1. What issues should
have been considered by the project manager before accepting the project.
Every
project should be thought beforehand. Think twice before accepting any projects
or it might end up being a project failure. We must be aware of any possible
results or outcome, issues and problems that might arise while in the midst of
doing a specific project. It is better to work on a project having an open mind
and a stable environment. There are a lot of things that can affect every
project because every project has its own demand. Demand on time, effort, cost
and every other factor to consider while making or managing a project.
Every
project requires a stable team, reliable teammates and a good project manager. Why
a project needs a stable team? Because a simple loss of a teammate can affect
the whole progress of the project and might cause a lot of problems not only for
the team but also the signed contract with the client. Why a team needs
reliable teammate? Because no one can predict what will happen while you are
making the project. There are possibilities that one of your teammate has
personal problem. That he/she needs to be absent and that they can have a peace
in mind while they are away, because everyone on your team can be reliable
enough to work on their part though they can’t be there to work on it on their
own. Why do you need a good project manager? Because having a project manager,
the project can be thoroughly progress. Project managers should guide his/her
co-workers in every step of the way, because they are the team leaders set to
prioritize the succession of their given project.
As
to the issue that has to be considered one of it is establishing clear and
achievable requirement. The project manager should have thought of everything
that could happen even before they have accepted the project, because if he/she
has thought of it then they could have been prepared for the arising issues.
They could have worked on that issue with ease because they have thought of it
beforehand and they are well prepared for it before it ever happened in the
midst of their making the project. And, that they shouldn’t have took it easy
just because they thought that the project can just be worked for a small
period of time. It might be just like that but everything is possible cause
there is no permanent happening, everything comes with a surprise the only
thing to prevent it is just to think way beforehand and work on the solution.
Balancing
the competing demands for quality, scope of time and cost should also be
considered. The project manager should think for the demands on quality because
every client expects that the project that they have requested is done with
effort. Quality of the project should be thoroughly observed because it might
also affect the future of the company. It is great having good quality for made
projects, because you can have assurance to your company. The client can trust
you for doing your best in the project that they have paid you to work on and
they might continue to trust you for every other project they want to be made.
Project managers should also have to think of the scope of time, how much time
that it would take before the project can be finished. Every decision made
before signing a contract should be thought not just in a day or two because
there are going to be a lot of problem if there is misjudgment even a little on
the proposed scope of time. The more you
are getting closer to the said time the client might be anxious into seeing the
progress of the project. They might demand a glimpse and if you weren’t getting
closer to getting it done by the said date you are breaching the contract and
might have to pay for the fine. And, if you extend the scope of time you might
as well add to the cost of the project. Instead of having the amount in little
numbers but because of the extension of time the cost will get bigger. If ever
the project has been made out of rush it might affect the quality but the scope
of time and the cost is lessen. These three factors should be greatly
considered because a mistake from any of these it would also affect either of
the two left options.
One
should also have to think of adapting the specifications, plans, and approach
to the different concerns and expectations of the various stakeholders. The
project manager has to think of a way to adapt the specifications and plans
they have made while they are in the midst of deciding on the project. If ever
the project manager didn’t follow the specifications and plans they have agreed
on it might cause a lot of confusion and might result to disagreement of the
contract. It might as well be a reason for problems that might arise in the
mere future and a cause for the loss of clients and the down for the company.
So, the project manager should take note of every demand of the client and
speak out if there might be anything they can’t comply. Aside from adapting
specifications and plans, the project manager should think if they would be
able to approach to the different concerns and expectations of the various
stakeholders. Different concerns and expectations can be complied while they
are still working on the part of deciding and planning what should be the end
result of the project. But, before that the project manager should think if
they can do what the client has requested and that they can be able to produce
the project within the time and with every other thing the client has expected
them to do.
The
project manager shouldn’t just rush on deciding out things and just randomly
accepting projects. There might be projects that are viewed to be easily made
but there can be a lot of problems that would be a cause for it to fail. So,
one thing is for sure don’t rush on things, think thoroughly and view every
possibility.
