Project Management Critical Issues, Essay Example

Introduction

The success of the management in any project depends on the degree of coordination, sharing the set goals, the level of motivation and communication. The managers in these projects must be keen in interacting with internal managers and the external partners so as to achieve their important objectives in the project. The responsibility of the project managers includes identification of project requirements, setting goals that are achievable and matching the outcomes of the project to the stakeholders concerns. Successful organization, execution as well as controlling of the project while leaving the performing organization intact are the critical success factors that the project manager should be keen to achieve. The manager has the duty to win the goodwill of entire stakeholder and this is associated with some challenges (Gray & Larson, 2011).

Critical issues that affect the success of a project

Planning is one of the most important challenges that project managers face. All participants must be made aware of the right direction of the project through a detailed plan. This is the tool that documents the milestone of the project as well as their deliverables. The plan also gives a valid timescale that is also realistic, thus keeping the team members focused and informed on the progress of the project. Proper planning is therefore a vital success factor in any project that should be addressed by project managers (Gray & Larson, 2011).

Team members in any project must be adequately motivated and this is also a critical challenge to the project managers. The capability of the project manager to address the challenge of team motivation leads to a significant achievement in terms of budget as well as time in the project Team motivation is achieved through engaging the members in all stages of the project, decision making and communication (Gray & Larson, 2011).

Management of risk is also a critical issue that affects the success of a project. It is the duty of project managers to come up with a valid risk log coupled with an effective action plan that will facilitate in the minimization of risk in the project. Taking firm decisions and saying no when necessary is an important consideration for the project managers in the course of making decisions. The finite life of the project should be respected by the managers. Project closure is an important consideration whose failure results to unnecessary consumption of resources. Managers should therefore be skilled in meeting the anticipated closure time in any project. The expiry of the finite time of the project should come with a strong conviction to the stakeholders that all relevant critical success factors have been met (Gray & Larson, 2011). The clients must be involved in this decision and they can be given satisfaction survey forms to fill and their response is vital in the improvement of future projects

Conclusions

The competence of any project manager is determined by potential ability to address the various critical issues that affect the success of a project. The manager must be able to apply some of the techniques mentioned in this document so that the common problems associated with project implementation are avoided. Effective communication with the stakeholders in the project is very vital in addressing the various challenges facing any project.

References

Gray, C. F., & Larson, E. W. (2011). Project management: The managerial process, 5^th Ed. NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.