Simulation, Achieving Project Goals - Essay Example

In the business world companies embark in various activities internally and externally that require special attention. In order to properly manage these activities companies many times formulated project teams. Project management is an organizational management system that assigns employees to specific project teams when special projects are contracted and then reassigns them back to the organization once the project is completed (Answers, 2009). The organization that regulates and sets standards for the profession is the Project Management Institute. In order to better understand the principles of project management the simulation Achieving Project Goals was studied. This paper summarizes the simulation and provides analysis of project management concepts and applications. The simulation showcased a company called the Huduma Foundation whose goal is to preserve wildlife by rescuing and rehabilitating wild life in the national parks of Kandivar. During the simulation the project at hand require the transfer of eight elephants from one park to another. The application of sound project management techniques enabled the managers the ability to complete the projects and deal with different contingencies that turn up during the course of business. I learned that its is essential to have a plan of action in place at all stages of the project in which the risk and benefits associated with the event are considered. During the second stage of the simulation the project manager was faced with different alternative solutions to deal with a problem concerning the transfer of the elephants. As the PM was evaluating the different options new information was provided concerning the availability of military assistance. The new contingency created a new path that allowed for an optimal solution. A project manager always has to stay analyzed all information and react to any new trends that can affect project implementation. During the course of the simulation the concepts of project management guided the Huduma team by providing a sound plan to complete the mission. The advantages of project management techniques included having an actual plan that provides both pros and cons of each alternative route. This plan must considered both risk and time as critical success factors. The risk must be minimized, while the time schedule must be optimize in order to meet the deadlines. When choosing between risk and time a project manager should prioritize the minimization of risk over time constraints since risk that cause a project to default, while time usually only delays the delivery date. In the simulation time was extremely critical because the project team was dealing with aviation logistics. The major risk that had to be prevented dealt with the well being and health of the animals being transferred. Some of the limitations I noticed during the simulation concerning project management in this particular application were that the Huduma team lacked statistical data to forecast the different potential outcomes. There was insufficient data concerning the cost associated with the different elements. In reality the priority for the project manager were timely completion and the well-being of the animals. In order to anticipate bottlenecks a project manager has to forecast the different scenarios and potential outcomes in order to create many potential contingencies that could occur during each state of the project. Dividing a project in sections or stages simplifies the process. The project manager must have created different scenarios to create various options and implementation plan depending on what occurs. It is important to have good communication between all team members. The Huduma Foundation had help from governmental agencies and other private entities which help the organization meet its goals. During the course of the project there were different team members in place at the different location who had specific instruction on how to proceed with the transfer of the animals. They also had alternative plans in place to deal with the different constraints or contingencies that could appear that may affect the completion of the project. The Achieving Project Goals simulation demonstrated various project management concepts that have been studied during the course. A concept that is very critical for success completion of a project which was showcased in the first stage of the simulation is work breakdown structures (WBS). Work breakdown structures involve dividing the work into small work elements. The creation of a WBS allows a project manager to perform a risk-benefit analysis of the different stages of a project. In order to better plan the progress of the project and the way to achieve optimal performance a project management must consider the critical path . The critical path consists of all those activities with slack less than or equal to a specific value usually zero; it is the longest path through the project (Achieving Project Goals Simulation, 2009). A concept that was very useful in analyzing the effectiveness of the progress being performed is the project timeline. A project manager can compare the actual progress with the project timeline in order to determine if the project is running smoothly without any delays. Another tool utilized during the project was the project network which can be used for planning, scheduling, and monitoring purposes. Project management is specialized application of management that helps corporations achieve their goals by allowed a team of workers to work independently on a series of tasks that composed a project. The applications of project management techniques increase the chances of achieving a successful completion of a project. Two variables that must be considered by the project manager at all times are risk and time. Risk must the minimized, while time must be optimized to meet the project deadlines. I learned in the simulation that sometimes things in a project do go as plan and that if this occurs a project manager will only be useful if the person had contingencies plans in place to deal with these types of situations. In today’s fast changing and complex business world project teams provide the advantage of being able to attack a problem directly without bureaucracy affecting or slowing down the process. The field project management is very exciting and there are many job opportunities for people that educate themselves in this specialized area of management. References Achieving Project Goals Simulation (2009). University of Phoenix. Retrieved July 18, 2009 from http://ecampus.phoenix.edu Answers.com (2009). Project Management. July 21, 2009 from http://www.answers.com/topic/project-management Read More