The Project Management Institute (Pmi)

The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a project as any work that happens only once, has a clear beginning and end, and is intended to create a unique product or knowledge (Mango, 2008). A project may be as simple as organizing a one-day event or as complex as constructing a nuclear reactor. It may; involve only one person, or thousands; last several days, or many years; be undertaken by a single organization, or by an alliance of several stakeholders. Schwartz (2008) identifies four characteristics of a project; first, uniqueness. No two projects are exactly the same. Even if two projects have the same goals, many aspects can be different. Second, a project is temporary with a defined start date and end date. Third, a project is goal oriented: It revolves around the primary goal and considered done when the goal is achieved. Lastly, projects must meet or exceed stakeholders’ expectations in order to survive.
It is said, the technical dimension represents the “science” of project management while the socio/cultural dimension represents the “art” of managing a project. To be successful, a program manager (PM) must be a master of both dimensions (Gray & Larson, 2008). The technical side of the management consists of the formal, disciplined, pure logic parts of the process and relying on formal information systems. The technical dimension includes planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Clear project scope statements are written to link the project and customer and to facilitate planning and control. Creation of the deliverables and work structures facilitate planning and monitoring the progress of the project (Labitzke, n. d.).
The socio/cultural dimension in contrast to the structured world of project planning, involves the chaotic, often contradictory world of implementation. Whether written as a mission statement, spoken or merely understood, corporate socio/culture describes and governs the ways a company's owners and employees