Final Paper

DaMyron Sullivan
Dr. Cristen Mann
OGL 321
November 22, 2020
DaMyron Sullivan

Dr. Cristen Mann

OGL 321

November 22, 2020

In the beginning of the course, I came into this with the idea that I was going to learn

brand new skills that I had never used. However, in the continuation of OGL 321, it was made

very apparent that each one of us to some degree uses PM techniques in our everyday lives. I

have learned that in this course, I have been equipped with the knowledge to manage a decent

scaled project but now with more efficiency. At the start of the Simulations I was made aware

of my lack of understanding of scope management. I did not quite realize until it was later on

into my first set of assignments that completing projects with the mindset of “One size fits all”,

if you will, would truly not get me far. Simulation A was the easy trial and error that outlined for

me just where I needed improvement at. I struggled initially with balance between staying on

schedule and staying below budget. This was because I had not really had to manage the

financial part of a project to such a degree. The scoring process was what really opened my

eyes to just how much more room for bettering my skills was needed. It was very much a

humbling experience that I am going to truthfully cement in my memory for later access.
 Additionally, scheduling was another area that I could clearly see needed some coaching

on to make the most of. What really worked for me was taking the same simulation 4-10 times

and trying to find different moving variables that worked and building off of positive results. For

example, I learned that throughout the weeks of differing scenarios that a group of 4-5 people

of medium high skilled team members was where I would begin to structure each of my

simulations. I do this because not only does it usually align with my budget but it also allows for

a certain amount of tasks per person to be able to get done. This puts my team in position,

more often than not, to where if we are not on schedule then we are not too far behind. Having

a perfectly staffed team is great and all but communication was another place I needed to

improve on and experience has been the best teacher.

Furthermore, communication from up top often times has been what can either propel

a team to success or what absolutely can tank a team and that is something I have made sure to

be on top of. I have learned that too much communication can overly stress a team, while too

little leaves them frustrated without proper direction. All of these greatly effect productivity

which are obstacles that if addressed can be minimized. That ties into another area that I

believe I have witnessed growth in and that is Risk Management. This was done by the briefing

before the assignment with the team as well as proper communication. An article that helped

me further my understanding left me with an idea that once again will forever stick with me

and that was preventative maintenance within a project. I read another article that I wrote

about in a presentation that outlined the top 10 things that are causes of project failure and

coupled with increasing my parameters with risk management have really helped in even my

personal professional job as a Starbucks shift supervisor.

 In addition, taking those points into account, my personal approach has updated to a

more disciplined yet balanced one in the way that I am more logical but also have the frame of

mind to use situational based reasoning. I had to first understand that a compromise in each

simulation had to be made and the sooner you identify the variables to make it happen, the

better. An example would be, this previous weeks scenario, essentially was where we needed

to make an advanced level printer but with a seemingly impossible due date and allotted

budget. In order for me to succeed I realized that regardless of logic telling the PM to stay on

budget, a compromise had to be made to get the project done by the due date. Even this

required tweaking of the usual management style in the way that I had to keep the

communication high amongst the team to keep as little anti productivity to a minimum.

Another thing that I absolutely prioritize is my teams mental state and that has to do

with both an ethic basis as well as a point based motivation. My biggest challenge to date has

been once again in finding balance but specifically in the block of Coaching and Leading the

most efficiently. The biggest thing I have learned is just finding the pattern that each team has

where they feel happy and motivated, as it does tend to change with each scenario. Even then

for example, Simulation F required way more than the usual adjustment. This weeks Simulation

F came up with, by my count, 5-6 curve balls that directly impacted the team. These ranged

from technology failures to car accidents that had members of the team out of work for a few

weeks. All of these set the schedule back in a way that required, additional team members as

well as more coaching and team reviews not only to make sure deadlines were being met but to

ensure that as little negative mental health changes happened during the journey to
completion. Time and time again we are shown that a team who feels supported will be more

likely to produce more versus its opposite, a team that does not feel supported.

