Running Head: ESSENTIAL PROJECT PROCESSES 1

Essential Project Processes

Jana Lee Cox

Arizona State University

OGL 321 – Project Leadership, Module 2

Professor Ben Pandya

August 30, 2020

Updated September 10, 2021

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I’ve worked on a wide range of projects over the years. Some were simple, like

organizing a closet or cleaning a child’s bedroom; others more complex, like building a shed, or

designing a family history book for a client. While many of these produced good results, all

could have benefited from principles of effective project management. Three such principles

include effective decision-making, a strong project foundation, and meetings that encourage

high-quality team interactions.

Effective decision making

Effective decision-making is arguably the most important factor in successful project

management. Powell and Buede (2008) offer several guidelines for making decisions, the most

relevant of which, for me, is to “[determine] which comes first, the objective(s) or the decision”

(Powell and Buede, 2008, p. 4). This required some thought, as they didn’t identify when it

might be advantageous to purposely make a decision before determining the objective. To my

mind, leading with the objective is preferable in all decisions, even personal ones.

Powell and Buede indicate this is especially true for project management, where

objectives are clearly identified beforehand and are at the forefront of the decision-making

process. They assert the three main objectives of project management include “meeting the

budget, finishing on schedule, and meeting client specifications” (Powell and Buede, 2008, p. 2).

I would argue that, since the attitude and emotional health of workers is a key factor in meeting

the first three objectives, maintaining worker morale should be objective number four. These

objectives determine the success or failure of a project, and should thus inform the key decisions.

In making project decisions, however, even when putting objectives above other

considerations, one must be aware of the not-so-visible influence of a project manager’s values.

These values can impact a decision, whether consciously or not. In running the Harvard
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Simulation A (Harvard Business School Publishing, 2013), I found that, even though the four

objectives were to maintain project scope, deliver on-time, keep under budget, and maintain team

morale, my values of putting people first influenced me to make decisions that favored team

morale over managing cost, and I consistently went over budget as a result. In this situation,

good decision-making would include a recognition of how values might exert influence on

decisions so one can adjust them consciously and purposefully throughout the project.

In addition, clients may emphasize one project objective over the others, such as a shorter

time frame or lower budget. This influences decisions as well, threatening the balance and

overall success of the project. Powell and Buede (2008) point out that, “Making the decision to

starve projects of time and resources is seldom helpful in meeting project objectives” (p. 9).

Rushing to finish a project, or doing so without necessary resources, can lead to mistakes and

have the paradoxical effect of taking longer and costing more.

This became apparent to me while playing the simulation (Harvard Business School

Publishing, 2013). When I tried to complete the 18-week project in 6 weeks, even though I

allocated more resources to do so, the extreme stress experienced by my workers led to

significant delays and lower productivity. In the end, the project took 18 weeks, was far over-

budget, and had excessively low worker morale. In subsequent runs, when I kept objectives in

balance, the project was more successful.

In reviewing causes behind project failure, Powell and Buede (2008) maintain that even

though competing objectives, lack of knowledge, and unexpected risks can impact the project,

they are not the deciding factor; instead, “[the] success of a project . . . turns on the decisions that

are made, not the knowledge and not the absence of risk” (p. 9). Thus, regardless of one’s
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personal values or the values of clients and stakeholders, the final decision should carefully

reflect desired objectives.

Strong foundation

A strong foundation is essential to a successful project, and it begins with good decisions.

In his blogpost, “Projects are like pizza!” Bondale (2020) teaches the importance of a good

foundation when he states, “the crust makes the pizza” (para. 4). Just as pizza without a crust is a

shapeless mass of toppings unlikely to withstand heat from the oven, a project without a good

foundation will not hold up to difficult challenges. This foundation is set through relevant

decisions made at the outset relating to principle objectives; project scope, completion, cost

allocation, and worker morale.

When Bondale asks students why some projects struggle, they frequently point to a faulty

foundation, He states, "Just as the crust is the foundation for a great pizza, how we kick off and

initiate our projects will often determine how successful we are at the end” (Bondale, 2020, para.

5). While running Simulation A (Harvard Business School Publishing, 2013), I waged my most

successful campaigns when determining basic parameters at the start, then building upon that

foundation throughout, such as with worker composition and outsourcing.

Likewise, during my career designing family history books, decisions made during the

initial client meeting set the foundation of project expectations and parameters. In these meetings

we discussed scope, time frame, and cost. All too often, the client would ask for, and I would

give, a “ball-park” estimate, which was usually my best guess based on current information.

Unfortunately, many variables affecting cost only emerged after beginning the project—by

which time, the client’s expectations had become fixed. Because to increase costs at this time
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would jeopardize the client relationship, I felt pressure to deliver as expected, while attempting

to break even by setting unrealistic deadlines and cutting corners on expenses.

Eventually, I established a stronger foundation by setting more reasonable expectations

through more accurate estimates in initial client meetings. This not only protected my company

from losses, it enabled the client to make an informed decision about whether or not to proceed.

It also enhanced client relations when we finished under budget. As project managers establish a

strong foundation, they set the stage for healthier, more successful, outcomes.

Meetings that promote high-quality team interactions

Another component of a successful project is healthy interactions among team members,

including the project manager. One of the most basic methods to assess team health is through

the careful and strategic use of meetings. As I found in running the Harvard simulation (Harvard

Business School Publishing, 2013) the overuse of meetings, especially the lengthy status report

meetings, quickly became a hindrance to both team morale and productivity. However, when

used sparingly, they were a great boost to both.

In her blogpost about project meetings, Harrin (2020) discusses several types of meetings

including initial planning meetings, daily 15-minute status reports, and “The meeting that

shouldn’t have happened” (Harrin, 2020, para. 4). She describes this as, “ironically the most

relevant to project management” (Harrin, 2020, para. 9), wherein team members “sit in a meeting

room, and do the creeping death of reporting on what we had done that month” (para. 11). Harrin

explains that, as team members who worked together, they already knew what the others had

done, and initially felt the meeting was a waste of time.

Her views changed as she realized the true value of the meeting was that it lent credibility

to their efforts, and allowed quieter members of the team to speak up. The fact that she gained
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nothing from them, Harrin felt, “was a sign of how well the team was working together) (para.

14). Monitoring team connection and the level of camaraderie and cooperation among workers

can indicate whether meetings support the team or simply provides a status update. Managers

who monitor these meetings often find one-on-one conversations or emails work better than

pulling workers away from their tasks for a meeting.

Conclusion

Effective decision-making based on objectives, a strong foundation that sets initial

parameters, and appropriate use of meetings that strengthens team interactions create a dynamic

framework that empowers a project to fulfill its purpose. These key elements shed light on how

successful projects are formed and prepare me for future leadership situations. While all projects

vary in scope and purpose, using these elements can help even simple projects be successful.
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References

Bondale, K. (2020, July 19). Projects are like pizza! Easy in theory, difficult in

practice. https://kbondale.wordpress.com/page/2/

Harrin, E. (2020, August 24). 5 types of project meetings • Girl's guide to project

management. Girl's Guide to Project

Management. https://www.girlsguidetopm.com/making-meetings-work/

Harvard Business School Publishing. (2013). Project management simulation. Forio | Custom

Simulations for Training and Higher Education. Retrieved August 25, 2020,

from https://forio.com/simulate/harvard/project-management/simulation

Powell, R. A., & Buede, D. M. (2008). Good decision-making: The key to project success.

In The project manager's guide to making successful decisions (pp. 1-18). Berrett-

Koehler Publishers.