Teamwork through Project Management - Term Paper Example

Plan/Paper for Project Management

Introduction

In the recent years, the government has been unable to cut the Federal deficits that keep turning up every time the government comes up with the Federal budget. Federal deficits have been a menace to the Federal government of America. In fact, year after year, the Federal deficit keeps on piling up and according to the video, it has hit the trillion mark and it does seem like the deficit will be reducing anytime soon. As such, the project management that will be put in place will seek to ensure that, the problem is dealt with, and the deficit is cut considerably after a certain period. Federal deficits occur when the governments put down a budget plan but spend more than it saves on the budget. The added expenditure by the government is mostly funded by borrowings. Both the republican government and the Democrat governments have been unable to cope with the issue because it has been based on politics rather than on the available economic information.

First and foremost, the project team will be formed under executive orders, and it is more likely that the team will still be around even if the government changes. As such, the project deal will not be worried about losing their sites when the next general elections come calling. Secondly, it is more likely that the project management team will be made of professional who are competent in what they do and as such, they will be able to look at the issue in a professional point of view, and their decisions will mainly be informed decisions. The problem with the traditional hierarchy of governance is that as much as they had policies, their actions on the policies were limited to their political needs. On the same note, their advice came direct from their political circles, so it was hard to have professional reviews of ideas. The project management team will appreciate the problem at hand and seek to use their professional skills to be able to handle the problem. Teamwork will be fostered through project management.

The Goals of the Project

First and foremost the project should come up with a way that ensures that Federal deficit is reduced considerably. The main reason that the office is being put to place is to see if the office can have or come up with better alternatives than the one offered by the traditional government on ways to reduce the Federal deficit. As such, it is vital that the first goal of the formulated office is to make sure then it comes up with policies that will ensure that the deficit is reduced and in the long term, the deficit is eliminated and in its place, there will be Federal surpluses. Secondly, the other goal that the office should have is coming up with a strategic plan that explains the ways and techniques to put in place to maintain a Federal surplus. After the office has come up with ways of reducing and finally getting rid of the deficits, it should also come up with ways of ensuring that, the surplus is maintained, and such deficits are avoided. The project management office will also seek to make sure that the government budgets and spends what it has in hand. The main reason the deficit may be appearing may be due to the fact the government decides to spend more than it has and as such, it has to fund the rest of the budget via borrowing. Borrowing this, next year and the following year finally accumulates the deficit to a point where the government has no clear clue on how to handle the deficit. As such, the office should come up with policies that ensure that government spends what it has and not a dime more than required.

The project leader will have to be a person that has shown that they can meet deadlines for a short period and under pressure. As much as the project is a long-term project since it may require certain long terms aspects, there has to be the achievement of short-term goals that will indicate that the long-term goals are within the reach of the project team. As such, the manager should be a person who can meet deadlines and is known to work under pressure and achieve results. The project leader must be a leader of high integrity. The leader must be able to call for a commitment from the team and at the same time keep track of the goals and objectives of the project. On the same note, as stated earlier politics has been a major reason why the government has failed in dealing with the issue of deficits. A leader of high integrity will ensure that they are not swayed by political views or political influence. Lastly, the leader should also be competent and experienced. The leader must have a prior experience and knowledge in project management and must have had results that are seen by other people. They also must be competent in their work and have abilities that are required for effective project management. Recruitment would be done on a national scale. Requirements will be made available, and those who feel like they meet the requirements will send their names and qualifications. The best five will be chosen from which the best candidate will be selected after an interview and recommendations from the Congress.

Individuals who can Share the Goals of the Organization

In this case, the organization is the government and the people of America. Individuals who are aware of the needs of the people and the government at large concerning the deficit should be selected. Secondly, people who not only work hard but also work smart. The situation now requires people who are smart enough and can know how to work better to achieve the goals of the project. Additionally, the individuals should have the necessary skills that are required to be able to perform their jobs effectively, and they should not just be competent, but competent enough to handle the requirements of the project. Lastly, individuals who are recruited in the project management office should have the ability to make things happen. In that, they should be individuals who can take initiative and not wait to be supervised or instructed.