2. What alternatives should have been prepared by the project
manager?
Projects
managers set everything and guide their team in every step of the way. They
shouldn’t just randomly accept projects without seeing unto every details and
studying it beforehand. A lot of problems might arise in the making of the
project so the project manager should think everything clearly and also with an
open mind. They should be able to predict what might come and work for
solutions on the problems that could arise anytime. They should have to provide
options and have their own back-up plan in the beginning of their planning of
the project, to efficiently work on multiple projects at once.
The project manager should have
another team ready for the possibility of having another project even before
finishing the first project. He/she should have known that there are projects
that might come even before they are done on the first project. Knowing that
they are an outsourcing company they should have been able to envision that
they can’t work on a single project at a time. Clearly, that is one possibility
and besides anyone would expect that as a company they would be able to work
multiple projects at once. What’s the use of their other employees if only a
few are working? That is why they are a company because they have a lot of
employees to work on projects; you can’t expect one person to work for everything,
that won’t count as being a company. That’s just a matter of trusting everyone
within the company and to think positively that they would do good and might do
better while working on a project. They could possibly be able to enhance their
skills while doing that specific project they have worked on. That is all what
it takes to be able to work on multiple projects at once.
Assign another project manager for the
first team to be able to cater more projects in the future. As the company
president he/she should have multiple project managers within their company,
because you can’t expect someone to work for everything. Working as a guide for
every team will be the best option for him because taking everything or every
job is not efficient and could cause a lot of problems not just for the team
but also for the company. To think that you have another project manager for
the first team, as the company president all you have to do is to work on other
things, such as looking for another project or helping the first team but not
work within the team. You should have to help them as a guide not a team member
because as a company president, you’ll have to be the decision maker, be the
one behind the company or behind everything. It is just a matter of relying on your
employees and helps them in their work. Them, as a team can provide or show
cooperation between each and every people who’s in the company. Having another
project manager for the first team would also show if your employees are doing
good and cooperating well while working on a project.
Assigning another project manager for
the second team would also be of a good help. Being a company president, think
that the assigned project managers are trusted enough to work on these
projects. Enough to be the one to guide their team and team members to make the
assigned project a success, success that the clients might once again ask for
your company to work for them again. It is good that you have a lot of
employees to work for jobs and projects for the company.
They have to integrate people and
other resources to carry out the project management plan for the project. Have
every resource within reach to work on the project with ease and be able to
finish it before the planned time. Produce, create or have other team to be of
support to the first, second and every other team who are working on a project
or not. It would provide optimization and efficiency for the projects that are
in the making. Provide feasibility study of the project and have it documented
so that details are already prepared.
To have groups prepared, work for
every process for the project, to make it easier to finish. Groups to:
initialize, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close. These groups could
also prove to be helpful and show good results for the project because; there
would be a group to help on the problems that cause delay on the finishing of
the project. The groups that are made will view every error, changes, progress,
delays, needs, corrections, implementations and many more. In this line of
work, these groups will serve as the checkpoint for the projects progress
within the given time and will be the correctors and cleaners of the project.
They will have to help the teams to clarify whatever problems that they might
encounter and to help them study the project more and to come up with better
ideas to solve and simplify the work or the project they are currently working
on. To come up with good or even better solutions for the team, that will also
be proved essential to the closing of the project. These process groups would
be the one responsible for the fast progress of the project, to be viewed as
the source for the cleaning and making it presentable enough for the customers.
It
would just need a good decision coming from the company president or the
project manager. Be a helpful guide, leader, and be as positive and trustful
enough to think that the employees within the company are doing well and good
in every project they are going to work on. To have a lot of back-up plan for
everything, to provide a great number of options and solutions to whatever
problems that might arise. Be as open minded as much as possible to think well
within pressure, besides working under pressure is a proof of having a great
and good mind.
3. Do you think the system analyst and web developer should also
be blamed for the failure of the project? Why?
