The world as a whole is concerned with coming up and taking short, medium and large projects which are geared towards facilitating growth in various aspects of the economy. While this task may be rewarding on completion, it requires effective planning right before the project plans are initiated up to the time the project is completed and running. This being the case it is important for project managers to come up with comprehensive guides which should be used as critical reference points especially for new teams not used to running such projects. Consequently, the following guide will be a helpful tool in helping the new teams to navigate through the comprehensive process of project management to deliver value in their respective areas of practice.
Decision Making Process
Project management is such a complete, and noble task requires the project managers and other stakeholders to make critical decisions from one time to another. As such, there is need to ensure that all decisions which are made follow some decision-making models that are already in place to ensure effectiveness and sustainability of such projects. This is very important considering that mistakes made when wrong decisions are adopted can cost the project management a lot of resources either in physical or financial terms. It is, therefore, necessary to ensure that every step of the project process is carefully planned and implemented accordingly to avoid such losses both in the present and in the future. So at to help project managers to make proper and on time decisions regarding various aspects of the project, different decision-making models can be adapted.
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SWOT Analysis
This decision-making model is the widest decision-making model when it comes to planning, implementing and monitoring projects across the globe especially in the project feasibility study. This model which focuses on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats is helpful in helping the project management teams to analyze the projects regarding its strengths and weaknesses as well as regarding opportunities it may have as well as threats it may encounter as it is being implemented. This decision-making model further helps the project management teams to evaluate the project critically to determine if it has a chance of picking up. In this case, the internal and external factors that this project is exposed to are considered. According to Milosevic (2010), SWOT analysis is usually conducted from both the contractor’s and investor’s point of view in the planning, contracting and implementation phases of the entire project. This then helps both of them to come up with a working plan which is critical in realizing the outcomes of the project in the long run. Additionally SWOT analysis is a precious tool when it comes to identifying the type of risks that a project will be exposed. Such process helps the decision maker to know the kind of risks will be worthwhile to take.
Decision Tree Analysis
Project management teams may as well consider the use of decision tree analysis and decision-making model in their project management process. This decision-making model is a precious tool especially when it comes to the performance of procurement process. The project management teams are made to make critical decisions on whether to buy or build whatever resources they require regarding the comparison of prices (Song & Lu, 2015). This model is very critical especially when the team is faced with the task of balancing between cost effectiveness and efficiency. In this example, one gives each possibility a yes or no chance regarding percentages and make calculations based on the amount of money invested against the sum of money which is received.
Conflict Resolution
The project management teams are usually composed of people drawn from diverse and dynamic backgrounds and demographics. This would naturally translate to disagreements on the way forward when it comes to the project cycle. As such, there is a need to come up with the right conflict resolution strategies and procedures to enhance group cohesion for the sake of the project at hand. A project manager must possess the necessary conflict resolution techniques to detect a conflict and solve it before it escalates to unmanageable levels. Additionally, they should be in touch with their team members to determine the group dynamics that are in the interplay and to help these members to co-exist peacefully with each other (Prieto-remon et al., 2015). In case a conflict arises the project manager should be careful to avoid subjectivity or bias to cloud his or her judgment but instead listen to both sides before taking a decision.
Stress management Techniques
The project manager should understand that a project being a dynamic and comprehensive undertaking may cause a lot of challenges to the team members resulting in high levels of stress. The pressure may begin right from the conception stage and escalate throughout the implementation and evaluation stages. This may be majorly contributed to the high levels of expectations from the investors and contractors as well as the project manager. As a result of this, there is need to come up with mechanisms of coping with these high levels of stress by ensuring that the team members know what is expected of them right from the start. Additionally, they need to be included in the decision making processes so that they can own the entire project process. This keeps them in check since they will not be confronted with expectations they did not understand existed. More so it is important to give the team members some independence and autonomy instead of pressurizing them to do all the project manager wants. In case the team members face stressful situations, it is advisable to give them moral support to help them cope with the stressful situation.
Motivation
Human beings are created in such a way that makes them require others to commend them for their efforts, and lack of this kind of attention may work contrary to one's expectations. Projects being terrible endeavors tend to drain the team members energy levels making them susceptible to demotivation. To counteract this, the project manager is tasked with the noble role of ensuring that the team members are highly motivated and in high spirits to deliver the set project objectives and expectations. The project manager may choose to apply either intrinsic or extrinsic motivation strategies or a combination of both. While intrinsic motivation includes commending the team members’ efforts verbally, extrinsic motivation requires the project manager to give the employees tangible benefits such as gifts and cash. This kind of motivation helps the team members to be more productive in the long run and producing results which are beyond expectations.
Adapting Project Management Styles
A project manager needs to apply varied project management styles to achieve the st project objectives. The project manager can use transformational, participative, autocratic or transactional project management techniques.
Transformational project management style
Transformational project management style as the name suggests is a style that is adapted by project manager especially when trying out for new techniques. This method is important particularly as it tends to create a change which is positive as it helps to transform team members into team leaders which come in handy in project management process (Amanchukwu, et al. 2015). This style can be applied especially when the project management teams experience clients who are highly dissatisfied with the results.
Participative project management style
This management style comes in handy especially when the project manager desires to avoid conflicts in the team he or she is managing. Additionally, this project management style allows the team members to give their opinions and feedback which is aimed at motivating the team members (Amanchukwu, et al. 2015). Consequently, the team members feel as part and parcel of the entire project cycle making it their own and thus giving it their best.
Autocratic project management style
This project management style is basically about the fact that the project manager makes all the decisions without consulting or considering the team members opinions. This is usually done when the project manager feels that asking the team members may take quite a long time especially when quick decisions are supposed to be made. Additionally, this approach is applicable if the project manager is considered more knowledgeable than the rest of the team members meaning that the member's input will do little to help the situation. However, this style should be used with caution to prevent locking out the potential suggestions from the team members.
Transactional project management style
This style of management is usually applied when the project manager is keen on seeing the team members achieve their objectives and targets in the project cycle. In this style, the team members are given more autonomy in carrying out the expectations as formulated by the project managers. As a result, the team members are usually rewarded on how best they achieve the set targets and objectives.
References
Amanchukwu, R. N. et al. (2015). A Review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management. Management, 5(1), 6-14.
Milosevic, I. N. (2010). Practical application of SWOT analysis in the management of a construction project. Leadership and Management in Engineering, 10(2).
Prieto-Remon, T. C. et al. (2015). Conflict resolution to project performance. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 194(2), 155-164.
Song, Y. & Lu, Y. (2015). Decision tree methods: Applications for classification and prediction. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, 27(2), 130–135.
