Before we start looking at how to manage a project, I think we have to start by defining our terms. What is a project. And there are lots of organizations and lots of people who will define a project for you. And I'll do that in not very long. But first, let's consider the fundamental nature of a project. There are lots of factors to consider lots of things that indicate that what you've got is a project.
A project produces something good creates a new product or a new service. It builds a new process or it makes change happen in your organization. Often complex change projects often create complexity in the way they do things. They have A clear start and end date. And usually projects do something new, or in a novel way. They innovate.
They create projects involve multiple organizations, or numerous different people. They have to coordinate substantial resources, materials and assets. And of course, they have a budget. All of this makes it very hard to come up with a succinct definition of a project. But I'll read you what my definition is. A project is a coordinated set of tasks that together create a new product, process or service.
And they do so within a constrained timescale and we're constrained budget for resources. That's a kind of clever definition if you like it sums up all we've said. But here is the most important thing for you to know. Whilst I must, of course, at the start of any project management training, tell you what a project is. For you, the definition isn't important. Because the more you see complexity, the more you see uncertainty, the more you see risks than when you see multiple resources having to be coordinated together, multiple tasks needing to run alongside each other.
The more innovation areas, the more defined the product is and the tighter the timescales are, then the less your day to day management techniques are going to serve you well. What you're going to need is a new set of tools, a new set of structures and processes and thought patterns, and all of that those thought patterns, those processes and structures, those tools and techniques and methodologies. That's it Management. So don't get caught wasting your time arguing colleagues about whether what you've got is a project and what they've got is just an initiative, or whether they've got a whole program to work on it, you've just got a little project. The key is this. Ask yourself, how much complexity, how much interaction?
How tightly constrained are my timescales and my budgets? How novel and innovative is the thing that I'm trying to achieve? And the more it's got all that the more that you will need to deploy your project management tools and techniques and processes. My approach is very simple. I'm going to give you a kit bag full of tools. Your job is also simple.
It's to assess the situation you find yourself in, draw out the best tool for the job.