Project Implementation Simulation Reflection

Module code: DEV 7040-B- SEM2

UB Number:
1. Introduction:
In this reflection, the main aim is to reflect on my simulation experiences for the new house
construction project. For this purpose, I am using the Gibbs reflective cycle (Adeani et al., 2020).
According to Gibbs, through reflecting on learning experience, individuals can improve their
performance at the time and also performance in the long run (Gibbs, 1988). The phases are
mentioned below:

Figure 1: Gibbs reflective cycle (Gibbs, 1988)

The purpose of this strategy is to systematize reflections while separating emotions. The
process's multiple phases usually help me calm down my brain operations so that I don't jump to
conclusions too quickly (Husebø et al., 2015).

Project Description: It is critical for project managers as well as the strategic planning
procedure to understand the implementation of projects since it might disclose new concerns and
obstacles that planners may have not foreseen, leading to more streamlined strategies, services,
and procedures. The simulation project primarily built on a real-world house development
project (Jones & Alinier, 2009). The fundamental purpose of this project was to manage and
implement the house building project in order to satisfy the needs of customers and ensure that
they are happy with the end product, as defined by the project charter. In this project simulation
of a private residence to the consumers Robert and Maggie Applebaum that are the homeowners,
I was general contractor with aim to complete the construction of the house on time while
earning a profit of at least 10% and keeping the subcontractors and homeowners pleased
throughout the course of the project. The project's main concerns are the happiness of clients and
subcontractors, and providing a reliable High-end house at a reasonable price.

2. Role of a project manager and project configurations

In this simulation activity, my role in the new house construction project was to lead the team of
sub-contractors and manage the project activities in order to complete the project in a timely
manner. My duties comprised the selection as well as administration of subcontractors in
addition to fulfilling the project's timeline along with profitability targets. My duties as general
contractor for a high-end private residential construction project involved supervising teams of
subcontractors that worked on various aspects of the house, from plumbing and electrical to
drywall as well as landscaping. Residents Robert and Maggie Applebaum would like to settle
into their new house within four months and to interact with me on an ongoing basis about the
progress of their construction. To guarantee that daily operations at the building site worked
smoothly and that the house will be completed on time and within the allocated budget, while not
affecting with any one of my other construction projects, that is my obligation.

Feelings

The planning stage came first. I was first perplexed by the simulation and picked random
alternatives to see what occurred in the first-time round; nevertheless, I received a poor result.
The second time around, I chose to adopt a cost-benefit analysis technique, concentrating on the
lowest daily cost. I attempted to figure out which contractor would get the greatest results by
evaluating which choice offered the most workdays for the least cost. I selected to concentrate on
the places with no slack time since they were the most crucial alternatives paths. I fared horribly
on the first round since I didn't aware three of the subcontractors had already been locked in.

3. Key priorities for new house construction project and performance

evaluation
Evaluation and analysis: Initially, I ended up choosing the least costly since I had not thought
of a tactic; nevertheless, once I started the process again, I had been capable of improving my
score by concentrating on those three subcontractors, particularly by selecting the costliest
alternative for the critical paths within the simulation. More importantly for this discussion,
throughout my second attempt of the simulation, my plan was to lock in the three subcontractors
with the shortest period of time, but the costliest money option available. In addition, since I was
operating at a loss (loss of money), I continuously utilized the cost per day to contrast
subcontractors with idle periods of zero, and afterwards the lowest for activities with larger slack
times (Bryde & Wright, 2007).

Attempting to apply cost-benefit analysis while in the execution phase was really difficult for
me. For a while, it appeared like there were no other alternatives available to me, and it seemed
that no matter what I did to try to alleviate the situation, nothing else seems to make any
difference. I also wished the simulation provided at least some guidance on what to do in some
sections since I was having difficulty keeping up with all of the delays, which resulted in my
spending far more money than I had intended to.

During the second attempt of execution, I noticed that my predicted expenses were identical to
my actual expenditures, which was a positive sign. But I was running behind schedule, and I
wasn't sure if I should go over budget or over time to make up the difference. Even after
determining the lowest cost per day, I was still over budget; however, I did not go over time,
which I believe is indicative of the cost-benefit analysis of the whole project at the conclusion.

I found the portion on examining documents to be a bit intriguing, despite the fact that it didn't
actually provide any actual function in the end. I realize that the messages indicated when
anything needed to be more costly or take longer, but for the sake of my project, I found it
inconvenient to have to regularly review the messages while I was already receiving notifications
from the days passing or the money fluctuating. I had the greatest difficulty keeping up with all
of the changes throughout the execution, but I'm still not sure how I was expected to keep up
with all of the money fluctuations and significant delays.

Because this construction project has a defined budget of $162,000 as well as financial limits are
tight, I chose options primarily on cost and schedule constraints. I considered the numerous
possibilities and computed the estimated costs for each of them as follows: I went with the one
that suits my cost estimates while still offering the greatest value. To assure the success of my
chosen plan of action, I have prioritized and finished the actions that are critical to that
accomplishment while keeping a very close eye on my finances. The most common method for
detecting changes is to examine performance as well as quality data streams. All through the
implementation phase, baseline performance as well as quality control metrics must be measured
over time (Pinto & Prescott, 1990). Gathering information on such metrics has assisted me in
determining the source of the issue and making recommendations for solutions (Schultz et al.,
1987).

