Shb 1 Managing Projects
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Transcript of Shb 1 Managing Projects
Faculty of Business and Law
Module: SIM335
Managing Projects
Submitted to
Submitted by
Date
1
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction 03
Task 1 04
1.1 Core Duties of Project Manager 04
1.2 Differences between Manager and Leader: 05
Task 2 08
2.1 Mistakes identification in terms of management concepts 08
Project management concepts 08
Mistakes in the relevant context 10
2.2 Application of Seven Effective Project Management Abilities 12
Abilities relevant in the context 14
Conclusion 16
Reference 17
2
INTRODUCTION
The term project management refresh to the process of exercising the
required methods, expertise, practices, planning in order to achieve the goal of a project. All
these processes are linked with each other. A project is basically the completion of several
interconnected jobs. This management takes care of the core issue of a project that is
based on the conversion of inputs into outputs which is not possible without a great deal of
coordination. This coordination encompasses the human resource and other assets that are
associated with the project. (Project Management Institute, 2004).
The output of one process can be the input of another. It is very important to
maintain the chain of activities in order to efficiently manage a project. For the proper
accomplishment of a project, a manager plays a vital role in the form of a leader. The
manager is responsible for directing all the resources in order to achieve the ultimate goal.
(Baker and Campbell, 2003)
This paper basically discusses the fundamental duties of a manager and the
distinction between a managers a leader. It also discusses some project management’s
concepts in the context of Western Oceanography Institute and focuses on the framework
of 7 Essential Project Management Abilities in the relevant context.
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Task 1
1.1 CORE DUTIES OF PROJECT MANAGER
The fundamental duties of the project manager is to achieve the goals of the project
by maintain the limitation of resources, time, expenses along with the quality of the
deliverables (Project Management Institute, 2004) . These duties include the determining
of the necessities for the project, setting divisible goals and conforming to the expectations
of the investors. These duties and responsibilities have multiple dimensions which a
manger needs to perform with success. A manger leads the team; administer the resources
and manpower, mediating the conflicts, integrating between units and a lot of activities.
(Haughey, 2008)
It is one of the vital responsibilities of the manger to manipulate the team in such a
way that enables them to move towards the common goal. Simultaneously a manager must
maintain the consistency and sequences at different stages of the project. According to
James Bent (1989), a manger is the prime ingredient to fuel the smooth connectivity and
harmony among various units of an entire project. To bring this balance in the lifetime of
the object, a manger must be equipped with certain qualities. He must know how to
coordinate among departments, finding and utilizing the opportunities, being aware of the
resource and time limitation, risks associated and extracting the resources. (Project
Management Institute, 2004)
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A project manager has no basic difference with traditional managers. The
only distinction is that the duration of his position his not permanent and is someone who
does not belong to the core organization because he is given the responsibility of a project
that is not directly associated with the core activities of the firm. The team members see
the manger as the leader of the team so a manager has also the responsibilities of a leader.
This role is played in the shape of motivating and driving the people towards the common
objective. Another duty of the manger is to meet up the project requirements on schedule
and in a cost effective way. He also needs to conform to the exact specifications set by the
organization. He is given the responsibility to track everyone’s performance and bridging
the gap if there is any discrepancy. It is the duty of the manger to find out any defect or
difficulty in the course of the project and take actions accordingly so the project finds its
way again. He is also in charge of removing any sort of conflict. There are also various
external parties that are associated worth a project which may vary form one project to
another. The manger must identify the external parties that may affect the project and
takes care of the issues relevant to those parties for the successful accomplishment of the
project.
1.2 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MANAGER AND
LEADER:
Manager
Management is a skill and a branch of knowledge at the same time. Mangers are the
individuals who are given the responsibility of organizing activities and taking care of the
issues relevant to the firm. They work to achieve the ultimate goal of the firm. They pave
the way to the firm’s destination (Russell W. Darnall, 1997). A manager has the authority
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and tools to direct the resources and workforce and take measures to accomplish the tasks.
He provides guidance to the subordinates and even to other managers. he must maintain
relationship with each and every one to smoothly work through the various departments. A
manager possesses comprehensive idea of the tasks and the objectives. He oversees the
functional aspects of the project and designs the entire path for the project. (Hans J.
