MODULE 7 - FINAL PAPER 1

OGL 321 Module 7: Final Paper

Maxwell Smith

Arizona State University

7 August 2020
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When it comes to project management, the most certain aspect to remember is some

projects require different management styles. There are behavioral characteristics project

managers may follow to guide them in the direction of success, however every project requires

time to understand what type of culture is needed to lead their team in the right direction. For

example, patience, effective communication, maintaining healthy relationships, respect, and

specific project knowledge are all characteristics efficient project managers can follow. Each

team is going to have a different way of working together, therefore it’s crucial for PM’s to

provide an arena where their team can openly communicate with one another. While some

project groups may require a PM to be more present, others may have enough experience to

guide themselves mostly towards their goals. I have experience in both fronts as a project

manager, however I have often found the most success through consistency, communication, and

following the specific agreed schedule. From the results of the online quiz “How Good Are Your

Project Management Skills?”, I personally need to continue to spend time focusing on the overall

scope of a project, the possible risks which could hinder its success, and lastly, the evaluation of

the project’s results. All “real” leaders have the ability to constantly learn new abilities, listen to

others, and provide a safe space for others to flourish (Mindtools.com, 2010).

The overall scope of a project is somewhat of a map which guides the project team, the

project manager, higher-up management, and the stakeholders throughout the project’s duration.

The scope details the specifics of each task, which includes assignment delegation,

communication between all departments, and a schedule in which those tasks are to be

completed. In this stage, the timeline and budget of the project are established and agreed upon

by all parties involved, usually the organization and the stakeholders. It is sometimes decided at
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this point of a project, it simply is not feasible to be completed successfully. There are five

different project dependencies evaluated during this time:

1) Novelty - Is the project in new territory for the company?

2) Complexity - How complex/uncertain are the tasks involved?

3) Affordability - How much is the project going to cost? Balanced spending?

4) Structure - Is there organization in place to carry out necessary tasks?

5) Capacity - Is the project work the risk?

As these dependencies arise, a PM can either suppress, adapt, detour, or reorient their

team in context to each situation. A personal opinion regarding the development of the scope of a

project, is to involve as many people as possible who will be working on the project directly.

Therefore, the people who will actually be completing the tasks being asked of them, will have a

chance to voice their opinions, comments, and concerns. As I have come to realize, a project’s

success is only as good as the team who is working on it. By including a project’s team in the

planning process, there will be a better understanding as to what is needed from each team

member as well as establishing an environment surrounded on effective and healthy

communication. As a project manager, this is a way to keep the project team informed, happy,

and set up to succeed (Palmer, 2018).

Evaluating risks before a project has even started is often a difficult task. How is one able

to detect something which hasn’t happened yet? In the planning stages of a project, as well as

through the development of the project’s scope, it’s crucial to focus on the possibility of internal

and external risks affecting the team and their ability to succeed. By including many people in

these stages, possible risks can be discussed and examined. If a project is planned by only
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higher-up executives and a project manager, they might not have a true grasp as to what is going

to affect the project team throughout it’s journey. They simply don’t have the necessary ability to

understand every single role involved in their team, or else why would they need the team in the

first place. An inclusive planning process opens the door for everyone to bring different

suggestions to the table to avoid possible risk.

While it’s important to examine risk prior to the start of the project, there are often issues

which arise unexpectedly. For example, if a project team is not meant to work together, and this

is discovered weeks into the project, the PM needs to deal with the internal risk head-on. First

the PM should determine what is causing the issues, validate its impact on the team/project, and

make immediate changes necessary to increase productivity. An example of an external risk is an

unexpected issue with support from outsourced assistance. If a project is relying on another

company to alleviate the workload and they have a delay, then the entire project could suffer.

These types of issues are best dealt with with an open mind, full disclosure to all parties

involved, and most importantly to not put additional unnecessary stresses on the project’s team

(Stewart, 2018).

Lastly, the evaluation of a project’s results is crucial in understanding which processes

worked and which led the team in the wrong direction. This evaluation process allows the entire

group of people involved the privilege of learning from their mistakes and to better understand

other project’s in the future. Just like in life, each project attempt is a learning experience where

everyone can gain knowledge from each situation - even if it’s understanding a specific action

which ultimately helped the project succeed. On the other hand, these evaluations could be

eye-opening and show the organization where they might manage their project’s in the future.
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Maybe this type of project simply doesn’t fit within the organization’s culture or they don’t have

the resources to complete it successfully. I can personally say I am guilty of getting to the end

result of a project and wanting to move on as quickly as possible to the next thing. I need to

spend more time understanding how the results of the project affected others and how the team

was able to work together on a shared goal.

The Harvard Simulations were somewhat difficult for me to navigate in the first attempts.

While I used my existing experience to lead others, I couldn’t seem to find the human aspect

within these simulations, which I truly feel led to the lack of my ability to receive a perfect score.

