An Effective Project Manager
Project management involves the process of managing resources, both human and non-human, with the objective of achieving a group of preset goals. Project management entails planning, organizing and coordinating the activities that would lead to the successful achievement of the given objectives (Burford, 2012). Project management differs with other forms of management in that projects are usually temporary endeavors. By nature, project goals have to be accomplished within a specific time frame and with a given resource allocation. It is thus essential that a project manager possesses interpersonal, organizational and administrative skills in addition to technical competence in order to effectively achieve the preset project goals.
Planning is the foremost step in project management. It takes a good plan in order to successfully achieve a given set of goals. Planning normally can be divided into three phase. Proper definition of the outcome, definition of the activities necessary to achieve the outcome together with the preparation of an elaborate work plan are of great importance in the planning phase of a given project. When defining an outcome, a project manager and his/her team should focus on the expectations or needs of the given project. These expectations should be well documented in the project charter/scope document and must be in accordance to a client or customer’s demands. The statement of the outcomes forms the project goals and is in itself a contract of what the project team is promising to deliver. The second step in planning involves the definition of all the activities that would lead to the pre stated outcome. The project charter/ scope document is used to determine these activities (Burford, 2012). Project planning tools such as Microsoft project can be used but with caution since they require a substantial amount of skills in order to successfully use. Usually the activities are arranged in a logical sequence and flow charts can be employed with the respective notes. The scope of each activity, its budget and the time it takes should be noted (Burford, 2012). The third step of planning is coming up with an elaborate work plan. This usually involves allocating resource both human and non-human to the tasks to optimize performance. The work plan should be in the form of stepwise instructions for the project activities including managing these activities. In case a similar project has been done in the past, its work plan can be used for comparison purposes. Work-breakdown structures and network diagrams are essential in coming up with work plans. Plans are not perfect and hence changes can be made to them when the need arises. For effective planning, it is important to make estimates of initial cost, time span and the initial effort required.
Coming up with management procedures is an important part of project management. This includes management of issues such as risks, quality, change of scope and communication. The project should be managed in a manner that the project team and the shareholders understand how the project will be managed. If pre-established procedures exist for the organization, they should be used.
On commencement of the project activities, management of the various tasks is of prime essence in order to achieve the project goals. Managing the respective tasks involves a number of activities. The work plan should be reviewed regularly to show progress. Scheduling of the work plan review is dependent on the size and nature of the project in terms of complexity. Progress markers should be used to show the work already covered and that which is yet to be accomplished for the various tasks. If need arises, the work plan should be updated to reflect the progress of the various tasks. Rescheduling of delayed tasks that ought to have been completed should be done and in turn the work plan should be adjusted accordingly. Whenever the work plan is updated, the cost, time and effort required are reviewed. If the change is bound to alter the original time estimates, measures should be taken to take the project back on track (Burford, 2012). These measures could include amongst others, increasing the effort required. One way of increasing the effort required is by increasing the number of working hours. The project should be monitored in terms of the cost. The initial projected cost for each task should be compared to the actual cost that the project is consuming. Regular analysis and review of cost helps in keeping the project within the bounds of the allocated budget.
When managing a project it is essential to look for signs that show that the project is not progressing as planned. These warning signs include variations between the actual cost and the projected cost. This type of variation should be immediately corrected lest the project cost exceeds the allocated budget. Rime spent on activities should be checked and made to conform to the times allocated in the work plan. Failure to stick to time allocations could lead to the project falling behind schedule or even failing to beat the time deadline which could prove very costly. Quality should be checked on a regular basis as the tasks progress. If quality standards are not adhered to as the project progresses, it is almost assured that the project would turn out as a failure. It is also of utmost importance to check the condition of the human resource. A fully motivated workforce is more efficient than a workforce that is not motivated. Cases of sabotage are usually common with workforces that are not motivated.
It is important as a project manager to guard against changes in the scope of a project. Changes in scope should never be done without the approval of the sponsor: the person funding the project. Scope creep, scope changes that are introduced into the project without normal procedures and approval from the sponsor, should be avoided at all cost. A good project manager should mobilize his/her team to guard against scope creep because the various small changes in scope could accumulate and have an impact on the project.
A good project manager and his/ her team should be able to identify possible risks to the project and their respective impacts on the project. Measures should be put in place for the management of those risks so that chances of their occurrence are minimal. Potential risks should be accessed and managed throughout the project. In case a problem results from a risk, it should be corrected as fast as possible and measures taken in order to return the project on track.
A research conducted by XL Group showed that thirty four percent of failed projects resulted from projects having incompetent project managers (XL Group Insurance, 2013). It is thus important for a project manager to have a good blend of interpersonal, administrative and organizational skills. These skills are paramount in the process of managing a project. A good project manager should possess good communication skills. During the course of a project, there is usually constant communication between the project manager and various teams working on different tasks. In addition to the project teams, the project manager should be in constant communication with the client. This calls for the project manager to possess excellent verbal and writing skills. A project manager should be a person who can oversee various interrelated tasks. The project manager should have the aptitude to control, supervise and coordinate the various different tasks in order to achieve the preset goals. A project manager should understand the processes of the project. This is important when scheduling tasks and when reviewing the work plan in terms of time and cost. A good project manager should have a vision. This vision should be laid down to the team and properly communicated to them in order to create awareness on the roles necessary to achieve the vision. A good project manager should be able to anticipate problems and put measures in place to avoid the problems. Leading by example is an important part of project management. The success of a project is usually dependent on the various teams. It is hence important for the project manager to be able to form committed teams for the project.
When I worked in the project team of Global Construction Company Ltd, a Spain based company; there were several occurrences that highlighted the importance of good project management when the company was tasked with building the Mercy Tower building in Madrid. In one instance, the coast review revealed that more material than allocated had been used to construct the first stage of the foundation. An analysis showed that the concrete to cement mixture was incorrect. The fault in mixture ratio was then corrected immediately. Assuming the problem was not identified in good time, the project cost might have exceeded the allocated funds. In addition, the buildings structure might have failed quality test which could have proved very costly.
In another instance, it was apparent that the project management team had not adequately planned for the strong winds and rain that are occasionally experienced in the month of November in Madrid. The heavy rains halted construction for five days as construction workers had to wait for the windy and rainy conditions to cease. To take the project back on track, twenty four hour construction had to be put in place after the rains. In a final incidence, construction workers once put down their tools in protest of delayed wages. This halted construction for a day until the issue of wages was sorted out. After the construction workers strike, it took a motivational speech by the project manager to return the workers’ morale and up to speed with their respective tasks.
It is important for a project manager to meet and even exceed the customer’s/ client’s need. This is because the successful accomplishment of the project and the corresponding level of satisfaction of the client are the factors that are generally used to rate the performance of the project manager and his team.
References
Burford laura. Effective Project Management: Three Critical Activities. (2014, January 18). Retrieved from http://www.nten.org/articles/2013/effective-project-management-three-critical-activities
XL Group Insurance. What Makes an Effective Project Manager? (2014, January 18). Retrieved from http://www.xldp.com/xldp/library/8178_effective_project_management.pdf
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