Interpersonal and Behavioural Problems, Scheduling Techniques - Assignment Example

2009 1. Gary Heerkens suggests that: “One of the biggest shifts in behaviour and thinking you’ll encounter as a project manager will be the need to rely upon others to get things done. You’ll quickly discover that there’s far too much for you to do alone, yet delegation will prove to be a challenge”. Discuss. The statement by Heerkens highlights the point that in most cases, project managers have to depend on others to get the project work done. This is because most of the work is done by the individuals or teams that are assigned different tasks in the project. As the central point of the project, the project manager spends a considerable amount of time communicating with different stakeholders of the project. The project manager also leads the planning, implementation and closure of the project. The manager is also expected to be a facilitating and flexible leader. Given that project managers are also responsible for project scheduling, they have an important role in making decisions regarding the different project activities. There is no doubt that project managers cannot do these things all by themselves; they need people to help them. Yet, delegating of tasks is a challenge because the overall responsibility of managing the project still lies with the project manager. The people to which tasks are delegated have to carry out the tasks as required by the project manager. The challenge particularly lies in selecting project team members who are best experienced to carry out each task and empowering them to perform the tasks. 2. Richard Luecke says: “Interpersonal and behavioural problems are the root causes of project failure. The art of project management is all about getting work done through other people”. Discuss. 
 The statement by Richard Luecke highlights the need for those involved in project management to promote interpersonal skills and team behaviour so as to avoid the interpersonal and behavioural problems that lead to failure of projects. This is because the statement highlights the point that interpersonal and behavioural challenges are the main causes of project failure. At the same time, it is indicated that project management involves getting work done through other people. What this means is that project managers have a role to inspire and motivate others to get the project work done. To achieve this, project managers need to work with others to ensure that the behavioural and interpersonal problems that affect the project are addressed. As part of the management role, project managers are required to manage relationships as they work with others to get the project work done. This requires project managers to have skills such as soft skills that promote interpersonal communication and appropriate behaviour that focuses on attaining the objectives of the project. Therefore, the project manager must have the capacity to bring the diverse habits, skills, ethics and values of different people involved in the project together and inspire the people to work towards attaining the desired goals. 3. Discuss how project managers use different scheduling techniques as mechanisms to sequence and control project activities. Project managers utilise various scheduling techniques to sequence and control project activities. Scheduling techniques include Gantt charts, the critical path method (CPM) and line of balance scheduling. Gantt charts (bar charts that indicate the start and finishing dates for key activities of the project work) are used in short-range projects to highlight how various project activities will be completed. For example, a Gantt chart can show when each activity in a project is projected to start and be finished, hence making it possible for the project manager to control the activities in the project. A computer-generated CPM can also be used to plan and check the different activities that are involved in a project. A computer-generated CPM makes it possible for the project manager to plan and logically sequence various activities and determine which activities are crucial to the timely completion of a project. Line of balance scheduling involves the use of visual charts that represent the manner in which linear work is performed. It entails plotting the cumulative progress of work versus time on a chart. Line of balance scheduling enables project managers to determine which tasks will be carried out at what time and thus control how the project activities are finished. 4. What are some of the major reasons why many potentially good and important projects fail? What can be done to minimise the risk of failure? Many projects fail mainly because of three reasons: lack of proper understanding of the project, complexity and lack of proper communication. Lack of understanding is related to issues such as not understanding what needs to be done well. The project manager may not have been trained well, thus making mistakes in project implementation. For instance, the project manager may use the incorrect methodology to carry out the entire project or some sections of the project. Complexity challenges can result from the nature of the project. For example, the scope of the project may change, thus presenting more complexity than expected. This may ultimately lead to failure of a potentially good project. As well, lack of proper communication can result in the project not being done well. If stakeholders are not engaged right from the planning stage of the project, they may not be cooperative during the implementation stages, and this may adversely affect the success of the project. To reduce the risk of failure, the project team should design systems that provide details about the project, enable understanding of the project details, and facilitate proper communication. This entails the use of project elements such as project schedules and risk management plans. There is also need to have effective communication mechanisms in order to engage each person that is involved in the project. 5. “Ambiguity on the goals of a project can lead to misunderstandings, disappointment, and expensive rework. But the project team needs more than a clearly stated goal to do its work” (Austin). Discuss what you believe are the major characteristics of a successful project. 
