Reynalaine V.

Bornasal
III-AMA

1. Discuss the 4Ps of project management

There are 4 critical components of project management which is known as the

‘4Ps” namely Product, Process, People, Project

Product – The meaning of this term is self-evident. It refers to the result of the
project, the purpose of the project. The project manager needs to explain the
product scope so that everyone is clear on the end results. The product refers to
be both tangible and intangible. For example, it co uld mean relocating the office or
factory to a new premise or migrating to a new software/tool.

Process - A clearly defined and mapped out process is the key to the success of
any project. It factors in issues, hurdles and probable solutions to ensure mini mum
disruption. Each stage of the process in the project needs to be mapped so that
everyone knows what to do and how to do it. The correct process strategy leads to
the proper execution of the project hence success.

People - The most critical component of a project and its successful

implementation is human resources. A well -managed team with clear cut roles
defined for each person/team will lead to the success of the project. Some of the
assigned roles in project management are project manager, team membe rs,
stakeholders, process analysts, and information technology personnel. Managing
people successfully is tricky and a role played well by good project managers.

Project – The fourth but not the least component is the project. This is where the
big role and responsibility of the project manager are under the spotlight. The
manager is also known as PM informally, has the task of overseeing the project,
delegating tasks, guiding and assisting team members with issues, checking on
budget, and trying to ensure the project stays on track with the well-defined
deadlines.
 2. The Roles and responsibility of a project manager

PROJECT MANAGER ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

(8 Key Roles)

Good project managers are people with an excellent entrepreneurial mindset. This allows them to think
about a project beyond the basic skill set needed to manage it, and it is the project manager’s job to direct
teams and team members to the finish line. At the end of the day, the project’s success or failure rests
solely on the project manager’s shoulders, and he or she is the one responsible for the end result. Project
managers keep knowledge and information flowing seamlessly. They need both technical know-how and
first-hand knowledge of the tasks they assign to others to keep the project moving forward.

"Project Managers play the lead role in planning, executing, monitoring,

controlling, and closing projects. They're expected to deliver a project on time,
within the budget, and brief while keeping everyone in the know and happy."
— Cam Lee, Rock Agency

1. Activity and resource planning

Planning is instrumental in meeting project deadlines, and many projects fail due to poor
planning. First and foremost, good project managers define the project’s scope and determine
available resources. Good project managers know how to realistically set time estimates and
evaluate the team's or teams’ capabilities.They then create a clear and concise plan to both
execute the project and monitor its progress. Projects are naturally unpredictable, so good
project managers know how to make adjustments along the way as needed before the project
reaches its final stages.

2. Organizing and motivating a project team

Good project managers don’t get their teams bogged down with elaborate spreadsheets, long
checklists, and whiteboards. Instead, they put their teams in front and center. They develop
clear, straightforward plans that stimulate their teams to reach their full potential. They cut down
on bureaucracy and steer their teams down a clear path to the final goal.

3. Controlling time management

Clients usually judge a project’s success or failure on whether it has been delivered on time.
Therefore, meeting deadlines are non-negotiable. Good project managers know how to set
realistic deadlines, and how to communicate them consistently to their teams. They know how
to effectively do the following:

• Define activity
• Sequence activity
• Estimate the duration of activity
• Develop a schedule
• Maintain a schedule

4. Cost estimating and developing the budget

Good project managers know how to keep a project within its set budget. Even if a project
meets a client’s expectations and is delivered on time, it will still be a failure if it goes wildly
over-budget. Good project managers frequently review the budget and plan ahead to avoid
massive budget overruns.

5. Ensuring customer satisfaction

In the end, a project is only a success if the customer is happy. One of the key responsibilities of
every project manager is to minimize uncertainty, avoid any unwanted surprises, and involve
their clients in the project as much as is reasonably possible. Good project managers know how
to maintain effective communication and keep the company’s clients up-to-date.

6. Analyzing and managing project risk

The bigger the project is, the more likely there are to be hurdles and pitfalls that weren’t part of
the initial plan. Hiccups are inevitable, but good project managers know how meticulously and
almost intuitively, identify and evaluate potential risks before the project begins. They know how
to then avoid risks or at least minimize their impact.

7. Monitoring progress

During the initial stages, project managers and their teams have a clear vision and high hopes
of producing the desired result. However, the path to the finish line is never without some
bumps along the way. When things don’t go according to a plan, a project manager needs to
monitor and analyze both expenditures and team performance and to always efficiently take
corrective measures.

8. Managing reports and necessary documentation

Finally, experienced project managers know how essential final reports and proper
documentation are. Good project managers can present comprehensive reports documenting
that all project requirements were fulfilled, as well as the projects’ history, including what was
done, who was involved, and what could be done better in the future.
 3. Ethics in project management
Whenever there is an ethical issue, the actions of the person or an organization come to
form and to decide which decision will harm or benefit the organization. Ethics plays a vital role
in project management and the key to execute projects successfully. It points out the
responsibility and ability of the person to come to his/her conclusions through analyzing, and to
determine which principles would be appropriate in that particular case. Ethics is a reasonable
understanding for us to refrain from hurting others, and sometimes a duty to help others.

To live ethically, first, we should study and examine our own beliefs and conduct, and strive
to ensure that we and the organization will help to shape and live up to the fair standards. You
need to figure out what the right thing is before you can do the right thing. Managers and
leaders work to minimize ethical conflicts because of cultural differences and an organization
with an established code of ethics and conduct functions better.