In
a project team you can’t view it as a one person team. No one would expect a
single person moving around doing everything, when the other person of the
group is sitting idly not caring about the progress of the project. It is not a
team if you’re the only one working around and you can’t get a single help from
the other team members. As a team you are working as one and you as a team
having able to come together is the only beginning of the process for the
completion of the project. However, keeping together will be a key to a greater
possibility for the succession of the project because it will be essential to
the team that you are helping one another, being there to cooperate and seeing
through everything while the project is still in development. Working together
is success not only for the team but also for the project.
I can say that the system analyst and
the web developer can’t be fully blamed in the situation. The project manager
was being careless in this situation. He/she didn’t think of the situation
carefully that he hadn’t thought of the many possibilities of him leaving his
two team members alone doing the project. Maybe they have a lot of things to do
but clearly he hadn’t set his priorities well. He/she hadn’t managed well the
happening and prevented the project to fail. In the situation you can say that
the system analyst and the web developer were left hanging, working on their
own without having the help of their project manager. To think that the project
manager or the company president have assigned the system analyst to be the
project manager in a jiffy the possibility of the project being failed rise.
That happening made the system analyst very busy and to think that it isn’t
his/her field of work definitely it will be too hard for him to handle.
The project manager should have also
given them instructions at least to help them on how to work on it. Give them
another project manager or have them look for another team member to work as
the system analyst while the other system analyst will continue to work as a
project manager. It would be best to use every resource they can grab because
of the situation they are in. Having placed in this situation they should have
thought of a good option so that they won’t fail the project.
I think there is a part that you can
also blame the system analyst and the web developer. They have a lot of options
even though they are the only ones left to do the project. Both of them can ask
help to their company president and be open enough to ask if they might need
anything else while they are working on their project. No one knows what are
the feelings of the system analyst and the web developer while they are doing
the project, they might have felt burdened, confused, pressured or they might
have felt over confidence that they thought they might be able to finish the
project on their own. But, to think that after the system analyst became the
project manager even if he/she was just assigned in a jiffy he should have
continued to ask little assistance from their company president assuming that
they are getting nearer to the said deadline. The company president would be
good enough to do that right? If it would be for the project I’m sure that the
company president would be open enough to do that for them.
The both of them should have also
thought that there are a lot of possible things that might happen. They can’t
always count on the company president because he has his hands full not only
because of the projects but also managing the company itself. So, they should
also have been prepared of the fact that the company president might be caught
up in the middle of another project and they might be left in midair working on
their own. But, they have failed to prepare and it caused the failure of the
project that they have worked on. Also because of the pressure that the clients
have caused in their anxiety to review the project that they have paid to be
done, it has added to the burden of the team that is working on it. Having the
pressure to do it on time and having limited people to work on it, it has added
to the equation of the project to fail. They might never have wanted it to fail
but the project has failed anyway because of their lack of preparedness. As an
outsourcing company they should have been able to understand that there might
be new projects that will pop up and it might need the attention of their
project manager so all they need to do is to plan effectively and work
efficiently until they will meet there set expectations.
The project manager shouldn’t forget
to have his priorities because if he/she will continue to do that in the
future, not only the project will fail but also him managing his employees and
also the company. Clearly, the project manager was the one who disregard his
attention to the first project by taking up another project and being the one
to serve as the project manager. He/she didn’t think that the first project
would have problems if he wasn’t there to help them. Even though some might
view that the company president trust the system analyst well that he/she made
him/her as the project manager, you can’t remove the fact that he, giving that
position to the system analyst became a much bigger burden to the team. It is
like taking every responsibility and then throwing every responsibility to the
one next to the position. But, even though that have happened you can’t really
blame the company president everything because there are a lot of things to do
being the company president and being the project manager on other projects.
4. What does the
project team lack causing the project to fail? What additional recommendations
would you give to this team concerning project management?
