Proposing a Project For this course, the main deliverable, which is a simple project plan, is due in Unit VIII. The outline for the final project plan is below.

MGT 3302, Introduction to Project Management 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

6. Summarize project management techniques. 6.1 Discuss elements of project management.

7. Examine project teams.

7.1 Explain the approach for building a project team.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

6.1

Unit Lesson Chapter 1, pp. 2–28 Chapter 3, pp. 64–93 Unit I Scholarly Activity

7.1

Unit Lesson Video: 5 Essential Stages of Team Development Video: How Google Builds the Perfect Team Unit I Scholarly Activity

Required Unit Resources Chapter 1: Project Management Concepts, pp. 2–28 Chapter 3: Developing Project Proposals, pp. 64–93 In order to access the following resources, click the links below. Potential. (2018, January 8). 5 essential stages of team development [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtpY9zwuzFM Transcript for 5 Essential Stages of Team Development video Tech Insider. (2016, July 18). How Google builds the perfect team [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2PaZ8Nl2T4 Transcript for How Google Builds the Perfect Team video

Unit Lesson Welcome to the first unit lesson of the course. In this unit lesson, we discuss some of the introductory topics of project management, project teams, and the project proposal. Just like most any topic in academia, you can find any number of definitions for a concept. For the purposes of this course, Gido, Clements, and Baker (2018) define the project as “an endeavor to accomplish a specific objective through a unique set of interrelated activities and the effective utilization of resources” (p. 5). Notice that we are mainly talking about having objectives, activities, and resources. We discuss these topics at length in this course.

UNIT I STUDY GUIDE

Proposing a Project

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Projects must have specific and clear objectives that need to be accomplished. These objectives are usually associated with the end product, schedule, and budget for the project. Projects have non-repetitive activities to be accomplished to meet the objectives. Projects use resources to carry out the activities to meet the objectives. Projects use a specific timeframe to meet the objectives as well. Projects also have some sort of sponsor or customer who needs the project to be accomplished. There is much more to consider, but these are the starting basics of projects in general. Project Constraints One of the more important concepts in project management is project constraints. Constraints are the items that may cause a project not to be completed successfully. In other words, successful completion of a product may be constrained by many factors. The three main constraints are scope, time, and budget. The scope of the project involves all of the activities of the project. If all of the activities are not completed, then how can we say that a project is successful? Also, in any organization, everyone has to work within a time and budget constraint. Generally speaking, projects are bound by time. For example, you cannot have a project that continues for the next 10 years. If a project needs to be completed by the end of the year and it extends months beyond that cutoff, is the project considered a success? Also, it is also rare that the project manager (PM) would have an unlimited budget. If a project surpasses the budget by $1 million, is the project a success? If we deliver the end product to the customer, but the customer is not happy, is the project still considered a success? The Project Life Cycle The next important topic is the project life cycle. As Gido et al. (2018) discuss, there are four general phases to most any project. These phases include initiating, planning, performing, and closing.

Initiating involves the first part of the project where the needs are identified. Planning involves a PM taking the time to lay out a game plan for successful completion of the project. Performing involves the actual work of the project. Closing involves the tasks involved in closing out the aspects of the project. Monitoring and controlling the project are also essential to a project’s success. Regardless of whether there is an official phase, quality should be on the PM’s mind throughout the project. In short, project management involves determining what needs to be done, how it gets done, who does it, and how much it will cost. Each of these items involves different steps. Many of these steps will be used in your assignments for each unit and for the final project plan, which will be due in Unit VIII. In a project plan, the PM has to articulate the project objectives and, based on those objectives, create a project scope. The PM has to determine what activities are needed and who will be responsible for them. Much of the work goes into a work breakdown structure (WBS). Tasks are assigned to resources and are put into sequence via a network diagram. This is also where the dependence of activities is determined. The PM then has to determine the availability of resources and how much time it is going to take to complete the activities. From this information, a project schedule is developed, and activity costs may be assigned. Once these activities are completed, the project budget may be developed and finalized. As you can see, there are many moving parts to a project. In addition, there are many points of failure that are possible in a project. Project Proposals In some cases, organizations will release a request for proposal (RFP). This just means that the organization is looking for someone to complete a project. It is very common in construction projects. The company or contractor will submit a proposal, and the bid may be accepted. Project proposals are also common in internal

