Leadership Style and Experience - Coursework Example

Qn 1.

Respondent 1: Project management are all the tasks that are carried out to begin, control and close the work that a certain team of people has been provided with to ensure that some specific goals are met. Management of a project is very different from the usual business since it requires the one tasked with management to have some specific technical skills and strategies. Another thing is that project management often involves a onetime project as opposed to being an activity that is continuous. Also the resources that are managed within the project are both human as well as financial in nature. Project management can also be thought of as ensuring that the outcomes of a project are achieved considering cost, the schedule of the project and the specific instructions.

Respondent 2: project management is the process of applying methods, knowledge as well as skills and also experience in order to achieve the objectives that might have been set out for the project. Also project management involves providing a reason why the project might be necessary, preparing a case to provide justification for why investment should be put into the project and also ensuring that the risks and issues as well as any changes that might take place to the project occur and also looking at the way that the project is going on against the plan which has been created. Project management involves maintaining some type of communication with all the people involved in the project and also ensuring that the project is closed in a manner that is controlled when it is termed as appropriate.

Respondent 3: Project management is the task of ensuring that the changes that occur within a certain business are done in a way that is efficient within the organisation. Many businesses often achieve their set out goals by finishing projects that contribute to organisational objectives. In many instances, projects have a defined length, are characterised by many activities, people and have budgets that are fixed. Project managers take part in both planning as well as monitoring these aspects and take action to correct problems when they take place.

Qn. 2

Respondent 1: Project management is very important because it provides a scientific way of managing projects and therefore achieving the set out objectives. Project management provides a background and a clear way in which to make sure that there is a certain structure to the project. By using the methods that are found within project management, organisations can be able to have a large amount of control over the environment for the project and ensure that all the deliverables for the project are managed in a clear manner. Managers often have to deal with the challenges of ensuring that the project is on time and that it is of the highest quality and project management helps these managers to deal with an environment that is not predictable.

Respondent 2: Project management is important because it enables projects to have a large amount of success. This therefore helps to reduce risks and costs all of which are critical for an organisation that wishes to continue surviving in the present economic environment. The skills and knowledge that are found in project management help companies to make the process of delivery more efficient. This provides the chance for these companies to put in place stronger practices of project management for projects that will be carried out in the future. Organisations are therefore able to stop investing their money on projects that will in the end fail. Also project management helps a company to remain competitive since the projects always remain on course and therefore help to increase the overall value of the business.

Respondent 3: Project management is important because it provides to the team as well as the client a clear picture of the project and the results that it wishes to achieve. Also the fact that project management focuses so much on positive communication, it encourages managers to look at what it means to work with other people which creates a manager who is flexible and staff who are productive. In addition, project management brings together the need for organisations to deal with changing environment and the other need for these organisations to be structured and very organised. In this instance, project management ensures that every person has an understanding of what they are expected to do and when their work is expected to be handed in.

Qn. 3

Respondent 1:

Respondent 2

Respondent 3

Section 2: Leadership

Qn 1:

Respondent 1: Ensuring that a project becomes a success depends heavily on the manager since he is the one who has to make sure that the members of the team work in an efficient and effective manner. Good leadership ensures that things within the project the activities go on in an efficient manner while at the same time encouraging motivation among the team members. This then ensures that the success of the project is assured. Leadership is especially important during the phase of planning since the leader helps in pushing the team forward and ensuring that the members of the team and the stakeholders are able to clearly understand the needs of the project.

Respondent 2: As the project continues, leadership style will have to change and the ability that project leaders have to do this affects the success of a given project. The leadership skills that a project manager have help in creating a successful strategy for the project and ensuring that it is well implemented. For a project to be completed in an efficient manner, it requires one to be able to effectively coordinate the activities of many individuals who are taking part in tasks that are often difficult and are not as certain. The manager in this instance plays a very important role in terms of putting down the rules to be followed and creating a collaborative approach that strongly impacts on the performance of the project.

