Chapter 1. Introduction: Why Project Management? Chapter 2. The Organizational Context: Strategy, Structure, and Culture Overview:Projects are defined, as well as the benefits and challenges of effective project management. Different ways to access project success are examined. The four phases of the project lifecycle are: conceptualization, planning, execution, and termination. Each phase consists of specific activities. The best practices and benchmarking of these activities are represented in project management maturity models. These are important concepts for students because project management skills are employable skills valued by public and private organizations.Projects are the tools organizations use to implement change. The most valuable changes are aligned with the corporate strategy and achieve strategic objectives. Internal and external groups impacted by changes are project stakeholders. Identifying and managing project stakeholders is extremely important. Organizational structure and culture are also presented in chapter two, as they have an impact on project management. Organizational structure may be functional, project, or matrix. Each has strengths and weaknesses. Similarly, organizations may or may not have a formal project management office (PMO). The three types of PMOs are the weather station, the control tower, and the resource pool, each with strengths and weaknesses. Finally, corporate culture influences the attitudes and values of employees and how they interact with each other.Learning Objectives:Chapter 1: Introduction: Why Project Management? Learning Objectives

1. Understand why project management is becoming such a powerful and popular practice in business.
2. Recognize the basic properties of projects, including their definition.
3. Understand why effective project management is such a challenge.
4. Understand and explain the project life cycle, its stages, and the activities that typically occur at each stage in the project.
5. Understand the concept of project “success,” including various definitions of success, as well as the alternative models of success.
6. Understand the purpose of project management maturity models and the process of benchmarking in organizations.
7. Recognize how mastery of the discipline of project management enhances critical employability skills for university graduates.

Chapter 2: The Organizational Context: Strategy, Structure, and Culture Learning Objectives

1. Understand how effective project management contributes to achieving strategic objectives.
2. Recognize three components of the corporate strategy model: formulation, implementation, and evaluation.
3. See the importance of identifying critical project stakeholders and managing them within the context of project development.
4. Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of three basic forms of organizational structure and their implications for managing projects.
5. Identify the characteristics of three forms of a project management office (P M O).
6. Understand key concepts of corporate culture and how cultures are formed.