Planning in Project Management - Essay Example

Planning in Project Management] [Course Name] [Student Name] [Instructor] [Class] Summary of Article Project Planning and Management Technique This article clearly outlines the planning and management techniques which allows management to clearly visualize future trends and comprehend the possible plan of attack which is further utilized for evaluating one’s potential for attaining the expected outcome. This process also includes the concepts of Gantt Charting and Critical Path Methods (CPC). Moreover it also utilizes Program Evaluations Review Technique (PERT) in a real time surrounding which further abridges the intricate expertise of these techniques. The associated tasks further includes creation of a form, after which implementation of a program is followed. The subsequent phases involve finalization of a budget or construction of a facility which can further be categorized according to the activities and events involved making use of the PERT technique. The associated approach towards planning and management is the Project Planning and Management Technique (PPMT), which has been formulated to obtain utmost advantage of the original and random access aptitude of the human mind. This article has also put forward some thoughts about the utilization of medium such as three-by-five-inch cards in PPMT which permits variable data warranting a highly planned, integrated plan for emerging through a series of systematic steps. Owing to the mobility of the medium used it becomes a medium for planning as compared to a method used for recording of data. Owing to the involvement of the usable plan it is further customized to include ideas comprising of objects which are outside the mind. Moreover it further allows time relationships to be evident rather than simply thinking about them (Koehler, 1983). Critical evaluation of the ideas After a careful analysis of the article it is found that success of Project Planning and Management Technique (PPMT) is hidden in executing the steps which actually follow after them in precise and ordered form. It must be noted that an advanced program can never be developed by skipping a step as it all relies on the complexity of the issues and the required level of precision. Mostly it is evident that organizations are not able to complete all twelve steps completely. If the plan which is under development is small and less complex for a short term project it is found that a workable plan for such project favours step four and five. However if a particular technique is not fully justified while implementation or if a particular technique is non-accepted and unrealistically developed. Then at this point it is definitely regarded as a major pitfall in successful utilization of such procedure. Further it is also required to have early involvement in the planning process of individuals who will further be responsible for implementing the program under development which will then direct towards good problem prevention policy. Additional thoughts If there is more involvement on the part of individuals then a more detailed and expanded form of questions which will come at surface during the planning process. Once a detailed analysis is done during the initial phases then during implementation there will be fewer surprises and few problems will arise. Additionally if substantial time is invested by management during the planning of process and streamlining of resources then it can easily be channelled into the implementation phase. The resources will then easily be allocated such as time and money in which the organization will also be able to commit fully during the planning process. Concerning logistics which includes number and geographical distribution of individuals associated to the project will decide the degree to which those who may be accountable for implementation will participate in the planning process. Summary of Article Planning for Project Management Project Management strategy can easily be applied to many diverse areas however in this article author has provided instances related to data processing orientation. It is primarily related to the project manager but is also considered informative for individuals involved in systems development process. The major functions of project management which every organization goes through are planning, staffing, organizing directing and finally controlling of the entire project. The author then discusses about various techniques which every other organization uses for execution of their planning phase. Initially it is required to clearly identify each function or job which is required to be performed so that they do not get lost and follow sequential phase. Next the author has discusses about the functions identification and the execution of the associated tasks. At this stage each task is manageable which does not require more than 80 man hours to execute the given task. One of the basic and reliable techniques used for sequencing of tasks is PERT chart design for each function (Shelmerdine, 1989). Critical Evaluation Once the tasks are identified by the manager or management it is required to clearly describe in writing so that an apparent view of deliverables are decided for each task. Hence it is essential to have a successful completion of each task along with a well written description of constitution of the tasks and their associated planning. PERT charts are considered excellent for sequencing of tasks which are required to be developed. Moreover PERT also helps in understanding dependency of particular tasks on its preceding task. One additional advantage which can be obtained through PERT chart is estimation of individual effort which is required for execution of a particular task. After this estimation appropriate budgeting and resources will be allocated accordingly which is all done on the basis of expert evaluation. Once the resources are allocated the management is in the position to assign commitments associated with every task. After having realistic commitment the performances of every individual can easily be traced and tracked in comparison to their achieved performance levels. Additional Thoughts Any person who’s worked on project groups understands that a variety of components can move a project past its deadline. It’s not extraordinary for some of the work to be harder than initially foreseen or to have turnover on