​The interaction of time, cost and quality/performance is usually represented by the project management triangle. It is also sometimes referred to as the triple constraint. In the centre of the triangle lies health and safety and customer satisfaction. These should be paramount on any project.

It is rare that the project does exactly to plan. There will be changes, both planned and unplanned and the whole project is subject to risk and uncertainty.

When deviations occur one or more of the triple constraints has to give. For example if a project is behind schedule, more resources may be needed in order to catch up. This will increase costs.

If the budget is fixed and it may be necessary to reduce quality or functionality. The responsibility for making such decisions lies with the sponsor and their board. The job of the project manager is to advise on the possible options and their implications.

Projects take place in a cloud of uncertainty. The project manager is constantly maintaining a balance between time, cost and quality with due regard to health and safety and with the constant goal of achieving customer satisfaction.

The project manager
The job of the project manager it can be summed up with four key roles and six major activities.

The four key project management roles

Integrator. Project integration involves all those activities needed to ensure that people, procedures and work of the project is carried out in a collaborative fashion. The project manager is the only person aware of the and the project activities and how they relate to each other.

Communicator. The project manager must ensure that efficient communication channels are set up within the project organization. A project manager who fails to disseminate information on time can become the major bottleneck in a project.

Leader. Leadership is not the same as management. The project manager must be able to solve problems, guide people from different areas, coordinator project and lead by example.

Decision maker. The project manager must have the self confidence to make key decisions even so risk is involved. A key aspect of project management is knowing when to make a decision and when to consult the sponsor.

The six major project management activities:

Planning. Making sure plans are in place to meet the project objectives

Organising and integrating. This is coordination of the mixture of human, financial and physical assets

Monitoring. Monitoring progress in relation to time, cost and quality and customer satisfaction

Controlling. Taking corrective action and actual performance deviate from the plan

Leading and motivating. Leading and motivating the time and seem to the needs of the individuals

Reporting and communicating. Keeping stakeholders informed of progress and issues

The project team and team leaders
On all but the smallest projects there will generally be a team leader or leaders to whom the project manager will delegate the necessary authority to execute agreed work packages.

Project manager manages the project team members through the team leaders. The team members themselves will obviously require project management skills.

It is important that all the team members are aware of, and are committed two, the overall project goals so that they can work together towards a common goal and hopefully or shared reward.

The end users
The end users are defined as a group of people the intended to benefit from the project.

It is important to realise that there are you alternate customers and there will be the arbiters of the quality of your deliverables. It is possible to deliver the projects on time, to budget and to the specification

However, if the end users are not satisfied and the project has failed. To guard against this it is of crucial importance that end user representatives are closely involved in specifying the requirements and devising acceptance tests for the deliverables. They should be consulted and kept informed throughout the project lifecycle.

Quality assurance
The quality assurance function reports directly to the project board. It is concerned with the correct governance of the project. It has no powers to interfere in the management of the project, but will carry out regular quality assurance reviews and inform the board as to the outcome.