The Great Escape - Assignment Example

? Great Escape Introduction The Great Escape is one of the books/ movies that tend to talk about some of the project lessons. Actually, the movie is based on construction as one of its major themes. There are very many projects in the engineering sector and they tend to correlate. Project Phoenix is a SETI project in relation to engineering and is set to research on celestial intelligence of thorough analysis of patterns found in different electrical devices such as radio signals. This project has been in the research field for many years trying to make some improvements pegged on the technological status of the world. This project also gets its boost financially from SETI Institute of Mountain View USA. This institute has been funding this project from the year of its publication, which is February 1995, leading to a great change and advancement of their research methods. The financial stability of this project has really boosted and triggered some of the inventions they carry out in relation to technology (Basalla, 36). This project was first started by Parkes radio telescope which is based on the South Wales in Australia. Initially, before the SETI Institute started funding this project, the Parkes radio telescope institute, who also happened to be the introducer of this project, was responsible for all the findings that the project might have needed during those days. This project conducts a thorough research technologically basing some of its analysis and references to the scientific principles. Since its year of establishment, the project has really grown and undergone a lot of advancements leading to the expansion of various branches and subsections. Aims of the construction project As a technological project, it is always aimed at improving the technological status of the world. Moreover, it exposes some of the hidden scientific principles and knowledge to people. Although it scans the whole sky for messages, it also bases its facts and actions in a simple manner that favors human understanding. Due to the fact that SETI Institute is responsible for the balance of financial stability of this project, all the processes or activities involved in the project are, therefore, fully controlled by this institution (Sclove, 92). The aims of the project are also based on the institution’s goals and targets. The SETI Institution is one of the world-recognized institutions that deals with the transmission of signals, especially those of the radio. The project also searches for signals that are as narrow as 1 Hz lying between 1000 to 300 MHz. The Phoenix research is very broad as compared to any other research project. Though the SETI researches tend to be advanced, they still rely on the Project Phoenix for their stability pegged on research cases. Findings of the Construction Project Based on signal researches that the project has been carrying out for years, there is a clear indication that some of the projects researches work out. This can be proved by the narrow signals that the project invented. Many other research organizations have not yet reached the limit to which Phoenix project has reached today. This project also focuses its research up to about 800 stars with a light-year range of 200. Due to this research, the project announced its failure in finding extraterrestrial signals within the 800 stars that happened to have been in their list of research (Abbate, 28). This failure made the project manager, or leader, Peter Backus to make a remark that people live in a quite a neighborhood. Significance of construction project to SETI programs Phoenix project is one of the research projects being of great importance to some of the SET programs. Due to this significance that it holds for SETI, it is, therefore, funded by the SETI institution to enable them advance in more signal researches. Though SETI also carries out researches, it still gets some bits of support from Phoenix project as that is their main reason for funding Phoenix project. The programs found in SETI are those that need a thorough networking system to work properly. This, therefore, makes them to have a partnership with the Phoenix project to get connected by the use of various signals. As for this partnership, SETI tends to benefit a lot from Phoenix project. It is also the work of the Phoenix project to make various signal connections between satellites so as to enhance proper coordination. Various programs also work properly when they are linked to others and this can only be done through signal coordination (Adam, 35). When SETI combines efforts with Phoenix, the researches become much faster as they cooperate with each other. Phoenix project deals with the coordination of radio signals that are used in various ways of communication. SETI, on the other hand, only gives support to this project, hence, form part and parcel of it. The kind of connection binding SETI institution and Phoenix project is based on the technological improvement of peoples’ lifestyles. SETI also consists of many programs that are active as a result of signal connections. This is one of the best projects that have really helped in technological improvement of the living standards of the people. Both Phoenix and SETI are always researching up to one thing, though the only difference that comes between them is that SETI is an Institution while Phoenix is a Project. The fact still remains that they serve the same purpose because they are joint together. Leadership and management Management acts are very essential for any sort of organization, whether involved in generating gains or not. This is followed by the fact that the organizations entail a variety of resources, both human and material, which must be managed with the intention to endorse successful realization of objectives and goals. As a result, it is considered obligatory for directors and managers to generate appropriate decisions with reference to