Techniques For Practicing Project Manager

Explain reasons why organisations adopt Project Management Methodologies

Discuss About The Techniques For Practicing Project Manager.

Project management includes directing, planning, organising, and controlling organizational resources for achieving short term to long term objectives of the organization. Project management helps the organization to achieve good customer relationships by designing and managing organizational resource and delivering the project within assumed budget and time which define project success. The success of projects depends on many factors that include the experience of the project manager, the methodology used, motivation and skills of project workers, the available budget, and the practicability of the schedule among other factors. The project management process involves a series of procedures that include project initiation, planning, execution, and closure (Kerzner 2017, p.2). From experience, I have learnt that the planning phase is the most important phase for the project manager since it sets that base for all the later phases. Proper planning promotes execution and without proper planning the project might not succeed. This course PPMP20009 has been highly resourceful to me since I managed to gain a lot of knowledge on various issues and processes in project management. This paper discusses the learning outcomes of the course with much attention on the benefits that organizations obtain from using project management methodologies, types of methodologies available, and the effect of these methodologies on the project stakeholders.

According to my understanding, project management methodologies are guidelines used in managing projects and is a very powerful factor that determines project success. These methodologies have the benefit of being tailored and adjusted to meet the requirements of the project at hand (Kerzner & Kerzner 2017, p.22). The common methodologies include Prince2, PMBOK, Agile, and Waterfall and thus the project manager and his team in consultation with other relevant stakeholders should choose the right methodology that suits project and organizational goals. I came to learn through experience and through the course that these methodologies keep evolving to meet major developments in project management. Their use in the industry is also rising day by day as organizations seek uniformity and as complexity of projects increase. Project managers understand that it is easier following a framework that running projects haphazardly in order to boost project success and increase profitability. The selection a suitable methodology is based on organization strategy, size of project team, project priority and criticality.

The use of project management methodologies leads to better financial measures. It promotes tracking of processes and cash flows and hence increases revenue and profitability. When methodologies are used, documentation of processes is highly recommended to promote reporting and ensure accountability and governance in management.  This reduces misappropriation of funds, errors and cases of fraud. The sponsors would thus be motivated to continue funding the project which ensures that adequate resources are available for the project. The success of a project is highly dependent on the availability and optimization of labour, materials, and capital (Martinelli & Milosevic 2016, P.28) .From experience, I have noted instances where project funds are misappropriated by their handlers leading to production of projects that are below the expected levels of quality or incompletion.

Summary

Project management methodologies enhance staff productivity, growth, and development. The application of the methodologies in various industries has led to introduction of courses and certifications based on them ( Rose 2013, p.23).The repetition of similar procedures while performing different projects promotes learning among the team and thus placing them at a better place to carry out future projects. They become more experienced, and productive in project activities leading to continuous improvement. The methodologies also provide an effective way of communication between project stakeholders. From experience and the course I have learnt that effective communication boosts success in project management. This reduces conflicts among stakeholders and in case of any, proposes resolution procedures. The methodologies ensures that every stakeholder and team member understand their roles and thus do not require too much supervision. The chain of command is also clear and thus promoting effectiveness and understanding.

The use of PM methodologies promotes customer satisfaction and value. Customer value is the level of satisfaction that they derive from consuming a product. Week 3 portfolio stressed on the qualities of a good project manager and the ethical practices in project management. I learnt that the adoption of ethical practices by good project managers leads to quality projects that conform to customer requirements. This promotes customer satisfaction and ensure that return clients obtain a favourable return on their investment. The client obtains higher profits from the project and thus attracting a higher market share in its industry.

Summary

It was interesting learning project management methodologies and their importance to organizations. I understand that organizations are interested with satisfying their customers by producing them the best products and services. Projects are thus an integral part of this since they are aimed at creating customer value and enabling the organizations to meet the needs of their customers. The use of the guidelines also benefit the organization through enhancing staff productivity and improving return on investment.

Evidence

These arguments are based on the learning outcomes from the weekly portfolios, my own experiences, and other supporting documents listed on the reference section.

Project stakeholders are those individuals and institution that are impacted by the project. They include the project manager, project team, sponsor, client and the end user. Stakeholder management in change management in an organization is important in implementing project management methodologies. Stakeholders benefit when their expectations are noted and managed effectively through appropriate communication. When their expectations addressed effectively, they are highly likely to support the project. The project sponsor is a person or organization that finances the project and is accountable for the overall project. He is interested that the project yields the benefits it was initiated for. Through the methodologies, the sponsors can monitor the progress of the activities of the project manager to verify whether they comply with his organizations desires and whether they are in line with the objectives if the project. The agile methodology defines the roles of sponsor as a motivator, collaboration enhancer, and provider of project vision to the project team (Layton & Ostermiller 2017, p.56). The selection of a methodology that the financier feels inappropriate can make him cut the funds and offer resistance to the project.

