Introduction
The use of project management is becoming more critical to organizations. The primary driver of this importance is that projects drive innovation, thereby providing a competitive advantage. Most businesses use project management to achieve their goals. Therefore, individuals who lack an academic background in project management should be aware of the three key topics for successful implementation: project initiation, project planning, and agile project management.
Project initiation would help understand the best tool to integrate the two systems. Project planning would provide the supervisor with a general understanding of how a project should be conducted. Finally, agile project management would give the knowledge to motivate his team to achieve set objectives.
Project Initiation
Project initiation is the stage that occurs after the actual project has started. The primary reason for initiating the project is to determine whether the organization should proceed with it (Buttler, 2022). In doing so, managers must consider two types of risks. Supervisors must assess the business risks associated with the project. Although these risks are not directly associated with project management, managers must ensure that the project’s output delivers the required benefits.
During the initiation stage, managers ensure that the project is directed towards the expected goals to avoid business risks. Besides business risks, managers must also be concerned with project risks (Crawford, 2021). This entails ensuring that projects are delivered on time and within the allocated budget.
Project initiation is a process that entails numerous activities and steps. The first stage is problem analysis, where the problem or opportunity that the project will address is identified. This problem is not predefined; rather, the identified problem or opportunity is usually identified based on the solution the project will offer. The solution that a project offers is its primary purpose for being undertaken. If a project clearly defines the problem, chances are no solution will be provided, and consequently, the project will be branded a failure. Managers are tasked with identifying the gap between the ideal and the organization’s current state (Buttler, 2022).
Once the gap is established, a clear plan for delivering the desired quality should be written. It is best practice for managers to write the plan in a manner that allows the reader to determine whether the plans were met or not. For example, the problem could be that the organization wants to transition from old, outdated paper systems to modern software. The supervisor must identify the expected and prevailing situation gap in this case.
Once a problem is identified, the root cause must be established. In this step, the project supervisors design the requirements into specifications. The design of requirements can be done using the divergent principle, where multiple alternatives to the problem are considered. In conducting a divergent analysis, the project managers should ensure each possible alternative is given as little attention and cost as possible.
When searching for an alternative solution, the project should ensure that it meets the set constraints, either explicitly or implicitly (Crawford, 2021). The researchers also need to use the convergent principle, where the costs and benefits of the projects are measured for feasibility, achievability, and variability. If certain specifications are not met during the problem analysis step, a re-evaluation should be done.
Identifying the stakeholders should be one of the first steps a project manager undertakes. Stakeholders are important because they provide the project with a clear goal and direction. Determining the stakeholders, however, is challenging since they are often diverse in nature. Although it is optional for project coordinators to speak with all the stakeholders, doing so may give the project a clear direction to take. Stakeholders can help the project by identifying the problems to be overcome and the goals to be achieved (Derakhshan, Turner, and Mancini, 2019).
They could also be helpful by establishing strategic plans and time schedules to be met. Some stakeholders, such as the organization’s managers, also have a significant influence, as they determine the budgets and the ethical principles that affect the project. Some stakeholders are directly involved in the project’s daily activities, while others are indirectly influenced by it. Those involved in the daily activities include: the project manager, the project team, and the management. On the other hand, customers are non-engaged participants only influenced by the results. One must understand all the stakeholders involved in the project to ensure they are served well.
During the initial stages of a project, the supervisor must also consider how the project will deliver value. These benefits are outlined in a project proposal, written with the intention of convincing and persuading the target audience (Crawford, 2021). The proposal should demonstrate the project’s desirability by stating what non-engaged participants, such as customers, want. The estimated lifetime benefit of the project should be compared to the cost, and its viability should be decided at this stage.
Finally, the project requires a feasibility study to demonstrate the practicality of the solution. Project rules must also be set and communicated to all stakeholders before the execution phase begins. Generally, the project rules are documented, including the project charter and the statement of work. The responsibility matrix chart is also created during the initial phase and contains information about the individuals who will be held accountable for various projects. Making projects feasible is important for supervisors, as it prevents them from placing unnecessary pressure on project members.
Project Planning
During the project initiation stage, one project is usually selected for execution. In the project planning stage, a structured procedure is established to guide the project’s conduct. There are two main steps in project planning: risk management and project scheduling (Crawford, 2021). Risk management seeks to ensure that all uncertainties that could lead to a project’s failure are avoided.
The uncertainties are classified into two categories: potential problems that have been identified and problems that cannot be anticipated. Project management managers must be able to define various types of risks. Business risks encompass those that impact both the project and the organization. Project risks have a narrower scope and only affect the project. Understanding risk management and project scheduling is important, as they help mitigate risks.
There are five main steps to managing risks. The first step is to identify the risk, which entails observing and recording all factors that could put the project at risk. The steps require the project team to brainstorm all the recorded possible solutions to help choose the best fit. Risk can also be identified by observing the schedules and budgets (Crawford, 2021).