the management of the organization. In big enterprises there are diverse functions and obligations, which must be appropriately managed for its commerce to be triumphant. Consequently, every task and goings-on in the organization should be correctly organized and controlled by competent people, namely managers . Management is, as a result, a critical perception of coordination of all operations in an organization and should be carried out with regards to a figure of well-stated rules. Challenges Facing the Modern Manager (Construction Manager) There are various challenges that face the modern manager today. These challenges comprise the lack of management skills, of capital, plans, focus, malfunction to plan for concerns absorbing the most of time, and avoiding risks in their evaluation of options and chances. To begin with, the issue pertaining to capital is the most crucial confront that a booming manager or director faces (Alkhafaji, 2003). This is by following the fact that its accomplishment develops quickly and thereby becomes a vicious circle. Devoid of very industrious cash flow administration as well as contributing of additional capital, together with money owing, the big business is often controlled by capital as it matures (Melicher, 2006). Repeatedly, the earnings in one functioning cycle are inadequate to fund the further working capital needed for the next functioning cycle (Bucher, 2007). Many competent managers cannot prevail over the obstacles in their company cash flow cycle and can never appreciate why lenders and bankers frequently do not offer the funding as the manager regularly does not have the safety measures to support the money owing. This stands to be a challenging issue particularly to managers who do not have sufficient skills in business management. Lack of management skills is another challenge facing modern managers. It is clear that lack of management techniques is a crisis that is easier said than done to compact with in most medium and enterprises small as the dimension of the superior management line-up is automatically limited (Drucker, 2009). The involved areas of fault could be in human resources, finance, marketing, or any other area where the existing management does not have the expertise, or the time to contract with the issues. The major factor resulting in lack of management skills is the concern relating to corruption and poor recruitments in the organization. The other challenging issue is the lack of the plans in the management. The concept of the plan is something that integrates managers full circle to the perception of management. However, modern managers are failing to achieve this following the fact that proper measures of planning are not adhered to in the organization (Heathfield, 2010). The lack of the plan in the organization results in generation of losses instead of maximizing on profits. This is absolutely clear as the absence of the plan promotes reluctant in work among the employees and so interfering with the general performance of the business. Currently, lack of focus has been seen as an arising challenge facing numerous managers. Focus has a correlation with vision and mission of the organization. It is understood that the key to success is based on focus or vision of the business that is controlled by the manager (Pakhare, 2007). Lack of focus by the managerial team is on the rise because most managers do not understand and adhere to their set vision. Instead, they perform their duties as normal without necessary following the set guidelines in the business. Common sense tells us that many managers avoid risks in their evaluation of choices and chances. In fact, the occurrence of this concern increasingly becomes a great challenge to many managers (Alkhafaji, 2003). In business, risks are always expected to occur in the event where profits do not. It is quite clear that most managers do not consider determining suitable means to address risks once they occur in their businesses. As a result, this remains to be a critical problem hindering the overall performance of the organization. The lack of focus is a comparable challenge that is addressed through various ways. The impression of management articulates that the major aspiration towards accomplishing the goals of a business is founded on the capability to decide the requirements and potentials of the target markets. This is in addition to ensuring that clients are offered with quality products and services (Bucher, 2007). This is made possible through setting initial focus on the business and making sure that all the standards are met with due respect to the regulations. Finally, the failure to plan for problems consumes most of the time is a challenging issue to modern managers. Research concerning management shows that most managers do not plan for the issues that observe their time (Drucker, 2009). Consequently, this issue results in giving some problems most of the time whereas avoiding to keep up with others. As a result, this develops imbalance in the management of time for different issues and in that way hindering the running of the organization. Factors Promoting Success in Construction Management Career Various factors promote the success of management career if well practised and implemented. The issue concerning the lack of capital is simply solved through implementing a plan to observe what the cash requires and when the money needs take place. After while, the manager is responsible for controlling it and concentrates on the financial management methods that are mostly probable to be successful in the organization (Heathfield, 2010). The conception of skill management, therefore, brings managers full circle towards accomplishing gains whereas eliminating the costs incurred in the production. Application of suitable skills in management, therefore, works with the existing human resource departments. This is with the intention to actualize the possibility of