The Perspective of Project Management - Case Study Example

Achieving Project Goals simulation MGT 437 of Phoenix Haya Al-Rabban October 8, Lanny shipley Perspective of Project Management Froma project management perspective, a project is defined as one set of activities that have a concrete starting point and finishing point. In project management, every project has a specific deadline and must be completed by that time. Project management makes use of the Work Breakdown Structure, which is like a pecking order for systems. Under the Work Breakdown Structure, a project can be divided into a number of smaller related tasks that can be planned and executed in an efficient manner (Knutson & Bitz, 1991). After a simulation is analyzed, project management can discover many aspects about the project. The first of these is that it may be possible for a project to have a concrete starting point but not a predetermined finishing point. As an example, a project to do with rehabilitating endangered animals has some unplanned risks that could delay the project from being completed. In this situation, no fixed end date would be set because it is possible that the project would yet to be completed. Although the Work Breakdown Structure breaks activities down into more manageable tasks, one downside is that some unforeseen circumstances may arise. Let’s say that a project has many problems through on each stage of execution. During the beginning stage, a project may face the difficulty of trying to fix a broken down car in the middle of the highway. In the next stage, a weather problem could prevent an airplane from landing, which would decrease its fuel. In the final stage, a project may face a problem of dealing with the heath of a newborn animal, and this may delay a project further. Therefore, every project can contain many different perspectives that derive from project management. As was mentioned above, we have now increased our knowledge about the positives and negatives of project management concerning any given problem. This background will assist in understanding all the holdups that occur in project management. In addition to this, also to be discussed are the issues that can harm the objective of a mission statement of a company. Benefits and Restrictions of Project Management Understanding the basics of project management helps companies and employees alike to make decisions based on project management techniques. Forecasting can assist in identifying results in terms of scope, scheduling, price, and quality. In summary, we can say that project management is a problem-solving technique that can be used while carrying out research methodology. The benefits of project management for any simulation are listed below: 1. Assists in recognizing and processing a cause-and-effect relationship between the results forecasted and preferred from the project. 2. Gives knowledge about proper allocation of resources at different stages of the project. 3. Simulation offers an opportunity to fix errors or avoid project failure. The restrictions of project management for any simulation are as follows: 1. Simulation does not take into account expert advice for the project. 2. Expert advice given for the simulation project may be inadequate. 3. Each project faces a shortage of time to complete it (Project Management Simulation, 2008). Foreseeing Holdups in Project Management The planning phase of project management is supposed to state what actions need to be taken, when the project will be completed, and what the expected cost will be. Detailed plans and specifications should be provided so that there is no confusion. Planning assists the project team in understanding the organization, key issues of the project, and a demonstration of commitment that leads to team collaboration. Throughout a project it should be expected that many holdups will occur. Ideally, a project manager should predict these holdups while the project is still in the planning phase so that preventions can be undertaken. Issues that have the possibility of threatening the mission statement of an organization should be checked thoroughly (Sisco, 2002). Top management should be called on to assist where possible. This can best be done through measuring the efficiency or capacity of all the project’s inputs. During the project’s planning phase, the project manager should look at all the activities watchfully. An analysis should be done by the project manager to see whether the available resources are adequate for the specific project. Negotiate with Risk and/or Time In order for a project to be completed successfully, factors such as risk and time must be treated equally by the project manager. The project manager must not give away anything with these two factors. If time is compromised, then the completion date for the project is delayed. Likewise, if risk factor is compromised, then the project will not meet the objectives that were set out at the beginning of the project. In any project, the time and risk factors must be equally important for the project manager. If the project manager gets a chance work with all the numbers, then he should compromise with risk. Every activity of the Work Breakdown Structure must be completed within a specific time period. To give an example, in the case of transporting elephants, because of the sensitive nature of this project, it must be completed on time. If there are any delays, then extra drugs would have to be given to the elephants, but there would be some negatives to this. If the elephants are given a higher dosage of drugs, then they can experience side effects. These side effects can also include death (University of Phoenix). As such, it is essential for the project manager to transport the elephants in a timely manner. In this particular situation, a compromise with time would be far more risky than compromising risk. A description of the key ideas to be considered in a simulation is included in this section. Points to be considered for evaluation are time, health, sequencing of activities, and fuel costs. Time - The Huduma Foundation wants to finish the rehabilitation project for the elephants within the required time so that no additional drugs are administered to the elephants. Health of the Elephants - Drugs given to any elephant may have some negative side effects on the health of the elephants. Sequencing the Activities - The organization uses a Work Breakdown Structure to divide its project into various related activities. These activities are needed to be arranged properly so that the project can be completed on time. Fuel cost - The organization is also concerned about fuel costs. Due to problems with trailer trucks, the organization needs to hire some more trucks, which increase fuel costs. References Knutson, J. & Bitz, I. (1991). Project Management: How to Plan and Manage Successful Projects. AMACOM Div: American Mgmt Assn. Kheir, N.A. (1996). Systems Modeling and Computer Simulation. CRC Press. Project Management Simulation. (2008). Retrieved September 10, 2008, from http://www.clarrus.com/services/pm_simulation.htm Sisco, M. (2002). "Preparation, time buffers help prevent project bottlenecks". Retrieved September 10, 2008, from http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-1044350.html University of Phoenix. Achieveing Project Goals [Computer Software]. Retrieved September 10, 2008, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, Simulation. Read More