The Project Management Process and Planning Essay

The Project Management Process and Planning - Essay Example The paper presents the project management process as an important component of all major national, international and global projects. Considering the magnitude of the Channel Tunnel project, it would be inappropriate for anyone to think that the application of basic project management processes were absent from the venture. Indeed, project management has been described as both an act and a science as the Microsoft Project Users Group notes that â€Å"project management is the science (and art) of organizing the components of a project, whether the project is development of a new product, the launch of a new service, a marketing campaign, or a wedding.† In a very broad sense, this definition brings out the essence and importance of project managing the Channel Tunnel project. Noting that the project management process has five major stages or steps namely definition of project, planning of project, execution of project, control of project and closure of project, Mathias posits that all these stages were fully covered under the construction of the Channel Tunnel. Hamilton notes that the first two phases of the project, which are the definition and planning phases started several years before the actual implementation of the project. In his estimation, talks on the project started right after the World War I and that â€Å"British strategic sensitivities did plans for the construction of a Channel Tunnel, which were brought before the Committee of Imperial Defence for discussion in the autumn of 1919†.... It was also envisioned that the project would complete in five (5) years. Furthermore, it was consented that the project would cost 2.6 billion British pounds. The execution phase of the project saw the construction of English and France portions of the channel as the project was a joint project by those two countries. More to the rail channels, there was also a vehcle shuttle terminal at Coquelles and Cheriton. The vehicle shuttle terminal at Coquelles was as part of the execution connected A16 motorway whiles the Cheriton vehicle shuttle terminal was connected to the M20 motorway (Rafael, 2009, p.22). Monitoring was taken seriously as there was a technology inclined approach to monitoring the project. Pompee (n.d. p. 4) for instance reports that â€Å"A real-time computerized reporting system allowed to monitor remotely, day by day, progress on all aspects of the project.† The project was closed and commission in May 1994. Planned Specifications The planning phase of the pro ject management process is very important and so has been set aside for comprehensive analysis under this section. Looking critically through some of the programmes outlined above, under the planning phase, it would be seen that there was indeed a lot of work committed into the planning phase of the Channel Tunnel project. This assertion has every justification that it deserves because planning serves as the anchorage for the successful implementation of the entire program. In management studies; the subject component where the construction of major projects like the Channel Tunnel falls under, the issue of planning becomes even more important and distinguishing. In management,