satisfying the requirements and anticipations of every customer. This is critically applied as a strategy to promote effective competition over other organizations (Pakhare 2007). Just like every other task in the business, use and the presence of skills in management as a significant business course wants to be proficiently managed. This is simply achievable through implementing the ordinary business skills that contribute to increased gains. The use of SWOT analysis as a business tool helps to critically address the issue relating to management skills (Alkhafaji, 2003) and acknowledges that the implementation of the analysis enables the managerial team to determine points of weaknesses and strengths and thereby taking the necessary precautions. The lack of management skills in an organization is, therefore, solved by means of determining the weak points and thereby creating a plan that is essential for dealing with such challenges. It is worth contemplating that solutions can be as straightforward as assigning the accountability to an existing director with an obligation to observe for the understandable drawbacks to hiring an individual part-time. In any form of organization, the subject of management turns out to be rather fundamental and has to be placed over in the organization if the achievement of goals has to be realized. This integrates the compulsory functions and tasks of such organization. Consequently, this makes it likely to carry sufficient and optimistic performances which maximize performance in the business (Heathfield, 2010). Thus, as a management tool promoting development, the managerial plan acts as an imperative framework. As a result, this has to be set by putting into contemplation the obtainable resources and how they can be completely controlled towards solving emerging problems. That is been the case, the plan and the framework for the management should be performed by making sure that the techniques are correctly integrated, have the accurate persons aligned for the activity, operation, and have the exact resources . Through the application of suitable management plan, managers are most likely competent to guarantee the accomplishment of ambitions in the long run. The management plan is helpful in analyzing the conditions facing the organization in relation to the existing market segmentation and customer satisfaction. The plan consequently helps managers to discover all the probable alternatives in order to end decline and instead promise utmost development in the prospect (Luther, 2001). Achievement in management career is, therefore, realized through appropriate implementation and amalgamation of a management plan. From a wide perspective, it is worth to contemplate that the management plan is useful in examining the challenges facing the organization by the managers. As a way out, the plan assists managers to determine all the possible solutions that can be used towards integrating success in the organization. Other contributing factors to success of management career include performance management and staff training and development. Research justifies that the manner in which new workers are welcomed in the organization greatly matters. In that sense, personnel orientation course shapes the basis for a lasting, victorious employment connection, and in that way promoting success of the management career. Successful ongoing, coaching and development make sure employee accomplishment in their present role (Jones and Hill, 2007). Effective member of staff guidance and improvement ensures that you have the personnel prepared for their after that promotion or tangential shift. Therefore, your progression planning for each member of staff largely depends on instruction and development. As well, managers allude to performance assessments or yearly reviews as one of their most ostracized responsibilities. Performance administration by managers helps to eliminate the performance judgment or yearly review and assessment as the focal point and concentrates as an alternative on the entire range of performance management and development strategies (Hitt, Hoskisson and Ireland, 2008). These comprise member of staff performance upgrading, routine development, instruction, cross training, challenging tasks, and complete extent reaction and normal performance response. Through the use of suitable leadership styles managers are also enabled to accomplish success and so promoting the growth of the business. From a broad standpoint, managers employ the two main types of specialized leadership styles to combat emerging challenges. Melicher (2006) asserts that the two styles of management that managers use are elemental and comprise Democratic and Autocratic styles. Democratic management style allows a group of members to take part in roles within the organization. According to studies, democratic management style becomes very successful when used by managers, hence, it is competent of increasing rates of production. Employees contribute a lot towards the success of organization productivity and, therefore, their contribution in decision-making enables managers to make the best decisions. The other approach of management that managers use is the autocratic style. This sort of management style is also known as authoritarian. Managers who take whole control over all operations and decisions in the organization normally characterize autocratic leadership. Depending on the size of the organization, this style is useful when it defines the power of responsibilities in the organization (Pakhare, 2007). This implies that every member of staff is allocated to his or her duty and the role, and in that way promoting the success of management career. It is a common believe that when each member of staff plays his or her role, enormous changes are likely to be observed in the organization and therefore, promoting its growth at large. Strengths-Based Leadership Readings/Analysis The primary