Evidence

A project manager is the key person in the management of projects. The methodologies are therefore of high impact to them. The agile methodology for instance does not recognize the project manager as much valuable in project management. From experience, I have seen project manager’s struggle with their role under the agile framework. In the scaled agile framework (SAFe), the project manager is seen from a portfolio, program, and execution point of view. They are thus concerned with the provision of value to customers by providing strategy and leadership (Mir & Pinnington 2014, P.44). Under the Prince2 methodology, the project manager interfaces between the business idea and the project. The role include enhancing communication and motivating the team towards the achievement of project objectives. When companies undertake a certain project management methodology, the project manager tasked with the project should be trained and experienced in the methodology. Project managers should therefore pursue certifications on the methodologies in order to boost their career possibilities and lead project management initiatives accordingly.

The project team is an important component of the project management process since they are the people who execute the plans. The project management methodology chosen must suit the size and skills of the project team. In cases where the team is unskilled on the methodology, they would require to be trained in order to be conversant with the process. It is worth noting that the team can pose huge resistance to the project especially when they are untrained or are do not agree with the selection (Hornstain 2015, p.290). The project managers should therefore, consult them also in deciding on the appropriate methodology to prevent resistance to change, The project manager should also be talented or skilled in change management in order to influence the team positively towards supporting the chosen methodology. I learnt that change management is important in bringing all the stakeholders to support a common objective and the project manager and team leaders should be skilled in it.

Summary

I learnt about the different project stakeholders that include the project manager and team, project sponsor, the customer, and the end user. I appreciated why and how project management methodologies can be streamlined to merge the needs of these stakeholders. These stakeholders are impacted differently by these methodologies and thus takes an experienced project manager to bring them together and neutralize the negative impact of the selected methodology on them.

Critically analyse the impact of Project Management Methodologies upon stakeholders

Evidence

These arguments are based on the learning outcomes from the weekly portfolios, my own experiences, and other supporting documents listed on the reference section.

An organization would choose the suitable project management methodology based on organization strategy, size of project team, project priority and criticality of the project among other factors (Vijayasarathy and Butler 2016, p.88). The agile approach is commonly used in software and web development projects. The considerations taken in to account when deciding on the degree of agile to adopt depends on several factors. The company has to be ready to switch to adaptive thinking. The organizational culture should also be supportive to the methodology since it is important when business strategy, culture, and goals are aligned with the methodology. The agile approach came as an alternative to the earlier waterfall approach. The methodology is mainly applied in managing information technology projects. Organizations however need to consider all necessary information before settling on agile approach since it has weaknesses too.

Agile project management methodology is based on dynamic features that change during the project management activities. The resources are the only fixed component that is agreed between customers and the project team. The elements of an agile approach include dynamic systems development methods (DSDM), lean development, scrum, and finally extreme programming (Vijayasarathy and Butler 2016, p.90). The DSDM provides a structure for delivery of agile projects by providing guidance on best practices for timely delivery of quality outputs within the constraints of the budget. Scrum is good for projects that deal with development of software since it allows for innovation and works well for complex projects. On scrum, work happens on sprints such that a given timeline is stipulated for some portion of the work and after completion of that phase of work, the next phase begins. Extreme programming puts emphasis on customer satisfaction. Instead of releasing the fully completed project at the end, it recommends the release of product when needed. This enables the developers to respond to the dynamic customer requirements and stresses on teamwork among all stakeholders.

Summary

Through studying the portfolios, I learnt about how to select an appropriate project management methodology for an organization. The factors considered during the selection include project type, team size, project flexibility, and the views of different stakeholders.  The types of methodologies available include agile, waterfall, and PMBOK.

Evidence

These arguments are based on the learning outcomes from the weekly portfolios, my own experiences, and other supporting documents listed on the reference section.

Conclusion

Throughout 12 weeks of learning about project management methodologies, I have understood the fundamental knowledge of effective project management. On the first week, I learnt a lot about importance of project management and roles of all stakeholders. On the second week, I appreciated the need for planning and impacts of proper project management on productivity of organizations. The benefits of effective communication, team work, and conflict management was also highlighted. On the 3^rd week, I learnt the skill sets that project managers should possess. During the four week, I learnt on the role of project management in project development life cycle. The week five portfolio enabled me understand the concepts of project management such as organizational change and project classifications. In week six, the roles of project sponsor, manager, and program manager were highlighted. Chapter seven helped me gain insights on the portfolio, and communication plan development.  In the succeeding weeks, I gained knowledge on the importance of project plan, configuration management, quality management, and resource management in project management .practice.

References

Kerzner, H., 2017. Project Management Methodologies. Project Management Case Studies, pp.1-27.

Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

Hornstein, H.A., 2015. The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), pp.291-298.

Martinelli, R. J., & Milosevic, D. Z. (2016). Project management toolbox: tools and techniques for the practicing project manager. John Wiley & Sons.

Mir, F. A., & Pinnington, A. H. (2014). Exploring the value of project management: linking project management performance and project success. International journal of project management, 32(2), 202-217.

Layton, M.C. and Ostermiller, S.J., 2017. Agile project management for dummies. John Wiley & Sons

Rose, K. H. (2013). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Fifth Edition. Project management journal, 44(3).

Vijayasarathy, L.R. and Butler, C.W., 2016. Choice of software development methodologies: Do organizational, project, and team characteristics matter?. IEEE Software, 33(5), pp.86-94.