Thamhain, 1991)
Leader
Leadership has plenty od definitions devised by different intellectuals. These
definitions have been unique from each other which bear the testimony to the fact that it is
vast concept (Stogdill, 1974). A leader is, in general, someone who has a follower base. The
leader should be the one with the capability to draw people towards him and influence
them but its must be associated with uprightness and honesty. (Yukl, 1989)
According to Albert Einsiedel (1987) there are five features of a successful project
leader. These are the followings:
Reliability
Problem solving capability in innovative way
Must not be impatient during uncertainty
Must be Flexible in management practice
Must have good communication skills.
Though leadership is considered an inborn quality by many researchers, they have been
able to identify certain qualities which distinguishes them form others. A leader has a
vision. He also has the genuineness and the integrity that creates an attachment to the job
and the firm. He has to be creative. He must remain bold at times of fragility and also must
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be able to put himself in other shoes. He should be easily accessible and must not fear to
take any new initiative. (Capowski, 1994)
Differences
A manger is a performer of tasks who keeps in mid the final goal of the project. In
contrast, a leader not only performs tasks but also provides guidance, gives assistance and
drives the workers for the achievement of the goals (Kotter, 2001). A manager is more
oriented to the end result, the justification of decisions and the proper functioning of the
units whereas the leader is more driven by the desire, imagination, independence and
determination that gives momentum to a piece of work.
The manger is more concerned with the application of reason and authority. He
makes use of the resources to the best of outputs. A leader in fact establishes the tone in the
work environment in the form of strategies and directs everyone towards it. A manger
accumulates the human resources and makes sure of their requirements and
performances. A leader arranges the work force to its best of capabilities by having smooth
communication with them.
A manger is concerned with the completion of tasks where the leader uses creativity
to bring optimal output. A manager tends to stick to the basics whereas the leader looks for
new scopes. Managers basically operate with the exercise of authority but a leader earns
and triggers the trust among the workers. Managers might have narrow vision at times but
the leader can always look at things form broad perspective. Managers basically follow the
historical pattern but a leader comes up with original ideas. For managers it is all about
getting the work done and but a leaders improvises and does what is best for the project. A
project will be successfully accomplished if it is supervised by someone who has a balanced
mixture of good leadership and managerial traits. (Kotterman, 2006)
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Task 2
2.1 MISTAKES IDENTIFICATION IN TERMS OF
MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS
PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS
Project
Project basically refers to a temporary phenomenon that is aimed at some specific
objectives which is exclusive in nature. It has a specific time period within which it
terminates. The exclusive character suggests that it has a completely distinctive nature
from any other activities of the firm concerned. A project basically met the requirement of a
firm that is not possible from the firm’s traditional functional capacity. It can take place at
any department of the firm and can involve a number of people. There are projects that
involve departments having overlapping activities. (Heerkens, 2007)
Project scope
The scopes of projects actually refer to the inclusion of everything that is necessary
for the completion of the project. It also rules out any extravagant activities that are not
associated with the project. The scopes are determined within a certain structure which
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shape the way a project will move ahead. It is all documented so that the project
managements have a clear idea about the tasks needed to be executed. It basically
determines the final outcome. It is nothing but the planning of the works that is required to
be done at the end of the project. These scopes may vary form one project to another.
There are projects having vast scopes of works and there are some where the scope of the
works is very narrow. In order to judge the quality of the scope it is important to see how
well the project team and the investors maintain coordination regarding the outcome of the
project. When the project is sophisticated, the paperwork of the scope is vaster. ( Project
Management Institute Inc., 2008)
Organizational context
A project is very much affected by the nature of the firm. It is also dependent on the
mode of the project management a firm holds. They have their own set of work procedures
which is the result of a long-term process. All these are designed to enhance the
operational effectiveness and quality of the firm which gives new dimension to an existing
firm. These activities designed for the enhancement of the firm’s competence are referred
to as projects. Firms often take initiative with a view to cut down the expenses, enhancing
the quality of production or augment the income by taking ventures which eventually
works in favor of the firm’s benefit. (Lewis, 2007)
Project team
A project is an initiative which requires a number of people who works together to
achieve the common objective set by the firm. These individuals work under the guidance
of a manager who is in charge of their duties and can take action against them. The
members are under the manager and are given specific responsibilities. In the context of
Astrid Young, there were five students in her team. Each of them had separate
responsibilities allotted by her. Young was in charge and they report to her about any issue
of the project. (Lewis, 2007)
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Risk management
Risk management is the process of finding out, measuring and taking action against
any uncertainty during the course of the project. It starts with a planning process which is
followed by the breakdown of the risks with some quantifiable terms. Then it is followed by
the evaluation and observation of the implemented measures.
