The success of the White Deer Café project is dependent on many factors. Indeed, project managers play a significant role in ensuring that the project remains on course and aligns with the defined vision and objectives, providing additional support to all team members. As the project leader, I must use my leadership skills to guide the team and ensure they remain on track within the project timeline. My first step is defining what the project is expected to achieve and ensure that the whole project meets the set objectives. Leaders create a vision and inform the team on the direction of the project. Throughout the project duration, I am expected to coordinate with the team members on various tasks, decisions, and feedback to ascertain the success of the project. At the same time, I am responsible for defining each team member`s roles and expectations at each stage of the project plan. Further, fostering communication between the upper management, the team, and external stakeholders will align the project to its set objectives and timeline. This paper will define my responsibilities as the project leader and how they contribute to the client, target audience, and the set goals and objectives.
My Responsibilities
Planning the Communication Process
A significant responsibility that I have to undertake is coordinate communication between the team members to assess the progress, provide feedback on the project, and discuss critical issues that impact the project's success. Project management is essential in undertaking any project, and communication plays a significant role in motivating team members (Lutas et al., 2020). Without sharing of ideas and communicating them, the members will have no sense of direction for the project.
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Plan Meetings with the Team Members
I will plan frequent meetings throughout the project, creating an opportunity to develop and update the event plan with the team members. Their ideas will significantly impact the success and direction of the project. Simultaneously, the meetings will provide a platform to address issues that could arise within the team, create, and update the project timeline depending on the project's progress and feedback from the team leader. Conflicts are bound to happen within the team, and I will use these meetings to resolve any conflicts among my team members.
Update the Advisor, Request Reports, and Create a Budget
I will plan weekly meetings with the advisor to provide an account of the progress of the project. These updates will ensure that the project receives adequate support from the management and feedback to improve its success. Given the complexity of the campaign, my other role will be to ensure each member is on track with the project's progress. At the same time., all members must provide regular reports on their tasks and how close they are to completing their assigned responsibilities. This feedback will be critical in updating the advisor on the direction of the entire project. Moreover, I will create a budget for the project, develop a facilities plan, choose an excellent location for the event, and coordinate with the team members to create a list of all invitees. These activities will require collaboration among all team members.
Meeting the Client`s Needs
The White Deer Café strives to increase its customer base and expand its operations beyond the region. As the project leader, understanding the needs of the client and implementing a plan that addresses them is critical to fostering the project's success. As such, I will align the team's roles and responsibilities to the café's set goals and objectives. I will ensure that I manage all the project activities to meet the client's business goals. These activities involve collaborating with the company's management to create a feasible campaign plan, defining the project's scope, and determining the schedule and project deliverables. Mazur & Pisarski (2015) acknowledge that establishing effective relationships with clients is critical to developing concrete project plans, setting the direction of the project, and providing timely updates on its overall progress. Providing updates means tracking the project's progress to ensure that the client's requirements are followed and met.
Understanding the Target Audience
The communication campaign targets Higher College of Technology (HCT) students who enjoy spending time away from school or home. Capturing these students' minds and hearts through the campaign will require further analysis of the target audience to understand their needs and expectations. For instance, given the stringent measures due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, online shopping will form part of the customers` needs and expectations. As such, I will seek opinions from the target audience to significantly inform the marketing campaign. At the same time, I will compare the initial projected results with the target audience's expectations and make adjustments where necessary. These measurable goals can determine the success of the project.
Communicating with Stakeholders
Communication is a core skill within my role. I will ensure that all the stakeholders, including the project team, have a concise understanding of the entire project plan. Such an undertaking requires analyzing the target audience and formulating critical information that will build upon the campaign. Making sense of the project's implications for the stakeholders and target audience will foster the project's internal and external support. Arguably, lack of support from the target audience can lead to project failure. Incorporating the aspects of the target audience during team meetings, follow-ups, and information gathering sessions will significantly determine the project's viability.