 The first characteristic of a successful project is a clear vision. For a project to succeed, it must have a clear vision that it intends to achieve. This needs to be detailed in the initial project documentation that relates to goals. The goals must be unambiguous so as to reduce chances of misunderstandings. Another feature of a successful project is that it is well planned. What this means is that the planning process must get the project basics right. Having a detailed plan makes it possible to implement the project successfully. A successful project is also characterised by having a strong team. In order to carry its duty and achieve the desired goals, the project team must be strong and committed to the project’s goals. Therefore, the project manager and other team members must be well informed about the project and have the skills and resources to do what is required. Clear communication also features in a successful project. There has to be clear communication between different people who are involved in the project to ensure that each stakeholder’s needs are addressed and the goals of the project are met. A successful project is also characterised by effective risk control. There has to be a risk management strategy to address any challenges that the project activities may face. ------------------------------------ 2008 6. Gary Heerkens suggests that: “What happens after the project is often more important than the project itself”. Discuss. What the statement by Gary Heerkens means is what occurs after a project has been finished is often more crucial than what happens during the project implementation process. This relates to the fact the outcomes of a project can only be seen after the project has been completed. In reality, a project can only be said to be successful if it achieves the objectives that it was meant to achieve. For instance, if a manufacturing company invests in a project to automate its packaging system, the results should be seen through increased output and reduced costs of packaging. This can only be verified by conducting an assessment upon completion of the project. Therefore, merely completing a project does not mean that the project has achieved its objectives. The project team has to assess whether the project was done within the stipulated time frame and budget and whether any risks that arose were handled properly. The information that is collected at this stage is critical in determining the overall success of the project. This shows that many important things happen at the end a project. It therefore supports the view by Heerkens that “What happens after the project is often more important than the project itself”. 7. Richard Luecke says: “Address the interests and information needs of your project’s stakeholders, and you will significantly increase the likelihood of your project’s success”. Discuss. 
 Luecke’s statement denotes that dealing with the interests and information needs that a project’s stakeholders have will raise the possibility of the project being successful. This is definitely true, since the success of any project depends on engaging every person that is involved in the project or affected by it. A project’s stakeholders include any individual or organisation that is affected by the project, involved in the project, or has the ability to influence the project. In any project, stakeholders are likely to include the project owner, the executive management team, the project management team, project financiers, employees, customers, government authorities and so forth. Since each stakeholder or groups of stakeholders have different interests and information needs in regard to the project, it is important to address these concerns throughout the project. For instance, employees in an organisation may be concerned about how a new project will affect their jobs. The government may be concerned about the project’s impact on the safety of employees, and so forth. Each of these concerns may affect the project through ways such as slowing it down or even stalling it. Therefore, to ensure success, there is need to consider each stakeholder’s concern in each stage of the project, from planning to completion. 8. “Project managers use schedules as mechanisms to sequence and control activities, while project sponsors use them as a mechanism to appraise performance” (Smith). Discuss some of the more common project scheduling techniques, including the way they are used by project managers. 
 The commonly used project scheduling techniques include Gantt charts, the critical path method (CPM) and line of balance scheduling. A Gantt chart is tool for displaying a project’s progression in the form a specialised chart. This involves the use of horizontal bars that show when each activity that is undertaken in the project will start and end. This makes it possible to control each activity to ensure that it is finished at the stipulated time. Project managers also use CPM to monitor the various project activities. This is achieved by use of a connected series of activities from the start of the project to the completion point. The critical path in the CPM is the longest path and determines the duration that the project will take, making it possible to control the various activities. Critical activities refer to all of the activities that constitute the critical path. Line of balance scheduling involves the use of a visual chart that corresponds to the manner in which the project work is carried out. It entails plotting the cumulative progress of work against time on a scale. The plotted work can be used to monitor each task and hence control how activities are completed. 9. Projects are investments that your company makes, from which they expect a return. But investments can sometimes go bad” (Heerkens). What are some of the major reasons why potentially good and important projects fail? What can be done to minimise the risk of failure? The major reasons why projects fail include complexity of the project, lack of understanding, and lack of proper communication. Complexity may be due to the scope of the project or unavoidable circumstances that arise and the project team cannot handle them well. For instance, if a complex project does not have the required level of expertise, it can fail. Lack of understanding can affect almost any aspect of the project life cycle. For instance, not understanding the requirements of a project can lead to challenges at later stages of the project. Inadequate analysis of the project details can also lead to misunderstanding and ultimately, failure of the project. Lack of proper communication can create challenges such as lack of understanding of what the project entails and poor relationships between different stakeholders or members of the project team. This can derail the success of the project. To minimise the risk of failure, project teams should have systems that provide details about the project, facilitate understanding of the project details, and enable proper communication. This requires the use of tools such as detailed project plans, risk management plans, and effective communication channels from initiation to completion of the project. 10. “Project management is both an art and a science. The art of project management is all about getting work done through other people – it is about effective leadership. The science is about having the knowledge and skill to implement appropriate processes, tools and techniques” (Austin). Discuss what you believe are the major characteristics of effective project managers. An effective project manager is someone who has the following characteristics: ability to gain the engagement of others; a person who is adept at planning and control; and someone who is well versed in regard to management of risk. In terms of ability to engage others, a project manager is supposed to be a person who has leadership attributes such as authority, accountability, responsibility and soft skills that enable him or her to interact with others. The project manager should be able to command authority to influence, inspire and motivate others to work towards attaining the goals of a project. The project manager should also be a person who can use soft skills to build and manage relationships among the people that he or she is working with. In regard to planning and control, project managers should be people who are adept at planning and control so that they can organise how to use resources to achieve what an organisation wants through different projects. Finally, a project manager needs to have knowledge in management of risk. This can enable them to visualise the risk or risks involved in a project and devise ways of dealing with such risks. 
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