negotiating skills
Good negotiating skills are essential for project managers. The goal of negotiating is for
2 or
more people to or parties to arrive at a mutually acceptable agreement on an issue. It is
a form
of problem solving and required
effective listening skills.
• Time management skills
The project manager must manger his/her time well. Project require a lot of energy
because of
the concurrent activities and unexpected events. Project managers therefore need to
have selfdiscipline,
to be able to prioritise and show a willingness to delegate.
Based on the above analysis, it can be seen that a project manager is somebody who
has a variety of
skills and their interest is not only the project deliverables but also the people and
resources under theircontrol.
2.2 There are a number of methods used to select a project namely:
• Focus on strategy and organisational needs
• Performing a financial model
• Using the weighted scoring model
• Implementing a balanced scorecard
• Addressing problems, opportunities and directives
• Considering project time frames, and
• Considering project priorities

Question 3
Clements and Gido (2012:9) maintain that there are four phases in a typical project life
cycle:
Initiating,
Planning,
Performing and
Closing of the project
 • Project charter • Baseline
• project definition Plan
• project constrin • Detailed
Planning
Estimation&
scheduling
Initiating Planning

• Archive Project • Accepted

document Deliverables
Closing Performing
• Controlling, • Project Team
Closure & Review • Acquisition,Deve
lopment &
Management

Question 4

• Risk management planning

• Identifying risks
• Performing Qualitative risk analysis
Performing Quantitative risk analysis
• Planning risk responses
members have never worked together before,
assigning responsibilities and roles to people who are new to them.
In a region marked by fierce competition, telecom operators contend with constant
change and longterm
Uncertainty
One key shortcoming that du explored for surmounting these challenges was the
role of project leadership—a capability that delegates and facilitates faster decision
making and
improves time to market.