purpose as a leader in an organization is to lead by an example and represent the organization name in pride. Good leaders are not born, but with aspirations and determinations, one can develop to an effective leader. Leadership is a continuous learning process of self-study, education, training and experience. The paper focuses on strength-based leadership, specifically the traits required while leading a team in sports. It investigates the importance of investing in ones strengths, maximizing your team capability and finally focuses on the reasons why people follow their leader. Investing in Your Strengths Leading a team in any discipline is challenging and the pressure is always on the leader to deliver the required results. Each opponent brings on board different challenges, hence, it is imperative for the leader to identify and expand existing strengths and opportunities rather than drill down on problems, deficiencies and threats. Research have shown that in a sport set up building on people’s strengths can produce greater results than spending time correcting their weakness (Stavros and Hinrichs, 12). As a sport leader, one has to be passionate, dedicated, honest and punctual towards the team. These strengths help to improve the team spirit performance which is vital in our case. The leader of a team mentors other members, and as a leader, he should portray these strengths. Communication plays a vital part in the success of the team as a whole. Effective communication implies that the leader should listens and interprets correctly what one says or means. Problems crop up from time to time and speedily solution to these problems works towards the overall team performance. Sports as other disciplines face many problems and challenges hence a leader should device appropriate problem solving techniques. Another greatest strength is patience, because we tend to miss many things if we are not patient. As a team leader, one need to be patient with his players giving them time to work and improve on their weak points. The performance of a team improves significantly if the leader exercises patience. Good leaders continually work to improve their leadership skills Construction Project Planning With reference to different studies, the scooter will hit a broad demographic and, therefore, will be a vast achievement at predictable different games proceedings. In general definition, project planning engages discovering the products to be conveyed, calculating estimates for the work to be accomplished, launching the essential commitments, and describing a timetable to execute the work (Glantz, 2008). With reference to research, the project was scheduled to begin back in the year two thousand and eight and be completed in the year two thousand and nine. It is evidently true that planning starts with a declaration of the work to be done and other constrictions and goals that in one way or the other characterize and bound the entire project. Basically, the planning process considers the estimates generated by the estimation procedure and employs these to come up with a program, categorize and assess risks, and settle commitments (Gray, 2008). The estimated budget of the project upon completion was one point three million dollars. Given the importance of time and the initial planning phase essential in running of the project, the project was approximated to be finished by the year two thousand and nine, covering a total of roughly two hundred and fifty days to complete (Gray, 2008). The plan of the project was to provide the foundation for performing and running the activities of the project and in that way solving the commitments to the project’s customer with reference to the constraints, resources, and potentials of the project team. During the planning procedure, there was only one decisive path for this schedule and the non-decisive operations had a considerable quantity of slack (Hughes, 2002). That is been the case that the set of connections was not very susceptible. The launch of detailed product drawing and finish of product which is finalized design have been recommended as likely milestones for the entire project. On the other hand, in view of the fact that the project is resource constrained, adding other resources to the plan table resulted to the over-allocation of resources. The project plan was not a one-off document, which was developed from the start of the project and remained a static all the way through the project life. As an alternative, it was a living manuscript, mirroring alterations as they happen and continuing to mirror the preparation from a given instant until project achievement (Glantz, 2008). The Resources Design Engineer, Marketing Specialist, Industrial Engineer, Design Engineer and purchasing agent were all over-allocated, and operations that comprised over-allocated resources were, Manufacturing Study, Product Design, Manufacturing Process, Detailed Marketing Plan, Order Components, Order Production Equipment Detailed Product Design and Install Production Equipment. The project plan was somewhat representative of the real world, enclosing all the factors aspect which influences the accomplishment of the project goals (Larson, 2007). This comprised both in terms of its supporting documents and deliverable components, on top of the activities which generate these. This implied that all the features of the plan were to have a cost related with them in order to relay effort to charge for each constituent. An attempt was developed towards resolving the over-allocation of resources. This was done by leveling in slack, and despite the fact that this addressed the over-allocation for advertising specialist and acquisition agent, industrial engineer and design engineer were still over-allocated (Mazboudi, 2009). What's more, the compassion of the arrangement had increased following the lessening in slack of non-critical operations. In the lead of undoing the leveling, despite