Subject areaProcess and organisation
Project management is the method for completing a piece of work that has a start, an end and a precise goal, within the time, budget and quality set at the outset.
Whoever leads it splits the project into phases and tasks, assigns responsibilities, tracks progress and changes course when actual results drift from the plan.
The difference from recurring work is the point that matters. A process repeats itself, a project happens once, so it needs dedicated coordination between people from different functions and dialogue with stakeholders (the people and groups with an interest in the outcome). Project management platforms, together with shared editorial calendars, are among the tools a team uses to keep a project such as a website structure in order.
An example
A components company must rebuild its website before a trade fair opens. The project manager splits the work into phases, gives each person their deliverables, sets intermediate dates and every week compares actual against planned: when the copy runs late, she moves resources onto translation so as not to miss the date.
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Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
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