Most of IBM’s project management tasks fall under the various stages of the project life cycle; initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closing. IBM takes a project from conception to completion by guiding it through each of these stages. IBM’s role is to complete a project under predetermined goals. Based on these criteria, IBM can then identify the project as an important success factor. These activities need to go right for the project to be successful and guide IBM to devise the most effective methods for managing its projects. For IBM, success means meeting the individual needs of its clients and finding answers to the technical issues that arise in the course of doing business. When it comes to delivering on its promises, IBM has underlined the need for project management since it believes that lack of project management has significantly contributed to its recent problems (Jaleel et al., 2019, pp.47-52). As one of its success factors and strategies, IBM created a center of excellence for project management, a program used by top management, employees, and business leaders. After receiving training and certification, a project management personnel is introduced to operate in a specified IBM project (Blomquist, 2018, pp.498-511). This ensures all IBM stakeholders are equipped with the necessary skills to carry out IBM projects competently, efficiently, and effectively.
Additionally, project management programs aid in the employment of project managers and in improving and achieving success in previously unsuccessful projects. Furthermore, IBM’s status as a certified education provider in managing projects and professional development programs has bolstered its market position (Evans et al., 2019, pp.557-564). IBM is currently one of the world’s largest technology service providers, beating out Google and Microsoft (Gao, 2019, pp.241-265). There are numerous certificates issued by IBM’s professional development groups and quality-assured training programs, such as the Data Science Professional Certificate, Certificate of Expert Practice, or Applied A.I. Professional Certificate (Ibm.com, 2022). The financial situation and the company’s financial statements can indicate the results of its strategic management initiatives and project management strategy. IBM’s senior executives, on the other hand, focus on the strategic and operational aspects of the company’s success. When project management was added to those areas, IBM’s performance improved (Chang, 2021, pp.559-580). As a result, IBM has a high market price identification and a strong market dominance as a project management accreditations and educational services provider.
The Success of IBM’s Project Management Methodologies
As a project manager, I would gauge IBM’s project management success based on its tactics, which include delivering project planning certifications and professional development programs as a recognized provider, have contributed to the company’s commercial viability (Sweetman and Conboy, 2019). As a project manager, I will also gauge IBM based on how it has minimized the additional costs of hiring project management specialists by utilizing its trained project management professionals (Kerzner, 2018). IBM-certified project management specialists are taught in the scenario and the atmosphere in which IBM operates. The experts are schooled on the institution’s perspectives and the external competitors they should be aware of to execute their project management responsibilities (Bond-Barnard et al., 2018). IBM’s tactics are sound, and the company has transformed itself into a project management organization. The company is the project planning and management school. It has set a perfect example of accomplishment in the real world.
IBM’s project managers are engrossed in various areas, including enhancing human asset strategy, developing talent and managing it, remuneration and human resource projects, machine learning, and technologically advanced projects. This aids in achieving high digital performance through IBM’s machines and management information system projects (Neloy et al., 2019, pp. 444-450). The project management team transitioned the organization from analog to digital and advanced digital technology. According to Neloy et al. (2019, pp. 444-450), IBM has reaped the benefits of these shifts. However, as a project manager, one should be aware of the dangers of these tactics, as it is challenging to integrate accreditation and project planning and management programs into firms. This is due to a lack of the necessary resources, skills, and experience to develop such projects (Sanghera, 2021). If not appropriately managed, IBM’s adoption of these strategies may have contributed to the failures. IBM, for example, has a Project Management strategy that ensures that the groundwork for success is laid. For example, everyone engaged is on board with IBM’s plan, and they have a clear understanding of what they are expected to do. Each team member’s position and responsibilities are well defined in IBM projects. A precise plan and goals are established and a set of quantitative criteria for success by IBM. Finally, it is evident how often teams communicate with stakeholders and how IBM often holds status meetings according to Stuecheli’s (2018, pp.8-1) article. If something goes wrong, IBM has contingency plans and corrective procedures in place.
