Being an Effective Project Manager - Essay Example

? In order to become an effective project manager, there are various factors that need to be taken into account. As such, this paper seeks to reflecton my personal experience as a marketing manager when I initiated a project that was meant to upgrade the customer mailing system from postal services to the use of emails. This initiative was meant to improve efficiency in the operations of the department with regards to the aspect of handling customer queries as well as processing their orders. This project meant that the company was going to shift from the traditional way of doing business through the use of postal services to electronic mail. Indeed, we managed to implement the system but this was not an easy task given that there were so many problems that were encountered right from the project initiation process up to the end. However, I realised that the success of such a project mainly depends with the leader’s capability to deal with people involved in the project in a positive manner. It is not very easy to convince people to buy the idea of a new project without explaining to them the main idea behind such an initiative. When confronted with such a situation, an effective leader ought to engage all the people who will be involved in the project so as to be in a position to gain their support towards the idea. According to Fox (2008), the most important thing when initiating a project is to ensure that there is agreement and consensus among all the stakeholders who will be involved in such a project. People often view the same thing in different ways and their opinions differ as a result of various factors. However, I realised that in order to become an effective project manager, there is need to involve all members who will execute the project so that they can be in a position to express their views and ideas freely. Mutual understanding can be created if all members of the team share the same ideas towards something. In our case, we only managed to reach consensus when we discussed the idea as a team given that some of the employees were against the idea in the first place. An idea that is shared by the majority of people in a group is likely to succeed and project leaders should be accommodative to different views suggested by other people. When the project idea has been approved and an agreement has been reached, the project manager should take a leading role in the execution of that project. However, being a leader does not mean to say that a project manager has the autonomy to dictate everything to other members involved in the project. An effective project manager is always on the ground to monitor all tasks and activities being performed by different members of the team. The manager should also be in a position to get feedback from the team members so as to be in a position to make necessary adjustments to different aspects of the work being undertaken. As a leader, I noticed that it is essential to interact with different team members so that all people involved share the same vision as stated in the project plan. All project phases have to be implemented according to schedule so as to ensure that the set goals are attainable. Effective managers carefully consider all aspects of a project and they make sure that all activities are performed according to set plans. Another very important element that determines the effectiveness of project managers is related to team communication. It is quite impossible for any project to be a success without proper communication in place. Kritzinger, Bowler & Goliath (2003) suggest that there is no project which can be a success without a good communication system in place. Basically, communication ought to be timely and it should be effective so that all people involved in the project share the same vision towards the project goals. An effective manager in this case has the responsibility of coordinating all communication initiatives and he should also make sure that open communication channels are put it place in order to ensure that he can get feedback from the project members. If there is mutual understanding among the people involved in a project, they are likely to pull their efforts towards the same direction and chances of conflicts will be minimised. Conflicts are counterproductive especially when big projects are being undertaken. People who share the same goals and objectives of the project are motivated and they are likely to put optimum performance in their operations. A project manager who uses open channels of communication is also effective given that he is in a better position to influence as well as control the behaviour of the team members involved in the work. An effective leader can also communicates effectively such that all people involved in a project are fully aware of their role expectations. There are less chances of duplication of duties if the people involved in the project are aware of the tasks they are supposed to perform. Basically, effective communication plays a significant role in determining the success or failure of a project. It is imperative for all project managers to ensure that they communicate in a clear and concise manner with other team members. The other important aspect that can determine the effectiveness of the project manager is related to teamwork. The mangers should encourage people working in groups to pull their efforts towards the same direction so that they can achieve their goals. Collective action by members of the team is very effective in as far as attainment of the set goals of the project is concerned. It is also important for the project manager to encourage people working as a team to share their ideas since this is very important with regards to generation of knowledge which can be used to improve their performance. Generation of new knowledge is very important in a project since it helps people involved in carrying out different tasks to be in a position to find solutions to the problems they may encounter in their operations. Effective project managers also encourage their team members to learn from others so that they can also generate new knowledge in their operations. The other important aspect related to project management is related to tracking and controlling of all project activities. I realised that an effective manager coordinates all the tasks involved in a project to ensure that they are properly executed so that the objectives of the project can be achieved. People who closely monitor all the processes involved in a project are able to deal with all risks that can be encountered when the project is being implemented. Necessary changes to the project schedule can also be made if the process is carefully implemented. Effective project managers also consult other people on top of them about the measures they can take in order to ensure that they remain on course of the project. From my personal experience as a project manager in the scenario described above, I realised that the success of the project mainly depends with the effectiveness of the leader. This person is capable of influencing the efforts of other people such that they can be directed towards the same direction. An effective leader persuades the people involved in the project so that they can also have the same vision towards the initiative. Effective leaders also follow a step by step approach when they are executing a particular project. All tasks are supposed to be executed according to schedule in order to ensure that the goals of the project are achieved. Group communication is also very important since it promotes mutual understanding among all team members involved in a certain project. A project which is based on mutual agreement is likely to be successful given that the efforts of all the people will be directed towards the same direction. References Fox, W. (2008). A Guide to Project Management. CT: JUT. Kritzinger, E., Bowler, A.& Goliath, D. (2003). Effective Communication: Getting the message across in business. CT: Afritech. Read More