Respondent 3: The type of leader that is involved in project management plays a major role in determining how fast the tasks of the project will be finished. This is because he impacts on aspects such as planning and controlling of the project which means how fast these plans will be realised. Because a project is often a temporary activity, the leader plays a major role in ensuring that all the people involved are effectively managed. Also the project managers have a direct link on the scope of the project and by extension on aspects such as time, cost as well as quality of the project as a whole.

Qn. 2:

Respondent 1: A transformational leader will be helpful in achieving project success since this particular leader influences the rest of the team by encouraging and motivating them. These leaders provide power to those working in the project by pushing them to be independent and therefore building the confidence they have. These leaders put a large amount of passion as well as energy into every aspect of the project and care about the people who work in the team. Team members therefore feel more comfortable and are more motivated to gain success in the project.

Respondent 2: Transformational leadership is important in ensuring project success because these types of leaders focus on the people working for them. They therefore help to ensure that the objectives of the project are achieved in an efficient and effective way. Since these leaders are enthusiastic about their work, every member of the team also feels the same way and are therefore able to push themselves to succeed.

Respondent 3: Avoidant leadership is effective in achieving project success. This particular leader answers any questions that the team might have, provides information that they might need and supports the members of his team. Because he does not do a large amount of criticism, this leader helps the group to be more independent and to make the decisions on their own. This is a style that helps in the development of a positive relationship between the project manager and the team members which helps in creating a positive work environment that ensures the project is completed within the set out deadline and guidelines.

Qn. 3:

Respondent 1: One of the biggest challenges is changes in the scope of the project. This took place as a result of allowing the scope of the project to go beyond the project’s original objectives. Clients of the project and other supervisors working within the project often ask for changes to be made to the project and the project manager was not always able to make a clear evaluation of each of these requests and making the right decision on how best to implement to while at the same time ensuring that the impacts of these changes on the budget and the deadline to all of the relevant stakeholders.

Respondent 2: Contingency plans that are not clear. In this instance, it was not always clear which direction should be taken in the instance that a problem occurred. Contingency plans were not always identified which left the project constantly facing problems that were not expected. There was also no procedure that was set out to make an identification of the potential areas that could cause problems which meant that the project was not always smooth.

Respondent 3: Poor communication was the biggest challenge. Team members were not always provided with the direction that they require at every step of the project which means they did not know what was needed of them at every stage of the project and whom they should report to when they encountered problems. There was no focus on ensuring effective communication by setting out expectations of the project and ensure that feedback flowed freely between the managers of the organisation and the team leaders.

Qn. 4:

Respondent 1: As shown, changes to the scope of the project brought with it a large amount of problems in terms of ensuring effectiveness of the project. This particular problem can be addressed through ensuring that the customer and users of the project are involved in every aspect of the project right from the beginning. In addition, a thorough analysis could be made of the project and that all the relevant stakeholders are involved throughout the different phases of the project. These aspects are important since changes in scope often occur because of influences from outside which might be beyond the project manager’s control.

Respondent 2: The problem of a lack of clear contingency plans was dealt with by ensuring a systematic process of identifying as well as examining the potential risks that might be found as the project goes along. This process was brought together with a clear workflow that that was to be followed by the members of the team in the instance that a problem occurred. Evaluation of the problems was done on a continuous basis and when it was identified, every team member was encouraged to report to the project manager.

Respondent 3: The problem of poor communication in this particular instance was addressed through ensuring that the team members and the various stakeholders involved in ensuring the project was a success was the key point of the project’s activities. An effort was made to think about what the team members and the stakeholders might need and the information that will be of the most help to them. For instance when creating a status report, all the information that was considered as necessary including the aspects that were accomplished, the issues facing the project, any risks and changes that were occurring in the project.

Section three: experience

Respondent 1: I have been involved in administrative projects where I helped in installing a new system of accounting, a computer software development project where I set up a new computer program and a project where I helped in system installation where I set up a new Information Technology system in the company. I found that I was the most helpful in leading these projects because of the background that I have in information technology and how comfortable I feel when involved in projects that require a large amount of analysis.

