project

Assignment 1

Deadline: 05/March/2020 @ 23:59

For Instructor’s Use only

Instructions – PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY

· The Assignment must be submitted on Blackboard (WORD format only) via allocated folder.

· Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted.

· Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented, marks may be reduced for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page.

· Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.

· Late submission will NOT be accepted.

· Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.

· All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) font. No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).

· Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.

ASSIGNMENT-1

Project Management (MGT323)

Second Semester (2019-2020)

Assignment Workload:

· This Assignment consists of an Essay.

· Assignment is to be submit by each student individually.

Assignment Purposes/Learning Outcomes:

After completion of Assignment-1 students will able to understand the

Demonstrate a deep understanding of project management concepts and theories as well as approaches to project management. (LO-1.1)

Demonstrate an understanding of the project planning process. (LO-1.6)

Assignment Regulation:

· All students are encouraged to use their own words.

· Student must apply “Times New Roman Font” with double space within their reports.

· The attached cover-page has to be used, duly filled. Submissions without the cover page will NOT be accepted

· A mark of zero will be given for any submission that includes copying from other resource without referencing it.

· Assignment -1 should be submitted on or before the end of Week-07.

· If the assignment shows more than 25% plagiarism, the students would be graded zero.

Assignment Structure:

Assignment-1

Essay:

What is Project Management, and what are the requirements for an individual to become a successful project manager? Please refer textbook chapter-4 page no. 142-143 and write an essay with all characteristics a project manager should possess. Use APA style and review 3 or more peer-reviewed journals to support your answer. This essay must be at least 1000-words in length.

· Due date for the submission of Assignment-1:

· Assignment-1 should be posted in the Black Board by end of Week-4.

· The due date for the submission of Assignment-1 is end of 7th Week.

Answer:

In order to understand project management, one must begin with the

definition of a project. A project can be considered to be any series of

activities and tasks that Have a specific objective to be completed within certain specifications Have defined start and end dates

Have funding limits (if applicable)Consume human and nonhuman resources (i.e., money, people, equipment) Are multifunctional (i.e., cut across several functional lines)

Project management can mean different things to different people. Quite often, people

misunderstand the concept because they have ongoing projects within their company and

feel that they are using project management to control these activities. In such a case, the

following might be considered an appropriate definition Project management is the art of creating the illusion that any outcome is the result of a series of predetermined, deliberate acts when, in fact, it was dumb luck.

Although this might be the way that some companies are running their projects, this is

not project management. Project management is designed to make better use of existing

resources by getting work to flow horizontally as well as vertically within the company. This

approach does not really destroy the vertical, bureaucratic flow of work but simply requires

that line organizations talk to one another horizontally so work will be accomplished more

smoothly throughout the organization. The vertical flow of work is still the responsibility of

the line managers. The horizontal flow of work is the responsibility of the project managers,

and their primary effort is to communicate and coordinate activities horizontally between the

line organizations. many companies are structured. There are

always “class or prestige” gaps between various levels of management.

There are also functional gaps between working units of the organization.

If we superimpose the management gaps on top of the functional gaps, we find that com-

panies are made up of small operational islands that refuse to communicate with one

another for fear that giving up information may strengthen their opponents. The project

manager’s responsibility is to get these islands to communicate cross-functionally toward

common goals and objectives. The following would be an overview definition of project management:

Project management is the planning, organizing, directing, and controlling of

company resources for a relatively short-term objective that has been established

to complete specific goals and objectives. Furthermore, project management uti-lizes the systems approach to management by having functional personnel Project management, on the other hand, involves five process groups as identified in

he Project initiation Selection of the best project given resource limits Recognizing the benefits of the project Preparation of the documents to sanction the project Assigning of the project manager Project planning Definition of the work requirements Definition of the quality and quantity of work

Definition of the resources needed Scheduling the activities Evaluation of the various risks Project execution Negotiating for the project team members Directing and managing the work Working with the team members to help them improve

Project monitoring and control Tracking progress Comparing actual outcome to predicted outcome Analyzing variances and impacts

Making adjustments Project closure Verifying that all of the work has been accomplished

Contractual closure of the contract Financial closure of the charge numbers

Administrative closure of the papework

Successful project management can then be defined as having achieved the project

objectives: Within time, Within cost, At the desired performance/technology level , While utilizing the assigned resources effectively and efficiently