Initiating Planning Performing Closing

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projects in organizations. For example, a department head may have an idea for a needed system or product. The department head may then create a proposal for the project. You might ask yourself why the department head does not just complete a project plan, but consider that many organizations require an approved proposal before they will ever assign a PM. Many organizations have a board or committee to approve projects and prioritize them. Once the proposal is approved, then the board will prioritize the project, and a PM will be assigned. At the very minimum, the organizational project proposal will include the purpose and the objectives, the assumptions and benefits, the suggested timeframe, a list of activities, the constraints, the equipment and materials needed, and the cost information. Some of this information may be preliminary or rudimentary until more specific information can be gathered. You will include many of these components in your project proposal, which is due in Unit I. Also, the organization may require a project charter once the project has been approved. The project charter is a more official and formal document to outline the project’s objectives and scope, identify the stakeholders, discuss the authority of the PM, and determine the rights and responsibilities of all team members. Many organizations require this document to be approved as well. Project Teams How to set up a project team is also a complex topic. Obviously, the PM wants the most knowledgeable people to be team members. However, many times, the persons assigned to a team may depend on the department heads and the employees’ current workload. It is not helpful to assign someone who is already stretched too thin to spend 20 hours a week on a project. Conversely, you must have the right people with the right skills on your team. It does no good to have a network administrator on your team if you need someone who is a database engineer, right? So, in many cases, the PM has to communicate with department heads and negotiate for members of the project team. Also, as a PM, you must consider the fact that you will need multiple departments involved in your project. You may need employees from finance, product development, operations, human resources (HR), and information technology (IT) on your project. If the project is highly technical in nature, you may need multiple people from IT on your team. These team members may all need different skill sets. The PM also has to nurture relationships between the team members. Most of us know that one of the more important topics in teamwork is trust. How would team engagement or morale suffer if one of the team members is famous for not finishing project activities or not submitting deliverables on time? Also, the PM needs to be proficient in handling team conflict. There are many potential obstacles to team performance. For example, the PM has to clearly articulate the vision and the objectives, including the requirements, deliverables, schedule, and budget. Without this information being clearly understood by the team members, the PM runs the risk of potential problems. Similarly, the team members need to have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. The PM needs to make sure that there is a strong structure for the project. In other words, everything should be documented, and team members should know where to go if they have a problem or need information. The PM must foster a culture of collaboration; otherwise, the team members may lose their sense of commitment. Finally, one of the factors in both team success and project success is communication. The PM has to set up strong lines of communication with the team members, the customer, any other stakeholders, and upper management. The PM should ensure that their team is diverse, and teambuilding should be prioritized. Finally, the PM should address ethical behavior within the team. This involves the PM’s ethical behavior, the teammates’ ethical behavior, and the stakeholders’ ethical behavior. There are plenty of opportunities for unethical behavior to arise in projects. As an example, reports may be falsified, bids or contracts may not be given fairly, and activity durations may be padded. Any of these behaviors should be avoided, but it helps for the PM to discuss ethical behaviors openly, especially in preliminary team meetings.

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In closing, there are many aspects to consider before work ever occurs on a project. The initiation and planning stages are complex, but they are critical and will set the stage for effective project management. A successful project initiation and plan are also vital for project success.

Reference Gido, J., Clements, J. P., & Baker, R. (2018). Successful project management (7th ed.). Boston, MA:

Cengage Learning.

Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. For more information on project teams, review the following section of Chapter 11 from your textbook. Chapter 11: The Project Team, pp. 360–397 The following article provides a review of the steps of team building. Jessup, H. R. (1992). The road to results for teams (team building). Training & Development, 46(9). Retrieved

from http://go.galegroup.com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T002&resultList Type=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&currentP osition=17&docId=GALE%7CA13617143&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZBCI &prodId=ITBC&contentSet=GALE%7CA13617143&searchId=R1&userGroupName=oran95108&inPS =true

The following video reviews how to run effective team meetings. Project Management Videos. (2012, January 12). Project management: How to run team meetings [Video

file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW0CjH95K3Q Transcript for Project Management: How to Run Team Meetings video

Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. In each chapter, there are questions to “Reinforce Your Learning” found in the left margin of some of the pages. For example, in Chapter 1, questions are found on pp. 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, and 24. Answer the questions to check your knowledge. The answers may be found starting on page 487.