Use of Project Management as a Strategic Tool - Coursework Example

Project Management Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Introduction Project management is the act of ensuring things done in the right way according to the expectations. It involves the act of planning, controlling, initiating, executing and closely working with a team to ensure that things move towards the required goals. Project management ensures that things are moving towards the right direction without any alteration of the activities carried out. When the right measures are in place, it is easy for the project to run smoothly without incurring any difficult. The major aim of project management is ensuring that different projects whether permanent or temporal completed on time without difficult and within the constraints while the execution of the project takes place. Project managers are always required to ensure that the quality, scope, and the required sensitive issues are well taken care of hence making it necessary that they will the end results are perfect according to the expectations. The role of project managers goes beyond the act of management. They ensure that all operations and the future of the organization are contained within the current projects being undertaken by the organization. It is not just about managing and ensuring that the project is moving in the right direction but also ensuring that innovation is done in carrying out the project to enable reduction of cost and also an increase of quality. Therefore, some of the things that should take into account by the project managers include; strategic planning, working conditions of the players, and taking into account the needs of the stakeholders of the organization. In this report, the way the three-day music festival undertaken and the importance of each area in project management, in general, is going to be analyzed to ensure the project is a success. Use of project management as a strategic tool Planning on how the festival will be carried out will have to take place. There are several factors considered in this process. The number of people, the resources required, the process that the festival will undergo, and finally, the expected results shall be considered careful. The success of the festival shall largely depend on the good planning that shall be done. Project management usually deals with the issue of planning for how the thing is to be done and ensuring that projects are moving towards the right direction. The issue of planning is one of the common practice when it comes to strategic planning. When it comes to strategic management, there is the phase of planning and having the way all the issues being conducted through the strategy to the end. Always project management is one of those tools used in making a strategy as it will enable the planners to have the overview of how to carry out activities without causing any harm to the organization. Planning in project management comes before execution of the real project. The roadmap for the whole project from the beginning to the end drawn (David, 2006, pg. 4). When all these done then, ways on how to carry out the project better way and reduction of cost while improving quality are laid down. The planning is one of those tools that are used in strategic management hence confirming that project management is part of strategic planning. For a fact, projects found within the strategy that is laid down within the organization. These projects managed, and each project must be well planned for to ensure the success of a given project. With these factors in place, then we can confirm that project management and a strategic management cannot be separated as one is used to support the other. Understanding interactions between stakeholders Project management involves a lot of players where each has a role towards the success of any given project. As a project manager, it is good to understand how one role relates to the other and the level of interaction that is required to ensure success achieved at the end. Where the level of interaction required is high, it is prudent for the project manager to make those in charge to work together to enable them to know the progress of one of the other without difficulties. Interaction is important for any project as it will enable the project to be run well without having difficulties. Where a project manager will not instill interaction within the players, it si likes that the project will face a lot of difficulties in execution. Apart from the players who are directly involved in the management of the project. It is good that the stakeholders who are the owners of the project that is run to be consulted to ensure the decision taken fits the to avoid fallouts when the project comes to an end (Martin, 2002, pg. 23). The facts mentioned above indicate that it is important that project management involves the attribute of interaction in ensuring the smooth running of projects. Main legal, ethical, and contextual circumstances of Project Management Those who will be in attendance will in advance informed before their visit of the legal requirements, ethical ways of carrying themselves around the festival and also the contextual circumstances that they are likely to meet on the course of the festival. The prior information to the participants and attendees make it easy to manage the crowd as the guidelines shall be known earlier. Any project carried must be analyzed to ensure that it is well understood. The legal requirements fulfilled before the execution of a project. When legal aspects of a given project fulfilled, it will be easy for those managing the project to run it without any fear. Confidence instilled in those who are undertaking the project. When all these done then, it will be easy that for the manager to have the authority to carry out the project in a manner that they will not compromise in the process. The ethical part also must be observed in the execution of any given project. Ethical ways of doing given activities are important. There are cases where complaints raised in the manner which certain projects were carried out using given ways. When ethical methods of carrying out projects not observed, it will make it difficult for the manager to show the meaning of the project to those who may benefit from it. Ethical practices must be observed in the process of project management so that the required meaning will at the end got out of the projects to both the stakeholders and the environment at which the project is undertaken. The context matters that relate to the project are also important. They should be known well with those who are involved in the management of any given project. Where the contextual facts are known, it is easy for solutions found and any predetermined problems can be solved to avoid delays in the course of undertaking projects. Technically trained personnel should be consulted to ensure that they inform the project managers know what they are expected to from the beginning to the end of any particular project (Paul, 2005, pg. 17) Identifying and assessing risk in designing, developing and executing Before the beginning of the festival, the program will be designed well, from the design developments on how the designed program will be carried out will be analyzed and final execution carried out without itches. A mock program will be carried out to ensure that everything is in place and nothing left out as per the plan. Before beginning any particular project, it is important that the whole project can be analyzed to identify various shortcomings experienced in the process. From this identification, it will be possible that the managers will design the appropriate measures that can be undertaken to ensure that the risks avoided. Development of alternative ways of controlling the risk is important as it will ensure that the risk will be contained and give confidence to the managers. Finally executing of the designed methods which contain ways of control of risks will ensure that the project runs on without any delay, and it will give out the required results. The steps must follow the procedure while involving those experts who have the technical know. This three procedure will make carrying out of the project be simple, and it will lead to a reduction of cost. Doing these will ensure risk has been taken care of and no difficult will not be experienced in the process, Where the risk is already taken care of, the project managers will have confidence in carrying out the required activities. Risk management in any project is key as it will add value and mitigate unforeseen expenses at the end. There those who will be in attendance will be known prior, and the logistics be arranged in ensuring that there is nothing that will arise in the course of the activity (Cattani, 2011, pg. 5). Instituting mechanisms and controls in the development, execution, and management of a project The institution of mechanism and controls in the development, execution, and management of the project, is a very important factor in this festival. With the fact, the number who will be in attendance are many it is not easy for the project managers to control all the activities and people who are going to attend. Robust control measures shall be put in place in ensuring the success of the festival as a whole. Effective project management depends on the control measures that are put in place in every step of the project (Stellman, 2005, pg.12) Conclusion Project management is essential when undertaking any project. It is necessary that one has knowledge on how to make things happen in a simple manner. In the 3-day music festival, it will be advisable that the as the project manager first to do the planning, design the way the festival will happen, develop all the required factors in the festival and finally do the final execution of the project which is the music festival. References Cattani, G., Ferriani, S., Frederiksen, L. and Florian, T. (2011). Project-Based Organizing and Strategic Management, Advances in Strategic Management, Vol 28, Emerald. Curlee, Wanda (2011). The Virtual Project Management Office: Best Practices, Proven Methods. David I. Cleland, Roland Gareis (2006). Global Project Management Handbook. "Chapter 1: "The evolution of project management." McGraw-Hill Professional F. L. Harrison, Dennis Lock (2004). Advanced project management: a structured approach. Gower Publishing, Ltd Martin Stevens (2002). Project Management Pathways. Association for Project Management. APM Publishing Limited. Paul C. Dinsmore et al. (2005). The right projects were done right! John Wiley and Sons. Stellman, Andrew; Greene, Jennifer (2005). Applied Software Project Management. O'Reilly Media. Wysocki, Robert K (2013). Effective Project Management: Traditional, Adaptive, Extreme (Seventh Edition) Young-Hoon Kwak (2005). "A Brief History of Project Management." In: The story of managing projects. Elias G. Carayannis et al. (9 eds), Greenwood Publishing Group. Read More