Project
teams needs to be together because being together you can achieve more and do
more. As a team you can finish more and get done a lot more things than usual.
Helping each other, being there for one another can make a big difference
between succeeding and failing. Working on a project you need to get things
done and don’t think that it is for your benefit but it is for the benefit of
the team because nothing is more important than the name on the back.
From what I have observed, they lack
the full cooperation and focus of their project manager. Their project manager
wasn’t able to cooperate well with them while they were working their all to
finish the project. The project manager lost his/her focus because he was
working on other things than the work at hand.
They failed to plan the possibilities
of having future problems concerning the project and the other upcoming
projects. The project manager wasn’t prepared enough to be able to deal with
multiple projects at once. He/she should be able to work on it without clearly
leaving the first project behind to work for another project and leaving the
system analyst the trouble of working double time. As the project manager he
should have understand that working on two different things without proper background
on the second job given to you would be very hard for the system analyst.
Besides the project manager should just have given that task to another
employee since it is not the field of work for the system analyst. It would be
really hard to follow on a work you never tried before.
There should have coordination in
every employee so that there can be a big assurance to the completion of the
project even with just a few people working on it. With coordination and help
from other groups might lessen the trouble for the project team because they
will serve as back-up. The other group will be the one working behind the
project team to do other work if the project teams’ hands are already full. It
would also lessen the burden and every problem they might encounter can be done
without consuming a lot of time because of the coordination they have between
groups.
They need to optimize their time while
they are working on the project. By doing that they can efficiently work on the
project having less time and might be able to get it done even before the
deadline. So long as everyone in the team can work with their full focus and
they have everything ready for the project.
The project team shouldn’t forget to
have a common vision. By having common vision until the project team can see
through everything until they are done with the project they won’t be
distracted. They should have this common vision so that they will not forget
that within their team they won’t think of anything else but to finish the
project as to what they have promised and signed with the client or customer.
They should have set priorities or to
have a simple protocol to follow. To have a protocol or a priority as a set up,
the team working on a project wouldn’t be distracted into doing other projects
at the same time. Also by doing that there won’t be traffic in accepting
multiple projects at once. You can have two projects on the process working at
once. Besides you can’t have on other projects while you are leaving the first
project behind and unfinished, doing that it will cause a lot of problems for
the team and the company. So never ever forget to set priorities while working
on a specific project and have a protocol to follow and to remind each and
everyone to get done the project on hand.
I would like to recommend that the
team should never ever forget to develop a project management plan as clearly
as possible and to have it achievable. It would make a great difference in
having the project done on or before the deadline. To have the scope planning
ready to have the project scope defined, verified and controlled and how the
work breakdown structure will be created and defined. Have an activity
definition so that you can identify the specific activities that need to be
performed to produce various project deliverables. Prepare an activity
sequencing to identify and document dependencies among schedule activities.
They also need to have an activity resource estimating so that they can
estimate the type and quantities of resources required to perform each schedule
activity. Also the activity duration estimating for estimating the number of
work periods that will be needed to complete individual schedule activities.
They also need to have schedule
development so that they can continually analyze activity sequences, durations,
resource requirements and schedule constraints to create the project schedule.
They need to have cost estimating and cost budgeting to have definite cost for
the project they have accepted. Quality planning for identifying which quality
standards is relevant to the project and determining how to satisfy them. They
really need to have human resource planning for identifying and documenting
project roles, responsibilities and reporting relationships, as well as creating
the staffing management plan. The human resource planning is one of the
processes they shouldn’t forget because it is very essential to their field of
work. The communication planning is also necessary for determining the
information and communication needs of the project stakeholders.
Have
a risk management planning to be able to decide how to approach, plan and
execute the risk management activities for a project. Prepare risk
identification for determining which risks might affect the project documenting
their characteristics. They need to have risk response planning for developing
options and actions to enhance opportunities and to reduce threats to project
objectives. Plan purchases and acquisitions to determine what to purchase or
acquire, and determining when and how.
