The Role of Project Management in Achieving Project Success, Article Review Example

Introduction

Project management is the process of defining the ways by which a team or a person is in need of following in order to support the desire of completing a project that has been set to be finished within a specific span of time [or within a designated deadline]. Relatively, this process is embraced by organizations across the nation in order to create positive changes in the ways by which they operate for the sake of achieving more goals. This approach allows them to embrace better chances of improving their business concept; one that is designed to bring the organization into a much higher course of development. Practically, these achievements, when successfully handled through proper management strategies would become a good sense of source of established development later on. This is the reason why in the article “The Role of Project Management in Achieving Project Success” (Munns, et al, 1996), a concentration on the overall success of a project that depends on the management that is taken into account in order to establish a good form of achievement is further defined for better application in actual situations.

In this article, the author explores considerations on how project management is taken into account by project managers and how they become more effective in creating a distinct sense of development on how to treat team members. This article gives a definite pathway that project managers follow in order to assure their success in the projects they undertake. The article further points out how practical options of management help out well in making a more efficient way of allowing everyone take their piece of the work, allowing them to contribute to the success hoped to be achieved by the team (Kousholt, 2007).

Research Theme

What makes project management the perfect tool to achieve company projects? What do the strategic forms of project management provide for those aiming to adhere to its basic factors of foundation thus making a distinct form of change and advancement to the overall status of the organization and that of its people? These questions are among the most important considerations given attention to in the article. Considerably, these questions present a compelling assumption on how the concept of project management ought to be fully recognized based on. Aiming to identify clearly the separation between what project and project management is about; this article provides a clear vision of how individuals involved in these concepts of management are able to take on the challenge of utilizing assets efficiently to bring forth good organizational results.

The benefits of knowing what these two concepts are in a separate understanding creates a solid background that determines how proper research helps in assuming how project management basics help out in determining the completion of a project. Project, as explored in this article is the goal that determines the worth or the value of the formed teams established to reach such a desired outcome. The goal in itself is the one that identifies the real worth of the procedures that the team undergoes which is noted as the project management. In a way, project is noun while project management is the verb that requires determinable action from particular individuals who are to be involved in the process.

Projects are usually set by administrators. They are usually established goals or outcomes that come with deadlines and a specific span of time for completion. Administrators of organizations give teams of workers dedicated to accomplish such goals the ample resources they need in order to come up with viable procedures that could help them reach towards their aim. Noticeably, a particular organization may have more than one project at a time; and likely, there is one team assigned to one project-completion accordingly. Most likely, the resources allotted for each team include time and money while the expected result ought to be accomplished with high quality considered (Hamilton, 2004).

In teams, there are project managers standing as leaders in completing the tasks assigned to be accomplished by the team. This is where project management comes in. At the beginning of the procedural approach towards completing the project, a project manager comes up with the blueprint of planned activities and assignments that ought to be followed by the team. Consistently handling the need to assign tasks to the right people who complement the expectations from each role makes the perfect foundation for the function of each team member. As the right people are set with the right assignments, scheduling of activities come into place. The need to reach the deadline is necessary. Every project has its maturing date and this ought to put the project managers at an alert especially as to how the goal is reached within the given span of time (Kendrick, 2013). Consistently following the schedule is necessary; nevertheless, because of natural human error, project managers also take note of possibilities when schedules might not take the path they are expected to take; hence, alternative considerations ought to be established.

In project management, a specifically important part of consideration is the process of risk management. With human variable taking a huge value of the project, it is expected that project managers seek to oversee the operations while foreseeing particular anomalies along the way (Cleland, et al, 2006). Being able to do this helps reduce the resulting imbalances in the process hence making a distinct assumption on how developmental procedures could help out in alleviating the situations. This accounts for creating alternate routes that are assured to shield the whole plan from falling apart as well as aiding the team on how they are supposed to face the twists of events while retaining their vision on the goal being reached.

In this particular theme of the article, the authors were able to capture the distinguished roles of projects and project management operations in an organization. Relatively, the authors were able to clearly define the separation of these two concepts of elemental understanding in business while also creating a distinct picture on how each of them are vital in determining an organization’s growth. With examples used to define the path of project management in some organizations and how specific projects made it easier for these organization to reach the goal of expansion and development, the article was able to pin point the real meaning of project and project management in a more direct concept.

Presentation of Facts

The characterization of projects has been fully given attention within the context of the discussion. The authors felt that the need to do so establishes the overall distinction on how dependable projects ought to establish the growth plan of an organization. It indicates as well that when it comes to growth patterns, there are different projects that ought to be completed along the way. Through completing each project successfully, the organization takes a step-by-step procedure in determining how it is likely to embrace its primary goal of expanding further. Each project has a specific value to the organization and has a specific cause for existence and pursuance. Hence, to note, the authors provided particular key characteristics of what a project should be about and what it should be based upon.

