Peer Responses 2

Respond to two students discussion post. Just type the paragraph under the discussion. It doesn’t have to be in essay form.

Also, make sure that your response(s) are substantial and at least 100 words.  In your responses, you must include connections to course learning objectives. 

Discussion Post #1

Tim Cruz

This module covers chapter four of Fundamentals of Project Management. Heagney discusses the development of a mission, vision, goals, and objectives in a project. Projects start with a problem. He says that a problem is the “gap between where you are and where you want to be” (Heagney, pg. 46). When defining a mission Heagney says it is always to attain the needs of the customer (pg. 159). A great question to answer for a mission is what are we going to do? “The mission is to achieve the vision” (Heagney, pg. 53). The vision is what you see when the project is completed and the vision is an answer to the problem at hand. Goals are simply what a project should look like when it is completed. When referring to objectives, these can be more specific and provide a definition for goals that will be reached. The main objective will be to satisfy the customer. A question about objectives is how will you know when it is achieved? These are measurable and attainable so you can see when you make it to that point. An example given is moving due to a job in a new city. The problem is no place to live, the vision is a certain type of house with certain features, and the mission is to find a house that includes all must haves and as many wanted items as possible.

When talking about objectives, you can refer to the video “Smart Objectives – a skill flix module” which defines the acronym SMART. Specific refers to clearly stating the task, measurable refers to having an objective that can be gauged to determine achievement, attainable refers to objectives that are not out of reach, relevant refers to the objective relating to the goals, and time bound refers to priorities and milestones. SMART is used to set better objectives. This one of the key points to remember from Heagney, who says objectives should be SMART.

One key point listed is identifying risks which can be accomplished by asking a couple questions. What could go wrong? What could stop you from reaching your objective? These questions can be addressed by listing the answers as well as the contingency plans to resolve the issues. This is not so you can find every single possible risk but those that are most likely. When you do this ahead of time, you can be prepared when an issue arises.

Discussion #2

Jennifer Daum

Heagney Chapter 4 starts off by first saying that you need to define the problem before a project can be formed.  In order to do this the book states that you must define it by figuring out its "mission,", "vision," "goals," and "objectives. (Heagney, 45)  You can say you have a problem, but if that is all you have and you don't know how you are going to solve that problem then ultimately the problem will never get solved.  Your first step is to figure out your mission, or basically what you are trying to solve.  Once you have a mission, then you must know exactly how you are going to accomplish that mission.  Your vision is then put into place by creating goals to complete your project, when you have a vision it describes what you want to accomplish and how you are going to do it.  Then you come up with different objectives including a timeline as to when you want to achieve them.  In any projects there are going to be problems, you shouldn't look at them as being something that gets in your way, you need to be openminded at the beginning of your project knowing that these are going to occur in anything that you are trying to do.   Creating a vision is basically figuring out what your result needs to be and then figuring out what needs to be done in order to achieve this vision.   Objectives need to be SMART, "Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Limited". (Heagney, 50)  When you find yourself in a project jumping from one thing another, it is important to keep your SMART objectives in mind, this way you don't spend a lot of time on something and in turn not accomplishing what you are trying to achieve.  Setting these goals can help you focus on what is important and can help you keep your project plan in place.  When you are doing a project, you should always consider the risk factors going into the project.   These risk factors need to be thoroughly looked at before the project begins, otherwise this can completely put your plan out of control.  When your objective is SMART it means that first it must be specific in what it is trying to achieve, whether it be an area to be improved or finding a specific need in a certain area.   Second, when you have an objective that is measurable, it means that it is quantifiable or is one that you can see progress in.   Third, your objective must be attainable, if your goal is realistic, then it can be achieved with certain resources and under specific time constraints.   Fourth, it must be realistic, meaning something that is going to be worthwhile to the company.  Lastly, your objective must have a certain time limit, when a project does not have a deadline, it is just setting it up for failure.   When you are doing a project, you should always consider the risk factors going into the project.   These risk factors need to be thoroughly looked at before the project begins, otherwise this can completely put your plan out of control.  Heagney Chapter 4 and the Video "Smart Objectives - A Skill Flix Module both explained the importance of having an objective.   In our reading, it states "An objective specifies a desired end result to be achieved." (Heagney, 50)   The SMART way on both the video and the readings are similar in stating this to be a good definition.  When the objective of a project is stated clearly with action verbs and then is motivational to those trying to accomplish the task it will more than likely be accomplished.  Once these two things are achieved it should be agreed upon in writing, showing commitment to the project by those that are involved.   Always make sure that the project supports the organization's company objectives.   When a timeline is put into place, then it sets priorities for the project and with each part of the project being accomplished it gives those involved a sense of achievement.  Both the book and the video stressed the importance of using the SMART plan for creating objective for the management of projects.