Project management is not a new subject to me. It is part of my job and has been a subject that has been touched upon throughout my years of studies in university and professional courses. Project management is a fascinating subject to learn about and work with. The main reason for my fascination in project management is that it’s a never ending learning experience. This is due to the different nature of each project I deal with. Each project needs a certain style and techniques that need to be used hence you can never get bored. There is no one style fits all idea in project management, it’s a challenge by itself to find the style and techniques that best fit the project. Throughout the years I have found that every time the subject of project management is touched upon I learn something new, even though most of what is discussed has become somewhat common knowledge to people in the same field.

To be a successful project manager and lead successful projects or events there are many factors that have to be taken into account like organization, task delegation, time management, effective team management, etc… All these differ in importance depending on the nature of the project itself. In our MGT 598 class we were asked to plan a charity event to raise funds for a certain charity. Challenges immediately emerged for every group.  But there was one challenge that was shared by all groups, time. The time management in this project was crucial. All the teams did not have much time to plan, organize and implement their plans. No team could afford a single mistake. In essence the whole project relied on time management; it could be considered as one of the main deciders of the successfulness of the project.

In my opinion in almost every project that I have encountered the main and most important challenge is time management. In almost all the projects all the other factors tie into the time.  A solution or problem in any of the other factors may result in a direct effect in the duration of the project, either speeding it up or delaying it. In addition mistakes done in the other factors can be rectified or changed but when it comes to time you can’t change it. As one of my colleagues mentioned in class, everything can be bought or changed except time; it cannot be bought back once it is lost.

One of the most crucial and important challenges in managing projects is managing people. Before a project gets kicked off one challenge a  project manager faces is selection of the right team and availability of that team. If we speak about the consultancy business, most of the projects are very short in duration (on average 5 to 6 weeks) and time sensitive. Because of the nature of the business the managers are required to manage more than one project with the availability of the same resource. Also if you talk about the situation in this region nowadays, the market is very uncertain and there is no guarantee how much business will the firm get and when, so hiring is not a good option due to uncertainty of the business.

Recently, one of the company I know is going through a similar sort of challenge and they have some serious issues with the management of the resources. First of all they have changed their operating model from a region specific model to a central model. Now all the employees are mobile and they can be asked to work on any assignment in any region with different managers. One of the biggest challenge they are facing is the right resource allocation in the right areas. Let me share one example here

“If the assignment is in Morocco and the resources resource allocated for this from Jordan and the person who is going to manage this is in Riyadh, also most importantly travelling to Morocco is not an option. So all the Client relationship is being handled by the Moroccan team and the work will be done by the resource and the manager from Jordan and Riyadh respectively. This sort of coordination, Client dealing, deliverable. Comfort and most importantly the client relationship is at risk. The resource at most of the time is not at the best of his position to understand the requirement and moreover the managers from the resource’s office have their own priorities and work load, so even the resource gets bit and pieces of work form his own team in Jordan. The team in Morocco has been conveyed a clear message that the resource is fully available for 3 weeks and what happens the assignment takes around 5 weeks to finish.”

So based on the above example I strongly feels that this cloud based projects and central team is not working in the favor of the company and both employees and clients are suffering. They need to get a robust system if they really want to successfully implement such operating model with documented policies and procedures.

Now in case of appraisals, when the resource receives feedback from the manager and the office whom he has never met, does not know him by face or the qualities he has (communication, hardworking, as a team member etc.) but the only thing they based their appraisal on is numbers (utilization, scorecard etc.). In simple terms the resource has become a number, which means he is not working at his best and not at all his motivation level at its peak.

One of the critical challenges project manger need to deal with during execution is the teams conflict, No matter how good the project schedule, how perfect is the budget, projects can still be undone through poor interaction between individuals.

The major source of conflict among the project teams are: differences in values, attitudes, needs, expectations, perceptions, resources, unclear project goals, disagreement on priorities or just personalities.

Project Managers can avoid conflicts in projects, through the following techniques:

• Always inform the team of the project’s direction
• Explain project objectives and the rationale
• Clearly define project constraints in the project plan
• Communicate decisions and changes plainly in a timely fashion
• Clearly state expectations of individuals and the team
• Assign work without ambiguity and overlapping responsibilities
• Make work ssignment interesting and challenging

Training the project managers and cross functional teams on perfect listening and communication skills is required as majority of project manger time is spent on communicating with customer , contractors , suppliers..etc, and that need a skilled communicator, to eliminate any conflict.

Most of the time people who are trying to earn more points or get a control of a situation on others are the source of conflict, discussing and explaining the impact of that on the organization will reduce that in most cases.

However below methods of resolving conflict which can be applied in different given situations.

• Withdrawal from the      conflict when: an issue is trivial or another outcome is more important;      when ‘winning the point’ is more trouble than it’s worth; or when someone      else can better handle the issue.

