Erin Anderson

OGL 324

Paper 2

This class has constantly built on knowledge that I brought in with me from other classes,

and challenged me to understand the complexities of being a project manager. I came into this

class with a solid idea of how to manage people that I work with, but I now have a better

understanding of how people can be resources that need to be managed. When I have graduated

and started my career, it will be important that I understand how to assess what a project needs,

ensure I find the correct people to do the job, work with other functional managers to ensure my

choices for staffing are the correct ones to support the organization overall, and I will need to be

able to give clear feedback about the work that has been done under my watch. Managing

people, especially when they are resources that can make or break your project, is a crucial skill

that I feel I have a better understanding of now than I did at the start of the semester.

The reality of using virtual teams, or teams who spend little to no time working face to

face is something that has hit home with me, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I will be done with

my degree in May of 2021, so the reality is that I will be entering the Project Management

workforce as a pandemic is happening. I can reasonably assume that the start of my career will

be with using a lot of virtual teams. In this type of team, communication is overwhelmingly

important for the success of the project. A project manager utilizing virtual teams needs to be

very clear about what the goals, and expectations are for each individual, and the group as a

whole. Video conferences, and other non-contact ways of communicating such as email or phone

calls will have to be used heavily for the team to work together. When hiring for a virtual team, a
manager would need to look for individuals who are able to communicate very effectively and

clearly, and those who are good at managing themselves. A lessons learned register will be

important for me to keep as I work on building this skill of leading virtual teams. It will be

valuable to me and to other members of the organization I work for, for me to keep a close log of

what challenges came up and how they were handled, as well as ways to avoid them in the

future. This consistent reflection will be beneficial as I learn to manage virtual teams.

Critically thinking about what I need in a team as I build one is something I feel I have a

good grasp on. A successful team is one that can communicate openly, and work independently

as well as collaboratively. We saw in the Photolite Corporation case study that there is

importance in both looking through Personnel files as well as interviewing candidates to

determine who will be the best fit for a project (Kerzner, 2013, p. 614). Personnel files are a

wonderful place to start looking for talent to complete your project, as they will contain

information about their qualifications and work history. This is especially important if you need

someone educated in a certain field, or someone who has worked in similar projects as the one

you’re in. Barge of completing, because they may offer insight that others who do not have that

same experience might not have. However, these files do not offer a completely accurate picture

of the employee, and interviews are important to get to the root of if they will be a good fit for a

project or not. Sometimes, someone is really well educated and has experience that makes sense

for them to be included in a project, but in the interview stage it becomes clear they would not be

a good fit at all.

Reality has really hit home with me that I will be in a position soon of being graduated

and out in the workforce. My career goals are to be a store manager at Starbucks, which has

some project management components to it. I will be in charge of building a team, getting clear
goals and making appropriate changes as needed. I will also be a part of projects in addition to

managing my store’s day-to-day business. I will be involved with projects as both a leader and as

a follower. I will be able to use what I have learned about virtual teams and what a team needs in

order to be successful, to be able to contribute my best work in projects I am a part of. As we

learned in the Coding Tech video about Google, communication is a crucial part of a successful

team. When a team is successful there is a level of respect between all members, which allowed

for all members to speak for about the same amount of time throughout the project, and this

enabled for everyone’s ideas to be heard and increases the level of intelligence of the group

(Secrets of Successful Teamwork, 2018). We learned from the same video that teams were most

successful when there was a high level of emotional intelligence, where members could pick up

on when someone was feeling left out or upset. Having this kind of intelligence allowed for

members to make sure everyone was included, and the group then benefitted. With this

knowledge I will know to be conscious in the groups that I am a part of to be aware that

everyone is included. The group always benefits when everyone is able to speak their mind.

There will be a few added challenges entering the job market during such challenging

circumstances. A global pandemic is something the majority of the population has not lived

through before, and this is the first time we have dealt with something like this, with such

amazing technology at our disposal. Entering the workforce with a focus on project management

in this global environment will be a unique experience. I will be smart to rely on what I have

learned about what is important in a successful team. A solid combination of very qualified

individuals, who also have good social skills and will be able to work with others in a

meaningful way is going to be important to the success of the projects I participate in. I have to

assume virtual teams will be something I see a lot of in the near future, and with the added
pressures of not having much, if any, time to meet face to face it will be especially important to

make sure the correct individuals are selected for these projects. A clear focus on defined goals,

and an emphasis on communication and collaboration will serve my teams well.

Work Cited:

Kerzner, Harold, and Harold R. Kerzner. Project Management Case Studies : Case Studies, John

Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-

com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/lib/asulib-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1108715.

Secrets Of Successful Teamwork: Insights From Google. (October 11, 2018). Retrieved

November 20, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHIikHJV9fI