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Project Management Group Assignment
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Transcript of Project Management Group Assignment
Critically appraise the role and scope of scientifically based methods in the
management of large complete project.
Introduction
Project management is the discipline of planning, organize, and managing resource to
bring out the successful completion of specific goals and objective on one-time effort
such as, contract a building or other project activities that need to use a scientifically
based method implementations.
This project management basically include the developing project plan, defining project
goals and objective, specifying task or how goals will be archive, know the resource that
will be used and need, and associating the budget and determine the time duration for the
project to be completed. It also includes implementing the project plan, along with
careful controls to stay on the "critical path", that is, to ensure the plan is being managed
according to plan. (Free Management Library)
A scientifically based method is one of the methods that had use to mange the large
complete project. There are some scientifically methods that had been used in project
management to ensure the project are directly based on the plan to be completed. To
manage the large complete project, the scientifically based method in the project
management also had been used in terms to make sure the project had been complete
according to the plan. The method are such as, Gantt chart, Activity On Arrow (AOA),
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Activity On Node (AON), Program evaluation and review technique (PERT), resource
leveling, and Project time reduction and cost minimization. This scientifically method
was useful to help the manager to ensure the objective and goals by knowing the role of
each of these methods, and know what will be the advantage and disadvantage of each of
the scientifically method, in terms of that, it’s also will help the project manager to get
more information that will be need to used in completing the project.
Gantt chart
Gantt chart is an important tool that will help the manager to plan and manage the
complex project. Where it’s basically help the project manager to work out the order of
task which it should be done first and allows to identify the resource that be needed to
complete the project.
In Gantt chart, it will be provide the graphical illustration of a schedule that helps to plan,
coordinate and track specific task in a project. Where it display task as time bars
positioned along a horizontal time scale and one that indicates to project milestones with
the help of indicators.
There are several advantage to the use of Gantt chart, the Gantt chart may contains a
great deal of information, they are easily understood, while it do require frequent
updating, easy to maintain as long as task requirements are not change or major
alterations of the schedule are not made. Other than that it also provide a clear picture of
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the current state of a project and usually give the earliest completion date on the project
and also provide a schedule of earliest possible start and finish time of activities and
useful for monitoring its progress. Where, by doing the Gantt chart the project manager
can know which activity should be done first and what will be the resource should be
used in the activity or can immediately see what should have been achieved at a
particular point in time, and can therefore take remedial action to bring the project back
on course if needed. This can be essential for the successful and profitable
implementation of the large scale project.
The disadvantage on this scientifically method was, the Gantt chart only give the earliest
or latest possible schedule, where it does not show whatever the project is behind the
schedule and does not clarify the effect of delays in one activity on the start of another
activity, thus the project completion time.
Activity on Arrow (AOA) and Activity on Node (AON)
Activity on arrow (AOA) was know as arrow-diagram, deploys arcs for tow distinct
purpose. That is, the arcs of the project network represent both the activities and the
precedence relations between activities. This AOA are more complicated to draw, its
must avoid the activity crossover and must used the dummy activities to avoid crossover
among the activity level.
Activity on node (AON) one of two alternative conventions for the visual representation
of network diagrams, used to plan and analysis project using the rectangles (nodes) to
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represent the activities. AON are easier to draw and create, where is not necessary to used
dummy in activity and allows crossover among the activities.
Both of this activity have a same role in determine the project activity of completion,
where, it display the logical relationship among various activity in project and it let the
project manager to see how the various activity flow towards completion in chronological
orders. Other than that, both of these project also have a role to provides how resources
are utilized in a project for a given time period which could help the manager to perform
resource leveling if necessary.
Other than the advantage, this method also have some disadvantage on it’s usage on the
project scale, where both of this method do not clearly show a time line for a project on
the network diagram. For a large networks it still need to require dedicated maintenance
and analysis, where the networks diagram are not lend themselves to easy reproduction or
distribution. The tools and system under this method can be expensive to acquire and
maintain.
Under this AOA and AON method, there are two scientifically methods that will be used
to get the project done in an appropriate way. The two methods were; time analysis and
critical path methods (CPM). Time analysis is used to determined the expected time
durations to complete the project, where the project manager have to consider the
durations of times in each activity level by adding the time durations to get the expected
time or day to complete one project. The critical path methods are used to determine the
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critical path on the project and design for construction project and had been generally
embraced by the construction industries, where it used to formulate a time frame for a
project in order to determine where potential delays are most likely to occur.
Both of this methods share a same role, where it’s helpful for scheduling, monitoring and
controlling the projects, the activities and the outcome can be shown as a network, and
cab define the critical path on the project. The roles on this method can help the project
manager to easily determine the critical path of the project and know what will be the
expected day for the completion of the project. In terms of completing the large project,
the project manager should know how to use the AOA and AON scientifically methods,
both of this methods are important because it help to analyze the expected time to
complete the project and help to determine the critical path on the project.
Other than the advantage of the both method role, this scientifically method also have
some disadvantage, where both of this method can be complicated and have complexity
increase for large project. Both of this method also does not handle the scheduling of
personnel or the allocation of resource and estimating activity completion times can be
difficult.
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
Program evaluation and review technique (PERT) are designed to analysis the task
involve in completing a given project, especially the time needed to complete each task,
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and identifying the minimum time needed to complete the total project. PERT was
developed primarily to simplify the planning and scheduling of large and complex
projects. It was able to incorporate uncertainty by making it possible to schedule a project
while not knowing precisely the details and durations of all the activities. It is more of an
event-oriented technique rather than start- and completion-oriented, and is used more in
R&D-type projects where time, rather than cost, is the major factor.