The observed risks then need to be analyzed and classified into the right categories based on their probability of occurrence. In the analysis stage, the solutions that are not worth considering are first eliminated. The remaining risks should be sorted in descending order based on their importance. Other factors, such as the probability of occurrence, costs, and schedules, should also be analyzed. Techniques for managing risks are taught in project management classes, as they provide learners with detailed guidance on complex problems and challenges.
The third stage in risk management is developing a response where strategies that mitigate the risk are formulated. There are several ways in which project managers should respond to the identified risks. First, they could accept the risks and do nothing, a common strategy when the risk impact is low. The supervisors could also direct the project to avoid risk (Crawford, 2021). This strategy is often employed at the expense of missing some particular project goals and objectives.
In some cases, it is impossible to accept or avoid risks. In such situations, managers primarily seek to implement contingency plans that mitigate the impact of risks. The risk can also be transferred from one external project to another. The fourth step in the risk mitigation framework is usually establishing a reserve to fund the unknown risks. The final stage is to ensure that the organization maintains a continuous risk management system that monitors any changes that occur.
The second component of project management is usually project scheduling. Scheduling typically relies heavily on prior planning, but ultimately, the planning pays off and is offset by the rapid results. A good schedule requires an excellent work breakdown structure that enables project team members to understand the amount of time required for each role. While a work breakdown structure initially focused on tasks, it has recently transitioned to deliverables (Crawford, 2021).
First, the project team members are tasked with designing an illustration of the project and showing its associated activities. The work breakdown structure offers numerous benefits, including facilitating task estimation, assignment, and tracking. Identifying the task relationship, estimating work packages, calculating initial schedules, and assigning results are all essential in project management and, therefore, part of the curriculum.
Agile Project Management
One of the most important traits a project management supervisor should be aware of is the need for agility. Agility is the ability to constantly adapt to changing environmental circumstances (Walter, 2020). It is an iterative process of delivering a project throughout its life cycle. Unique and specialized software is used to ensure that projects are completed quickly and efficiently. Unlike other project management techniques, agile project management aims to ensure that benefits are enjoyed throughout the project, not just upon completion.
Managers can make their teams more agile by ensuring their projects are free-flowing. They prioritize continuous self-improvement for their team members and maintain collaboration within their organization. Different forms of collaboration include helping, appreciating, synchronizing, and integrating. Agility in project management offers various benefits, making it a key driver of ensuring work efficiency. Good work efficiency can be measured by examining the project’s resource utilization and workflow efficiency.
There are various agile project management methods. The Agile Manifesto was established in the early 2000s and has four core values. Individuals and interactions are always prioritized over procedures, software is prioritized over documentation, customer collaboration is prioritized over negotiation, and a continuous response to changes is prioritized. Agile project management also seeks to maximize project value. First, customer satisfaction is placed above all other goals, including scheduling and costs (Derakhshan, Turner, and Mancini, 2019). Second, it proposes that the management should always be willing to change its strategies during the late stages of a project.
Third, the project management department should always be proactive and release working software every month. Fourth, the agile project management principle demands that the team members prioritize face-to-face communication over other methods. The agile management style requires the project team members to maintain a constant pace in their work (Derakhshan, Turner, and Mancini, 2019). Therefore, individuals need to be motivated and trustworthy. The method also requires the team to continually seek ways to improve their effectiveness.
Conclusion
People should be aware of the three most important topics: project initiation, planning, and agile management, as they would guide them when faced with any dilemmas. The project initiation topic is crucial to a project supervisor, as it sets the direction of the project. In this stage, the possible solutions for the project are listed and sorted, and the best one is selected. The scope of the project initiation is wide, encompassing subtopics such as problem analysis, stakeholder analysis, project proposal, project rules, and project evaluation.
Project planning involves implementing the selected solution and devising the optimal approach to initiate the project. It has two main stages: risk management and project scheduling. Risk management involves dealing with uncertainties, either known or unknown. Project scheduling involves breaking a project into manageable tasks, establishing a work breakdown structure, determining task relationships, and estimating packages—all within a set timeline. Agile project management, however, prioritizes defining a clear vision and direction and then adapting iteratively until the desired results are achieved.
Reference List
Buttler, P. (2022) Project concepts, project concept design, and other topics affecting the front end of projects. Hanken School of Economics.
Crawford, J. K. (2021) Project management maturity model. New York: Auerbach Publications.
Derakhshan, R., Turner, R. and Mancini, M. (2019) ‘Project governance and stakeholders: a literature review’, International Journal of Project Management, 37(1), pp. 98–116.
Walter, A. T. (2020) ‘Organizational agility: ill-defined and somewhat confusing? A systematic literature review and conceptualization’, Management Review Quarterly, 71, pp. 343–391.