• Suppression it is the peace at any cost. It involves emphasizing the points of agreement and deemphasizing the points of difference. It is best used when cooperation is desired on an important issue or the aim is to be seen as flexible or reasonable.
• Forcing is directing the resolution in one way or another.  It is best used when the issue relates to rules and discipline. PMs should only force an issue when they know they are right and can back up their decision.
• ·         Compromise will be a reasonable approach when moving forward is the most important outcome and you have tight time. Compromise involves each party giving in a little and gaining some ground in the process. It may mean that neither party is really satisfied with the outcome – each feeling they’ve lost something but the team will be able to move closer achieving the project goals.
• Collaboration is the long term approach to conflict resolution. It is used when each person has valuable knowledge that needs to be contributed. It should also be used when damaged relationships need to be repaired and total commitment is required.

Definitely a little bit of conflict is not all bad. In fact the balance of conflict and collaboration can challenge people for innovation and devise more efficient and effective in ways of working together.

Resource:

http://www.pmhut.com/conflict-resolution-for-project-managers

https://www.bia.ca/articles/DealingwithConflictinProjectTeams.htm

In real life, I’ve learned a lot doing and managing projects which completed with success. The projects that I have succeeded are due for a strong team work and alternative solutions that I had which made the project went smoothly.

But it’s very easy to talk about a successful project because it’s done and you are self-satisfied. But let me tell you about a project that I’ve failed and been pros pond so you can take it as a lesson.

My project was my father’s car which was Rolls Royce (silver wraith 2) 1978, I decided to make over the whole car and bring it back to life. I remember this car very preciously, because when we use to be kids in the neighbourhood we would run away when we see my father’s car.

And you are wondering why we would run away, cause I had a sister and no one is allowed to come near my house. My dad was traditional man who he was holding his culture when it comes to boys and girls.

The car had a lot of potential due for being classic and a lot of history that you don’t want to miss. At the start of the project, the car was at the agency for almost ten years and my father passed away and couldn’t finish it.

So I cleared it off from the agency by paying more than five grand. I started on the car by cleaning, washing it and see what is the easiest thing for me to start with.  I didn’t have a Gantt chart or timeline and it was my first experience to work on a car.

I painted the whole car, serviced the engine and changed the tires. And after ten years I could start the car and drove it for two days.  Then the car stopped on the highway and I said that I will do a major service.

I took it to the agency for check-up and said that I have to change the whole engine and didn’t have money enough cause I decided to study for MBA from De Paul University.

When I took the project management course, I remember the car and how I failed and pros ponded the project. And keep saying to myself, I wish that I didn’t rush things without planning the outcomes and problems when comes to handling the project.

Then we did a project for fund raising for charity, I realised that team work and alternative solutions are the main keys for success of the project.

Hope I can redo my father’s car project after I’ve learned the lesson of how to manage a project.

In our MGT 598 class, while examining project management structures and discussing the related Moss and McAdams Accounting Firm case, I made some interesting observations. I would like to recap for the benefit of my readers the 3 main structures:

1) Functional Organization – where different segments of the project are delegated to respective functional units

2) Dedicated Project Team – which are teams that operate as separate units under the leadership of a full-time project manager

3) Matrix Organization – which has 2 chains of command (functional and project) and project participants report simultaneously to both functional and project managers.

In Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC), where I work, I observed that we have all 3 types of structures for different purposes. The reason for having these different project structures, as proposed by our management, is to enhance our creativity. I personally believe that the more you are involved with activities that are not part of the realm of your expertise and responsibilities, the more links you can make among functions and projects.

We have a functional structure based on the various departments i.e. Finance, IT, Marketing, Operations, etc. This type is prevalent and will continue as long as we are in business.

In addition, we have dedicated project teams set up as the need arises for company-wide projects. I coordinated with section heads from every department in a team for the purpose of establishing a documented Segregation of Duties (SoD) Matrix. Also, I’ve taken charge of preparing and reviewing all tasks before our annual Information Security Management System (ISO) audit with staff from Management Systems.

Taking into account the above two structures that we have at GPIC, we have an overarching matrix organization structure where while having our functional roles and being part of dedicated teams, we must continuously report to both our functional managers as well as our project managers. For instance, during the SoD project, for matters related to segregating duties from an IT point of view, I had to report and take advice from my functional manager. However, for the management and coordination of the project, I had to report to our Financial Management Superintendent who was appointed as the project manager.

So how is project structure linked to creativity?

Creative industries looking to adopt formal project management methods have the make or buy options open to them, though either approach will only be successful if based upon a realistic strategy. There are creative project managers but many have a skills gap when it comes to talking about their approach to “formal” delivery. At best, there is a prescribed way of doing things based on the way we’ve always done things; at worst there is an incredulous response that says “you mean there’s an actual method to the madness!”

Successful Project Managers know that each project is a living, growing organism and it cannot be rigidly contained. Designers create real value for people through beautiful, effective design. Project Managers create value through effective integration of people’s skills. Its part art: Guiding the creativity and communication; and part science: Managing the hours and budgets.

What influence do you think the project structure has on its members’ creativity?

References:

http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/camel-blog/projectmanagement/project-management-in-the-creative-world/

http://www.adaptivepath.com/ideas/e000925/