MISTAKES IN THE RELEVANT CONTEXT
Astrid Young had some issues that were not totally in favor of the project outcome.
Some of the drawbacks are identic in the following section:
Astrid Young was not acquainted with the WOI’s system as she recently joined
the firm. It takes time to adapt to a new system but she consumed a significant
portion of time in apprehending the system which made the project a bit lengthy.
There was a lack of communication between the manager and the overall team
that is related with the project. A formal or informal commutation between the
stakeholders and the management team is very much necessary so that
everyone is aware of the uncertainties of the project. In the absences of a proper
communication, they can point fingers to Astrid Young and she looks more guilty
that if she had communicated regularly.
There was lack of more personal interaction with the works of the manager. It
arouses form the absence in the meetings. Even when a meeting was arranged
by the manager herself, the workers had reluctance in attending the meetings.
Communicating online rather than a face to face interaction has ben responsible
for the lack of co-ordination and clarity among them.
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In her effort to pay heed to the complaints of the office staffs regarding the
operation of the computes, she had to take her attention off the project which
hampered its normal course.
Astrid Young was not completely successful in assuring the necessary resources
for the project which made it difficult to finish the project in time.
As the project is associated with a unfamiliar technology which have not been
used before by the general workers, it was mandatory to prove them with
proper training regarding the operation of that technology. The manager did not
take any initiative to give the employees training which did not help the course
and the workers faced difficulty in understating the technology all by
themselves.
There was a lack of smooth communication with the subordinates within the
team. It created confusion and the end result was misunderstanding which
contributed to the delay and poor performance of the project. Samantha Eggert
is the good example of that.
Suggestions
There are a lot of scopes of improvement in the project of Astrid Young. Here are
some suggestions regarding her measures:
Astrid Young can form a better communication environment with the members
of the management team. The more she lets them know about the uncertainties,
the better they will be able to view the state of the projects and can also take
immediate action to mitigate the risks because they have the authority to deliver
the resources and backup necessary for any situation.
She must also maintain a constant communication with the team members. A
more personal touch is preferred as it is more expressive than any other
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communication channel. This way they can take care of any discrepancy in the
course of the project.
She must delegate some responsibility to other members. As a manger it is is
very difficult to attend to every minor issues during a project. The problems
employees were facing regarding computer operation. It will give her more time
to devote the important aspects of the project.
Astrid Young must make sure that every aspect of the projects is delivered with
proper resources and the requirements of the members are properly met. It is
not possible without marinating a continuous communication.
It is very important to arrange a training program so that the worker gets
familiar with the newly introduced system and they can operate these systems
smoothly by their own.
2.2 APPLICATION OF SEVEN EFFECTIVE
PROJECT MANAGEMENT ABILITIES
The McKinsey 7S Framework was devised by Robert H. Waterman, Jr. and Tom
Peters in the year of 1980. This is a framework that evaluates and observes the changes
inside the firm or a project. A competent manager must be efficient in theses tools. For a
good consistence provenance of the firm, theses abilities have to be coordinated and
incorporated. The seven effective project management’s abilities are the following:
Strategy
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Strategy is the thing that gives a firm unique position in the competitive environment.
Structure:
The firm is responsible for a solid structure and sustenance of that structure.
Systems:
It is the cumulative process that is associated with the everyday functions of the
workers.
Shared Values:
It is the mutual notion of the entire firm regarding the values and attitudes of the
workers. It sets the tone in the workplace and I operations.
Style:
It sets the mode of leadership within a firm.
Staff:
It is all about the workforce of the firm and utilization of their skills and capabilities.
Skills:
It is associated with the relevant skills and expertise of the workforce.
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All other elements encompass around the shared values. The other six elements
actually define the business and the mode of the operation. But shared values are what
transpire among the entire firm and it is reflected in the attitude of the employees.
Depending on the shred values, the other six components can vary in nature. (Thomas J.
Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr., 1982)
ABILITIES RELEVANT IN THE CONTEXT
Ambidexterity and time management skills
It is very important to manage time for manager because management is all about
delivering in the nick of time. Astrid Young should develop the practice of performing two
interconnected tasks simultaneously so that she can keep an eye on the overall aspect. It
also saves time if things are taken slow. As a manager and supervisor, she not only has to
take care of the resources requirement but also have to take care of the discrepancies or
negligees form the subordinates. The stricture should be maintained in a way that allows
her to move form task to task in a swift manner. She is pretty much competent in the
movement of the resources in the context.
Leading the team
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Leadership is responsible for making the best out of what everyone has. It is the
charisma of the leader that enables every member of the team to deliver the optimum
output through motivation and clarification of job responsibilities. She also has to keep an
eye on the stakeholders which makes it more challenging.
Astrid Young can be considered a good leader because of the way she could make
others work. She placed the workers according to the skills. It takes a good judgment to
understand which worker is better capable to finishes a job fast and with quality output.
Communication
In order to execute a project, there is no alternative of a good communication. The
communication is important to make the members understand their role and the gravity of
their responsibilities. Again, the members can also let the leader know how well they are
being able to complete the tasks. This way the manager can see what is coming her way in
terms of difficulties and deficiencies.
In this context, Astrid Young was more or less able to communicate with the tem
members but the communication with the staffs of the firm and the managements was not
good enough. It was basically the result of a lack of meetings. It created a gap among them
and eventually uncertainties arouse.
Negotiation
Negotiation is prevalent in almost every aspect of the project. A project manager can
get the best in terms of the human resources, equipment and even financial resources by
better negotiating with the firm. Even the external parties can be handled well if the
manager has a good negotiation skill.
Astrid Young was competent in case of negotiating. She convinced the management to
introduce the new system in the firm and hence the project took place.
Budgeting
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The manager must be able to determine the cost of the project the expected return
so that he can drive the resources accordingly. It is also important to identify where the
project is feasible or not. Otherwise, it may become waste of effort and resources.
In this case, Astrid Young was pretty good with her budgeting skills as there were no
major questions regarding the budgeting.
Driving human resource
Driving the human resource to the accomplishment of a common goal can be an
extra hazardous task at times. Even if everything goes, it is not very easy to maintain a
uniform relationship with every member of the management and team. It is important to
communicate and motivate the workers which are a success factor behind projects.
Astrid Young was pretty much a good team leader who could influence her five sub
ordinates to the benefit of the project. She was very competent in driving them and was
able to extract the best out of them.
Technicality
It is very important for almost ever kinds of business, In this context, Astrid Young
was dealing technology and she was very good at it which can be found out by her effort to
convince the management about the new system. The technicality is also associated with
other aspects like tie management and cost.
CONCLUSION
To wrap up this analysis it can be said that Astrid Young was very enthusiastic,
efficient and technically capable. She had a lot of scope for improvement in terms of her
communication practices. She must develop some urgency to maintain a constant
communication with everyone relevant to her work. She had a convincing leadership and
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organizational skills but she must also be careful about understating the need of the
employees which is basically the need of training.
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REFERENCE
Bent, J. Project Management for Engineering and Construction. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersy,
Prentice Hall, 1989, p. 2.)
Darnall, R.W. (1997) “The Emerging Role of the Project Manager,” PMI Journal: 64.
Einsiedel A. A., “Profile of Effective Project Managers,” Project Management Journal 18
(1987): 5.
Haughey, D., (2008), “An Introduction to Project Management”, Project Smart
Heerkens, G., (2007), “Project Management, 24 steps to help you Master any Project”, The
McGraw Hill Companies
Lewis, P. J., (2007), “Fundamentals of Project Management”, 3 ed AMACOMBooksNewYork.
Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge:
PMBOK® Guide, 3rd Edition. Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, Project Management
Institute, 2004, p. 37.)
Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge:
PMBOK® Guide, 3rd Edition. Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, Project Management
Institute, 2004, p. 8.
Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge:
PMBOK® Guide, 3rd Edition. Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, Project Management
Institute, 2004, pp. 9-10.)
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Project Management Institute, Inc., A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK Guide), 4th ed. (Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.,
2008), 115– 16)
Peters T.J. and Waterman R.H. (1982) In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's
Best-Run Companies. New York: Warner Books. pp. 223-24, 286.
Thamhain H.J. (1991), “Developing Project Management Skills,” Project Management
Journal 22 : 3.
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