By
having prepared these processes there would be a good chance of the project not
ending up failed. All it takes is to get everything ready and have it in steps
so that you won’t miss a single thing while working on a project.
5. What is your
assessment on the performance of the company president?
Being a team leader, a project manager
or a company president is a big burden. Deciding every move, thinking what is
better and having the vision of what will be best for the team, the group or
the company itself. To be the one carrying out every problem, solutions,
possible outcomes of every decision that is made and every idea that would be
better for everyone. However, having every single thing in your hands, it would
make every decision matter, every mistake accounted to you. As a company
president you may have the power to hold people but as what they say, “Great
power comes with great responsibility”. The company president will be the one
responsible for the good, bad, best or worst outcome that will possibly happen
in the company. The person who will be the one accounted to be the man behind
the work of his employees, their guide and their leader. The work his employees
will clearly reflect on how he handles them and how he manages everything
within the company so if his/her employees won’t do well it might also reflect
to him as the one who manages them. But, you can never expect that he/she is
the one responsible to the failure made by his/her employees unless he is
working with them.
The company president has a lot of
catching up to do not only in the way he manage the project but also how he
manage hid employees. He/she wasn’t able to manage the first project well and
then after that he left it halfway and started another project being the leader
and having his other team. He left the first project in midair, made the system
analyst the project manager for that specific project and added the burden for
the group by just leaving them work on their own. Didn’t he think that it would
cause a lot of problems for the system analyst and the web developer? He should
have thought what would be best but then he just left them hanging not even
thinking of helping them finishing it up first and after that proceed to the
second project they have just accepted.
He wasn’t able to act like a company
president by doing what would be best for the upcoming and the projects at
hand, the employees and also the company. The company president should have
been able to think that every decision he/she makes can affect the project,
affect for the better or for worst. But then because of his reckless decisions
he wasn’t able to decide what would be better. The first project didn’t end up
well because of him leaving his two employees working on their own. It failed
and he is one of the people accounted to be blamed for it to fail. Did he fail
to plan? Or did he plan to fail? Yes, he failed to plan. He failed to predict
the possible outcome of his decisions. What he did made the situation hard not
just for the team but also for the company. It resulted to the failure for the
project and it would be considered a problem on the contract that they have
agreed on. It will be a bad image for the company and also for him. He hadn’t
made the best solution or maybe he wasn’t able to think what would be the
consequences of his actions. And, yes he was like planning to fail. He never
thought what would be the consequences of every decision he have made. He
should have chosen what is the better solution or best decision. Being the
company president he should have thought that it would be best to get the first
project done and because they have deadlines so he should have done it first.
Getting it done and moving on to the next project would have been the best
option in his situation or he shouldn’t have get involve in that project
however be the one to guide the teams working on those projects.
He should have set a protocol, a
protocol to be followed so that everything can go smoothly as what is planned.
It should be strong enough to be followed not only by his employees but also he
himself as the company president. Set up rules so that it would hold him to
what are the right decisions to be made. Vision so that you can have dedication
and the mission to fulfill the vision that you have set up. Have goals and
objectives so that you can continue to look forward and to do everything what
it takes so that you can achieve it. By setting protocols, rules, vision,
mission, goals and objectives you will know where you stand. That is one of the
things that the company president should have prepared so that he/she won’t
forget what he/she should do when he needs a lot of deciding to make.
Even though he/she is the company
president and he took another project he should still have continued to monitor
the work of the other group. Ask them what they still needed and then guide
them if ever they are confused of what to do with the project. The company
president should have still kept track of the progress on the first project
because there are other problems that might arise in the making of the project
or it might be concerning the employees currently working on it.
You can never know what might happen
in the mere future but you need to assure that you have everything planned. You
have to make a fast but a decision not made out of recklessness or out of a
pinch and pressure. The company president should be able to face and think of
every fact that might happen while in the midst of doing a project or in the
midst of deciding on a project. In every decision it can be the thing that will
help for the better or worst.
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