Among the key characteristics of a good project the authors specified include being realistic. Being realistic basically involves reachable goals that are guarded by time. What can the assigned team accomplish within the given time and the assigned resources? A project that has unrealistic goals outlines failure at the beginning of its pursuance. A good project is also characterized by assumptive forms of development that the team working on it ought to accomplish along the way. These bits of developments accounts for the overall success of the project itself. These target developments shall be used as guiding milestones that the team members could use to measure where they are already in the progress pattern they need to follow in order to reach the goal that has been set for them to attain.

As for project management, the article insights on two particular elements that makes up a successful pattern of project management; one is focused leadership and another is cooperative camaraderie among team members. The project managers see the whole team as one unit of diversified individuals whose individual capacities has a strong bearing on how the project itself would turn out to be. Hence, as leaders, project managers ought to see the worth of each person based on what he could give for the project; aiming to take on the capacity of each individual to the fullest, the project managers are motivated to list down capacities and limitations of each member to assure that they are given an assignment that they can accomplish. Each team member ought to complement the other; no person can do everything and no individual ought to be considered to not be able to do anything at all either. Every individual has a separate form of role that can be undertaken with full scope of control and reliable distinction on how extensive developments in the organization could be embraced further. Hence, in determining what one person can do within a project’s scope of accomplishments, the project manager has the assigned task of assuring that each individual is given the right assignment which he can fully accomplish and that every member of the team ought to support each other in reaching the overall goal for the whole project.

The separation of distinct definition between project and project management in this article basically clarifies how successful projects are designed and how good project managers create the perfect project management blueprint that serves as the tool for success. Organizations rely heavily on these two elements of growth and progress. Hence, it is pointed out in the article that giving attention to both elements of success is key towards creating a more conducive environment among people working within the organization (Munns, 1996). The projects created to be the basis of step-by-step procedures towards gaining a larger scope of organizational success ought to give proper motivation for everyone else to work with the way they could contribute to the growth that is being aimed for. The involvement of project management strategies in the picture serves as the bridge between projects and the aimed business success.

Writing Critique

The writing in itself, as presented by the authors is authoritative enough. It creates a more workable pattern of understanding on how organizations thrive in the success of smaller projects that make up the desire of the organization to embrace development as part of the culture that the business takes into full account. What was distinctively noticeable of the writing process that the authors took in consideration with the whole context of the discussion is that the definitions were simple and direct. There was no detection of the authors going around the bush at any point, as if trying to impress the reader. Instead, the authors were certain with the desire to inform and educate their readers about the facts behind the difference of projects from project management basics.

Detecting the common errors of perception that most people have when it comes to measuring the difference between project and project management, the presentation of the authors of this article were strong enough to distinguish the differences between the said elements; this was something that made the presentation more extensive and applicable in actual situations that organizations face at present. Remarkably, the information posted through the article creates a perfect vision on how proper project management applied at the right time and the right approach creates a more convincing power that determines the overall capacity of the teams to follow through a distinguished pattern of activities that will showcase their skills and talents towards reaching a particular goal for the sake of the organization’s overall success. In a way, the article shows that proper project management operations as led by the project managers provide benefit of growth not only to the organization but also to those who are individually working towards the said goal.

New Lessons Learned

What was new about this article was that it defined the confusion that most individuals have towards the real meaning of project and project management. While doing such point of definition, the data provided in the research was also effective enough in drawing the line regarding the separation of value among such elements of organizational progress. Strategies that were notably considered effective in creating workable project management operations also give a brighter vision on how good project management could be adapted by project managers especially as they take on the challenge of dealing with diversified individuals to be led and assisted to perform at their best within a specific deadline to follow through. Utilizing charts and work-breakdown systems provided a better distinction on how systematic project management procedures could actually be fully undergone.

Reflection on Research Theme

Success is attainable; and this goes beyond company projects. This article has given me a practical source of confidence that I can competently complete my projects especially if I adapt a good system of project management today. What specifically spoke to me was that of the need to be realistic in creating projects; knowing my limitations and my strengths, I should not expect from myself when it comes to matters I know I have no capacity of achieving. Remaining realistic means sticking o what I can do and working to improve on those that are not a part of my expertise. Following this pattern of attitudinal change in myself shall help me out in carrying out further adjustments as I engage in team-defined activities later on [both in academics and as I step in to the professional world].

Recommendations

While the presentation itself could already be considered complete and properly concentrated on a focused topic, it is highly recommended that it adds up on the actual examples that give a much more workable value for the whole research itself. The sense of practical application on this matter could further determine the real worth of the article for the sake of business defined goals as well as for personal levels of application. Other than this, the article could already be considered a strong presentation of the facts that its authors hoped to share with the readers.

References

Munns, AK and Bjeirmi, BF. (1996). The role of project management in achieving project success. International Journal of Project Management Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 81-87.

Cleland, David I.  and Roland Gareis (2006). Global Project Management Handbook. “Chapter 1: “The evolution of project management“. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006.

Hamilton, Albert (2004). Handbook of Project Management Procedures. TTL Publishing, Ltd.

Kendrick, Tom. (2013). The Project Management Tool Kit: 100 Tips and Techniques for Getting the Job Done Right, Third Edition. AMACOM Books.

Kousholt, Bjarne (2007). Project Management – Theory and practice. Nyt Teknisk Forlag.