According to the PMI (Project Management Institute), project management ethics is an

essential ingredient while managing projects to come over any conclusion. Ethical choices
reduce the risk, advance positive results, increase trust, determine long term success, and build
reputations. Leadership depends upon the ethical choice you make. Ethics and leadership can
add moral dimensions to decision making process for success. Ensure ethics permeates all
aspects of organizational operations.

PMI has come up with the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct document to help project
management professionals to do what is right and ethical. The document express values to
which a project manager should pursue, and defines the behavior they should adopt to be
successful. The purpose of the ethical document is to build confidence in the project
management profession and to help an individual to become a better practitioner and help
project managers to make a wise decision.

The PMI Code of Ethics

• Be responsible — take ownership of decisions including their consequences. This includes knowing
and meeting all legal requirements, reporting unethical or illegal conduct to appropriate
management.

• Fulfilling commitments and protecting proprietary and confidential information.

• Be Respectful of yourself, listen to others and protect resources entrust to us.

• Fair and transparent in decisions including disclosing conflicts of interest to appropriate stakeholders.

• Honest in communications and conduct.

• Trustworthy
 Building trustworthy relationships across different cultures, time zones, teams and
departments helps the smooth running of projects. Trust is the one common thread that
holds together different cultural differences, disparate work cultures spanning various
time zones, team members with different behaviors and departments with unique
objectives.

A good project manager should adopt the PMI code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
and make good use of the Ethical Decision-Making Framework.

Framework for Ethical Decision Making

• Recognize ethical issue

• Get the facts

• Evaluate alternate options

• Make a decision and test it

• Reflect on outcome

Ethical Issues and Dilemmas

• Favoritism between subordinates.

• Admission of wrongdoing.

• The company is asking the problem manager and his/her team to do something unethical.

• Slack off in their work.

• Put the blame to subordinates.

• Acquire sensitive material or work of other teams.

• Hard choices regarding contracts between parties.

• Doing business in a different country is ambiguous and may contradict practices done at home.

Solutions to Ethical Problems

• PMs should make sure that their team members are all equally supported and their opinions heard.

• If PM is at fault for the unsuccessful venture of project completion, he/she must admit this wrong.

• PMs should have a strong sense of ethics and lead his/her subordinates by example.

• There is no “I” in the team. If a project is unsuccessful, the most ethical outcome is that the whole
team failed.

• Before signing a contract, the company should make sure to ask questions & cut ties with people in
the project team.

• To replace them with others given based on the contract.

• Distinguish between what is acceptable and unacceptable when doing business abroad.

• Noting the various laws of both your own country and those in your host country.

• Do not be influenced by anyone.

• Make decisions that give you a clear conscience.

• You should be reliable, fair, honest and ethical.

Reasons for Ethical Violations in Workplace

• Misinterpretation of data

• Personal value conflicts

• Disrespect of co-workers

• Unprofessional behavior

4. Project management software

What Is Software Project Management?

Software project management refers to the branch of project management dedicated to the planning,
scheduling, resource allocation, execution, tracking and delivery of software and web projects.

Project management in software engineering is distinct from traditional project management in that
software projects have a unique lifecycle process that requires multiple rounds of testing, updating, and
customer feedback. Most IT-related projects are managed in the agile style, in order to keep up with the
increasing pace of business, and iterate based on customer and stakeholder feedback.

The role and responsibility of a software project manager

Software project managers may have to do any of the following tasks:

1. Planning: This means putting together the blueprint for the entire project from ideation to fruition.
It will define the scope, allocate necessary resources, propose the timeline, delineate the plan for
execution, lay out a communication strategy, and indicate the steps necessary for testing and
maintenance.

2. Leading: A software project manager will need to assemble and lead the project team, which
likely will consist of developers, analysts, testers, graphic designers, and technical writers. This
requires excellent communication, people and leadership skills.
 3. Execution: The project manager will participate in and supervise the successful execution of each
stage of the project. This includes monitoring progress, frequent team check-ins and creating
status reports.

4. Time management: Staying on schedule is crucial to the successful completion of any project, but
it’s particularly challenging when it comes to managing software projects because changes to the
original plan are almost certain to occur as the project evolves. Software project managers must
be experts in risk management and contingency planning to ensure forward progress when
roadblocks or changes occur.

5. Budget: Like traditional project managers, software project managers are tasked with creating a
budget for a project, and then sticking to it as closely as possible, moderating spend and re-
allocating funds when necessary.

6. Maintenance: Software project management typically encourages constant product testing in

order to discover and fix bugs early, adjust the end product to the customer’s needs, and keep
the project on target. The software project manager is responsible for ensuring proper and
consistent testing, evaluation and fixes are being made.

How to manage a software project successfully?

A recent article in Forbes suggests that there are eight ways to improve and streamline the software
project management process; these eight suggestions include:

• Take non-development work off your team’s plate to let them focus on developing

• Motivating your team by sharing others’ success stories—like those of tech giants, which will inspire
and excite your team

• Avoid altering the task once its assigned

• Try to stick to the plan (until it needs to be changed)

• Encouraging organization by being organized

• Streamline productivity through effective delegation

• Get to know your team and build a rapport

• Break down the plan and give them specific daily tasks
References:

https://codleo.com/blog/4-Ps-of-Project-Management

https://activecollab.com/blog/project -management/project-manager-roles-and-
responsibilities

https://www.henryharvin.com/blog/ethics-to-consider-in-project-management/

https://www.wrike.com/project-management-guide/faq/what-is-software-project-
management/