the project that requires introducing new persons up to speed. If at any stage it is discovered that it is the first obligation of the project supervisor to attempt to work out the cause. Any individual who has worked on project groups understands that a variety of components can move a project past its deadline. It’s not atypical for some of the work to be harder than initially foreseen or to have turnover on the project that requires you to put across new individuals up to speed. If any such occurrence has been discovered, the first obligation as the project supervisor is to try to work out the cause. Moreover it is also required to double-check all dependencies since the agenda dependencies encompassed activities that must be accomplished in a certain order. If an individual is struggling over deadline, it is required to revalidate dependencies, since it’s likely that the schedule is being prolonged by invalid dependencies between undertakings. However it is also evident that time-constrained undertakings are those with lengths that do not transform based on the number of resources directed. One the source has been identified and it is also apparent that we have one or more assets that aren’t as productive as we planned. This all happens owing to the reason because certain group members don’t have the right skills. Possibly they aren’t as creative in this particular locality as they are in other areas. Summary of the Article Planning for Crises in Project Management It is apparent that crisis in projects are always inevitable however the destructive effects of many crises can easily be reduced by utilizing effective planning tools for emergency management. The author has discussed some renowned exercises for emergency management which involves risk analyses, contingency plans, logic charts, and tabletop exercises which will all assist in planning for crises and controlling them when they happen. The most important approach for managing such crises situation in projects is to think from beginning to end of the project before project initiation and then run through using these tools and their outputs. The author is of the opinion that several project managers cannot always predict every unforeseen event when planning and supervising their projects. Many counterfeit events also start effecting project milestones and resource allocations can facade once the project is under execution. Moreover the author has clearly outlined that for experienced project managers it is the condition in which they can easily handle any crises, miscommunications, errors, oversights, and disasters which all must be managed as components of successful project management. The tools which have been discussed are extremely beneficial during emergency management for project managers. These tools include risk analyses, contingency plans, logic charts, and tabletop exercises. These tools have diverse uses in different nature of crises, whether they are natural, chemical/technological, or safety types of crises. They also necessitate different kinds of support such as police, fire, medical, rescue, etc. (Mallak L, 1997) Critical Analysis After having a critical analysis of the article it can be deduced that mostly crises become projects when its deleterious effects have disappeared. For instance consider a commercial airline crash, in which all passengers and crew passed away, is managed as a project once the danger of explosion and then after some time the subsequent dangers reduce. However, we're worried with crises occurring within an existing scheme, rather than a crisis or emergency that becomes a project. Project managers require effective tools for planning and predicting such crises. These are such tools which a project manager may not use every day, yet they necessitate these tools to provide them a hand in time of emergency. The ideas and information in this paper will facilitate project managers in the identification of the appropriate crisis planning tools along with the proper procedure of following them too. The project manager knowledge, training, and skills should permit the indulgent and use of these emergency management tools to sustain quicker and better decision-making. In an emergency situation the worst decision is no verdict and the second most terrible decision is a late one. Hence it is required to properly manage crisis and plan the steps accordingly which helps in mitigating the risks and prepare for crises so we can decrease their happening and deal with the consequences better. Additional Thoughts An essential crisis planning tool is risk analysis. Moreover this tool kit also assist in discovering ways of what can go wrong, what's most apparent, and what has the greatest impact. The amalgamation of an event's probability of occurrence and severity of consequences all helps in determining priorities. Incident analysis can also facilitate in understanding the lessons learned in an actual crisis and expand plans to diminish the effects of similar incidents in the future. However the planning phase is required for identifying business objectives which are the most significant functions of management while planning. Planning is the phase which helps in identifying business objectives along with identification of crisis planning which is required to be achieved. Moreover it also involves assessment, aligning objectives and creating means for achieving them. It also involves setting processes which helps in measuring the performances attained according to the defined objectives. Planning is the phase which is the starting point for making decisions and taking actions for future. While formulating plans together it is essential to include some elements of change and the elements which can occur during an emergency or crisis situation. Hence this can be regarded as the best strategy for the stakeholders as it will also help them in reviewing business performance against their defined plan. Moreover by following a strategic management strategy by the management during the progression period allows properly defining the backup resources. References Koehler, C. T., 1983. Project Planning and Management Technique. JSTOR, Volume 43, pp. 459-466. Mallak L, K. J. H., 1997. Planning for crises in project management. Project Management Journal, 14(2), pp. 1-7. Shelmerdine, E. K., 1989. Planning for project management. Journal of Systems Management, 40(1), pp. 16-20. Read More