A Typology for Clients in Multi-Project Enviroments - Essay Example

PROJECT MANAGEMENT Project management is defined as a discipline that involves the planning, organizing and the management of all the resources in such a way in order to execute the successful completion of a project and its goals and objectives. Project Management always follows the below patterns. Definition Planning Execution Control Closure Definition of the project is the first stage of every project. In this stage project manager defines what is the project and expectations of users. In this stage project manager also defines deliverables of the project also outcomes of the defined activities. Project manager always work with the stakeholder (Sponsor) of the project. Project manager performs the key role in project management, and all activities are solely depending on project manager. Planning of the project the second phase of project. In this stage project manager defines whole activities of the project. In this phase time line is also mentioned for every task. Execution of the project is 3rd phase of the project. In this phase project manager built resources for the project. In this phase project manager allocate tasks to the team members as well as budget to the specific tasks. At the stage physically project begins. Control id the 4th stage of the project. Basically project manager is the in charge of the project and he must know each and every assignments and tasks. Project manager can change the resources as well as time line according to the outcomes of the project. Closure is the final stage of the project. In this stage project manager and owner of the project sit together and finalize the project’s all activities. In this stage project has been completed. Project and its definition: Modern sense of project management began early in the 1960, although it’s roots has further back in the 19th century. Basically the need of project management was driven by business men. A Project is any sort of work plan which has a definite beginning, its designing according to the definite goals and objectives and usually to bring about a definite change or added value. Any of the project involves three basic steps to be completed. Beginning Implementation Evaluation These three steps more or less complete any sort of a work plan provided with differences according to the nature of the various sorts of works and plans. We can summarize project management in a triangle as below in the fig. Project should be delivered on time. Project should be within the cost. Project should be with in scope. Project should be meeting all requirements. But the most recently latest forms of project management is in diamond forms as shown in the below fig. Scope of Project Management: Project management in fact involves; The control of all the resources and project team The control and management of the desired changes Management and understanding the needs of the stakeholders Delivering successful results Proper and time to time evaluation and planning of the project The project management can be outlined as; Project Manager and its Role: A Project Manger is the team lead that is responsible for the complete and sole handling of the project on the behalf of the company and the project team. He is an experiences person that actually involves the deep and complete management of all the project related tasks and also involves the regular monitoring of the project during the implementation and progress of the project. The Project Manager has a definite role at each and every step of the life cycle of the project thus ensuring the progress and control of the system. Life Cycle of a Project Processes and role of Project Manager: The project consists of various definite steps as shown; Preparation: It involves the initial planning of the project that in fact deals with defining for the goals and the objectives of the project and gathering all the relative resources information of the project for the project outlines and collecting the data about the project as well as also management of the resources of the project. The key planning of the project is the responsibility of the project manager who is involved for gathering and managing all sorts of project related information and the details. Start up of the Project: This is the step that ensures the comfortable surety to begin with the portion of the definite work and for this initially the project manager involves implementing certain set of plans to begin with the implementation of the project. With the passage of the time there will be the need of re-planning and certain other slight changes as the reflection of the objectives and their achievements will start appearing as a result of the project execution. Feasibility: This will help to determine that how much the project has feasibility for the environment and also how much the project itself is feasible to the control processes and the suggested changes for its design and the modifications. Implementation: This step involves the final implementation of the work done and then gathering out its results and outcomes. The implementation of any project is very important for any of the project and it determines actually the success level of the project. The project managers play special attention towards the implementation of the projects. Monitoring and evaluation: These are the terms that actually relate the progress and the success of the project. It in fact involves that the how much and till which extent the project has been able to achieve its objectives and goals and what are the future implications to induce further success levels in the project. Closing: This involves the closing of the project after its detailed analysis and conclusions that what were the success levels of the project and what are the future control measures for the project. Stakeholders of a Project and Project Manager: The stakeholders are the bodies that have their built in interest in the project that is in plan and the management of the stakeholders is one of the basic needs to induce success in any project and thus it is the biggest task for a project manager. The role of the stakeholders is very important towards the success of the project; Stake holders in a Built Environment project: The type and the needs of the stakeholders of every project are different depending upon the type of the project that is at initiation stage. For example If there is a project relating the construction of the shopping Mall then the complex management of the stakeholders will be different and the project manager will try to accomplish the best interests of every stakeholder in order to secure the success of the project. Need of the stakeholder management in construction and Architecture Projects: The projects relating the construction of the buildings and the architecture projects are quite complex processes that involve the co-ordination and the cooperation of the stakeholders that are involved in that project directly or indirectly. Stakeholder analysis: This is the technique that can best help the project manager to sort out the interest levels of any project and thus correlate them with the success levels of a project. The various stakeholders that are involved in any construction related projects are; Political stakeholders Legal Stakeholders Public Government authorities Tax related authorities Insurance agents and companies Business persons Workers community These stakeholders will be important to play the roles and are thus requires a comfortable management for their interests by a project manager. Skills of Project Manager for developing One Page Project: As we have seen in detail the various steps that may be involved in any of the project and the project manager is involved for the better management and integration of all these steps. Nowadays the attention is being paid towards the development of such skills in any project manager that can build just a single page project in order to deliver the complete project design to the clients and thus may relate all the involved detailed mechanisms just via a single page. Praise for the One Page Project Manager: The executive today just wants the simplest answer for their two basic concerns. Where we are today? Or what are we going to start with today? Where will we end up? Pr what will we get tomorrow? By making this technique as a part of your project management methodology will simple improve your project communication especially for busy executives (Harold D. Kerzner, PhD, Senior Executive). Construction of a Single Page Project for a construction of a shopping mall by a project Manager: Here is given the details of the construction plan for the single page project by a project manager that will illustrate the complete and definite outcomes and the project details as well. This is a simple one page Project for the complete construction project with an end conclusion for the project evaluation that whether the project has come up with the loss or profits and success or failure output. Key advantages of one page project: This technique is getting famous with the passage of time. There are many key advantages that can be obtained by using this methodology of one page project by the Project Manager. These advantages include; A clear over view of the project within minutes A detailed assessment of the resources and key planning of the project A perfect project outlook. Key diagnosis of the risks and the affecting factors Evaluation strategies and their better implementation Conclusions and the future perspective of one page project planning: It has been found that more than 70 percent of the projects fail just because of the lacks in the project planning and the missing details that are necessary in the plan of any project. To overcome all these negative effects the one page project planning is getting in line with the success of most of the common projects nowadays and for this now special attention has been paid towards this skill of the project management. Risks in the one page project Planning: Although the one page planning is the most successful technique of project management but it also has certain risk factors associated with it if any of the important details are missing. The following key areas are very important: Resources identification WBS structures Cost and evaluation Future developments for project managers associated with one page projects: One page project scope for future project managers can be recognized by the development needs of certain software which assist the companies to design one page projects. They charge for this designing and this shoes that how much this technique is important for your projects and their successful implementation. References: Campbell.Clark A (2006).the one page project manager: communicate & manage any project with a single sheet of paper.London: John Wiley & Sons Fewings Peter (2005) Construction project management: an integrated approach. New York: Spon Press Michael J. Bresnena; Cheryl O. Haslamb (1991) Construction industry clients: a survey of their attributes and project management practices’, Construction management and economics,9 (4):327-342 Nick Blismasa; William Sherb; Antony Thorpec; Andrew Baldwin (2004) A typology for clients multi-project enviroments’, construction management and economics, 22 (4):357-371 Read More