The role of PERT was, used to determine the expected project completion time, where it
shows the probability of completion before a specified date. Project manager can easily
know what will be the specified date to complete the project by using the PERT method
to analysis the critical path on the project because, the critical path activities are directly
impact the completion time. To complete a large project the project manager should
consider which activities that will provide the critical path and should know how the
critical path will directly impact on the completion time of the project.
The disadvantage on this scientifically method was, the activity times estimates are
somewhat subjective and more depend on the project manager own judgment. Even the
activity times are well-estimated, PERT assume a beta distribution for these time
estimates, but the actual distribution may be different.
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Resource leveling
This methods are used to minimize the cost and main power resourcing, the role of this
methods is used to supervise and monitoring the necessity of labor usage at the specific
task. In this way, the project manager somehow will manage to reduce the cost of main
power.
Other than that, there still have several advantage to smoother the resource range, where
it much less hand-on management is require if use of a given resource is nearly constant
over its period of use. The project manager can arrange to have the resource available
when needed, where they can have the supplier furnish constant amounts, and can
arrange for a back up supplier if available.
If resource usage is within the level, the project manager may be able to use a “just-in
time” inventory policy without much worry that the quality delivered will be wrong. If
the resource being leveled is people, leveling improves morale and result in fewer
problems in the personnel and payroll office because of increasing and decreasing labor
level.
In terms of managerial implications to resource leveling, its also important to cost
implications. When resource are leveled, the associated cost also tend to be leveled, “if
resource use increase as time goes by, and if resource are shifted closer to the present by
leveling, cost will be shifted in the same way” (Jack R. Merdith, 2005)
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Disadvantage for this method was, it is hard to minimize the cost and main power for a
large scale of project in one time, where the project manager need to look into some
factors that will influence the project completion time and need to analysis the needed
main power on the project and have to know that the supplier are being well the needed
resource on the project.
Project Time Reduction and Cost minimization
It used to reducing the total project time that will be considered as the reduction of
critical activity durations by increasing resources. The role of this method was to
minimize the total project cost and to reduce the durations of a critical path in the project.
In term of completing the large project, this method can help the project manger to reduce
the time of completing the project by do reduction on the critical path activity durations
by increasing the resource and minimize the project total cost, to make sure the project
are making profit and zero loss.
Even this method have several advantage, this method also provide disadvantage on its
usage where there will be a new critical path on the project to be appear when the project
completion time had been reduce and need to give concern on the new critical area to
keep on reducing the cost.
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Qualitative skill
Even there is more scientific method to be used in the project; we still need to concern
about the project manager qualitative skill. Where in this qualitative skill involve an in-
depth understanding on human behaviors, management skill and the reasons that govern
human behaviors. This qualitative have a large different between the scientifically
method because it involve more management skill.
In this qualitative skill, there are several characteristic that the project manager should
have, the firs characteristic was interpersonal skill, where they should responsible to
coordinating the effort of the technical staff assigned to the project, by choosing the right
persons to do the project.
Secondly, they should have organizational skill, where the project manager should know
how to manage and organized the project to keep the project done according to the
schedule and within the budget.
Third, they should have a communication skill and problem solving skill; both of these
skills are important characteristic for being a project manger, where the project manager
should have a good communication skill so they can easily negotiate with the suppliers in
terms of to find a resource for the project, and willing to communicate with the workers
to make the project go smoothly. In-terms of that they must be able to effectively handle
the situations to make sure they are not out of control on the problem.
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Forth, the project manager should have a team building spirit; they should have a skill to
creating a team atmosphere where the team believes that “we are all in this together” and
this will lead to the project success because without the team cooperation and support it
will be not easy to complete the project on time.
The fifth characteristic was flexibility and creativity, to get done the project the project
manager should be mo flexible and creative to find a easy way to get the job done or they
can using the “project manager toolbox” effectively will assist in delivering a successful
project.
Other than that, a project manager should knowledgeable, have a leadership skill, and
trustworthiness. Where the project manager must have more knowledge not just on the
project process and resource suppliers, but they should have other knowledge such as
law, legal systems, labor law and human behaviors and other aspect that will give them
advantage to be a perfect project manager. In leadership the project manager should have
a great ability to be a good leader that people can trust and relay or depend on and should
have a great trust amongst the stakeholders and shareholders that involve in the project.
All of the characteristic that had been given are important, where it can lead to the
success of the project other than applying the scientifically method on the project.
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Conclusion
As a conclusion, the usage of scientifically method such as Gantt chart, AOA, AON,
PERT, and Project time reduction and cost minimization are compulsory in order to get
the large project completed timely. Cost factor is another agenda that needs to be
highlighted and it is need to be tackle thoroughly in order to reduce the unnecessary cost
incurs.
the qualitative skill amongst the project manager also need to be concern, because
without the qualitative skills the project manager will not successfully manage the project
based on the scientifically method.
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Reference:
1. Free Management Library, Project Management, available:
http://www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/project/project.htm
2. Mind Tools, Project management Tools, Gantt chart. Available:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/article/newMN_PPM.htm
3. ibid (PERT)
4. Harvey Maylor,(2001)Project Management, third edition, Prentice
Hill, financial Times.
5. Jack R. Merdith,(2005) Project Management, A Marginal Approach.
John Wiley & Sons.
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