Question

What are the types of the problem solving activities that belong to project execution phase? How would you use those activities in your project? How could the risks that you identified impact your project and increase its scope?

Answer 1

Project is converting a vision, or dream or a need to reality. When considering of doing a project certain points define it:

• A job that has a begining and end.
• A specified outcome.
• A stated level of performance.
• At a budget.

Management is the technique of understanding the problems, needs and controlling the use of resources, cost, time, scope and quality.

Project Management :

Application of knowledge , skills, tools and technique to project activities in order to meet stakeholder needs and expectations from a project.

*Needs: stated part of the project, Expectations: unstated part of the project.

Why Project management is used by Companies ?

• To handle project effectively.
• To define a project and agree with the customer.
• To plan and assess resource needs for a project.
• To estimate the project cost and make proposals.
• To plan and schedule activities in a project.
• To allocate the right resources at the right time.
• To assess risk and failure points so as to create backup plans.
• To lead a project team effectively and communicate well.

Why Project management is learned?

• To explore the newest technologies and techniques of project management.
• To increase value/contribution to the organization.To prove yourself skillful in managing projects.
• To learn new thought process that helps in organized and structured way of thinking.
• To acquire a professional degree/recognition and increase job prospects.
• Endless possibilities and benefits.

Project Management Plan:

"Tells How work will be done"

The key to a successful project is in planning well. A detailed planning work for different aspects of projects is integrated into one single plan known as Project Management Plan.

• Inputs : This is the foremost step in the plan. In short, these are efforts put in to kick start a project.This includes setting a goal, team, checking with budget, time as well tools required.
• Project : This is the actual implementation of pre decided objectives and here the work is done in real rather than planning.
• Output : This is the final stage and in this stage we get to the result of our efforts put in. We analyzed the planned result and the actual result. Also, working over failures and making the project perform better is done in this stage.

Project implementation stage :

Process whereby inputs are converted into output is nothing but outputs. This stage involves putting in action the activities of the project ie; putting into practise what was proposed in the project proposal into actual project. It is the management of projects or say execution of project intentions.

• Project Activation: This means making arrangements to have the project started. It involves coordination and allocation of resources to make project operational.
• Project Operational : This is practical management of a project. Here, project inputs are transformed into outputs to achieve immediate outputs.

Project Implementation plan includes:

1. Gantt chart : This chart is also referred to as the progress chart. It is a chart showing the timing of project activities using horizontal bars. It is one of the techniques of project scheduling, which depicts the frequency of activities and determines the period of time for implementation.

2. Critical Path Method (CPM) or Network analysis.

3. Project Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT).

4. Simple Formats

Components of Project Implementation Plan:

a. Project Implementation schedule : This defines the time, cost, activities involved in a project implementation, roles defining etc.

b.The role of the implementing agency.

c. Beneficiary participation

d. Organizational structure and staffing

e. Financial Management

f. Reporting system

g. Sustainability

h. Time control and remedial action

i. Project implementation schedule and supervision

Factors Affecting Project implementation:

When it comes to affecting factors there are positive ones as well as negative ones or say success as well as failure.

• Factors that leads to success of projects:

a) Political Commitment

b) Simplicity of Design

c) Careful preparation

d) Good Management

e) Involvement of beneficiaries or community.

• Factors leading to failure or problematic projects:

a) Financial Problems : When the project causes the budget set or falls short of budget .

b) Management Problems: The management of the project doesnt go well. The project manager doesnt efficiently manage.

c) Technical Problems: The technicalities involved in the project are not implemented well when the technicians or experts guiding is not to the expected level.

d) Political Problems

In my view, if these problems are better managed at the start or found out before taking the project too far , the failures can be avoided. A good PM manager and team is the backbone of any projects. During pre-planning phase, only plan the ones which suits our organization's caapacity else it would lead to financial problems, technical problems and many other. If these points are managed , the project would be a great success increasing its scope as well.