A Project is a commitment to produce a specific result within an agreed time, with the necessary actions broken down into clear, manageable steps.

There is a significant difference between project management and day-to-day operational management. The latter has to do with the ongoing operations of an organisation and is usually dealt by the office manager. The job of the project manager is to achieve a set of objectives within an agreed time and an agreed budget. A good project manager needs to have the following characteristics:

• highly developed planning skills
• leadership abilities
• understanding of the priorities and concerns of the team
• sensitivity to the culture of the working environment
• ability to know when to take risks
• high level of personal commitment