Setting Goals and Objectives
As part of my responsibilities, I am tasked with defining specific goals and objectives that guide the project plan. Communication, feedback, and effective decision-making are useful strategies when presenting these project goals and objectives to the team, advisor, and the client. According to Blaskovics (2016), project leaders must create a vision for the team and instill a sense of direction. While the magnitude of the project is moderate, creating measurable and achievable goals for the café is equally complex. Regardless of the project's scope, I will demonstrate vision, inform the members on every step the organization is taking, and inspire the team members to work efficiently. The primary objective of the campaign is to advertise the café to the HCT students and other potential customers. As the team leader, I will map out the campaign strategy and seek expert advice from the team members and other external stakeholders. Lutas et al. (2020) perceive an ideal project leader as one who understands the power of collaboration and coordination from the team members. Given my position and responsibilities within the project, meeting the project`s schedule means coordinating with all team members to accomplish every task.
Project Timeline
|
Role |
Duration |
Responsibility |
| Set goals and objectives |
1/03/2021 |
Defined goals and objectives for the project. Set the vision and informed the team members on the how this project would be undertaken |
| Plan the communication process |
2/03/2021 |
Set the communication protocol in place. Ensured that each team member understood their roles and responsibilities in the project |
| Plan meetings with team members |
4/03/2021 |
Informed the team on what is expected of them. They have to be present during all scheduled meetings to report on their progress. Discussed the plan with the team and considered their inputs on changes that could significantly improve the project`s success. |
| Understand the target audience |
6/03/2021 |
Assessed demographics of the target audience to determine several aspects that were critical to the project. Collected views from the students to seek more clarification and opinion on the campaign and subsequent expansion of the café. |
| Meet the client`s needs |
7/03/2021 |
Met with the client (White Deer Cafe) to capture their goals and expansion plans. Informed the client our plans as a team, and aligned our goals with their vision for expansion. |
| Communicate with stakeholders |
11/03/2021 |
Communicated any changes an progress with the client and team members. Utilized this opportunity to gather feedback on several issues pertaining to the project`s success. |
| Update the advisor and create a budget |
14/03/2021 |
Created a budget for the project and communicate the same to the team and the advisor. Updated the advisor on the several activities we completed, what remains to be done, and the projected timeline. |
Problems the Team Faces
A major challenge in the project is the lack of motivation from the team. An unmotivated team will not work efficiently to produce the desired outcomes. While the roles each member has been assigned are complex, creating a conducive environment and inspiring them to improve their performance is essential. As such, I will ensure each member feels part of the project team by introducing incentives for all members and addressing their needs. Another challenge expected is the lack of adequate resources, such as enough funds to purchase the necessary materials, to complete the project. Already, the project has shown signs of constraints on resources, and the upper management is reluctant to allocate more funds. Despite this setback, I will seek external support from the café to provide additional resources that will see the project through.
Conclusion
White Deep Café is in an excellent position to market its products and services and expand its customer base through this marketing campaign. As the project leader, I am tasked with coordinating all the project tasks, communicate its progress to the upper management and the client, and create the project's budget. Given the progress of the project, I believe all the activities will be completed in due time. I acknowledge that this role is challenging, especially in managing conflicts within the team, but I am certain my success is guaranteed. The project timeline is well followed, and each member understands the direction the team is heading towards achieving success. These variables, among others, demonstrate my ability as a project leader and my success in coordinating all activities and roles assigned to me.
References
Blaskovics, B. (2016). The impact of project manager on project success — The case of ICT sector. Society and Economy , 38 (2), 261-281. https://doi.org/10.1556/204.2016.38.2.7
Lutas, M., Nistor, R., Radu, M., & Beleiu, I. (2020). Perceptions regarding the profile of an ideal project manager. Amfiteatru Economic 22 (54), 608-622. https://doi.org/10.24818/ea/2020/54/608
Mazur, A. K., & Pisarski, A. (2015). Major project managers' internal and external stakeholder relationships: The development and validation of measurement scales. International Journal of Project Management , 33 (8), 1680-1691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.07.008