Steps to Achieve the Goals

First steps are the recruitment of the required individuals in the project management office. The individuals will make it possible to achieve the desired goals. The first goal is a reduction of the deficit. For the deficit to reduce, then the team will have to come up with different policies from the one that the government uses and do not seem to be working. The policies must be policies that seek to reduce the expenditure of the government, increase the savings of the government or increase earnings made by the government. The three strategies will ensure that the deficit is reduced. The team also aims at ensuring that it provides ways of ensuring that the deficit is reduced, gotten rid of and in its place the government achieves surpluses. The first step in achieving the second goal is ensuring that the first goal is achieved. Through the reduction of the deficit, eventually, the deficit will be zero. When the deficit is zero, then the team will come up with a way of reducing government borrowing and increasing on government savings to maintain the status quo or improve the status. The last goal is the one can be achieved within a period of six months. The goal is to ensure that the government spends what it has and not a dime more than it has in its reserves. This is the first step to making sure that there is a policy in place that limits the government expenditure unless it is a certified national disaster. However, in that regard, there will be enough funds set aside for calamities that will seek to ensure the government does spend more on the pretense of national calamities. On the same note, the budget of the Federal government should be reflective on the available funds and there should not be planned expenditure whose funds are not available or are contingent on some non-foreseeable factors.

The third goal will be the first goal to achieve as it has a short time limit. As such, after the achievement of the third goal and practices are put in place to ensure that the achievements of the goal are not derailed by other factors, the focus will now be on the achievement of reduction of the deficits. Modifications will be put in place since if the third goal is achieved, then it will be easy to achieve the main goal of the project team which is to reduce and finally get rid of the deficit. The team will now be able to focus on one goal and thus its achievement will be easy, and there will be an increase in efficiency since the whole team will now focus on one particular aspect. The second goal is dependent on the achievement of the first goal.

Project Constraint and Limitations

Political Constraints

According to the video, politics played a major role in reducing the Federal surplus that was there before the year 2000 into a deficit. As such, politics will play a role in ensuring that the project team achieves its goals. As much as the team will be set off in a less political setting, its roots are political since it will be formed directly by the president. As such, the president and the advisers may have a say in the day to day running of the business. Political constraints in this context are similar to the client constraint in ordinary project management. Client constraints arise when the client’s needs are seen not to be met the project or the client needs the project to go at the pace they want, or they give specifications so achievement of the goals may be derailed due to constant changes in specifications (Hwan and Tang, 340). Secondly, there is budget constraint the project may also face. One thing to note is the fact that the formulation of the project office also adds to the government expenditure. And since, the government may want to reduce on expenditure; they will cut the cost that they may have initially wanted to spend on the project. Additionally, the project may demand a lot of funding since the achievement of the goals may depend on conducting empirical studies, meta-analyses, and research that will be expensive. The budget may not be enough to cater for all the financial needs of the project. A project that has budget constraints will take more time than expected to complete (Young, 56). The project goals are achievable, but it will take the team some time to achieve the first and second goal. As such they cannot be achieved in the first or second year. However, signs of their achievement will be reflected in the short run. The third goal, however, will be achieved within the first 180 days of operations as it requires formulation of policies that will curb government expenditure.

We will set plans for ourselves that includes performance objectives. The performance objectives will serve as a way of reviewing the extent we have come to achieving the goals of the project. The more we achieve our short-term objectives, the more the progress we make in achieving overall goals. Secondly, I will perform tests on three months interval to analyze the progress of the project and if in any way there are aspects of the projects that are swaying away from the main goals of the project. In the case of such cases, I will ensure that the aspects are brought back in line since failure will cause stagnation in the project. On the same note, there will be job specifications for the project with each having a supervisor. The supervisors will deliver weekly reports on the progress of their different departments. Hence, it will be easy to notice any functional defect and correct it in due time.

The proposal is imperative in achieving the best results for the project. The first start of the plan is the formulation of the goals. The goals set a framework that will be followed to the achievement of the different objectives. The recruitment process follows. After the goals have been established, the right people that will help in the achievement of the goals are selected in the project. After they have been recruited, they will get to work to achieve the short term goal followed by the long term goals. Constant reviews and check-ups will be done to make sure that the project is on the right track.

Recommendations

The first recommendation is for the government stakeholders. The government will be of great help in ensuring that the project meets its objectives. They will fund the project and will also be involved in ensuring the project follows the given time frame. However, the government should not use its powers to influence the work that we as the project management team will be doing. The more the client tries to influence the actions of the project team, the harder they make for the team to be able to meet their deadlines and achieve their personal goals (Lock, 36). Secondly, after the team achieves its goals, it will now be obsolete. However, the government and the Congress should decide to use the project team as a transitory body and form a team that will seek to ensure that the policies of the government are in line with maintaining the same line of the policies that have been set by the project team. Additionally, as much as the government may be aiming at using the less cost to fund the project; it should not set limits as the achievement of the project will be beneficial in the long run. A successful project depends on the ability of the budget to meet its needs (Mir and Pinnington, 210).