PART ONE

The idea of managing any sort of project screamed “out of your league” to me in the

beginning of this course. As modules progressed and I ventured into the various layers of all that

is “project management,” I soon realized it’ not as intimidating as I once thought. It is the

opposite really; the structure from start to finish for any project is as detailed as what you

(project manager) make of it. Some fundamental principals of effective project management that

stood out to me are planning diligently, hiring like-minded and driven people, and vigorously

monitoring/controlling the project throughout its life cycle. If a project manager is on top of

these practices, in addition to maintaining a sacred channel of communication with their

stakeholders, then there is no limit to all the good that can be done in the project world.

Before a PM can delve into the implementation phases of a project it is crucial to ensure

that all parties are on the same page before effort goes into its time, scope, and budget. In order

for the stakeholders and sponsor to be at the same level, the PM can first create a charter that

highlights various elements of the project including specific objectives and a scope breakdown.

“In the absence of a signed charter, the project team cannot be certain of its objectives or the

expectations of stakeholders” (Harvard Business Review Press [HBRP], 2004, p.123). Once all

parties agree and sign off on the charter, the PM then can create a work breakdown structure and

responsibility assignment matrix to ensure that all needs are being met to fulfil objectives and

stay on track, being sure that tasks on the critical path are accounted for. Once a game plan is

finalized, consider reviewing any potential changes through a change control board to ensure

progress and quality is not jeopardized. It is also useful to train your team how to identify a

change in scope when they see it by preparing them how to respond to ambiguous questions from

clients (Project Manager, 2011, 4:40). The Charter, WBS, RAM, and CCB are all key principles
when it comes to project planning; all great tools to sharpen project management skills. Once all

of these essentials are in play it’s time to move on to building your team.

It is critical to have a team whose vision aligns with that of the organization’s purpose

and values. We learned in the HBR guide that “a team shouldn’t even exist unless it represents

the best way to help the organization to achieve its goals” (HBRP, 2004, p.654). The project

manager must realize that understanding culture will inevitably cultivate COMMITMENT to the

common goal; this is a quality that “motivates them [the team] to do the work and to keep

working when the going gets tough” (HBRP, 2004, p.586). As a project manager it is also

important to offer support to your team when they are not performing at their best. This means

being attentive to the pace of the project- are deliverables are missing deadlines? Certain tasks

falling behind schedule? This may not be an issue of morale or core values but rather an

individual’s inability to see the bigger picture of the project. When this happens, we learned a

great tactic on how to enhance the team’s performance- give them an ariel view of the project so

they may see the bigger picture (Project Manager, 2013, 2:00). By changing their perspective,

they are empowered and given the opportunity to prioritize appropriate tasks for themselves.

When a team’s values align with those of the organization, and guidance is consistent, then one

can hope all other skills can be learned along the way. “The savvy team leader looks for people

with both valued skills and the potential to learn new ones as needed” (HBRP, 2004, p.506).

Lean towards people who are flexible, able to adapt, and aim for growth.

With a solid team in place, it is important to monitor and control the project throughout

its lifetime. A PM “must also monitor and control adherence to schedule, budget, and quality

standards; deal with people problems; and relentlessly facilitate communication” (HBRP, 2004,

p.1761). We learned in lecture that monitoring and controlling a project covers a multitude of
areas such as: “scope, schedule, costs, risks, quality, and human resources” (Corlette, slide 2).

This practice is a great line of defense for risk mitigation, as learning to read these areas allow

the PM to be on top of problems before they arise rather than after. Diligently monitoring the

quadruple constraint (cost, quality, time, and scope) of a project and then appropriately

controlling changes encourages the project to successfully reach its closing phase. A project is

over once “objectives are achieved and deliverables are given to stakeholders” (HBRP, 2004,

p.312). It is important for the project team to reflect on their performance and learn from any

lessons presented to them as this is the best way to make the necessary improvements for the

next project.

PART TWO

Personally, this class has taught me that my role at Starbucks is very similar to that of a

project manager. Seems like the terminology is vastly different but the gist of it is pretty fitting. I

am a supervisor and work with my team to produce a variety of deliverables: hand-crafted

beverages, customer connections, and quality and cleanliness standards. I plan each day by first

communicating our store purpose to each partner and assigning them a multitude of

responsibilities throughout the day in order to meet our stakeholders (customers) expectations. I

am constantly reading my environment in a way that allows me to read customer cues so that I

may mitigate risk and control the floor from the best vantage point. Finally, once I clock out, I

usually always take a few minutes in my car to self-reflect on the day so that I may do better the

next shift.

I would say my strength in this field is “project integration;” “at the beginning of a

project, it's important to develop a solid understanding of the project's goals, and how the various

elements will fit together for a successful outcome” (How Good Are, n.d.). I am not a fan of
wasting my time or that of others which is why I am a natural planner. I think in starting any

project it is absolutely essential that the scope be diligently evaluated so to not be

underestimated. At work, I achieve quality results in the face of ambiguity which I would think is

due to my ability to monitor and control the environment accordingly. This is because as a

supervisor I am responsible for handling call-outs, disturbed customers, and equipment

malfunctions in a creative fashion; in other words, I have to handle ambiguity every day while

simultaneously keeping customers and partners happy.

While I have a consistent track record at work of meeting deliverables, I would say that

in general my biggest weakness is learning when to say no. In module 6 we learned about sunk-

costs which are “investments that are no longer recoverable” (HBRP, 2012, p. 143). Outside of

work, I manage my own garden at home. I once spent hundreds of dollars at Home Depot just for

half of my garden to die. I remember reading into some of my plants AFTER getting them

situated in the backyard. I learned that certain plants were just not compatible with the conditions

of the backyard but figured I’d already put so much time and money into the color pattern that I

couldn’t just take everything back. I tried to beat the odds and fight to keep everything alive, but

alas, that was just foolishness. “True managerial wisdom lies in a kind of forgetfulness- the

ability to ignore prior investments, costs and benefits, and to focus instead on the situation at

hand” (HBRP, 2012, p. 143). I should have allowed myself to consider the bigger-picture, but

instead I chose to ignore my intuition to save money.