, Accepted by the customer

The potential benefits from project management are: Identification of functional responsibilities to ensure that all activities are

accounted for, regardless of personnel turnover Minimizing the need for continuous reporting Identification of time limits for scheduling Identification of a methodology for trade-off analysis

Measurement of accomplishment against plans

● Early identification of problems so that corrective action may follow

● Improved estimating capability for future planning

● Knowing when objectives cannot be met or will be exceeded

Unfortunately, the benefits cannot be achieved without overcoming obstacles such as:

● Project complexity

● Customer’s special requirements and scope changes

● Organizational restructuring

● Project risks

● Changes in technology

● Forward planning and prices

Successful project management, regardless of the organizational structure, is

only as good as the individuals and leaders who are managing the key func-

tions. Project management is not a one-person operation; it requires a group

of individuals dedicated to the achievement of a specific goal. Project man-

agement includes:

● A project manager

● An assistant project manager

● A project (home) office

● A project team

Generally, project office personnel are assigned full-time to the project and work out of the project office,

whereas the project team members work out of the functional units and may spend only a small percentage

of their time on the project. Normally, project office personnel report directly to the project manager, but they

may still be solid to their line function just for administrative control. A project office usually is not required

on small projects, and sometimes the project can be accomplished by just one person who may fill all of the

project office positions.

To understand the problems that occur during staffing, we must first inves-

tigate the characteristics of project management, including the project

environment, the project management process, and the project manager.

Two major kinds of problems are related to the project environment:

personnel performance problems and personnel policy problems. Performance is difficult

for many individuals in the project environment because it represents a change in the way

of doing business. Individuals, regardless of how competent they are, find it difficult to

adapt continually to a changing situation in which they report to multiple managers.

On the other hand, many individuals thrive on temporary assignments because it gives

them a “chance for glory.” Unfortunately, some employees might consider the chance for

glory more important than the project. For example, an employee may pay no attention to

the instructions of the project manager and instead perform the task his own way. In this

situation, the employee wants only to be recognized as an achiever and really does not care

if the project is a success or failure, as long as he still has a functional home to return to

where he will be identified as an achiever with good ideas.

The second major performance problem lies in the project–functional interface, where

an individual suddenly finds himself reporting to two bosses, the functional manager and the

project manager. If the functional manager and the project manager are in agreement about

the work to be accomplished, then performance may not be hampered. But if conflictingdirections are received, then the individual may let his performance suffer because of his

compromising position. In this case, the employee will “bend” in the direction of the man-

ager who controls his purse strings.

Personnel policy problems can create havoc in an organization, especially if the “grass is

greener” in a project environment than in the functional environment. Functional organiza-

tions normally specify grades and salaries for employees. Project offices, on the other hand,

have no such requirements and can promote and pay according to achievement. The difficulty

here is that one can distinguish between employees in grades 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 in a line orga-

nization, whereas for a project manager the distinction might appear only in the size of the

project or the amount of responsibility. Bonuses are also easier to obtain in the project office

but may create conflict and jealousy between the horizontal and vertical elements.

Because each project is different, the project management process allows each project

to have its own policies, procedures, rules, and standards, provided they fall within broad

company guidelines. Each project must be recognized as a project by top management so

that the project manager has the delegated authority necessary to enforce the policies, pro-

cedures, rules, and standards.

Project management is successful only if the project manager and his team are totally

dedicated to the successful completion of the project. This requires each team member of

the project team and office to have a good understanding of the fundamental project

requirements, which include:

● Customer liaison

● Project direction

● Project planning

● Project control

● Project evaluation

● Project reporting

Ultimately, the person with the greatest influence during the staffing phase is the

project manager. The personal attributes and abilities of project managers will either attract

or deter highly desirable individuals. Basic characteristics include:

● Honesty and integrity

● Understanding of personnel problems

● Understanding of project technology

● Business management competence

● Management principles

● Communications

● Alertness and quickness

● Versatility

● Energy and toughness

● Decision-making ability

● Ability to evaluate risk and uncertainty

Project managers must exhibit honesty and integrity to foster an atmosphere of trust.

They should not make impossible promises, such as immediate promotions for everyone

if a follow-on contract is received. Also, on temporarily assigned activities, such as a

project, managers cannot wait for personnel to iron out their own problems because time,

cost, and performance requirements will not be satisfied.

Project managers should have both business management and technical expertise.