REFLECTION PAPER 1

Reflection Paper

Christine Haven

Arizona State University

PMG 320 - Module 7

Professor: Dr. Megan Todd

April 26, 2023

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Reflection Paper

Part One- Elaborating on my learning experience from this class it has been very

informative on helping me gain insight on what project management encompasses, requires, and

attains as a whole. Every module had very informative information on the processes of project

management. Module 1 for example was the most knowledgeable module to me because this was

the introductory chapter into project management and each Module thereafter continually led up

to the final phase of project management which is the closing out of a project in Module 7.

In starting with my first introductory experiences with Project Management, I descended

right into our Chapter 1 readings of our textbook, Managing Projects Large and Small, and low

and behold, the foundation to answer the question being asked in part one of this paper was laid

out in the introductory paragraph of Chapter 1, Project Management As a Process. The question

of this assignment is being able to identify and explain the principles and practices of effectively

managing projects. The book elaborated and emphasized that Project managers should be able to

follow a simple four-phase process and that four-phase process is as follows:

1. Defining and organizing a project

2. Planning the project

3. Managing Project execution

4. Closing down the project (Harvard Business School, 2024, p. 11).

Defining and organizing a project as defined by our textbook stated that this process has

two purposes. The first purpose is being able to understand the concepts of a project’s objectives.

You have to know what your goal is and to attain it one must collaborate with the stakeholders of

the project in order to fulfill the goals at hand. Without the input of the stakeholders, projects can

potentially fail. The second purpose is being able to organize and to find the right people on
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your team who can fulfill the first purpose of those project objectives thorougly. These two

purposes together, defining and organizing a project are pertinent to projects and they work hand

and hand with each other to effectively manage a project (Harvard Business School, 2004).

The second phase is Planning the project - in this phase you are advised to plan

backwards. This part of the project is important because this is where you set up the timelines by

putting the tasks in the right order and it is here that you initiate a plan on how to get the task

completed in an orderly manner. In our textbook, using the SMART formula is key to success in

this area. This stands for Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time limited. Just

by utilizing this formula it can really shed light on what the focus is on the project (Harvard

Business Review Press, 2012. p. 6).

The third phase - Managing Project execution is a phase where communication and

management are important factors. Without adequate communication and management to your

team, this part of the project can frail if not controlled and managed by the Project Manager. The

Project Manager's job is to be the team quarterback and he/she will need to utilize their talents to

keep the project above water. Without a great leader, team motivation can fizzle out, thus,

leading to low morale, contention, conflict, and bickering within team members. If

communication, managing of the team is not properly intercepted then motivation is not achieved

and the team members will then potentially lose their motivation and drive (Harvard Business

School, 2004).

Lastly, the final fourth phase, closing down the project. Module 7, Chapter 12 reading

from our textbook, Managing Projects Large and Small, gave some really great insight on this

portion of project management. As it is known - all projects must end when all objectives are met

and achieved. At this point in the project the stakeholders are given their deliverables. Normally,
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a meeting is set up and collaboration takes place which forms a strong camaraderie within the

team setting. This is where certain questions are asked about the project in regards to what was

successful ? What failed? Feedback is readily given on how to apply the successes and failures

and the team will work for improvements with the next projects impending. This final phase is

also a reflection phase with all team members. In a sense, it's a detachment/celebratory phase

(Harvard Business School, 2004).

Part Two - Reflecting on everything that was presented in Module one from understanding the

concepts of being able to explain and identify the principles of project management has really

shed light on my understanding of project management and all the pieces that coincide with it. I

feel this course has really honed in on my newfound knowledge of my project management

skills. I feel that I have excelled personally with the beginning stages of my planning skills. I

feel the lessons given in Module 4 on how to plan and write a Project plan outlining the usage of

the SMART framework that I aforementioned above in Part one has been beneficial. I am

excelling in my learning by knowing how to write/state a clear scope of my project, listing all

necessary key stakeholders, assumptions, constraints, and lastly drawing out the procurement

plan. I feel that this was something that I enjoyed - preparing the beginning of a project plan

(Harvard Business School, 2004).

Elaborating on the areas where I could improve was within the Module 5 lesson on

learning about the continuation of the project charter assignment - the Work Breakdown

Structure (WBS), a WBS Dictionary, and the Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM). I feel I

really struggled with this portion of project management planning. The time and effort it took to

complete this task was mind boggling for me. But with the time, research, and effort that I set

forth, I was successful with completing my Module 5 assignment with full points! I feel that with
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more practice on this portion of the project charter, I’ll get better at planning and writing a

charter assignment (Harvard Business School, 2004).

At the beginning of this class, module 1, we were given the task to complete a quiz

called: “How Good Are Your Project Management Skills” within this quiz, my score was

analyzed and critiqued and the following dialogue below was my feedback quoted directly from

the quiz:

Your project management skills are OK, and when projects are relatively simple your

Outcomes are often good. However, the more complex the projects you manage, the

less control you will have and the more likely you are to deliver below expectations.

Take time to improve your planning skills and prepare for the unexpected. The more

time you spend on your up-front planning, the better your project outcomes will be

(Limited, E. W., 2022).

Seeing the summaries of words above with the feedback from the quiz were red flags and

were a call out for improvement. My planning skills within project management manifested an

area that needed some improvement. So going forward with this class, I took in all the learning

material with an open mind and heart because I wanted to improve. I had the mindset of not

settling with just an OK skillset in Project Management! I really dissected all of my reading and

learning materials and I worked hard because I knew I was capable of being an amazing

leader/project manager if I applied myself wholeheartedly. In the span of 7 weeks my biggest

growth and knowledge came from the results of the quiz “How Good Are Your Project

Management Skills”. Seeing my results as I mentioned above, I was adamant at improving. I

paid close attention to the planning phases of project management. I feel that my understanding

of project management has a deeper depth of understanding because I was able to plan a project

from the beginning to the end.

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In closing, I am very grateful for the opportunity to have taken this class because of the

lessons that were gained. I will now apply my newfound knowledge to my professional and

personal life experiences with planning projects large and small. I now know what project

management encompasses, requires, and attains as a whole after the completion of this course.
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References

Harvard Business School. (2004). Harvard Business Essentials: Managing Projects Large and

Small: The fundamentals skills for delivering on budget and on Time.

Harvard Business Review Press. (2012). Hbr's Guide to Project Management.

Limited, E. W. (2022). How Good Are Your Project Management Skills. MindTools. Retrieved

March 15, 2023, from

https://www.mindtools.com/a29u54f/how-good-are-your-project-management-skills