Achieving Global Excellence, Assessment Example

Introduction

Managing a project effectively requires a team of individuals with the knowledge, experience, and wherewithal to achieve all project objectives. These factors play an important role in improving collaborations with team members and in determining the best possible approaches to ensure that the project is completed within the desired timeframe. Effective project management requires a greater understanding of the challenges that exist within the team setting, the obstacles that must be overcome, the resources that are available, and the knowledge that exists. Assuming risk is a key component of project management and requires all team members to make a positive contribution to the project. The following discussion will address a past project in greater detail and will consider key objectives and frameworks that contributed to project-related outcomes.

Analysis

Project management requires a high degree of performance and supports the development of new strategies to identify the appropriate human capital for the required roles (Mir et.al, 2014). Project management teams must be able to perform the required roles in a timely manner and to recognize how to manage change or unforeseen circumstance when they arise. Furthermore, team-based performance is significant in shaping the potential success of the project and its overall impact (Mir et.al, 2014). In addition, any project must appoint a team leader who possess expert proficiency in a number of areas and effective leadership qualities (Muller et.al, 2010). These factors contribute to the potential for project success, given other variables that are required for consideration and evaluation (Muller et.al, 2010). Project leaders must be able to adapt effectively to change and to recognize when a project might require changes in order to achieve the desired results (Muller et.al, 2010). These factors are critical in supporting the development of new strategies to improve the work ethic and focus of team members participating in the project (Kerzner, 2014).

In the past, I managed a senior workgroup at my organization, whereby I worked other assigned team members to address common issues of importance across different divisions of the organization. This was an important project because it required a new approach to existing problems that continued to impact the group as a whole. Since a number of employees worked in close proximity in the same physical space but worked in different divisions, it was necessary to address the concerns that emerged in the project team from the initial meeting moving forward. I called the meeting in order to plan the group’s strategy over the next several months, including the identification of primary objectives. I led the initial meeting and sought feedback from team members regarding the proposed strategy. All members contributed and shared a number of ideas that would have a positive influence on the team environment. After the objectives had been identified, subsequent meetings involved the delineation of duties more closely so that all team members would actively participate in the project.

The project need was initially identified in the first group meeting and sorted out in subsequent meetings. These factors played a role in enabling all members to know their roles and responsibilities to the team in the earliest stages. Although project teams may be difficult to sustain, the team had sufficient knowledge of the project objectives to move forward. Based upon current needs, a consensus was reached regarding the direction in which to take the project moving forward.  Therefore, it was necessary write down the primary steps and to assign them to different team members in order to fulfill the desired objectives. Each team member was also responsible for measuring his or her tasks through a reporting tool that enabled team members to share their individual milestones and the notes taken during these tasks.

The project required a commitment of six months, but tasks were only required on a monthly basis, with reporting to the rest of the team in monthly meetings. This was an important opportunity to develop new strategies as necessary to address challenges that emerged during project execution. With each team meeting, the members became more comfortable with each other and sought to bounce ideas off of each other on a regular basis through an exchange of emails and in-person discussions. These factors enabled the project to succeed because its members held strong beliefs regarding how the project should be conducted and their roles in the process. Based upon these factors, there was a much greater level of cohesiveness throughout the steps of the project that enabled the team to communicate more openly and to iron out ideas more effectively. Once the project was completed, the team relied on feedback from other staff member regarding the project and whether or not its objectives were successful. In addition, members of the team also provided feedback in order to address problems that might have occurred or miscommunication that took place at any given stage.

Conclusion

Project management represents an important step in the discovery of problems that require viable and practical solutions. It is important to develop new strategies that will enable project leaders to recognize the potential instilled in team members and the issues that transpire from project inception to completion. The team leader possesses a significant responsibility to remain focused and attentive to the tasks at hand at all times, and must recognize when changes or adjustments are required to ensure that the project is completed on time. This also reflects the importance of assessing project risks and other challenges as they arise, rather than waiting until they are impossible to manage. The team leader must exhibit these qualities and support the success of the team until the project is complete.

References

Kerzner, H. R. (2014). Project Management-Best Practices: Achieving Global Excellence. 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.

Müller, R., & Turner, R. (2010). Leadership competency profiles of successful project managers. International Journal of Project Management, 28(5), 437-448.