According to Shahin (2018, pp.7253-7260), specific organizations, such as IBM, a technology corporation, do not require to expose their research and development or operations. Instead, it has publicized its project management systems and certifications. However, such undertakings require time and financial expenditure. Companies must be conservative with their strategy, as the benefits will accrue over time rather than immediately (Haleblian, 2017, pp.2237-2254). As a project manager, a corporation should prioritize long-term accomplishment and develop plans for long-term advantages, offering a competitive edge and a distinctive market position. IBM’s effective strategies are based on long-term goals and accomplishments rather than immediate goals. IBM’s accreditation and education service provider for project management has propelled it to the top of the market (Gao, 2019, pp.241-265). Firms such as Microsoft and Google are now observing IBM’s lead and incorporating project management techniques within their organizations.
Organizational Implementation and Evaluation of Project Outcomes
Using the lessons learnt at IBM on project management effectiveness, I would deploy and analyze project outcomes in various methods across the Alibaba organization. Alibaba is a multinational technology corporation focusing on eCommerce, retail, the Internet, and other emerging technologies based in China. On June 28, 1999, the company was founded in Hangzhou, Zhejiang (Alibabagroup.com, 2021). Alibaba Cloud Enterprise Software and Services is a web-based service provided by Alibaba (Wang, 2022, pp.143-147). Since the company is yet to adopt project management operations, I will apply and implement and evaluate the corporation’s project outcomes by applying project planning and management technologies, such as collaboration, to improve communication amongst employees and their ability to work in a group. Instead of outsourcing, I will adopt IBM’s production model of products and services in-house (Ul Musawir, 2017, pp.1658-1672). The company already utilizes its planes for deliveries. However, the company is also open to using drones to improve the user experience and increase the overall value of its offerings. Instead of ignoring the importance of project management, I will ensure the training of Alibaba’s most senior workers to serve as project managers and put their skills to work for the company.
A company’s training program should cover external and internal influences that may impact its activities. This includes the competition’s analysis, the regulatory authorities’ actions for delivery in the countries, and each country’s online usage taxation and taxation policies (Marano, 2020, pp.174-209). Project managers at Alibaba must take into account all of these variables. Stakeholder analysis and project manager training are two more steps Alibaba could take to ensure their project managers are well-versed in (Eskerod and Larsen, 2018, pp.161-169). As a result, I will assign Alibaba’s project managers according to their specific competence areas. In Alibaba, for example, an I.T. launched project manager must lead the information and technology department and its execution (Yang et al. 2021, pp.620-632). There is no doubt that a digital marketing professional should lead the team responsible for implementing a digital marketing strategy. I will ensure that the corporation and professionals interact to align all aims. Due to the excellent management of Alibaba’s project operations, the company sales will rise significantly. In this way, the corporation will assist in the circumstances of establishing its new services.
Due to a lack of project management, Alibaba could not establish successful strategies for its search engine A9 through organizational variables and stakeholders. Since its consumers and other stakeholders did not like the search engine provided, the company decided to shut it down (Zhang, 2021). Alibaba’s “Fire Phone” smartphone was also a failure since it was launched without understanding the smartphone market and the needs of smartphone stakeholders. The mobile phones were suspended from sales in 2015 (Elia, 2019). Alibaba should thus focus on training and deploying its project managers to ensure the success of its projects. According to the project management, this will also develop a new position for Alibaba as IBM begins positioning. The analysis of IBM implementation projects assessments gives recommendations for monitoring the efficiency and consequences of implementations. It promotes an awareness of assessment as a collegial and successful instrument for guiding change, informing decision-making, and fostering an environment conducive to learning. It emphasizes fidelity assessment throughout the early phases of development, educates participants about the benefits of integrity assessment, and builds the competence of model designers, operators, and reviewers to establish and evaluate fidelity criteria.
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