Likewise, I was able to bring some of my previous experience from my Supervisor

position that I am currently in and use that in the simulations. By actively being able to recall

certain situations that I have had to work in, it allows me to put what I already know into play

during different situations that happen virtually and gather more experience without any high

risk consequences. For example, Scope Risk is something that any successful leader has but how

in depth yet broad are those risks that can be readily identified. When I first got my leadership

role, I had a set of contingencies that I thought would be enough however almost a year later

and I am still improving and further adding to my depth of risk management to the point that

my own boss seeks council from me when attempting new approaches for starting certain

projects. Scope Management has played such a large role in my daily life, like knowing that a

certain day of the week is going to be busier, we schedule more people in preparation for it, or

knowing there’s a warehouse shortage of our regular lemonade and having an alternative of

similar quality as a back-up. These are all examples that can be substituted with and applied to

a different field of work. My father who was an Officer and his father who was a Sheriff are

natural leaders and as such have imparted certain skills and developed within myself

information that I have modified. In the Law Enforcement Industry, I would imagine that in

preparation for the holidays and the people traveling to and fro, that they would be out in full

force to keep order. That would be risk management and Soft Risks. The biggest takeaway that I

gathered was that this field is constantly evolving and with it so are the problems and solutions
that those in the industry have worked to overcome. You can never learn too much about PM

especially if it is something that you would consider to be your life long future career.

In addition, many successful companies and corporations often times have yearly work

conferences where they will send employees to in hopes that they attend the seminar and

come back with more knowledge/skill/etc. The point is to ensure that their companies work

style still fits in with the times that they are in. For example, CCMC, a Property Management

Company that I hope to work for, sends my mother who is a Community Manager, to yearly

trainings to make sure that each member is of modern skill and has new ways to solve

problems that may be common of that specific time. My mother attended a new training a few

years ago and one of the issues she told me that were brought up was the topic of Air-b-nb, the

home rental company, that was beginning to be a problem for homeowners in the area that

were concerned about decrease in home value as well as safety. This is an example of proper

planning from those of the upper level.

However, with the vast amount of information that was presented during the semester,

as readily available as it was, there are a few major things that I feel only first hand experience

could bring justice to. The three major areas of focus that I will provide advice on would be

Project Scope, How to efficiently use your resources to their maximum potential as well as the

importance of scheduling. These would have taken quite a bit of the repetitive failures off and

left more room for growth after each successful scenario was run through as it takes more of
the guessing game out and replaces it with the logical, rational and the analytical skills of a

Project manager.

 Project Scope- is, according to Grey Campus, “the work the project will do to

deliver the product of the project.

-For me personally this means, how many things are involved in finishing the

project as well as how much work it will take to complete it.

-These items can be difficult to immediately identify within your simulations in

the upcoming weeks but the main one that will be imperative to understand and

prioritize would be the deliverables.

1. Deliverables – The things that you and your team delivers to make a whole

project.

 Resources, according to Wrike.com, are “a necessary asset whose main role is to

help carry out a certain task or project… a person, a team, a tool, finances and

time.”

-While the definition has a very broad meaning there are three main points that I

personally feel should be understood before jumping into the simulations.

 1. People, These are the team members that you rely on to work diligently with

from start to finish. The people on the team are usually hand picked to work on a

specialized section in which they are suited for.

2. Capital (Cost), While there are several points associated with this cost section

but the big takeaway is the budget. Logic will tell you to stay under budget but

for most of the simulations you are required to make trade-offs for the sake of

completion.

 Scheduling, according to Project Manger.com, “communicates what tasks need

to get done and… in what timeframe”

-I have found this to be the biggest area of work where improvement was

instantly seen as far as simulation scores goes. Unfortunately, as I previously

said, it does seem that experience is the best teacher and simulations such as

these, help outline and get you thinking as to what you might expect.

- For example, scheduling as close to what your budget allows, even if slightly

over coupled with extensive outsourcing usually nets you the most amount of

productivity per person.

- When staffed correctly, your team will not feel as frustrated due to being over

worked, which once again keeps them happy, resulting in higher levels of

productivity.

- Slightly outside the box, make sure to schedule just enough one-on-one

coaching, daily stand ups and weekly status reviews. This is imperative as it
allows you to touch base with the team to ensure you are on schedule and if not

then you can incorporate addition or fewer coaching opportunities.

 Reference Page

Annon, A. (2019). Greycampus. Retrieved November 27, 2020, from

https://www.greycampus.com/opencampus/project-management-professional/scope-
management-overview

Brooks, D. (2020, November 24). Project Schedule: The Ultimate Guide (Example Included).
Retrieved November 27, 2020, from https://www.projectmanager.com/project-scheduling

Brown, L. (2016). What is a Resource in Project Management? Retrieved November 27, 2020,
from https://www.wrike.com/project-management-guide/faq/what-is-a-resource-in-project-
management/

Harrin, E. (2020, September 14). 3 Types of Essential Resources For Your Project. Retrieved
November 27, 2020, from https://pmtips.net/article/3-types-of-essential-resources-for-
your-project

Landau, P. (2020, July 03). Project Scope 101. Retrieved November 27, 2020, from
https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/project-scope