Justin Hall

Culminating Project Management Performance Review

When I first started in this course, I had a few years and projects under my belt in the Oil & Gas
Construction field. I started this course with the mentality that it would be easy because I had been
working as and around Project Managers for several years. However, as I progressed through this
course, the information helped me gain a better understanding of what a Project Manager is supposed
to do and carry themselves. Most of the material seemed to be geared towards a different style of
Project Management than I am used to, projects that involve small teams in an office. I was able to
adapt the material and knowledge gained towards my current industry. Doing a personal reflection on
this course has shown me that I did not know as much as I thought I did about Project Management. I
had general ideas and how things should go, but I did not have the in-depth knowledge of why.

At the start of this project, my planning was the same as I do on all my projects. The only
difference was that I usually plan my projects in Microsoft Projects instead of Microsoft Excel. I
understood the importance of a detailed plan/schedule and the necessity to show each little individual
step as it correlated with the project. I did enjoy utilizing this course as a Project as it helped me stay on
track with my Tasks and Sub-tasks throughout the course. Many of the concepts presented by O’Connell
and Wiefling were familiar to me. Like I stated above, they seemed to be more geared towards a small
team in completely different industry than myself, however, I was able to adapt the concepts. What I did
learn is the more in-depth reasoning behind why we do certain things as a Project Manager and why
they are important. The main strength I utilized on this project was that of organization. It allowed me to
make sure everything was accounted for. I did miss one assignment due to a risk that I did not identify,
however, it was corrected at a later date.

My relationship with the client was not a strong one. That is one area that I definitely have to
improve upon. I struggled to be able to see the professor as a client. I interacted with the client via email
source. However, I only conversed with the client when an issue arose. I had an issue at the beginning of
the project about my grade not transferring properly from Perusall. That was a contingency that I
addressed and spoke with the client about, and we were able to get it fixed before it caused any issues.
Communication with the client is definitely something I need to improve, especially working on building
a better relationship with the client.

With having experience in Project Management, I have had to deal with multi-discipline jobs
that involved multiple subcontractors. Having done this in the past really helped me to go back and forth
between the specifications for each specific project and the main project. I used to get overwhelmed
when trying to do this, however, I learned that focusing on the specific project only allows me to
complete that project. If each specific project is completed successfully, it makes completing the overall
project easier and has a greater chance of success. I had to request one change in a delivery date due to
a risk that was not identified. At first, I struggled requesting a change in the date because I was still
viewing it as a College course instead of a project. Most courses will not allow the due date change,
however, when I sat down and looked at it as a project, it made me realize that you cannot just drop a
deliverable because of a mistake you made. I requested a new delivery date and on the same day,
completed the task that had been missed. After doing this, I added this risk to my project plan to ensure
it was identified.

Learning about biases was a hard truth that everyone should have to face. This area really
helped open my eyes and mind up to see where I was biased at. My main experience being from Quality
Control, I typically leaned towards a higher standard for Quality in my projects. This helped me realize
 Justin Hall
Culminating Project Management Performance Review

that I was neglecting other areas of importance in some of the projects. This also helped me understand
the critical analysis better. No one likes to critique their own work because they are afraid of how they
truly performed. However, after this project, I am going to critique every project to ensure I improve
myself as a Project Manager in the future.

It is hard to compare the case studies to my experiences as a PM. Every project that I start is
required to have a Schedule/WBS established before the project is started, including a detailed Scope of
Work. However, in the case of the last case study, the individual utilized his previous knowledge to help
him excel at the new project he started. That is something I do on every project, from Construction work
to schoolwork. I find that an important tool to utilize, it not only allows you to see your weaknesses, it
also helps you identify the areas that you are strongest in. This helps you to better prepare yourself for
the next project and the many projects down the road.