Project as a conversion process

            The project is viewed as a conversion or transformation of some form of input into an output.The inputs are some form of want or need which is satisfied through the process. The project will take place under a set of controls or constraints.

                                               

                                                 Constraints:

 Ø  Financial

 Ø  Legal

 Ø  Ethical

 Ø  Environmental

 Ø  Logic

 Ø  Activation

 Ø  Time

 Ø  Quality

 Ø  Indirect effects

 

             Project                                                                                   

Input                                                                                 Output

Want/need                                                                         satisfied need

                                                                    

                                                      Mechanisms:

  Ø  People

  Ø  Knowledge and expertise

  Ø  Capital

  Ø  Tools and techniques

  Ø  Technology                          

·         Inputs

                        A document which provides a statement of the want or need that is to         transformed by the project. There are two types of needs. They are original    explicitly stated requirements and customer’s changing needs or perceptions        (emergent needs).

·         Constraints

                        There are several no of constrains used in conversion process.

v  Financial- the amount and timing of release of capital to the project and the         revenue or other benefit it should generate.

v  Legal- this may not be explicitly stated but there will be legal constraints

v  Ethical-this is at present limited to certain sectors of the community the need to behave in an ethical manner as well as being seen to behave ethically is a factor in the way that projects are managed.

v  Environmental-the role of environmental control from a subsidiary issue to one due to management thinking

v  Logic constraints-the need of certain activities to have been completed before a project can start

v  Activation-action to show when a project or activity can start

v  Time-the biggest constraint for most projects

v  Quality-the standard of both product and process

v  Indirect effects- it is practically impossible for any change to take place in isolation. Because the output of a project will be a converted information such as a new product, a tangible product such as a building or changed people when followed a training programme.

·         Output

                        The output of a project describes as a ‘satisfied need’. That is very wide     interpretation of the possible outputs of a project and includes. Always the output     should be fulfilled the customer’s requirements.

·         Mechanisms

                        Mechanism is that used to build the final output of the project.so the           mechanism achieve the output as follows,

v  People-those involve direct and indirect

v  Knowledge and expertise-consultants

v  Capital-the money that provided for resources

v  Tools and techniques-potential work organising

v  Technology-the available physical assets