What is Project Management? A Straightforward Explanation

Adriana Girdler

Confused about what project management is and why it’s important? Here’s the answer! No matter what industry you’re in, you’ve probably heard about project management. …

Confused about what project management is and why it’s important? Here’s the answer!

No matter what industry you’re in, you’ve probably heard about project management.

Project management is important in any industry so if you don’t quite know what it is yet, this explanation will get you acquainted with the basics of project management.

Project Management Explained

Project management is a process that guides teams to ensure that they reach their deliverables and their goals. All businesses rely on projects!

All projects have a definitive start and end date with tasks to reach a specific outcome. Usually, subject matter experts are brought together to help accomplish those goals.

Successful projects involve not only subject matter experts, but also specific skills, tools, and techniques.

Project Examples

Developing new software is one example of a project. Construction is also another great example where project management is required. Additionally, organizations will often have initiatives that they are accomplishing internally such as a new process or way of working that the whole organization needs to be aware of. Or how about a product launch? That’s also a project!

These examples give you an idea of how many different industries require projects and the different types of work that fit into the project definition. Sometimes, they may be called initiatives or activities, but really anything that fits into the definition above is considered a project.

More on Project Management

If you want to know more of the project management basics so you can get better acquainted with what project management is, make sure you check out the video I made about it over on YouTube, which goes more in-depth.

Meanwhile, if this article made you realize you already do projects and you want to be more successful, or if you’re thinking about becoming a project manager, do consider taking my SLAY Project Management online course where I show you step-by-step how to successfully manage a project from concept to close. Plus, you get access to every template you will need along the way, along with detailed video instructions on how to fill them out.

-Adriana

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Adriana Girdler is a project manager, productivity specialist, entrepreneur, professional speaker, facilitator, visioning wizard, and author. As President of CornerStone Dynamics, Adriana is one of Canada’s prominent business productivity and project management specialists—helping both individuals and businesses do what they do, only better. She is a certified master black belt lean six sigma with over 20 years’ experience improving how companies work.

She also holds both PMP (project management professional) and CET (certified engineering technologist) designations. She’s a Tedx speaker, as well as a HuffPost and Thrive Global contributor. She has been interviewed on Global, CBC, CTV, CHCH, 680News Radio, Newstalk 1010, Sirius XM and published in the Globe and Mail and numerous industry magazines. WANT ADRIANA'S FREE ONLINE TRAINING? In 45 min, learn Adriana's 5 project management secrets she use on EVERY project. Sign up for the Free Webinar here: THE FAB FIVE FUNDAMENTALS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

SLAY Project Management

Online Course

5 Sections and 24 step-by-step HOW TO Videos! The only 5-hour on-line course that teaches you the PRACTICAL side of project management. This course will guide you step-by-step on HOW to successfully run a project and provides you with all the templates and tips you need to be successful.

Fab 5 Fundamentals

Free Training

Are you striving for successful projects, but get overwhelmed figuring out what elements of project management to focus on for the best results? In the Fab Five Fundamentals of Project Management, you’ll learn the five things you need to do on EVERY project to bring it to success.

Why Projects Fail?

Free Download

If you're new to projects or need a refresher, here's a guide of all the things I learned during my journey. Project success is about knowing how to navigate and stay clear of roadblocks, issues and problems. Understand the top 10 reasons why projects fail and how to avoid them.

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