Project Management-“孙子兵法曰:始计为一”

-  Some basics in understanding project management

“The man who removes a mountain

begins by carrying away small stones.”

A Chinese proverb

When concept and ideas of “projects” is in question, people naturally will recall those world wonders back in history. Many discoveries shows those are huge “Projects’ even in modern standards, if pyramids in Egypt and Great Wall in China were mentioned. The skill and way managing huge amount of labors are quite beyond our imaginations.

To begin, let’s try to figure another example, in real life case, “A family trip”; it is not hard for all members of family to accept it is quite a family “Project” too. After a family meeting, the following conclusions made: It should be done before school reopens, Children said it should be the trip full of excitement; designated to an unknown place; Mom said it should be within certain budget, and Dad said ideally everybody should be happy. So, now it is easier to define and understand the basic meaning at personal life experience: that is a project, no matter big or small, contains following basic elements: An objective, a defined time span, something new, time and cost are specific, it involves other parties other than the members of its own, and there are certain requirement. Based on that, we can easily to accept the statement:” A project is a complex, non-routine, one-time effort limited by time, budget, recourses and performance specifications designed to meet a particular target” – which in business, means to meet customer’s expectations.

One of the important characters of “project” is the nature of non-routine or in other words something new; People will naturally agree to say, when Chinese Leaders are considering reforming its Banking system, or American new Defense Minister Gates is facing how to close the “Iraq War”, they are encountered big “project” since they are New “Challenges, complicated processes, and great cost might involved in term of nations economy. New Economy in the information era, businesses are facing great numbers of new opportunities and changeable “Non-routine” risks. The globalization makes business professions busier, and time-strained. Managers are tightly scheduled for various projects for their targeted job and markets. That’s why a position like project manage could be very challenging as he is always in the position as a new soldier in front of a new battle.

Another key factor about “Project management” is no matter what kind of projects in discussion, it is a process, it has life span; it should be completed within certain time-requirements. The whole process of a project consists of four stages: Definition, Planning, Execution, and Delivery. Let’s imagine or revisit a job duty or working schedule of a brand marketing manger in certain business areas: Yearly meetings:-The Biannual marketing meetings normally at end of March or earlier April will start a New year for the business immediately after Chinese New Year. An yearly out-line and schedule for the yearly marketing focus might requested to be presented; together with reviewing of previous year activities and summary.

Monthly travel:-After the meeting, new round of clients visiting for getting any update for clients development including collecting the information of their planning or ideas for the new years to be discovered. Not late than last few days to be presented to management. Monthly training: surely this monthly business travel schedule should include the training program designed to train the staff of all shops in all cities in the responsible areas. Monthly Promotions plan: A detailed promotion plan should also be prepared at least one month ahead of time designated for specific local cites with listed selected retailing shops; Promotion plan breakdown: not late than seven days before the promotion days, all the details including should be reviewed, including the designed positions for displays; local media allocation for advertisings; shipment for promotion equipments, materials; assortments of goods to be displayed for instance. Monthly marketing reports / Monthly Expense report: No doubtlessly should be hand-in within last few days of each month summarizing all the information and happenings in the business.

To illustrate, within such a yearly time-span, we can easily picture how 52 weeks in a year mean to a manager in charge of the area marketing projects, in an area of 2-3 provinces; 20-24 cites; and a net-work of total 60-80 clients; for 8 promotions, training done to all cites, all shops which means only 1-2 days (Mon, Tue) in home office, paper works, writing reports, e-mails, travel arrangements, informing customers for the visiting, documentations, including local marketing visiting; 1-2 days (Wed, Thu,)on business trips and back on Friday afternoon, luckily if there is smooth flight scheduling. This vividly mirrors a weekly activity for a person responsible for all projected tasks in business areas.

Other than stated above, one keystone can not be neglected is that the nature of Project management is a Complicated and comprehensively integrative process. Very interestingly, the in text a very typical Chinese “Daoism” symbol is employed to illustrate this nature. There are two dimensions in the modern project management concept which lay emphasize on the integrated role or in other words the “harmony” or “Balance” of these tow factors in the whole process of the project management. First is the Technical side of the project management; the other is the socio-cultural side of the project management; it is more obvious in those international operated business organizations. I guessed Chinese “Daoism” symbol implied that these two cornerstones of project management require business professions to adopt a “Well Balanced” attitude to face the daily tasks. No need to say, particularly, those projects are transnational or multicultural natured.

To summarize, and as exampled earlier, the best illustration of “project management” is a battle or a warfare when the result of which is so important and same crucial. Very interestingly, the nature of a “Project”, as discussed or defined, is in great similarity with what we can describe a “battle” or a war that never encountered, non-routine, with a focused target, and clearly a beginning and ending, most of all, both starts with designated target and requires careful planning. More interestingly, it might surprise some people when refer to a very old Chinese work “Art of war” (孙子兵法)translated by an English scholar, 1910,as most decisive one as “laying plan” in Chapter one as “First thing first” so coincidentally close to one of the natures as we are examining and discussing the “project management”.