Project Management
The Core Framework
Project management balances scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, and stakeholder expectations. Know the lifecycle: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closure. A project charter authorizes the work; a work breakdown structure (WBS) decomposes it; a responsibility matrix (RACI) clarifies who does, approves, is consulted, and is informed.
Scope and Change Control
Scope creep is the quiet killer. Any change to scope, schedule, or cost should pass through a formal change control process: request, impact assessment, approval, and documented update to the baseline. Uncontrolled changes erode both budget and accountability.
Risk and Stakeholders
Maintain a risk register with likelihood, impact, owner, and response (avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept). Identify stakeholders early and plan communication frequency and format.
Monitoring
Track progress against baselines using earned value concepts: planned value, earned value, actual cost. Variances signal trouble before the budget is exhausted.
Traps
Questions reward "just do the extra work to keep the client happy"-that bypasses change control. Another trap: confusing a project manager's authority with technical authority. Also watch for confusing a risk with an issue; a risk is prospective, an issue is current.
Rule of Thumb
No approved change, no changed baseline. Worked example: a client asks mid-project for an added equipment room. The project manager documents the request, estimates cost and schedule impact, routes it through change control, and only then updates the plan-rather than absorbing it silently into the existing budget.