Respondent 2: I have been involved in project dealing in new product development and research. Here I took part in examining the market trends and determining the gaps that were present in the demands from the customer. I helped in creating a new drug for treatment of asthma and another that helped in treating heart disease. I have a background in researching medicine and have always been interested in this particular area and the skills that I have been especially helpful.

Respondent 3: I have been involved in construction projects where I have led teams that have been involved in building roads and buildings. This particular project helped me to take advantage of the many years that I have spent in the construction industry and the experience that I have gained as a result of this.

Qn. 2:

Respondent 1: the thinking that experience is more important has been driven by the fact that qualifications from school are not as helpful as they used to be. As much as passing an examination for certification can show that one is able to provide the answers that are expected by the examiner but experience enables the project manager to determine what was done right and what failed in other instances that might be the same as the present project being done.

Respondent 2: Most people believe that experience is important because of the thought that simply passing popular project management qualifications will automatically mean that one is a good project manager. Experience presents the manager with a number of soft skills including in areas touching on communication, being assertive and negotiation which are essential in ensuring that all the team members and stakeholders of the project are able to come together to achieve success.

Respondent 3: The thought regarding leadership experience has been pushed by thinking that while having certifications is important, the knowledge as well as experience that a project manager have are critical. Experience teaches the project manager a number of things including how best to manage the team and ensure that it achieves the success that the project needs.

Qn. 3:

Respondent 1: Experience helps in strengthening the skills that a project manager has in areas of decision making. More experienced managers will often have a better time staying focused on the potential difficulties that the project might face. These managers are able to see problems that are present within the project plan and gather the right data that is helpful in the instance that a decision is needed. Experience also provides the chance for project managers to have a clear understanding of what exactly every member of the team needs to do. This is an especially important skill when making an analysis of the impact that a decision has on the project itself. Consequences that are not seen can have a negative impact on the progress of a project and therefore a manager who is more experienced has the opportunity to be able to plan ahead and deal with the possibilities of these challenges occurring. Also having experience means that the project manager is better able to understand his key resources. For instance an experiences software project manager will be in a position to determine whether the developers being used are good and to find out how best to correct the situation if the developer does not present the outcomes that he said he would.

Respondent 2: Experience enables a project manager to learn the right communication skills which are especially important when ensuring that the project achieves the right amount of success when it comes to achieving its objectives. Even though having project management certification is critical, experience provides the project manager with the chance to ensure that complex projects come to conclusions that are successful. Experience allows the chance for the project manager to bring together a team that is made up of diverse individuals including employees and also contractors, some of whom might come from organisations that are different and ensure that they come up with results of the project that can be measured. Experienced project managers are able to lead in a courageous manner, are also able to motivate other members of the team and act with a focus in mind. An experienced leader is able to make decisions even when the data presented to him is not complete. Any decision that is important for the project needs to link both the practical and creative parts and experience provides the chance for any changes that might occur in scope are dealt with in a creative manner that saves both time and money. Practical experience enables the project manager to determine where potential problems might occur and whether the project will be acceptable once it is completed.

Respondent 3: Experience is a critical aspect in determining project success especially for projects that have large teams, a wide range of stakeholders and different users. Experienced leaders are able to give strong, logical reasons as well as suggestions and win support for their ideas not only within the project but also within the community of stakeholders. These leaders are also able to negotiate in a persuasive manner and ensure that when aspects that will cause a change in the scope occur, that they will be efficiently solved. Experience also ensures that the entire team focuses on the goals of the project and does not let any outside distractions get in the way of this. This might include being flexible enough to take part in negotiation for solutions that continue to drive the key goal of the project’s success. Aside from the basic aspects that come with managing of the project’s schedule, its budget and setting up meetings, an experienced leader will be able to add value to the team and subsequently ensure that everything moves in the right direction.