Project Management Is the Art of Managing a Project - Essay Example

?PROJECT MANAGEMENT: - Project management is the art of managing a project in an effective and achievable way so that the objective and goals of the project are met in a timely manner bringing out the positive outcomes of the project. It includes the planning, organizing and resource management. Project management requires certain procedures, management patterns and tools for a perfect implementation of a project. The project management has certain steps involved. These steps or process includes project initiation, project control and project closure that contains numerous steps involved. However, besides all the tools, concepts and extensive planning’s, the strength of any project and businesses are the employees and workers operating in the project. The organizations have two fates, rather they go up and gains success or they vanish slowly and gradually. And the success and vice versa depends on the performance of the employees. So whether it is a small business or large firm, the quality of the employees makes it, or breaks it. Along with it the satisfaction of the employees, their performance and their motivation and rewards are the most important aspects for the successful upgrading. The leadership qualities of the project manager are the baseline of the successful project. Within a project, there stands from few to hundreds of personnel that have different attitudes and different frame of mind, so it’s all within the project manager that at the end of the project is either praised the most or humiliated, otherwise. The leadership qualities include excellent command over verbal and non verbal skills, ability to cope with the extreme situations and consistency. He should be flexible in terms of compensations and rewards, should asses the problems at what glance and must be capable of handling the situation as a boss. The project manager must have excellent convincing power and he must know that how to communicate all what is required from the employees as a work. The job description communicated adequately also defines the nature of working of the employees. Hiring the right employees is not only important but the most essential part of the project management, because these employees will be conducting all of the works and tasks required for the objectives of the project to be completed. The motivation of the employees is the very important factor in order to get the project successful. The competitive project manager knows that the motivation is the driving force of the employees and worker. The lack of motivation results in bad management and hence results in the failure of the project implementation. Lack of motivation will result in low sales, improper implementation of procedures, rise in unwanted expenses, and negligence to good work, that all contribute to ineffective management. It is always obvious when the project manager see the sales getting down or rather the target could not be achieved accordingly. The most important thing before getting to the employees is finding and getting RIGHT employees for the project. For the things get moving in the right direction, the project manager needs the right employees. And it is the part where the first success of the project lies. Another important aspect is the consideration of the employee requirement. “It is a two way handshake that becomes the arms of single body”. For the competitive employee hiring, the project must be of the same caliber. The desires, thoughts and requirements of the employees are very important. Along with the employee’s selection and recruiting, the working environment of the employees is very important. Safe and sound work environment creates ideal conditions for the employees to work properly. The employee motivation to do work according to the manager needs also lies within the other important factor which is the benefits offered. The benefits attracts the good and professional employees that latter becomes the driving force towards success. In order for the efficient workforce, the modern theory of the customer satisfaction must be taken into consideration which states that it’s not the customer, but the employee comes first. And this is the slogan by which good employee is attracted. But it’s not the one and only thing that must be kept in mind, rather there is more for a manager to see. Within a project, there must be proper interaction of the employees within themselves and most importantly with the project manager. The interaction not merely means the communications but to overcome the shortcomings and problem, to discuss what to do next, to deal with the problems effectively and to see what the outcomes of the daily proceedings and tasks. The effective interaction is also another driving force for the success of the project. Knowing when to interact, and how to interact affects the speed of the project and results in the project completion within the time frame. There are certain uncertainties and unavoidable circumstances that may create the hurdles in every project to some extent. The interaction also depends upon the nature and psychology of the manager and the team. Regarding this aspect, there must be flexibility in the program. This flexibility is in the form of time, compensation and room for employees to whatever their needs are, but only in an orderly manner. There should be conflicts as it brings up new ideas, new ways but in a way that brings up the positive outcomes. More the interaction within an organization, the earlier the conflicts is resolved, the ideas are shared, the problems are solved and the profits are maximized. The communication is the important part of the interaction that could be verbal, non verbal. The organization that is good in communication may yield a project even before the required deadline. The daily performance reports, meetings, evaluation of the daily performance and timely counseling also come under the positive interaction. The lack of proper interaction will only result in the closing up of the project even before it could have started. The communication includes the updates, that each employee should know that what are the proceedings and daily outcome of the work. Another important future prospect is the retaining of good employees even after the project. So it is all the quality of a project manager that the employee is retained to the firm. The retention of the employees also depends upon the benefits that are offered. Obviously, these benefits are dependent on the budget and the success of the previous project. Rewarding the team members and the employees are very important as it keeps all the things going even after the project. The reward is the biggest motivation for all the workers and employees. But is very important to get to know some of the following facts about the rewards that are as under:- 1. Rewarding or not rewarding? 2. Whom to reward? 3. What to reward? 4. What kind of reward? 5. How much reward? 6. When to reward? Keeping all these things in consideration, if I were to start a new project, the first thing I will do is to get enough knowledge of managing a project, the risks involved and the feasibility study. I will analyze that how the project will work and what would be the estimated project time. By defining scope of interest I will create a benchmark and objectives. I will assign the top down structure tasks for the process and product composing. A project initiation stage will define resources and time commitments, which will denote the cost required and estimated completion time. I will analyze the detailed plan of project which can take up to two to four months of time. Now I will identify the right person for the project, will recruit them and define the project structure to them. I will establish the procedures and approach that I will use in the project organization structure. Finally, in order to establish a resourced and funded project, it is necessary to establish a clear and convincing business case for the project. This business case should be reviewed, and hopefully accepted by management. I will classify the project size as Small (3 to 20 elapsed days)   Medium (1 to 3 elapsed months)   Large (4 to 9 months). Furthermore, by completing the Project Initiation Stage, the chances of a successful conclusion to the project will significantly increase. Upon completion of the Project Initiation stage I will decide with the Project Board one of two decisions:   - Go / No go for the whole project.   - Go / No go for the next stage. REFERENCES: http://dijest.com/tools/pmworkbench/pmtemplates/pmoredocs/pmprocess.htm http://project-team-rewards.com/the_reward_house.php http://www.job-interview-site.com/how-to-recruit-employees-tips-for-recruiting-employees.html http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_hiring_good_employees.php Read More