Answer To: Microsoft Word - INF70005 Sem XXXXXXXXXXGroup Paper and Presentation Swinburne University of...
Amar answered on May 24 2020
Running Header: Assignment Three – Research & Reflective Report 1
Assignment Three – Research & Reflective Report 14
Assignment Three – Research & Reflective Report
Contents
Reflection 3
Introduction 3
Project Management Concepts 3
Team Member Dynamics 4
Team Composition & Process 4
Project Management Issues 5
Project Management Issues Identified 5
Issue #1 – Academic Theory 6
Issue #1 – Application of Theory & Insights 7
Issue #1 – Learning Reflection 9
Issue #2 – Academic Theory 10
Issue #2 – Application of Theory & Insights 11
Issue #2 – Learning Reflection 13
References 14
Reflection
Introduction
The project team comprised four members and my role in the project involved that of the project manager. The role encompassed the undertaking of project planning, project delivery responsibility, team management and project leadership. The decision making was on a team consensus basis and all of the project activities were shared amongst the team members.
Project Management Concepts
The overall project aim encompassed the design and development of a process improvement at a manufacturing company to increase efficiency by way of waste reduction and employing lean supply chain. The project had both strategic and financial significance to the business performance of the company. The undertaking of the project had varied and myriad learning experience for me and one of the key elements related to the fact that the significance of the final project outcome depends on the comprehensive, adequate and detailed planning that entails prior to the project implementation. At my role specific learning, the team dynamics and collaborative efforts enabled by establishing expected values and working modalities sets a productive outcome.
The two key risks that were encountered and identified while undertaking the project encompassed the following – [i] the overall nature of the project encompassed wide ranging of requirements as well as the constraints of time as well as expected outcomes and the same leads to the immediate exposure to a challenge on how to organize and plan such an activity, and, [ii] the team collaboration and need to have shared values / focus / goal to avoid redundancy, conflicts, etc. The first risk or challenge was immediate and needed to be addressed prior to even starting the work. The same was managed by employing the framework of project management as issued by PMBoK offering a structured / organized way to undertake a project. The other challenge of team collaboration was managed by establishing expected values and working modalities sets a productive outcome.
Team Member Dynamics
As described earlier, our key concern right from the start was that the working as a team offers a evident sharing of responsibility and diversity of ideas benefits but as was noted from individual experiences of the team, in reality, a team work has huge downside risks of conflicts, ego clashes, redundancy, miscommunication, etc. In this context, to ensure an aligned, equal / fair, collaborative and efficient environment we established certain values / working rules that was adhered by all and led to collaborative team dynamics.
Despite the same, one of the dynamic which had an impact of favourable nature with respect to the project was that the team was established a flat manner with specific responsibilities to each member and the consensus based decision making. The key learning from this is was that the understanding that the team dynamics as well as collaborative efforts aided by establishing expected values and working modalities leads to productive outcome for projects.
Team Composition & Process
The aspects that really worked well for us were two things, ensuring an aligned, equal / fair, collaborative and efficient environment by establishing certain values / working rules that was adhered by all and led to collaborative team dynamics and the employment of framework of project management as issued by PMBoK offering a structured / organized way to undertake a project. The aspects of concern comprised the following – few of scope creeps during the later stage of the project had significant pressures on time schedule compliance as well as the quality of deliverables, and, that the lack of developing a communication plan also had certain communication issues which was addressed by developing suitable plan later on.
Project Management Issues
Project Management Issues Identified
The two of the project management issued identified as well as the basis of identifying the same are listed as follows –
· Dr Zwikael (2016) in the lecture titled Project Benefit Management states that despite a project adhering and meeting the scope requirements established with respect time, cost, and quality / deliverable, can still be considered to be a failure in case the project fails to the address the core strategic goal for which the project was instituted in the first place. Hence, the issue #1 concerns the limitation of project success to just the immediate project scope specifications and not considering the broader strategic / core longer term impacts.
· Rivard (2018) in the lecture titled Project Risk Management discusses the various aspects of risk management within projects in terms of the mechanics of employing the same. Rivard (2018) also highlights the issue of focussing solely on mechanics of risk management and failing to focus in the context of the project like team dynamics, project organization culture, etc. in aiding the risk management. Hence, the issue #2 concerns the failure of risk management efficiency by not focussing on project risk contexts and solely focussing on risk management mechanics alone.
Issue #1 – Academic Theory
The theory identified with respect to the issue #1, that is, limitation of project success to just the immediate project scope specifications and not considering the broader strategic / core longer term impacts, is the Logical Framework Approach (“LFA”). In essence, LFA states that each of the projects shall comprise four levels in terms of objectives, and these include – [i] Goal, that is, strategic intent at big picture context, [ii] Purpose, that is, changes that are expected by way of the project completion, [iii] Outcomes, that is, essential deliverables for achieving the purpose, and, [iv] Inputs, that is, tasks as well as resources that are required (Chih and Zwikael 2015; Golini et al. 2017).
The above stated distinctions gain significance to establish the accountability of project teams, evaluation of the project impacts, as well as creating the alignment within a project to that of broader longer term / strategic objectives (Chih and Zwikael 2015; Golini et al. 2017). The underlying logic amongst...