Project Management 101
- Denise Campion
- Amanda Caton
What is Project Management
Project management is the process of planning, organizing, and overseeing the work required to achieve specific goals within a given timeframe and budget. It involves coordinating resources, managing tasks, and ensuring that project objectives are met efficiently and effectively.
Why is it important
Project management is crucial because it ensures projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the desired quality. It provides organization, efficient resource use, risk management, clear goals, quality control, improved communication, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement.
Where to learn more
LinkedIn Learning (offered by Lehigh University to all faculty, staff, and students) offers various levels of training from novice to expert. Here are some options to get started:
There are many different types of project management methodologies and there is no right or wrong way to manage a project. Some projects are linear and have start and end dates that are easily identified and other projects are more fluid and require different task-tracking processes. A hybrid of different methods is not uncommon and more information can be found here:
Getting a Project started at Lehigh
Project Management at Lehigh begins with Confluence. A Project Planning Template is available, providing a curated list of essential tools for managing a successful project. As some items may not be relevant to every project, items can be removed once the template is copied. After initiating the project documentation site in Confluence, the actual work should be tracked in Jira. Requests for new projects can be submitted here: Atlassian request.
Understanding Jira terminology
Jira follows standard project management processes and terminology. An overview of the hierarchy of Jira will help clarify the uses of each type of item.
Still have questions or need guidance
LTS can help a project get started by submitting a Process Improvement consultation.