I was able to finish the home building project on time by selecting the correct subcontractor in
the second round. I completed it on time.  This pleased and delighted my clients Appleboum.

 Ways to enhance project priorities

While it may seem to be a quick time management method, prioritizing is essential for
accomplishing long-term objectives (Schultz et al., 1987).

The Most Important Tasks (MIT) technique is another way for assuring difficult jobs are
prioritized — even above demands from pushy stakeholders or "urgent" ad-hoc requests (Malone
et al., 2003). This method entails making a different list of just three chores to do that day. The
significance of these duties must take precedence over their urgency.

One method for staying focused on one essential task at a time is to identify possible
distraction and consciously avoid them each day. This implies that if I am working on a project,
I must prioritize one and ignore any other work, emails, messages relating to the other (De
Meyer et al., 2002).

Action plan:

4. Recommendations for contract type

The most basic and best sort of construction contract that may be employed for this new home
building project is a lump sum contract, often called as a fixed - term contract. Since they charge
a flat rate for all job accomplished during their guidance. As a consequence, lump-sum contracts
are common in construction (Hartman & Snelgrove, 1996).
Lump sum contracts simplify bidding. The selection procedure for the home owners, Robert and
Maggie Applebaum, and myself as a general contractor is simplified by specifying a total price
instead of submitting various bids (Gad et al., 2020).

Finishing on time results in great profit margins. Since the project's pricing is fixed, completing
on time means I get to keep the savings.

5. How to enhance communication and teamwork in project

In a construction project, it's critical to communicate with your team members. It's a crucial
component of a construction project 's effectiveness. Cooperation, productivity, as well as project
cooperation may all benefit from strong communication methods on the worksite (Yang et al.,
2011).

1. Schedule regular meetings

Each day, it's critical to contact with my sub-contractors to clarify the project's objectives
and what's anticipated of onsite staff. This will serve as a location for developing meeting
notes that must be sent to all sub-contractors (Turner & Müller, 2004)
2. Make certain that all employees are on board
I'm able to comprehend you. Because we are living in a multinational world, not all of
my staff will be able to communicate in English. Every business has a duty to keep their
employees safe and secure on the job, that's why multilingual signs and training are
required (Schwalbe, 2009). Hiring a translator for directions and health & security
warnings at workplace might also be advantageous.
3. Be as specific as possible.
Transparency is a crucial feature.  I would ensure my words and deeds are in sync. It is
also to instill confidence in my team and clientele.
4. Talk to sub-contractors as a group
It's fantastic to talk to the sub-contractors as a group since it fosters a collaborative
attitude, but it's also crucial to set out time for every member to get individual guidance.
Certain aspects of individual team members of sub-contractors may need a distinct
communication strategy. For example, if an employee has hearing impairment in one ear,
 having it a habit to contact him from the unaffected side and instructing the rest of the
team to do so as well is an excellent method to improve communication.

6. Reflection on leadership style

A mix of beliefs, abilities, behaviour, attitude, as well as leadership style is required for better
leadership. The characteristics of outstanding leaders are described in Goffee and Jones (2006)
and are varied. The attitudes and behaviours of leaders are influenced by their underlying
principles (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999).

Fiedler's contingency model is concerned with the compatibility of a leader's style with the
features of the scenario under consideration (Miller et al., 2004). While I use supportive
leadership methods and place a strong focus on displaying concern for others, as well as offering
moral support and aid to others, my primary goal is to complete the task at hand as quickly as
possible.

This leadership style was utilized in this simulation project because it is the style that I use when
offering guidance, executing goals, and inspiring staff in a real-world business. Supportive
leadership is more transformative in nature, placing a strong emphasis on effectiveness. It is a
genuinely natural and emotionally responsive approach that is particularly beneficial in situations
such as those involving transition i.e., changing the activities of critical path to get the project
done on time. This kind of leadership style contributes to the development and maintenance of
successful interpersonal connections with sub-ordinates (Khalid et al., 2012).

After discovering my own leadership style (supportive), I learned that there were times when I
would have had to utilize a bit of each of the other types to get things done. Continuous exposure
to and participation in official and informal education courses, I believe, will be the most
effective approach for me to better my selection of style of leadership as well as my
understanding of when to use the other leadership styles. By asking questions, applying what I've
learned, or receiving training, I will be able to continuously grow. As a leader, one must be able
to handle the expectations of management, the team, as well as the employees. The leadership
abilities have included the capacity to maintain high performance while keeping costs under
control at all times.

7. Evaluation of skill gaps identification for further training and development

When I was doing a simulation, I have found a difficulty to complete the project on time. In
simulation, I found that time management is my poorest ability overall. Because it had never
done such type of simulation before. Thus, time management skills are needed to be improved
When it came to developing my skills. I require training and development to improve my time
management skills such as how to organize the level of priorities set in this project and how to
choose the sub-contractors in the stated time to get the task done.

8. Conclusion

Generally, I realized that project management is more difficult than it seems on the reading text.
After going over each sort of subcontractor and selecting the best alternative, it requires a while
to acclimate to the changes that occur on a daily basis and then to be able to make additional
decisions depending on poor luck. During the first time I attempted this simulation, I became
completely disoriented and quickly recognized that I needed to search up more information
before I could even begin to write about it. Overall, I believe that Project Management was more
straightforward to comprehend as simulation activity provided me a chance to experience the
real-world business project management and how i can make the project successful in my future
career as well.
9. References

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