Maintaining healthy relationships with a project group is one of the most crucial aspects to its

success. Therefore, not being able to actually communicate with this project group, virtually or

in-person, took away the human element of comradery and the understanding of the team’s

personality. However, I found taking the project week by week yielded the ability for me as the

PM to better understand which processes were working and which required more of me. If the

team explained the need to better understand their objectives, we met more one-on-one. If the

team needed to understand their teammates' roles, we increased the amount of status update

meetings. Overall, the most important learning experience from these simulations is to take each

project slowly, adjust to the needs of the team, and make necessary budget and time adjustments

while communicating with everyone involved. These are three tips I can offer to anyone running

through these simulations for the first time:

Read all of the objectives:

There were a few initial attempts to these simulations where I jumped in head-first without

reading the project’s objectives and missed specific details which could have guided me in a
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different direction. One specific example which stands out is a simulation requiring our team to

create a product which could compete with a rival company release expected in about six

months. For some reason, the management’s expectations for completing this project were within

a twelve week period, which would slate the completion of the project almost three months

ahead of the rival company’s. If I was to read this a bit more clearly, I would have known the

overall timeframe of the project had a little bit of leeway, which could have increased the team’s

morale and decreased their stresses to complete the project far ahead of the rival’s.

Make trade-offs:

There was a specific run through on the simulation where I actually lowered my expectation of

the project group to create a product which wasn’t quite to management standards, but still

competitive with the rival company. The reason for this change was the allotted time in which

the project was expected to be completed. The team were experienced in the tasks they were

trying to complete, however the budget and time simply didn’t provide a clear path for the team

to find success. Therefore, by lowering the expectation of the product they were to create, they

had a chance to regroup their individual contributions which resulted in higher morale and less

stress. The trade-off in this situation was creating a product slightly less compatible with

management’s expectations but keeping the team happy, productive, and successful.

Evaluate/Re-attempt:

An extremely helpful tip I found upon reading the comments on a Discussion Board Debrief, was

a classmate who attempted the simulation a few times and then re-attempted the simulation after

reading about the attempts of others. Since these simulations are a learning tool, rather than a

quiz on personal skills, I thought this collaborative style of learning from others was a great tip in
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better understanding the simulations. I personally had somewhat of a closed mind when

attempting certain simulations because I couldn’t seem to find the sweet spot to make the team

most happy or most successful. Instead of getting frustrated throughout this process, I should

have read about the experiences of others to better understand my approach and what was/was

not working for me/them. Learning from one another is a helpful tip in life and in managing

projects, hence the importance of post-project evaluation.

The simulations were far from real-life, however they offered insight into approaching all

projects from unique perspectives. Throughout my experiences of leading projects, I have found

through consistency and constant communication, teammates feel more comfortable to come to

me with questions and concerns. This was also true within the simulations, except figuratively.

The most consistent feedback from my results was the importance and appreciation the team felt

when we spent at least fifteen minutes a day catching up with one another and bringing everyone

up to speed. There are definitely sweet spots when holding meetings however. I found that

sometimes, my project group didn’t need as much guidance, therefore, we needed to meet less

often. By listening to the needs of my team, I was able to adjust certain aspects of its

management to enhance their productivity. Just like with all real life project experiences,

everyone has to make exceptions and trade-offs. While tensions are often present in most

projects, PM’s are responsible for maintaining their behaviors as well as their teammates.

In conclusion, project management is no easy task. Actually, it’s far more difficult than I

previously expected it to be. There are so many different ways to approach different groups of

people, making it almost impossible to find one simple answer to correctly lead them towards

success. With that being said, each leadership practice should serve as a learning experience to
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enhance the next experience. Everyone makes mistakes, however when those mistakes are

corrected, more positive results could evolve. If there is one thing I have come to learn by

listening and reading about leaders in our communities, it is that there is always room for

improvement. Not one person alone can solve the world’s problems nor are they able to be

successful in every venture in their lives. To be closed minded it to be ignorant to the possibility

of being wrong and accepting change. Accountability, communication, and inclusion are all

behaviors project managers, leaders, politicians, corporate executives, or anyone in a position of

power, should be following on a daily basis if they are to expect the same from others. Leading

by example is the key to success as well as adjusting behaviors to cater the overall team’s morale

and productivity. The success of a project is only as successful as its leadership and the team

working to complete it.

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Work Cited

Mindtools.com. (2010, March 12). How good are your project management skills?:.

Management training and leadership training - online.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_60.htm

Palmer, E. (2018, October 5). Five factors that lead to successful projects.

https://project-management.com/five-factors-that-lead-to-successful-projects/

Stewart, J. (2018, October 3). Top 10 reasons why projects fail.

https://project-management.com/top-10-reasons-why-projects-fail/