the fact that the trouble of over-allocation was addressed, the duration of the project was extended to a period of two hundred and ninety days, and so the come to an end date of the project was moved to February two thousand and nine. With the intention to meet the new project deadline of February two thousand and nine instead of that of January two thousand and nine, a small number of supplementary resources were billed for precise operations. Nevertheless, such resources were not needed to diminish the period of the project (Larson, 2007). Chosen resources were allocated to particular activities in order to get the cease date of the project in the concluding finish date of the project. In relation to this allocation of resources, the project was programmed to take two hundred and seventy four days and in that way be completed on January two thousand of nine ­(Mazboudi, 2009). This distribution of extra resources augmented the sensitivity of the arrangement to some extent. Following this revised scheduling, the scheme was calculated to cost around one point two million dollars. Comprehensive product plan action was calculated to cost around three hundred and seventeen million dollars, and supply Design Engineer demanded an utmost full cost of four hundred and one dollars. Uppermost cost was predictable to take place in the month of July two thousand and eight and this was one hundred and seventy one dollars. Correspondingly, the lowest charge was projected to suggest itself in the month of October, and its total cost was eight thousand dollars (Gray, 2008). The above mentioned charge estimates did not take in costs of operating for instance utilities and charges engaged in threat emergency measures (Glantz, 2008). That is been the case, the risk management arrangement has been produced for the scheme subsequent to studying precedent projects of comparable scale and eventuality plans have been invented to alleviate the impact on plan. Outline of the Project, a milestone was the phase to define the completion of work package and was classically defined by a high level event. A milestone may as well represent a significant decision of a decisive piece of information, which affects the prospect of the project (Hughes, 2002). The entire project plan also comprised of deliverables, Gantt chart, budget schedule, and other important graphs critical towards ensuring a successful plan. The management plan of the project described how the project was to be monitored and be controlled against its Business Case. It was to discover the breakdown of the project into phases, show periodic reporting events for the Project Board, and describe the division of work between the main skill groups and the cost of that work (Mazboudi, 2009). The management plan also identified the major risks related with the project which could have affected it. At the first stage, these were generalized but at the project proceeds, the risks described became more specific. Significantly, the entire plan included time allocated for non-productive or overhead operation for instance external and internal meetings, the production of management documentation, project reporting, and time spent on other indirectly related activity (Kozak-Holland, 2007) The critical path of the project comprised of various activities: product design, market analysis, detailed product design, product design selection, test prototype, order production design, and finalized product design. All the above activities were clearly defined in the project plan and time schedule for the same calculated accordingly. Additionally, the workforce for these activities was allocated to different personnel. Major discussion of network sensitivity was as well included in the project planning. From a broad perspective, sensitivity is described as the probability that the critical path will stay steady for the duration of completion of Blue Zuma project (Glantz, 2008). Sensitivity of the network has a purpose of the quantity of slack non-critical operations have in addition to the number of diverse critical paths. Conclusion It is evidently true that writing the project plan is of great significance. For some reason, the project is important for the reason that it resultes in the development of one of the supreme scooters of the current generation. As it has been highlighted in the discussion, the scooter is intended to hit a broad demographic. As a result, this was supposed to be a huge victory for different games. The plan of the project incorporated the total cost to be incurred upon completion that is; one point two million dollars. Addition, the time frame for the entire project was also included in the plan. According to the plan, the project was to take duration of two hundred and fifty days. Without doubt, the plan estimated that the entire project was to increase income for the company by a range of ten to twelve percent. References Glantz, E., (2008). Project proposal: project Blue Zuma. New York: Random House Gray, C., (2008). Project management: the managerial process. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Hughes, B., (2002). Software project management. New York: Random House Mazboudi, Z., (2009). Blue Zuma project Gant charts. New York: Wiley-Blackwell. Larson, E., (2007). Project management: concepts, techniques, practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Alkhafaji, A., (2003). 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Introduction to Finance: markets, investments and financial management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Pakhare, J. (2007). Management concepts: The four functions of management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sanders, R. (2003). Operations management: An Integrated Approach. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Stavros, J. M. and Hinrichs, G. (2009). The Thin Book Of® SOAR: Building Strengths-Based Strategy. New York: Thin Book Publishing. Read More